Job Discussion Forums

[Chris Westergaard]

Seriously, they are really tough. If anyone has ANY tips at all, please let me know.
Check out this link and see for yourself!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BKW1BWhRA0

[cmp45]

Great video; hilarious!

[soapdodger]

Any tips? Don't give up your day job. But on second thoughts, do, please.

[johnslat]

Tips?
Well, for starters, don't let them eat your brains. Although a fair number of EFL/ESL teachers seem to manage to do their jobs without engaging their brains, some insist on using them.
My second tip: Get the money up front. Zombies are notorious for not paying for services rendered. And don't take any checks - well, unless they're Czechs, that is.
Regards,
John

[arioch36]

[Extraordinary Rendition]

Chris,

Despite your video's completely tongue-in-cheek treatment of teacher training, I've used it to make a sample listening exercise for some classes of non-native speaking undergraduates studying to become English teachers in primary and secondary schools. This particular course is on teaching listening and speaking skills. We've been discussing the usefulness of exercises in which learners can see the speakers, which means either live speakers (impractical!) or video. What better subject matter than a teacher-training course! I used a website called eslvideo.com, which enabled me to import your video from youtube and use their template to make some comprehension questions. I'm going to use it in a couple classes tomorrow, and let them tell me why my exercise is inadequate! Thanks for sharing your work on youtube! (Not sure if being PC is supposed to be proper or not, but I've had enough PC for the rest of my life, so the heck with it...)

[Extraordinary Rendition]

Used the video with three different groups of prospective language teachers over the last few days. Not only was it an excellent example of quickly constructing a listening exercise via eslvideo.com, it allowed the trainees to think about the weaknesses of simply giving comprehension questions, then listening for answers. But more interestingly, we had legitimate discussions about Clay's aggressive style and inappropriate gesturing, Skip's advice to Barry, and why the zombies wanted to eat Barry's brains right away (lack of enthusiasm in his approach, talking to beginners as though they can already understand natural spoken English). Thanks, again, Chris! How about a follow-up? Please!

[Extraordinary Rendition]

The video has had other interesting benefits. During practice teaching, when their fellow trainees acting in the role of learners become "restive", it keeps everyone relaxed to point out that the "zombies" are starting to think about eating the teacher's brains. By asking how you can prevent them from thinking about eating your brains, trainee teachers quickly realize the importance of classroom management and "presense", interesting activities and presentation, a good pace, and how good lesson planning feeds into all of that. The utility of the analogy has amazed me! Some trainees are even starting to become "zombie-like" as a means of immediate feedback to the trainee who is "on-the-spot", and the good humor keeps everyone light-hearted about it!

[BobbyBan]

What the Hell was that?

[Extraordinary Rendition]

FINALLY, someone else has posted! That, my friend, is the biggest help I've seen for new teacher trainers (like myself) since... sliced bread? It's NOT (NOT!) that the model teaching is any good (it's downright silly, if I haven't made my point), but that IS the point. Althogh what was obviously cut from the video, Skip's taking the zombies from the single word, "brains!", to other internal organs, and the full sentence "I like (internal organ)!", should not be ignored , it's all about what NOT to do in the classroom, it portrays (humourously) that new TEFL teachers face "A Separate Reality", with some good advice thrown in (by Skip to Barry, for example). This is about what happens if you DON'T plan lessons, if you DON't engage the learners, if you DON'T keep your classroom language ("teacher talk") to a minimum and at the appropriate level, if you DON'T build logically on what the learners already know in developing lesson plans... etc., etc. If you've never taught a class of beginners, or never trained prospective teachers who will face that, perhaps you don't understand how "lost" a beginning learner can be. It's done with humour and good intentions, without which the classroom atmosphere (including the training of new teachers!) deterioates into a miasma of bad feelings and becomes a lost cause. I'm too lazy to go on right now, because I'm enjoying the free time such help provides me as a trainer...

Chris is a XXX genius, and I hope zombies eat his brains, so I don't have to be jealous anymore , but, unfortunately, it won't happen, because the bloke obviously knows what he's doing!

[Extraordinary Rendition]

On the other hand, more "zombie" videos, please, Chris!!! Methinks there are more "Barrys" than "Shaq-speareans" to help (one can only hope ).

[Chris Westergaard]

Thanks for the feedback. It does deal with bad methods. That's the point of it. More on the way hopefully.

[Extraordinary Rendition]

[Chris Westergaard]

That wasn't directed towards you. I know you got it from the start.

[Extraordinary Rendition]

Nor was my most recent post directed at you for having to state the obvious.