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cgage
Joined: 14 Oct 2006
Posts: 73
Location: Memphis
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 Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 8:18 pm Post subject: Books on testing |
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I have researched Daves for good tefl books and found a number of titles. What I'm looking for is a book or books which will be the same as those one would encounter in language institutes in Latin America. More specifically books that show the tefl teacher how to prepare their students
to graduate. The name Cambridge comes to mind but being a public school teacher all I know is a limited number of ESl district textbooks.
I have been told that I dont need a tefl course with my years of esl experiance yet I feel somewhat lost.
Thanks |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 11:11 pm Post subject: Re: Books on testing |
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| cgage wrote: |
I have researched Dave's for good TEFL books and found a number of titles. What I'm looking for is a book or books which will be the same as those one would encounter in language institutes in Latin America. More specifically books that show the TEFL teacher how to prepare their students to graduate.
The name Cambridge comes to mind but being a public school teacher all I know is a limited number of ESL district textbooks.
I have been told that I don't need a TEFL course with my years of ESL experience yet I feel somewhat lost.
Thanks |
A quick google for "oxford university press" or "cambridge university press" will lead you to the on-line versions of their catalogs.
Contact them for their local service rep. in the country you are in.
They have not just books for students but great stuff for teachers (EFL/ESL/ELT) as well.
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 12:02 am Post subject: |
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| Cambridge has a deep series of books t help you prepare, on a wide range of topics and experience level as a teacher. Do check out their catalog. |
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HLJHLJ
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 1218
Location: Ecuador
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 6:52 am Post subject: |
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The course book series I saw most in Ecuador were Face2Face and Total English. Pros and Cons to both, as with all course books.
I'm not sure what you mean by testing though, are you doing exam prep classes? |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:51 am Post subject: |
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That the question I have too. Exam classes, do you mean? Which tests or exams are you referring to? Graduate? From a language school?
There are oodles of test-related books on the market. IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge Main Suite, BEC etc. All depends on what you or your students need.
Perhaps that TEFL course might be helpful after all? |
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cgage
Joined: 14 Oct 2006
Posts: 73
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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I guess it depends where you are. For example, I am leaning toward Peru because of its low low cost of living and beaches. (I'll be on social security). I suppose I should contact some of the institutes or collegios to see exactly what texts the students are using. I would assume there was a standard text but there are so many types of institutions.
Since I have a masters and license, I would start looking at collegios like Fleming in Trujillo or in one of the institutes there.
I'll look into the Cambridge references.
I would comsider a tefl course but they are expensivie and I was advised by someone on Daves that I didnt need it. I may look into the cheaper online version as it couldnt hurt. MN offers one for half a grand.
I have to say you tefl guys and girls are realy brave. Its so easy to teach esl in the US and get always paid on time, have relatives around, have a car, drink tap water, eat anywhere, almost never get sick and have doctors who can raise you from the dead. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Its so easy to teach esl in the US and get always paid on time, have relatives around, have a car, drink tap water, eat anywhere, almost never get sick and have doctors who can raise you from the dead |
I haven't lived in the US for fifteen years and never taught ESL there. I've lived in five other countries as a teacher, though. All of the above have always been true (except I don't need a car, thankfully!).
What is your MA in? If it's not directly related to ELT, I think the certification course is extremely important, regardless of what someone told you....You might not HAVE to be certified to get hired, but what you'll be able to do with the students when you get started is a different consideration.
The online versions don't include supervised teaching practice; it's the key. I realise you've been teaching for a while, but without feedback on what and how you're doing, it's all-too-easy to slip into routines that are less than ideal. It's also very difficult to really judge one's own work on all levels. I'm a long-term teacher (15 years in ELT plus a couple in core subjects in the US) and I find monitoring and team-teaching extremely valuable. I've worked with a few teachers from situations where observation and ongoing professional development were not available, and it shows. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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Dear cgage,
" . . . and have doctors who can raise you from the dead."
Provided you're rich enough to afford good health insurance. Of course, if you have a full-time ESL job, that's likely provided. However, there simply aren't too many full-time ESL positions around.
Regards,
John |
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cgage
Joined: 14 Oct 2006
Posts: 73
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
Dear cgage,
" . . . and have doctors who can raise you from the dead."
Provided you're rich enough to afford good health insurance. Of course, if you have a full-time ESL job, that's likely provided. However, there simply aren't too many full-time ESL positions around.
Regards,
John |
There were over thirty openings for full time esl teachers this month in my city for the upcoming school year.
That doenst make them easy to get.
My masters is in library administration. My ESL teachers license is like a masters degree with a practicum instead of a dissertation.
I have wondered if US ESL teaching prepares one for overseas tefl. I would think not necessarily. Public school esl is a world of its own and is directed toward the students succeeding on national standardized tests.
I probably spend more time teaching about the First Amendment and phases of the moon than how to use correct grammar.
I agree that at least some experiance in the "institute tefl" world of teaching can only help. I have seen some online tefl classes for about $500 USD. Ot perhaps as a professional educator, I could educate myself. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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Dear cgage
Don't waste your time with online course. Or your money. Do a proper TEFL course if you are going to do one at all. And sorry to disabuse you of any notions of educating yourself, but if your ESL Licence has not prepared you for a TEFL classroom overseas, then you are basically at newbie level in this field. Other teaching qualifications and training are not very relevant.
Just because someone on Dave's said you don't need a cert doesn't make it so. I wouldn't take their word for it. I wouldn't even take mine, while we are on the subject...
Hic! |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I agree that at least some experiance in the "institute tefl" world of teaching can only help. I have seen some online tefl classes for about $500 USD. Ot perhaps as a professional educator, I could educate myself |
I have no idea what 'institute tefl' is. Do you mean private language schools? That's a part of the EFL market, but by no means the whole of it.
Yes, online courses are pretty cheap. However, they don't include the hands-on practice that makes onsite courses more reputable in general.
My experience is that it's difficult to become educated in EFL without hands-on experience; most of those of us here with both qualifications and experience seem to agree (see recent thread: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=95859&start=0).
Anyway, no EFL experience and an online cert (or none at all) isn't likely to put you at the top of anyone's hiring list, unless you're heading somewhere very few people want to go.
Further, it seems your experience is with children - correct? Depending where you want to go, much of the EFL market is with adults. Again, it's something a new teacher would need some hands-on experience with before starting with paying students. |
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cgage
Joined: 14 Oct 2006
Posts: 73
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Sashadroogie wrote: |
Dear cgage
Don't waste your time with online course. Or your money. Do a proper TEFL course if you are going to do one at all. And sorry to disabuse you of any notions of educating yourself, but if your ESL Licence has not prepared you for a TEFL classroom overseas, then you are basically at newbie level in this field. Other teaching qualifications and training are not very relevant.
Just because someone on Dave's said you don't need a cert doesn't make it so. I wouldn't take their word for it. I wouldn't even take mine, while we are on the subject...
Hic! |
No disabuse whatsoever. I greatly appreciate the input and will take it seriously. I should have a small retirement income to rely on while retraining. That sounds lucky but there's nothing lucky about being so f...ing old. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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| My masters is in library administration. |
Why not seek a librarian position at an international school abroad? A friend of mine has the same degree and does very well here in DF heading up the library at a top school. |
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cgage
Joined: 14 Oct 2006
Posts: 73
Location: Memphis
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| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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What would be a good tefl course? Desirable locations would be in Peru (or in DF as a possible staring point).
Based on a lot of research, I found Peru to be the most economical for start-up expenses of a language teacher. Example: small apartments for $125 USD. Even less in extreme cases.
According to a Daves expert on Peru, they dont ask for a whole lot of certificates but I still would want to be thoroughly prepared as a tefl.
I wouldnt think of going into something as life-changing as this unprepared.
In conclusion, thanks for all the good info on the books. |
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