Job Discussion Forums

[sheeba]

That blooming beep !!! should read c o c k n e y . Just another point - Don't you guys think that the variety of English(at least from what I know in the UK) is simply too vast for them to be able to understand all these different accents and dialects. It's simply impossible and often they don't need different accents . This steers me even further towards the simple fact that we do have to conform to a standard when teaching .

[Steppenwolf]

The preconceived idea that one dialect or accent is preferable to all others is puerile and chauvinistic, thus an irrational judgement. Such subjective criteria don't help the English language or the English language students. It's cosmetics and phonological face-lifting but not serious language learning.
A real teacher is hardly faced with such issues; his job is to broaden his students' grasp of the language, not narrow it down to one variety. Teaching is something other than the mere setting of 'ideal' sound-patterns; if you act as a pronunciation copper who hunts down the students that pronounce 'garage' in the traditional British style you are overreacting and doing your learners no favour - unless they ask you for it.

Only a very tiny minority pick up enough English that warrants to be streamlined into a clearly identifiable native-speaker mainstream type; with proper pronunciation comes good intonation and subconscious mastery of grammar.
That's not the case with maybe 80% of our students. They can't tell a Texan apart from a Mexican.

[sheeba]

I think most of us (normal) teachers understand that we shouldn't hold any chauvanistic feelings towards our language. I personally focus on communicatiion in class as a priority and never correct if I understand students. The problem we face is more to do with our pronunciation in front of the class. The simple necessity is, and it is quite obvious ,that the students understand what we are saying and what language we are using. That is why we need a model in class.

[vikdk]

[fluffyhamster]

[vikdk]

by the look of that last post soft cuddly rodents could also make excellent English teachers - that is if they could also exhibit skills in the area of pedagogical competence that equates to an L2 learning catalyst - you know teachers that motivate the students so much that they just have to learn. Put that together with a decent method - and hey presto dem teachers become a pretty hot force. Native or non-native seems not be an important question here - things that really matter being the skills and competence needed to carry out the required job
But then again so many of the jobs in China just involve making your boss money - so goodbye pedagogical competence and enter the more vital fator of white epidermis

[cj750]

[fluffyhamster]

[vikdk]

catalyst - as in a teacher/learning environment that precipitates a process or event - the event and process being that of the effective learning (acquisition) of an L2 (English).
Many teachers exhibit a different type of pedagogical "skill" that can well precipitate a different process - that of turning the student off the subject - in other words boring them to death - so easy to achieve in the L2 classroom - and not ideally condusive to aiding L2 acquisition!!!!

[fluffyhamster]

I understand what 'catalyst' means. What I'm trying to fathom is why you seem to think that you know enough about me or my actual teaching style (notwithstanding my many posts over on the Teacher forums, as well as some here on the Job ones - not all linguistics always gets "applied") to suggest that I "turn off" students.

Turning off "fellow" teachers, "colleagues", is a different matter - we all have differing interests and thus place differing amounts of emphasis on some things as opposed to others - and is thus unavoidable sometimes (bear in mind also that I have been working in Japan rather than China for the past seven years, "team-teaching" in high schools).

If you could show some evidence of having read a few of my other posts in detail, and post some valid criticisms of whatever methods I've appeared to recommend, who knows, the word 'troll' (or, indeed, 'a**hole') might not actually end up seeming so appropriate to describe you.

Anyway, thanks for the "welcome".

[baasbabelaas]

[vikdk]

To the hamster person -
I wasn't writing about you - I know nothing about you. I thought your initial post was really good - so my post was just one that tried to comment on your post's subject matter - not on you as a teacher
Therefore, in my eyes at least, your last two seem to be a bit confused (if you aint I know I am). Sorry if I've been a catalyst in this process
By the way - are you always this sensetive

[fluffyhamster]

Heh, hiya vikdk, I was about to edit my post and add 'and for acting as a catalyst for such a fine (sub-)discussion' LOL.

Nah, I'm not sensitive, I just don't misread things that often. Take another look at what you wrote:

[Shan-Shan]

A successful English teacher -- regardless of his/her species -- is one who motivates learners in acquiring English language skills. I'm guessing that this was the gist of V's comment. Be the teacher furry, scaly, pink or translucent, the "quality" should lie in how well the students have learned.

But as already pointed out, this truism is lost in the business that is TESL. Thus we have cute paper cut-out teachers on Monday stapled to brochures, and on Tuesdays taped to the classroom wall holding 45 minute discussions on "why do we learn English?", and claiming afterwards that this an example of "communicative" learning.

[Steppenwolf]