April 19, 2008
Teacher Development - Becoming a learner
Hello Readers,
To help develop as a teacher, it's a good idea to step back from the front of the classroom every once in a while and put yourself in your students' shoes to see what it's like to be a student going through the learning process. How do you feel when a teacher calls on you in a language class to talk about a topic? Do you feel comfortable working with everyone in a group? Do you prefer to choose your own partner or to have the teacher choose for you? How do you ...
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February 27, 2008
Teacher Development - Writing Test Specifications
Hello readers,
If you've ever been asked to write a test for your students, you know what a daunting task this can be. No tests are perfect - not even international tests like the IELTS or the TOEFL, but what can you do to ensure that you create a decent test?
First of all, you will ideally be given the test specifications. Unfortunately, ...
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Posted by crueckert at 07:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 09, 2008
Teacher Development- Cultural Awareness Training
Hello Readers,
If you've ever sat around a table with people who have taught in different places of the world, you know how interesting conversations can be ... until you hear the same stories again and again and again ... But seriously, English Language Teachers do have a wealth of information ...
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Posted by crueckert at 04:46 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
November 20, 2007
Teacher Development- Course Book Reviews
Hello Readers,
There are a few different ways to use a course book. You might use one course book from cover-to-cover, following the teacher's book word-for-word. Alternatively, you could supplement a course book with your own materials. Or, you might pick and choose the bits of the course book that you want to use, in the order you want to use them. The more you know about ...
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Posted by crueckert at 04:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 14, 2007
Teacher Development- IATEFL
Hello Readers,
The hunger to belong is not merely a desire to be attached to something. It is rather sensing that great transformation and discovery become possible when belonging is sheltered and true.(John O'Donohue)
So how does O'Donohue's quote about belonging relate to you and...
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Posted by crueckert at 10:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
September 10, 2007
Teacher Development- Hot Potatoes
Hello Readers,
Are you looking for an effortless way to create interactive worksheets online? Do you want to create multiple choice, short-answer or jumbled-sentence exercises? How about crossword, matching/ordering or gap-fill exercises? If so, then...
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Posted by crueckert at 05:01 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
August 06, 2007
Teacher Development- Electronic Whiteboards
Hello Readers,
Remember back to the days when you were unfortunate enough to have eraser duty? Not only did that often require staying late after school, but it also left your clothes in a chalky mess. Or perhaps you were one of the lucky ones to have a whiteboard with markers that didn't need shaking out. Well, now teachers and students have it even better- with electronic whiteboards. For those of you who have never used one...
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Posted by crueckert at 04:11 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
July 01, 2007
Teacher Development- Grammar Knowledge
Hello Readers,
Let's face it: many ELT professionals don't choose their profession; rather, the profession chooses them. As a result, many teachers do not feel confident in their knowledge of grammar. In fact in some cases, teachers might find that their students have actually had more training in grammar than they ever had. If you can relate...
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Posted by crueckert at 10:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
May 25, 2007
Teacher Development- TBL
Hello Readers,
In addition to PPP, Task-based learning (TBL) is another attractive approach to teaching. While the definition of TBL has not been agreed upon, it can generally be said that TBL methdologies "share a common idea: giving learners to transact, rather than items to learn, provides and environment which best promotes the language learning process" (Foster, 1999).
The rationale behind this approach is that it fosters learning in a "natural" environment through discovery. It involves hypothesis making, interaction, and negotiation of meaning, which many linguists would say are important factors for learning a language.
First, it is important to understand what constitutes a task. In TBL, a task is...
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Posted by crueckert at 06:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
April 28, 2007
Teacher Development- PPP Lesson Plan Design
Hello readers,
One day last semester, one of my MA TESOL tutors was telling a story about three p's. A few of us in class were so engrossed in TESOL terminology and theory that we thought she was talking not about three pence, but about the three p's of a communicative lesson plan:...
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Posted by crueckert at 04:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
March 28, 2007
Teacher Development- Needs Analysis
Hello Readers,
In the last few months, a needs analysis has been mentioned a few times, so I thought it might be a good idea to discuss it in a bit more detail.
A needs analysis is basically the first step that should be taken when working with individuals or group classes. Sometimes this is done for you by someone in admin, but if you don't get the results of the needs analysis, you might want to...
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Posted by crueckert at 03:38 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
February 23, 2007
Teacher Development- Business English
Hello Readers,
Are you looking for a way to make you become a more marketable teacher? If you've got a good grasp on teaching general English, then it might be time for you to spread your wings and ...
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Posted by crueckert at 02:51 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
January 22, 2007
Teacher Development- ESP
Hello Readers,
When you hear the acronym ESP, you might think of telepathy, clairvoyance, or precognition. However, in the ESL world, ESP does not refer to extra-sensory perception, but to English for Specific Purposes. ESP is often divided into two categories: EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and...
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Posted by crueckert at 04:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 18, 2006
Teacher Development- Choosing a Coursebook
Hello Readers,
Having the freedom to choose your own coursebook for class can be a blessing... but it doesn't come without its fair share of problems. With so many coursebooks on the market, how do you know which one to choose?
In Alan Cunningsworth's book, "Choosing Your Coursebook" (Macmillan Publishers, 1995)...
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Posted by crueckert at 06:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
November 17, 2006
Teacher Development- EAP
Hello Readers,
If you've ever thought about working in the ELT (English Language Teaching) field long-term, you might have looked at a few job vacancies in universities in an English-speaking country. Besides a PhD or MA in TESOL or Applied Linguistics, what other kind of experience might you need? One way to get your foot in the door would be to get some experience teaching EAP...
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Posted by crueckert at 03:06 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
October 12, 2006
Teacher Development- Reflection
Hello Readers,
I know one of my main concerns as an ESL teacher when I first started out was that though I was interested in teacher training, there wasn't anything available to me (aside from certificate programs). In my first teaching position, there weren't even teacher meetings to attend. In fact, there was only one other foreigner in the city, and the other Chinese teachers kept to themselves, so even if they did meet, they didn't see the need for me to be there.
So the question is, what can you do, alone or with other teachers, to help yourself improve as a teacher? The answer is quite simple...
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Posted by crueckert at 01:30 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack (1)
September 07, 2006
Teacher Development- IELTS Training
Hello Readers!
Teaching English has its benefits, but sometimes you might need to bring in a little extra cash. How can you do that and still work in the ESL field? No, you don't have to apply at your nearest McDonald's. Just look for the nearest British Council for job vacancies as an IELTS examiner. IELTS stands for...
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Posted by crueckert at 10:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
July 12, 2006
Teacher Development- Which TEFL certificate?
Hello Readers!
Google is a great search engine, but it can at times be utterly annoying with exactly how many results it can turn up for you. When I first went into ESL teaching, I knew absolutely nothing about the field. In fact, I didn't even realize that many people did it as a profession. Yes, I was so naive as to think that the field of ESL was limited to recent college graduates from English-speaking countries who wanted to experience life in another country for a year or two before heading back to the real world of loans, mortgages, and capitalist lifestyles. But after a year of teaching in China, I realized that ESL could actually be a profession and there were certificates and diplomas, masters degrees and even PhDs in the field. And that's when I went to google for help. I googled "TEFL certificate" and found...
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Posted by crueckert at 05:06 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
June 15, 2006
Teacher Develpment - Understanding Students by Understanding Ourselves
Hello readers,
ESL teachers, it seems, are constantly being urged to increase STT (Student Talking Time) and minimize TTT (Teacher Talking Time) in their language classes.
However, in doing so there are certain dangers which should be recognized at an early opportunity. For example, the fact that many people find this difficult and are uncomfortable with talking to a complete stranger . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 11:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)
May 03, 2006
Teacher Development - How Languages Are Learned
Hello Everyone,
In every profession, we can all bet on one certainty: change. And the ESL teaching profession is no exception. Think of it as having three principle (sic) branches:
The teacher The student The language
New teaching techniques, a plethora of different types of students and the always evolving English language make change inevitable and professional development vital. With this entry, I’d like to focus on the branch you have the most control over: the teacher (yup, that’s right: YOU).
Okay, so there are a . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 12:06 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (5)
March 27, 2006
Teacher Development - World Teaching Organizations
Readers,
What does the following acronym stand for - JALT….Go ahead, think about if for a minute, see if you can figure it out.
Ready? Ok…take a little more time..
How about now? . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 08:49 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (1)
March 19, 2006
Teacher Development - Projection From the ESL Couch
Readers,
This month we’ll continue our look at how counseling theories and skills can be applied in the ESL classroom with an examination of projection. And no, I don’t mean film projection…But rather psychological projection. Peter Gay writes that projection is "the operation of expelling feelings or wishes the individual finds wholly unacceptable—too shameful, too obscene, too dangerous—by attributing them to another." (Freud: A Life for Our Time, page 281) . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 08:47 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (1)
March 05, 2006
Teacher Development - When a Student Says,"YOU'RE Wrong"
Welcome back!
Ok, in my last entry I brought up the issue of how to turn "What? Where the heck did you get THAT answer?" into a gentler "Thanks for participating, anybody else?"
Today I want to talk about reacting to students when they tell YOU, the teacher "No...I think you're wrong." . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 02:50 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack (1)
March 02, 2006
Teacher Development - When You Tell a Student, "You're Wrong"
Hello folks,
Ah...active participation...isn't it wonderful?
If you're like me, you probably have your favorite students who you can always count on to raise their hands in class. But, what do you do when their answers are wrong?
It's often difficult to correct a student especially when . . .
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Posted by ESL Lesson Plan at 02:48 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack (1)
