Another class over!

Feb 2012 TESL class

Today was the last class of the February Oxford Seminars Certification class. This group was the youngest I have had in the 5 years that I have been teaching this course. Last month was the oldest! This month I had two sisters that are18 and 20. I had two Stanford students that are 19 and 23. The other students were older, but those four were very young. Is it possible for an 18 year old to go to another country to teach English? I'm not sure, and I really am not sure if that is something I should even think about. My job is to teach them effective ways to teach ESL, and the sales person's job is to convince them that they can get a job if they take my class. So, how much responsibility do I have in advising them in how to get a job? Just something I was thinking about this month! What they learn is really my responsibility. So, I try to teach them how to be organized inside the classroom so what happens outside the classroom, in a foreign country, is not so severe. I give them a simple template to use zs they teach that if they follow it they will be successful teachers. If they don't follow it they won't necessarily be bad teachers, but then it is up to fate and their own personalities. I try to give them a simple lesson plan template they can use. I encourage them to learn ESA as the components of a successful lesson. Engage means to ask the students questions to evaluate if they need the lesson and how much they already know. Study is the lesson, sometimes ESL teachers forget that they have to teach something before giving the students an activity to do. Then the Activate portion of the lesson is having the student do something that reinforces what you taught them, how do you reinforce it unless you taught it? I stay in touch with my students so it will be interesting to know what happens with this young class.

Jeongyoung wants to teach pre-school

We are all tired by the end of class

Chris is a Freshman at Stanford