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The Sultan of Seoul
Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Location: right... behind.. YOU
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 Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:07 am Post subject: My advice to all teachers - get TEFL quals asap |
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Seriously.
I have taught in SK for several years.
My new job had a month of observations and real TEFL training by trained educators.
I have learned a lot about the different stages learners go through for each age group - 3-5 - 7-11 etc. Also the different ways they learn at each group and what they are capable of and respond best to.
It has helped me plan my classes and structure them so much better. My classroom management is 100% better now and my classes run like a dream now I know how to plan activites for each group that help them learn and utilise the language through activities suited to their learning style.
I hereby confesss the past several years have been mostly winging it and has resulted in poor lessons in hindsight and teacher / student realtionships that could have been so much better.
It is night and day and has made life so much better.
I do not place all the blame on myself however. Hakwans and public schools do their students AND TEACHERS a HUGE disservice by hiring teachers without any form of training be it off or on job beforehand (the epik 'training / orientation' is a joke and does not count at all.)
All it takes is to ask that a teacher has a minimum of an in-house training course structured around the foundations of popular 100 hour tefl courses or an off site 100 - 120 hr in-house or online training cert. The best option would of course be to structure an in-house training course taking the bare bones essentials from a tefl course (learner age learning styles and the main methodologies - tpr, role play, tactile learning, audio visual, audio lingual, direct etc) and provide lots of activities and games to fit each one.
I now have tens of games and activities that can be used, utilised and modified for each age group and no longer have to rely on bingo, flshcard games and spelling game son the board only and I understand why and how each one works for that group.
It is imho insane that the public schools only make having a tefl cert an option to recieve a higher pay grade.
Hakwans also, some priovide in-house training courses for their local teachers (I've worked at SLP and Jungchal and both have in-house off site training centres and certification for their local teachers.)
Why not for waygook teachers also??
A huge disservice is being propogated. This is not news of course.
Do yourself one of the best favours you will ever do for yourself and pay a cpl hundred dollars for an online 100 hr tefl at the least. I saw one advertised for a cpl hundy that has video lessons and everything and takes a mere 20 hours. I won't name it as I'm not an advertiser.
You will not regret it. |
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Seoulman69
Joined: 14 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:44 am Post subject: |
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While I agree that teachers should seek qualifications if they want to improve their teaching abilities something about your post makes me think that you are not a native speaker.  |
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The Sultan of Seoul
Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Location: right... behind.. YOU
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:58 am Post subject: |
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| Seoulman69 wrote: |
| While I agree that teachers should seek qualifications if they want to improve their teaching abilities something about your post makes me think that you are not a native speaker. |
Really, prey tell.
I'm a 35 yr old native speaker born and bred and university (first with honours) educated.
I may have made a typo and used sloppy punctuation, but can see nowt at all in my tone and general language usage that would verify your comment.
Last edited by The Sultan of Seoul on Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:05 am Post subject: |
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| The Sultan of Seoul wrote: |
| Seoulman69 wrote: |
| While I agree that teachers should seek qualifications if they want to improve their teaching abilities something about your post makes me think that you are not a native speaker. |
Really, prey tell.
I'm a 35 yr old native speaker born and bred and university (first with honours) educated.
Oh no, did I make a typo and upset a spelling / grammar nazi?
Lordy dordy cocka chavvee. |
Barely literate, arrogant, bragging about an Arts degree and teaching ESL at 35 years old?
Please sir, give us some more nails that we can put in your coffin  |
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The Sultan of Seoul
Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Location: right... behind.. YOU
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:10 am Post subject: |
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I actually sleep in a coffin so would not appreciate having nails hammered into it.
Who was bragging, and who mentioned an arts degree? |
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myenglishisno
Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Location: Geumchon
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:24 am Post subject: |
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| The Sultan of Seoul wrote: |
I actually sleep in a coffin so would not appreciate having nails hammered into it.
Who was bragging, and who mentioned an arts degree? |
I was being semi-serious and making an assumption. |
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The Sultan of Seoul
Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Location: right... behind.. YOU
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:30 am Post subject: |
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We all know what assumptions make us.
Back on topic...
Perhaps others in my position could also describe any differences they noticed after having training / becoming qualified.
It has made my job so much better, I wish I could (like Dwight Shrute) send a message to my past self and advise him to do a tefl cert. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:50 am Post subject: |
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| I'd like to get a CELTA, and I have the money, but I don't think it will provide a pay jump that makes it worth it for me, considering I don't think I want to stick with this too much longer (which is why a lot of people I've known have elected not to go that rout). |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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| The Sultan of Seoul wrote: |
| Seoulman69 wrote: |
| While I agree that teachers should seek qualifications if they want to improve their teaching abilities something about your post makes me think that you are not a native speaker. |
Really, prey tell.
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The Sultan of Seoul
Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Location: right... behind.. YOU
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| flakfizer wrote: |
| The Sultan of Seoul wrote: |
| Seoulman69 wrote: |
| While I agree that teachers should seek qualifications if they want to improve their teaching abilities something about your post makes me think that you are not a native speaker. |
Really, prey tell.
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Oooh, I'm being trolled! My first time! Exciting! |
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whiteshoes
Joined: 14 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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| I agree with the OP. I'd say if you're going to be here just a year, don't worry about it. But if you sign on for the second year, at least do an online cert. I took it a few steps beyond that and started my MATESOL at the start of my second year. The practical tricks I learned there make my classes breeze by, I just facilitate and enjoy. |
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hogwonguy1979
Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Well its good to see you Mr. Schertzer, getting sick of Cambodia? |
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pegasus64128
Joined: 20 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:15 pm Post subject: Re: My advice to all teachers - get TEFL quals asap |
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| The Sultan of Seoul wrote: |
Seriously.
I have taught in SK for several years.
My new job had a month of observations and real TEFL training by trained educators.
I have learned a lot about the different stages learners go through for each age group - 3-5 - 7-11 etc. Also the different ways they learn at each group and what they are capable of and respond best to.
It has helped me plan my classes and structure them so much better. My classroom management is 100% better now and my classes run like a dream now I know how to plan activities for each group that help them learn and utilize the language through activities suited to their learning style.
I hereby confess the past several years have been mostly winging it and has resulted in poor lessons in hindsight and teacher / student relationships that could have been so much better.
It is night and day and has made life so much better.
I do not place all the blame on myself however. Hagwons and public schools do their students AND TEACHERS a HUGE disservice by hiring teachers without any form of training be it off or on job beforehand (the epik 'training / orientation' is a joke and does not count at all.)
All it takes is to ask that a teacher has a minimum of an in-house training course structured around the foundations of popular 100 hour tefl courses or an off site 100 - 120 hr in-house or online training cert. The best option would of course be to structure an in-house training course taking the bare bones essentials from a tefl course (learner age learning styles and the main methodologies - tpr, role play, tactile learning, audio visual, audio lingual, direct etc) and provide lots of activities and games to fit each one.
I now have tens of games and activities that can be used, utilised and modified for each age group and no longer have to rely on bingo, flshcard games and spelling game son the board only and I understand why and how each one works for that group.
It is imho insane that the public schools only make having a tefl cert an option to recieve a higher pay grade.
Hakwans also, some priovide in-house training courses for their local teachers (I've worked at SLP and Jungchal and both have in-house off site training centres and certification for their local teachers.)
Why not for waygook teachers also??
A huge disservice is being propogated. This is not news of course.
Do yourself one of the best favours you will ever do for yourself and pay a cpl hundred dollars for an online 100 hr tefl at the least. I saw one advertised for a cpl hundy that has video lessons and everything and takes a mere 20 hours. I won't name it as I'm not an advertiser.
You will not regret it. |
I highly recommend the CELTA. It's versatile enough as it's recognized. It's Cambridge, and a Cambridge inspector approves the quality of ALL CELTA centers. You have to pass 7 of the 8 observed classes (pass means nail them in CELTA). It's heavily centered on pair work and group work. There is also a sister program - YL (Young Learners) CELTA.
I can assure you, that the CELTA is very useful for teaching kids too, provided you understand the difference.
I had acquired some very useful tips and skills at training seminars with EPIK before I started the program, but I learned much more during the CELTA course.
In particular, I vastly improved the following:
-How to deliver a good vocabulary/lexis class. (I had that wrong)
-How to deliver a good reading class (I had that ALL wrong!)
-How to deliver a good grammar class. (tougher than you would think)
-How to facilitate students to participate more.
-Most importantly, how to make your class an engaging and learning environment.
There's a big focus on reducing TTT (Teacher Talking Time) in order to get the students speaking more, and you less, which is an important feature of any course that has focus on the communicative approach.
There's a good focus on how you locate yourself in the classroom to maintain Ss' concentration and focus.
The very latest practices on ESL education feature in the course. It includes the methodologies extolled by Stephen Krashen, who really only came onto the scene in the 1980's, so it's got the University of Southern California's work on ESL included. You will understand the difference between EFL and ESL and why that matters. I don't recall if I learned of Krashen in the course directly or from reading about him but you can be sure that his work features heavily in modern ESL teaching in many English language curricula, including the book I use in elementary school here in Korea.
A B.Ed. seems to trump all but there are other avenues you can go down.
At the very least, I would recommend reading the preface at the beginning of the book you use and try to find out what that means. If you don't want to bother doing a course, there are good books on the subject, like this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-Teaching-guidebook-language-teachers/dp/1405013990 |
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The Sultan of Seoul
Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Location: right... behind.. YOU
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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A celta would have been a bit too much for my needs as I just teach 3 - 13 year olds.
Plus the one month off of work and the costs involved, would be off putting.
For the average hakwan jockey or Epic teacher an online 120 hr tefl would do wonders. I agree a CELTA would be good if going over the limits of those jobs in both pay scale and age / level of students. |
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zombiedog
Joined: 03 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm 100% behind professional development...BUT, one must understand the cultural context. I only know hagwons in SK, and if you're doing CELTA, for example, you need a hagwon willing to work with the CELTA style. CELTA--an amazing training opportunity--is not culturally significant to Korean educational philosophies. |
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