ESL Lesson Plan

Dear Michelle,
Just today I read your article on English Teaching in Israel. I have given serious contemplation toward teaching in Israel. I have a masters in psychology and a California State license in Marriage and Family Therapy. I also have significant experience working with all ages in individual, family and trauma therapies. I am wondering if TESOL or other teaching methods would help me get my feet in the door. I am a Christian and am open to opportunities. I would appreciate your advice.
Thank-you,
Jack

Hi Michelle,

I found your blog very informative.

I am a final year Bachelor of Arts student (psychology and media majors) from South Africa. I am very interested in teaching English overseas, specifically in Greece, Europe.

I was wondering - is it as easy to get ESL jobs there as it is in say, South Korea? Is a TEFL or similar qualification necessary, or is my university degree enough? Lastly, will a Greek/Spanish etc. school looking to hire provide your accomodation, airfare etc.? Asian schools provide these things.

Thanks very much!

Rod

I am using shvoong.com in an ESL class at a community college Academic Oral Communication class. The assumption is if you learn to write better you will speak better. I have them write a summary on an ESL advanced listening & speaking web site they have found to be of help or use and make a presentation about it in class. I would like to share that link for any ESL teacher or student who would like to use it.

Hello, my name is Sandra. I have just read your article and I found it really interesting, specially because I am an English Teaching Student and many of the things that you mentioned in your article are really helpful for me. It is true that many students are more concern about learning grammatical rules from an old book than trying to learn how to pronounce vowels and consonants accurately and learning in a clssroom without practicing the target language is a real problem that we must take into account. Thank you for making me realize about these important problems that are so common in a classroom.
Until next time.

I read your blog and I love it.
I'm an English teaching student from Colombia
and I'm working as an English teacher already. When Iread your blog I remembered sth. that has crossed my mind many times: How can I teach useful English in a country Like mine with no real way of practicing it?
Many of the things you say (or all) are true and I have seen it here with my students but there's no way that according to our curriculum and materials we teach English in the way you suggest.
Although I'd love to give it a shot.

One important thing that you have teach to your student is that a language has a communicative purpose. You don't learn a language only to read a book or chatting but also to talk to other people. I have not had those kind of students but something that has been useful for myself has been to use tools that appear amusing to me for example, you can use music, films, tv programs that your studend enjoys. Another intesting tool is the online radio. Also, there are many websites where you can find english labs. There you find listening activities that would help your student.
These tools can help your student to assimilate the phonetics of the language he/she has theoretically learned.