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sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

Fair enough. I don't know enough about TEM. I still feel the aims of such courses are limited in that you really are just trying to learn how to pass an exam. Mostly you do that in your own time. I certainly only study HSK on my own as really that is the only way to do well in it. I met lethargic English major students in my time at a Chinese uni who had been taught by a previous foreigner andI feel the reason they were lethargic is because they were used to the droneing lectures from foreigners. They get enough of that from their Chinese teachers. I say bring in some content from the course and make tasks that allow for vocab from the TEM, structures and so on . Sod the lecturing. Just my opinion though.

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province

Go here for more links on the British Council

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&newwindow=1&q=British+council+UK+culture&btnG=Search

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culture - homepage - central - British Council - LearnEnglishBritish Council LearnEnglish Central, British Council LearnEnglish Central ... LearnEnglish UK Culture - Scotland, Find out what it's like living in ...
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home page - Scotland - UK Culture - British Council - LearnEnglishLearnEnglish Central UK Culture - Scotland home page.
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More results from www.britishcouncil.org �
British Council - UK Cultural GuideThese sites have been selected to show the diverse and dynamic culture of the UK. The British Council is not responsible for the content of any external ...
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Culture Lab U.K. (Culture-Lab)Guide to style, culture and technology in the UK from the British Council. The Culture Lab guide to education, industry and technology.
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sheeba · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 1123

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/

I think this is the place but you need to pay for the teaching website I think. Never used to be like that!

Many a time I downloaded quick lesson plans from the BC. Loads of ideas. I remember teaching some Kurds and they loved all the cultural stuff on Britain.

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

Some good, good answers.

I would throw in some sports of the native countries, especially if there are a lot of boys (is that sexist?)

Wars are always cool to talk about, and often show up on tests.

I remember my students got a real kick when I explained the the Arabs and Jews are half-brothers

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province

Conflict: Israel vs. Arab WorldThe Bible states that the last great battle will put Israel against the rest of the ... Conflict between the two sons of Abraham began from the very start. ...
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randyj · Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 3:36 pm Post subject:

Yeah, do not lecture. Best are exercises highlighting cultural differences. Organize the course based on areas like education, economy, society, health, food, etc. Then at the end give them a final in the form of an oral presentation, topic being "How I Would Adjust to Living in a Western Country". Grade them based on fluency, originality, and use of idiomatic language. Avoid history as much as possible. It's death.

danielb · Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 490

But, again, there is required content that should be covered in the 'survey' course. Unfortunately, most of it is historical.

I know it isn't a perfect system, but we all know that.

Where I taught the students were quite poor. Passing the TEM8 was one of those things that just might help them get a job that paid more than basic wage in a factory.

Providing them, to the best of my ability, with the content that they were required to learn for TEM8 in a manner that was at least marginally interesting, I hope, led at least some of them to understand/remember it.

I don't think testing fluency is a great way to test students in a survey course as it is not an English language course. They have other courses where English fluency is tested.

danielb · Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 490

Arioch is right. Two of the areas that come up often on TEM8 are sports and wars. For some reason, the War of the Roses seems to get a run all too often.

Other frequently tested topics are indigenous peoples, heads of state, geography (longest rivers, tallest mountains, etc), important events (1066, 1788, etc) and literature (though this is covered in another course).

You can get a book that has all of the TEM8 exams for the past ten years or so in it. Your uni should also be able to provide you with a copy. You'll see what I mean.

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province

More links

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seperley · Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 36

Songbird,

I think that you're being given good advice by everyone. What you need to determine is which is good for your situation. I was in the same situation not long ago. If this group's conversational skills are low, or if the students are not motivated, lecturing will tire you out and keep you working harder than they will ever work. To start I'd go with 50% lecture with the balance comprised of handouts with exercises. Feel your way through it.

If there's no book, then the school doesn't expect much from you. I've been there too. If you do have AV at your disposal, movies work very well as long as you explain the idea behind the movie and place it in history.

If there's no AV and no book, and you're teaching British culture and history, take it period by period and discuss the most important features of the period. You've been steered toward some great resources. Make it easy on yourself and investigate the resources.

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province

My advice is to find suitable articles and transfer to word and get rid of the big words / simplify and get printed for handouts. Get your students to read after you explaining as you go along what it is they're reading then open for questions on the topic. Follow the open question time with 10 minutes for pair work discussion in English and then follow up with some questions of your own. Keep it simple and routine as they will feel comfortable knowing what is expected of them. They have the material for home study this way also.

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

1788??? French Revolution ? Bastille?

danielb · Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 490

First fleet.

wulfrun · Joined: 12 May 2008 Posts: 167

(havent read all the previous posts.)

try the bookshops. there are several china-printed titles and series printed specifically for this, some of them good.

The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking Countries - Higher Education Press. there are two books, book one covering UK, Australia, Ireland, book two covering US and Canada. books are about A4-size, with white covers. pretty good.

Essentials of British and American Cultures - Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. smaller book, and less impressive (and no pictures!).

and there are plenty of other culture titles in the big bookshops. these are among the two most common. id recommend the first series. (all books cheap, at china prices.)

you being an aussie, guessing you want to teach US and Australia.: have fun!

(if you did want to do britain, there's the classic text 'Britain' by a guy called Driscoll or O'Driscoll. i havent seen it sold in a chinese bookshop, but it is on one of the ESL packages that you can download from Piratebay etc.)