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Improving Your Teaching
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Rock



Joined: 25 Feb 2005
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 3:04 am    Post subject: Improving Your Teaching Reply with quote
I'm thinking about streamlining my teaching ability. I need improvement. I feel my teacing is too ad hoc.

Any ideas to help a teacher better improve at teaching ESL? What are some methodologies, or good precepts to incorporate into your teaching?
Should you teach survival English more, basic expressions, or from these text books? What really works, or is considered the best of methods to teach ESL? Any good books anyone has found to help them improve?
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the_beaver



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 3:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It all helps you improve.

My own focus is on teaching learner autonomy and learner strategies and within that framework teaching English.

Last edited by the_beaver on Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:22 am; edited 1 time in total
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agraham



Joined: 19 Aug 2004
Location: Daegu, Korea
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Grammar is only a small part of teaching English, but if you, like me, are not an English major you can check out the book "Grammar for English Teachers". It's quite good IMO. It lays out the basic rules and many of the exceptions, it's divided into parts of speech and style sections, and the exercise solutions have elaboration beyond just answers. It has examples of common student errors and the other illustrative texts are taken from actual literary and journalism sources.
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eamo



Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
the_beaver wrote:
It all helps you improve.

My own focus is on teaching learner autonomy and learner strategies and with in that framework teaching English.


And I'd like to do this too but I find the Korean learners are not predisposed to this style of learning. It's like swimming upstream.
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the_beaver



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
eamo wrote:
And I'd like to do this too but I find the Korean learners are not predisposed to this style of learning. It's like swimming upstream.


It took a while to refine my approach but now they just eat it up. Admittedly it takes a lot of background study and probably not many teachers have done that much looking at learner autonomy. . .

In any case, my basics are:

1. Everybody learns differently (and I usually reference Gardner and MI).
2. 10,000 hours of study/practice to become an expert (Ericsson).
3. You don't need to be an expert -- decide what level you want to be.
4. Study and practice are both necessary but practice is much more important and there's no way you'll get enough practice in the classroom.

I meet ex-students on campus all the time and we discuss study plans and English advances and it feels good to know that some students apply what I teach and it's effective.
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waterbaby



Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you're teaching children then I highly recommend "Teaching English to Children in Asia" by David Paul published by Pearson Education). It was 14,000 won at Bandi & Lunis in Coex.

Totally changed my teaching style and I wished I'd found a lot earlier - it gave me a great insight into my students & I found out a lot of stuff I was doing wrong (& some stuff I was doing righ!) Anyway, I got a whole new approach to teaching out of it and I managed to turn around some unruly classes.
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hogwonguy1979



Joined: 22 Dec 2003
Location: the racoon den
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 2:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
improving your teaching in Korea????????

I've been to so many of those conferences and not a thing they present there can be used in Korea. They want to be entertained, not learn English in 99% of the schools here and that includes univs.

Best way to improve your teaching??? Go somewhere else where they value it

good luck, you'll need it.
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the_beaver



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 2:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hogwonguy1979 wrote:
improving your teaching in Korea????????

I've been to so many of those conferences and not a thing they present there can be used in Korea. They want to be entertained, not learn English in 99% of the schools here and that includes univs.

Best way to improve your teaching??? Go somewhere else where they value it

good luck, you'll need it.


I've heard similar things but I don't believe. I've almost never learned some aspect of teaching theory or techniques and not been able to apply it in some way or use it to reveal something else.

And there's nothing wrong with teaching while entertaining.
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Intrepid



Joined: 13 May 2004
Location: Yongin
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:25 pm    Post subject: Improving Reply with quote
I think Korean students recognize a good teacher when they see one, and will quickly drop demands for "free talking" when lessons bring a variety of skills and activities.
Are you teaching adults?
"Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language" (Celce-Murcia, published by Thompson, available for 25,000 won in most bookstores) is pretty good--10-12 page articles on various aspects of teaching ESL/EFL. I use it quite a lot.
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Yu_Bum_suk



Joined: 25 Dec 2004
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hogwonguy1979 wrote:
improving your teaching in Korea????????

I've been to so many of those conferences and not a thing they present there can be used in Korea. They want to be entertained, not learn English in 99% of the schools here and that includes univs.

Best way to improve your teaching??? Go somewhere else where they value it

good luck, you'll need it.


Exactly. They need a course in reality.
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fusionbarnone



Joined: 31 May 2004
PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Congrats on deciding to enhance what you know.
A good bo