Job Discussion Forums

[Ann]

I taught Business English at a continuing ed. program but it didn't run too well due to lack of advertising and needs.
I have been constantly asked to teach another course but I come up with blanks. The most popular courses are "Idioms," "Conversation," "Grammar," etc...
I was thinking of introducing newcomers (to the US) to "American culture in the workplace." Or how about "Writing 101?" Not Freshman Comp but something like it...cover letters, resumes, writing sentences, paragraphs, etc.?
I know that everyone here has taught a broad range of courses so I am looking for some ideas.
A little background: I am an ESL Teacher and I teach basic skills to adults. I have also taught Business English. I prefer teaching content-based courses because I feel more challenged to teach them. I have a background of writing so I probably lean more towards it in my advanced courses. These courses are for designed for adult learners with advanced English skills.
I would appreciate any pointers.

[Sherri]

Hi Ann
I think your ideas sound good. An American culture class could go down well and your idea of a job-related writing course could be attractive too--but change the name from "writing 101"--it's too general. Do you write your own course description too? If so then make sure that you mention the skills that you will be teaching as well as the content. Since in the past, students have shown interest in grammar, fluency etc, try to include these items in your description.

Does your school survey the students on what courses they would be interested in? Our school does that and we get a lot of ideas from our students instead of trying to second guess them.

Other ideas that have been popular with the advanced students that I have taught have been:
--current news (using newspapers and videos of news reports)
--debate
--presentation skills
--business case studies (using simulations)

Hope this helps.

[Shonai Ben]

Just my 2 cents worth.
I have found that students do not like to write,especially long stories.
I would stick to conversations only.Most of my students only want to speak and have a conversation.No writing at all.They do enough of this in school,at least here in Japan anyway.
Good luck.

[Capergirl]

Hi Ann,

We recently started a new evening course for the local foreign community and it is called "English for communication". It includes the four basics: reading, writing, listening, and speaking English as a Second Language. The course has commenced at the beginner level (as a result of a needs assessment)...and will move on to more advanced levels as the need arises. I think that this type of course covers all areas, more or less. If you get too specific (i.e. Writing 101), it may discourage those who are looking for a broader range of options in the ESL classroom.

Good luck with your new course, whatever you decide to do!

[Ann]

Thank you all for your ideas. I particularly like the "English for Communication" course idea.
I do make up my own syllabus and course description so I could put a lot in there.
I find that my advanced students love writing (emails, etc.). Again, its depends on their needs.
We do a needs-analysis in our university but somehow, students only know the tried-and-tested courses like grammar, conversation, etc. I want to try something different but something they would enjoy and learn from.
I remember being asked several questions about work ethics and etiquette in America, so I thought an "American culture" class would be great.
Hmmmm....please keep the ideas coming. This is great!