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TESOL NEWSLETTER
February - March 2010
FROM JAMES STAKENBURG
Welcome to the February - March TESOL Update. Now is a great time to think about teaching ESL.
The busy summer months in New York are just around the corner, and
many countries in the world will soon be starting to hire for their annual
contracts. Our Inside Scoop this time
around is from Brazil; a wonderful place to escape the
winter blues. We also have some great
ideas on practice activities that move beyond the classroom. Using the Internet and field trips can really
make a big difference. We also see where
a couple of TESOL course alumni are right now, and what they have done since finishing
the course. There really are so many different
options available.
I hope you enjoy this insight into being part of a community
of professionals having fun, sharing culture and giving people new opportunities.
January 2010 intensive course
James Stakenburg
Head of
Teacher Training - Rennert
World
Learning SIT TESOL Teacher Trainer
tesol@rennert.com
212-867 8700
If you are no longer interested in receiving this newsletter, please unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.
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Where Are They Now?
We regularly feature stories from SIT TESOL course alumni. This is a fun opportunity to see some of
the interesting things that people have done after the course.
Danielle (February - May
2009)
~I am a twenty-six
year-old Korean female adoptee. This is my third time visiting South Korea, but my first time
living and teaching in Seoul. I decided to
return to my homeland because I am one of the random adopted children who, by
luck of the draw, were able to find their birth family. I did not have
many expectations about finding them. I feel fortunate that the results were
positive, and I am determined to continue the relationship with my homeland,
culture, and Korean lineage.
With the prior knowledge
that Korea is the highest paying
country in Asia for ESL teachers, I set a goal
to save money in the company of my new-found Korean family. I arrived in Seoul with my TESOL
Certificate in hand. Studying at Rennert gave me an opportunity to
gain more ESL teaching experience, acquire new techniques to
use in the classroom, and earn a higher salary overseas.
I am now here teaching
English at a girls' public high school. While living and teaching here in
Korea, I am creating dynamic lesson plans catered to the students' needs,
spending time with my Korean family, and studying the Korean language at Sogang
University. Because this is my second time teaching English in Korea, the transition has
been smoother. Although the language barrier can result in every day
obstacles, I have learned to always stay positive and try my best to create a
comfortable atmosphere for my students and co-teachers. Maintaining a
positive attitude has allowed me to form some great relationships that have
allowed me to grow both personally and professionally.
 My time in Korea has taught me a great
deal about patience, teamwork, leadership, and communication. Teaching
abroad is a great way to develop new skills and see the world from a new perspective.
There are bound to be obstacles, but by staying flexible, you will undoubtedly
gain a valuable experience. I have to say, though, that one of the most
enjoyable things about Korea is the kimchi; it's
definitely an acquired taste so you should try it with an open mind and an open
mouth~ |
TESOL Jobs
Each newsletter, we feature a particular
country and give insider tips from people who have lived and taught there. This month we are heading south to Brazil. Carnival, beautiful beaches, friendly people,
a laid back lifestyle... It's hard to
resist.
BRAZIL
The scoop
(word-of-mouth advice from someone who's been there):
Debbie - American,
has lived in Brazil for 20 years
A native speaker can usually find a job easily. Many better
schools now require a teaching certificate. Schools usually do not sponsor
teachers for a work visa. There is a lot of bureaucracy in Brazil
and it can take over a year to get a work visa.
Many small schools will hire teachers without a work visa. Typical students are college students, or
children from age 3 on up. Schools pay
from around US $ 6 per hour on up, but private teachers can make over $50 per
hour in large cities such as SP.
Brazilians are very friendly people and the weather can be
great. There are lots of beaches.
Chris - Brazilian, has taught English for
years.
In
general, if a teacher works full-time in Sao Paulo,
the salary can vary from R$3000,00 to R$5000,00, which is enough to pay the
rent and live well. The cost of living in São Paulo
is high, especially if you live downtown. However, you can live farther and
take the train to work. I wouldn't recommend taking a bus.
Additional Information
A great website for newcomers and expats in Brazil is www.gringoes.com
School that are known
to employ American teachers:
This information is made available to graduates of the WL-SIT TESOL Certificate course.
Please note: While every endeavor is made to ensure
this information is accurate, Rennert is not responsible for incorrect
information.
Course alumni are also provided with job opportunities
that arise from time to time, as well as a database of ESL
schools in the New
York area. |
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TESOL Teaching Ideas
One of the constant issues with teaching
ESL is to try and bring the 'real world'
into the classroom - or take the students out into it. Here are a couple of suggestions for
extension activities practicing and using comparative and superlative
adjectives; an excursion and an Internet lesson.
Extension ideas for comparatives/ superlatives
Excursion: Comparatives At The
Supermarket
This is a fun
idea if you have easy access to 2 supermarkets that are near each other. Many malls will have 2 or more.
Pre: Fully teach
comparatives/ superlatives. Pre-teach
any relevant vocabulary. Possibly
discuss supermarkets in their countries to activate schema.
During: Devise a
worksheet (you will need to visit the supermarkets to make specific questions)
in which students need to research the prices, quantities etc in order to make
comparisons. E.g. "Which supermarket has
the cheapest ketchup?" or "Are there more brands of detergent in A supermarket
or in B supermarket". You can also
devise questions in which students have to find the prices, quantities etc of
the same product in both supermarkets and then have to write comparative or
superlative sentences about them.
An alternative
is for half the class to go to one supermarket and the other half of the class
to the other and find out various types of information. Then the sharing happens back in class, using
the target language.
This activity
does require the students to be unsupervised for some of the time (since you can't
split yourself in 2), so you do need to have trustworthy adult students.
Post: Students share
their answers. If they visited different
supermarkets, pairs students and have them come up with comparative and
superlative sentences. As a class decide
which is the best/ cheapest etc supermarket.
Internet web quest: Superlative World
Trip
Your students will need to have
access to computers for this. Ideally
they will share a computer between 2, in order to promote pair work and more
communication.
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Download a blank world
map from the Internet. Pre-teach
superlatives. Go over basic parts of the
world and countries if necessary.
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When preparing, Google
various superlative sites around the world, starting in the place where you are
now and moving in order around the world. E.g. I am in New York. So I think of a
question that has NYC as the answer to start. E.g. it's the most expensive city
in the USA. I usually give
prompt words and the students have to make complete questions. E.g. make a
superlative question using: what/ expensive/ city/ USA. Students write
(hopefully) "What's the most expensive city in the USA".
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Continue to do this
for various places around the world, in the order that students would fly in a
straight line and not zigzag around the world. (Students should end up back in the
place they started.). Some examples
might be: the highest waterfall, the largest statue of Buddha, the most
populated city etc.
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Students work beforehand to
construct the full questions from the prompt words
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Students then use a search
engine to find the answer and write this on the answer sheet AND
mark the route on the map. Remember that
there should be one way travel around the world.
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It's a good idea to
set a follow up question for each place, so that the students need to read some
information for each place. E.g. How many people live in the city? How high is the statue? When is the waterfall the biggest? etc. Alternatively you an ask them to find out one
interesting thing about the place and write this down.
- Afterward, students compare
the route that they traveled. If they
found out one interesting thing about the place, they can share this with other
classmates.
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Students generally
love discovering more about the world and end up using the target language
without even thinking about it while discussing the answers.
A word of warning -
try to choose places where the answer doesn't vary depending on which website
you go to or which search engine you use. |
Grammar Seminars
If you are thinking about taking a TESOL course, this is a
great opportunity for you to brush up on your grammar knowledge beforehand. The seminars are two-day courses, 9:30am - 4:30pm Saturday/ Sunday. The
total cost is $200. The next one is on 10-11
April. The course covers the basics of English
grammar including:
- parts of speech
- the
verb tense system
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adverbs of frequency
- sentence
correction (countable, tag question,
reported speech etc)
- modals
(the verbs and their various uses)
- conditionals
Seminars are conducted by the Academic Director at Rennert.
If you would like to register for a grammar seminar, please
contact me: tesol@rennert.com,
or call (212) 867 8700
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Explore Rennert on Facebook
Rennert's TESOL program has a Facebook page and sign up as a fan. You can see course photos, join discussions, find out details of upcoming events at Rennert, and meet new friends.
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Free Professional Development
Workshops at Rennert
All WL-SIT TESOL Certificate Alumni in New York can attend Rennert's free in-house professional development workshops for for the rest of their career.
Currently scheduled workshops are TBA. Professional Development sessions are held each month. Alumni will be emailed in the next week with February's details.
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Course Participants January 2010
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Observing ESL
Classes at Rennert
It's very common for people to wonder exactly what happens in an ESL classroom.
"How can you teach English without also speaking the students' language?"
"How is a communicative language class similar to, or different from, my own language learning experiences?"
"Will I enjoy teaching as much as I think I will?"
To take some of the mystery out of this, we welcome those interested in becoming teachers to come and observe classes at Rennert. Participants on the course as well as alumni of the course also have standing invitations to observe classes any time. This is a really great opportunity for new or experienced teachers to gather extra ideas and techniques. And if you are thinking about becoming an ESL teacher but aren't quite sure if it's the right thing for you, this is a great chance to see what it's all about.
If you are interested in coming in and watching a class, just give me a call or send me an email.
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Enjoying the laid-back lifestyle
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FAQ about the World Learning SIT TESOL Certificate Course
Q: What are the
lessons like?
A: The sessions are all
very practical and hands-on. There are four basic session types:
1. Information
workshops. This is when you learn about effective teaching practices,
frameworks, language awareness etc. This involves lots of pair and group work;
it is not lecture-style.
2. Guided lesson
planning. The trainer will give you a lot of assistance in planning your lessons
at the beginning of the course. By the end of the course, you will be able to
plan independently.
3. Practice teaching.
You will have practice teaching with real ESL students. This is your opportunity
to put into practice what you have learned. You will observe your peers'
lessons when you are not teaching.
4. Post-teaching
Feedback. After each practice teaching session, there will be a feedback
session in which you analyze your own lesson in terms of what helped and
hindered your students' learning; analyze your peers' lessons and give them
feedback as well as get feedback from your peers on your lesson; and receive
verbal and written feedback from the trainer on the lesson you taught. This is
an incredibly valuable and important part of the learning process.
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What People Have Said About the Course
This
course gave me practical ways of teaching English and planning lessons that
will engage students and show observable, steady improvement. My trainer was
amazing! He was always available to give additional help and advice, and taught
in an encouraging, sincere way that I hope to have in my own classes.
Colleen, Sep - Dec 2009
It is intense and requires a lot of work and true
commitment, but if you really want to teach ESL
and care about doing the best job possible for your students, it is totally
worth it. You will grow a lot as a
person and learn more about teaching ESL
than you thought possible in such a short amount of time. I feel very well prepared to begin teaching.
Marcella, Sep - Dec 2009 Great, do it, amazing, tiring, helpful,
exactly what I needed.
Lizz, Sep - Dec 2009
It was rigorous, well
worth it. I learned a whole new way to teach with not a single PowerPoint slide
nor even a projector in sight!
Sharon,
August 2009
Making friends
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