Job Discussion Forums

[mignonettemanda]

Hi all. well i'm a freshman at wesleyan university, USA and i'm going to volunteer for World Vision to teach their staff in China English for a month. i'm only 19 yrs old but the people i'm gonna teach are like 10 yrs older than me. their english (as i was told) is about beginner level and my boss at WV told me to make the lessons 'fun' and 'educational'. btw im not gonna have any kinda computer facilities and i doubt if i'm gonna get a proper classroom with a board and so on.

I'm completely inexperienced in teaching English (esl or not) and so i desparately need help!!!

1. should i use english as the medium of instruction (i can speak chinese myself, just not very fluent)? i was told they want to practise oral english but then i'm a little worried that they wouldn't be able to understand me.

2. ive read games and activities in this site that are totally amazing, but do they work for adults too? how to get them more involved and articulate?

3. is it important to correct their grammar when they arent speaking proper english? or should i just let them talk as long as they can express themselves efficiently?

4. any suggestion how to teach oral english? my french teacher used to give us dialogues to read aloud in class and do role plays, but sometimes it got pretty boring and ended up being sheer memorization of vocab. is there any kind of activity i can teach how to speak english efficiently and without their getting bored in class?

thanks in advance!! i'd really appreciate any input

[kev7161]

There are a bunch of ideas right on Dave's (his "home" page) - - check them out. Also, you can go to the following website:

http://www.esl.about.com

This site has a TON of lesson ideas and activities, from beginner to advanced. There are dozens (hundreds?) of other sites and maybe a few of our regulars will post some links here. I teach from a book called "New Interchange". Here's their web address:

http://www.cambridge.org/elt/interchange/

These books have the (boring) dialogues but also pronunciation, grammar focus, games, workbooks, puzzles, and a host of other things to give your lessons a little "punch".

Coming here for a month to get your feet wet is a fine idea, but I urge you: don't come here unprepared. Get yourself a 3-ring binder. Go to some of those ESL lesson idea websites and print out lessons. Seperate them into beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Have more games and activities than you think you could possibly use. Bring some visuals with you that correspond with your lessons such as newspapers and magazines, flash cards, CDs (with corresponding lyric sheets) . . . anything that you can think of that will make your lessons more interesting and exciting. Always be prepared with an introductory warm-up exercise (to pique their interest) and be prepared to let your students speak more than you do. They won't volunteer (generally) to speak - - esp. if they are beginners - - so come up with a plan on "making" them try. I have little ice cream sticks and I write their name on the sticks. Then I pick a stick out of a cup and that student has to speak whether he wants to or not. If you are a volunteer, then your organization should provide you with materials you need (within a certain budget, I'm sure). I'll repeat what has been said on this site time and again: COME TO CHINA OVERLY PREPARED. DON'T EXPECT IT TO BE A WALK IN THE PARK. DON'T ASSUME THAT, BECAUSE THEY ARE ADULTS, THEY'LL ALREADY HAVE A GOOD FEEL FOR THE LANGUAGE. DON'T ASSUME YOUR STUDENTS WILL ALL BE AT THE SAME LEVEL.

Finally:

[millie]

Hi all. well i'm a freshman and i'm going to volunteer to drive a school bus in China for a month. i'm only 19 yrs old but the passengers i'm gonna take are like 10 yrs older than me. My boss at Blind Vision told me to make the trip 'fun' and 'geographical'. btw im not gonna have any kinda safety facilities and i doubt if i'm gonna get a bus with a steering wheel, brakes and so on.

I'm completely inexperienced in driving (buses or not) and so i desparately need help!!!

I am thinking the internet and all those totally amazing websites and as the way to goOOO0000 this being, like, the computer age and all.

BTW: What kinda ride do you think my passengers can, like, expect?

[mignonettemanda]

you dont hav to reply if you dont want to help. i wouldnt hav posted here facing the risk of getting abusive responses (like yours) if i didnt want to do my job well, and i hav nothing to lose even if i suck at my job as i'm only a volunteer. seems like i've gotten myself in a pretty hostile place where people only care abt wages and housing allowances.

[Gordon]

[mignonettemanda]

they are MOST CERTAINLY not paying for the classes. in fact they're going to be the colleagues i work with and spend time with in the office everyday.

thanks for the links

[Gordon]

[mignonettemanda]

thats why i'm a little stressed abt teaching them, considering they're not just more experienced in their field of work but also a lot older than me. [/quote]

[Gordon]

That was a rhetorical question. They are not your colleagues. If you are teaching them English, they are your students. They may be teachers as well and you may work with them, but when you are teaching them, they will be YOUR students.

[T.C.53]

To whom it may concern:

Volunteerism in China seems to be the new thing in exployting laowei teachers. The clever laobans are learning to play on the better part of a westerners christian upbringing and therefore use you to achieve their goals of learning some english.

In my area there are already schools that are attempting the same route with teachers, useing retoric like "chinese people are so poor" we only can make 2000 RMB a month. While all along the students are still charged there tuition which conveniantly goes south.

Nuttin for Nuttin.....I say. Never volunteer for anything. In the "worlds most vibrant economy" the people are so poor??? Blowhahahaha.

I advise this 19 year old dogood fish not to bite the bait.


take it for what its worth.
best Wishes and regards to all China hands.

[Hagwon Muppet]

[T.C.53]

yeah yeah yeah obiously you know nuttin about the local jibe lingo

when you go to bed with them do you let them open the umbrella? or just slide it gently???

Twit.

[mignonettemanda]

thanks for letting me know i've got into a volunteer-unfriendly zone. im trying hard to imagine my highschool teachers to be like you guys.

[brsmith15]

Follow your heart. Forget the nay-sayers because they're only showing their own fears and misgivings about themselves. For an age of one score plus nine you are remarkable in both your outlook and your curiosity. I'm 66 and dearly wish I had the same drive you seem to have when I was there where you are.

I've run companies, advised CEOs how to run theirs, had 12 books of mine published. At one time I owned 3 houses, had a large boat and the ability to request a company airplane at my beck and call. But one of my greatest experiences was working for VISTA at $2.38 an hour helping folks find sources of food. It was so great I later cam back for a second helping.

Come to China. Be yourself. Do the best you can and the world -- your world -- will respond. What's the worst that can happen? If you're asking questions now, I have a feeling you'll be fine.

F&^k the negative guys. They're just jealous they didn't make the same decision you're about to make. Some of them chose teaching positions here in China because they couldn't find a job and were too immobilized to start their own businesses. Those who worry that you're "taking away their livelihood" will do the same anywhere whether they're working as a foreign teacher in China, running a machine in the UK or working in an office in Canada. Those are the weak and those who lack self confidence.

I've met and taught over 2 million people and I think I can sense a real pro when I "hear" one.

Come. Do the best you can. Learn. Move on. People here will judge you the same way they do anywhere.

[Babala]

Listen to Brsmith15,
For good lesson plans for adults, do a search on Dave's. Just recently there have been alot of good lesson plans suitable for adults posted. If you need any ideas, PM me. Good luck.