Job Discussion Forums

[ebooktrial0001]

Hello Everyone,

One of the problems I face over and over again in my teaching is not there there is too little information, but there is too much and it is quite disorganized.

1. Does anyone have any way to find out what are the most common lessons taught in an ESL course?

2. If not, who or where would I go to find the answer to this? (Maybe a top ranked professor who teaches ESL, as at Columbia University).

3. If no good online lessons exist, I'd be happy to make some using Camtasia, etc.

[nomad soul]

Your questions are too broad. Videos for which contexts and purposes? Instructional videos that students just sit and watch as a major element of a lesson? Supplemental videos for flipped classroom assignments and WebQuests? For which learner levels and cultural contexts? Too broad. Plus, what do you mean by the "most common lessons taught in an ESL course?"

Frankly, just check with the publisher(s) of the textbooks your school uses; they very likely have a website with supplemental videos, worksheets, online exercises, teacher resources, etc. Otherwise, create materials when needed or do a very specific search on the Net for materials for your target topic.

[santi84]

All your threads indicate that you really want to make money off EFL students by creating books/materials. Okay, fine, none of us are in it just for charity. I'm curious, do you have the sort of experience and credentials that qualify you to make anything worth adding to a saturated market?

There are tons of videos available, much of which we use from local resources (ELSA BC and GoA is what I use in Western Canada). These are designed in consultation with local ESL consultants, health professionals, market researchers, etc. Now, they aren't optimal to other ESL/EFL markets, but the same are elsewhere too.

For casual (free) instruction, ESL consultants like JenniferESL provide excellent instructional videos on YouTube. I believe she charges private lessons, but isn't taking clients. Nomad has already explained that most text publishers provide their own materials.

[santi84]

[nomad soul]

[ebooktrial0001]

Hi Everyone,

I'm actually about to put forth $4000 to start a non-profit for basic education lessons.

Even places like Khan Academy have too much stuff, hence making it disorganized.

I feel the basic lessons that people need to know are ESL and basic skills training (such as basic writing, math, science, social studies).

I'd just like to get videos of common lessons. I'll look into Jennifer's ESL lessons.

Just to be clear, to anyone who thinks that Ivy League education is the best, it is not. I feel it is often impractical; the world needs more practicality.

[Xie Lin]

Before going ahead with this project, I would do a lot more research. Do a comprehensive survey of what is already out there, and an analysis of your findings. What is available at what levels, content, weaknesses, strengths, etc? Do you already have your own ideas about techniques and approaches for creating effective video lessons? Are you planning to design a comprehensive curriculum, or just create individual lessons to fill gaps in what is available? Who are you trying to reach? Do you want to market to students? Teachers? Schools? Materials publishers? Or create a website available to all?

As Santi mentioned, there are already lots of on-line materials available. Do carefully examine what's already available so that you don't reinvent the wheel--er, lesson.

Just a few random thoughts for your perusal. . .

.

[nomad soul]

[santi84]

[Teacher in Rome]

[ebooktrial0001]

Thanks.

Perhaps I am trying to scour too much area at once.

My goal would be to be like KhanAcademy, but focus on a key set of basic knowledge and skills that every citizen should know.

At it's core, I think something resembling a GED prep course would be good. That is English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies; only this site would not be for test prep, but rather for general skills that happen to prepare for tests like the GED, HiSet, Tasc, etc.

ESL would be the next phase after that, since so many people always ask about ESL; but, it's not clear to me what are the best sites for videos, etc. The information out there just seems too cluttered. There is no clear singular resource or book that covers everything.

In the same way Wheelock's Latin is considered to go to guide for Latin (over other books), the Oxford English Dictionary the go-to resource for looking up a word, etc. so too must there be a source for ESL learning?

[nomad soul]

[ebooktrial0001]

Thanks for the honest concern.

You've asked a lot of questions and let me see if I can answer them.

1. To my knowledge, there is not much consensus on a "basket of educational skills and knowledge" that every citizen of the world should know, the same way as we have a "basket of goods" necessary to measure inflation.

2. In a perfect world, UNESCO would create and enforce education standards in the world. But, in it's absence, the American Council on Education is the closest thing.

The GED is one (of several) tests that measure basic skills deemed necessary for academic, job success, and life.

3. My co-teacher will do some of the multi-media. For me, the real thing is a consolidated, one stop resource. Even Wikipedia, KhanAcademy, GoogleEducation, and a few other big sites do not have a comprehensive, organized sites for listing the basics of "what should an educated person know". When I have lobbied them, they reject the plea.

4. A lot of it will not need to create content from scratch, but rather link to existing videos, etc.[/b]

[spiral78]

[nomad soul]