Job Discussion Forums

mignonettemanda · Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 17

Hi all. well i'm a freshman at wesleyan university, CT, 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

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 10:41 pm Post subject: Deleted

I just deleted a posting from this thread that had no business being on this board. If you have something constructive and helpful to say here, say it. If you want to spew garbage, please find another board that is garbage friendly.

This one is not.

valley_girl

chinagirl · Joined: 27 May 2003 Posts: 235 Location: United States

I'm also not sure how you plan on teaching without training, but I can recommend a series books that are excellent resources, all published by Cambridge University Press:

look particularly at Lessons from Nothing
http://www.cambridge.org/elt/elt_projectpage.asp?id=2500408

and all of the books listed on their catalogue site:

http://www.cambridge.org/elt/catalogue/teachers/chlt/

I would strongly suggest taking one or two of these with you.

That said, your teaching vacation is a bit baffling to me, as well. I guess Worldvision must really need free labor... but from a different perspective, I certainly understand your desire to take a free trip to China. Best of luck to you, and perhaps this will motivate you to get properly trained.

abufletcher · Posted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 8:30 am Post subject:

First of all, I think you show quite a lot of awareness about language teaching for a 19 year old freshman. You're are at least asking good questions and that's something already.

And while it may gaul some EFL professionals that someone with no formal training or experience would be permitted to walk in the same hallways as they do, the fact remains that in my 20+ years as an EFL professional I have come across quite a number of people with no formal experience who nevertheless did an outstanding job in a tough situation. Of course you already do have some informal experiences AS A LANGUAGE LEARNER since as you state you already speak some Chinese. The most valuable resource you have is your ability to put yourself in your students' shoes.

Enthusiasm, creativity, and flexibility will go a very long way in this profession. Unfortunately, it seems often to be the case that the more formal training and experience people get the more they forget this fact.

Just give it your honest best and I'm sure it will be a satisfying experience for both you and your students.

valley_girl · Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 10:01 pm Post subject:

I am the last person to say that credentials are everything. I have fewer 'paper' credentials and less teaching experience than most, if not all, of the other teachers I work with. It just so happens that I have a passion for ELT and (I am told) I am pretty good at it. Anyone with a passion for teaching and a natural ability for it should jump in with both feet given the opportunity.

The problem as I see it, abufletcher, is that you and I did not interpret the OP's post in the same way. You saw enthusiasm, creativity, and flexibility where I saw trepidation, hesitation, and a total lack of self-confidence. It sounded to me as though this person was (a) not sure she should teach, (b) not sure she could teach, and (c) not the least bit sure how to teach. It may turn out that she's the best ELT to come down the pike. However, I don't have confidence in anyone who doesn't have confidence in herself.

abufletcher · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 2:10 pm Post subject:

Maybe it's just that I have a daughter who's 19 herself.

Mchristophermsw · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 228

Great Oppertunity for you!!!!!

But I have reservations that a big org like WV can't fork out a few bucks for training??? That seems kinda of slack and unprofessional on their part.

If I am wrong about the lack of training on WV's part then I apoligize for my comments.

Either way, its a win win situation for you---it will be fun, a great experience, and some lifetime memories!

Best wished for your future studies
and let me know if they still got those bootleg beany babies in China LOL!
Wink