TESOL Newsletter from Rennert: April

TESOL NEWSLETTER
April - May 2010

FROM JAMES STAKENBURG

James at a Ryokan

Spring is the air, the cherry blossoms are blooming in Japan, many overseas schools are hiring for heir academic year, and student numbers are starting to rise for the busy summer months. What better time to be inspired about this wonderful industry. I have many wonderful memories of my time in Japan - and you can can too. We have the inside scoop from people who have lived and taught there should you be thinking of heading there. Me at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn

We also have some fun tips on teaching children to file away for your future. And for those planning on staying in our wonderful city, there is an interesting story of a previous TESOL course participant who has used her new career to create her own business, meeting local people and supporting her interest in the arts.

There are so many things people do in the TESOL field - I always find it inspiring to hear of them.

I hope you enjoy these industry tidbits and are equally inspired.

Happy Spring.

James Stakenburg
Head of Teacher Training - Rennert
WL-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.

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.

Jessie has been teaching private lessons in Manhattan since completing the TESOL course a year ago.

What My Students Taught Me in My First Year of Tutoring English

How do you teach English to someone who doesn't speak English? The answer: Every student knows a few words or phrases. Maybe they can't
say "I wish I hadn't left my computer on the subway because now it's going to set me back at least $1,700." But they can say: "I like dogs", or "New York is big" or "English is hard". It's easy to build on these phrases and then tell them "mini-stories" in the different tenses to learn grammar.

Being a private tutor is very satisfying because it allows me to tailor
my 90-minute lessons to the student's individual needs and to their professions. l also get to know my students in a way that only individual tutoring affords.

Here's what I've learned:
1: Intonation-the melody of English-is the key to pronunciation. If you accent the right syllable the word will make sense, if you accent the right word(s) the sentence will sound right. Learning correct intonation is the surest way to understand and to be understood.
2: A little history goes a long way. Why is knight spelled with a k and pronounced: nite? History! Over the years pronunciation changed, but the spelling stayed the same. When students learn how English is a hodgepodge of Latin, French, German, Old Norse, etc. they understand that there's a reason for their confusion.
3: Reading + Listening x Repetition = Faster learning. In order to keep frustration level low it's important that students comprehend at least 80% of what they're reading. The beginning level students get great satisfaction from reading children's books that are accompanied by C.D.'s. For higher- level students there are sites like www.ted.com that have short and interesting lectures with subtitles.

Jessie and her pooch Being a non-native speaker far from home is an overwhelming, lonely and often humiliating experience. I take tremendous pleasure in helping my students overcome the challenges that this experience presents.

Jessica Falstein

TESOL Jobs

It used to be that all you needed to teach in Japan was a native accent and a pulse. I myself started teaching in Japan without any qualifications or experience - and I shudder to think about the quality of my teaching back then. Fortunately things are now changing and it is becoming increasingly important to have a TESOL Certificate. Japan is a fascinating mix of traditional and ultra-modern. Life is certainly never dull there.

JAPAN

The Inside Scoop (word-of-mouth advice from someone who's been there):

Will has lived in Japan for over 10 years. He has worked at private language schools, had his own language school and is currently teaching English at university.

In Japan qualifications are more important than ever. At the university level, a Master's degree in TESOL or Applied Linguistics is a must for any full-time non-tenure track position, and often even for part-time lecturer work. However a B.A. is sufficient to teach at the language schools and high schools. A TESOL Certificate is a definite plus.

It is not difficult at all ... (click here for the rest of this article)

Cherry Blossoms, Kobe, Japan

Evan lived in Japan for three years

I loved living in Japan. It is such an interesting and exciting place to be. Although the glory days of finding work are over, it is still fairly easy to find work in Japan - especially with a TESOL qualification. Many of the large chains of language schools hire in America and can help arrange a visa and set you up with accommodation before you arrive.

Working in a private language school, ... (click here for the rest of this article)

Additional Information
The English language Japan Times and Kansai Time Out are possible sources of available jobs.

Schools that are known to hire Americans
This information is made available to graduates of the WL-SITTESOL 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.

TESOL Teaching Ideas

Here are some ideas to file away for when you start teaching. Teaching young learners is a huge growth industry throughout the world and especially if you travel abroad, it is quite likely that you will end up teaching children at some point. Here are some wonderful ideas of fun activities you can do with your class.

Ideas For Young Learners

These games require minimal preparation and are great for adding variety to lessons. They are designed to be an enjoyable way for children to build confidence and learn new language. They also make a lively change from usual course materials.

  1. VOCABULARY GAME
  On separate pieces of paper, write all the letters of the alphabet except X and Y. Divide the class into teams of 4-6 and give each child a letter. Get the teams to write as many sentences as they can in four minutes, using the letters and a structure you give them. For the structure you could suggest 'has/have got', so a team with the letter B could write, 'Barbara has got a book,' and so on. At the end of the four minutes, award one point for each correct sentence; the team with the most points wins. You can play the game many times using different structures to revise what you've been teaching, and giving out new letters each time.

  2. ACTION GAME
  Ask children to sit in a large circle, then go round giving each child a number from 1 to 10, if you have more than ten children, then start from 1 again. When you say a number, those children must stand up and do the action that you give them. You can vary the difficulty of this depending on the class, using short instructions at lower levels: for example, 'One, touch your nose! Two, turn around,' etc. For higher levels, you can make the instructions longer and more complex: for example, 'One, put both arms in the air and smile. Two, stand on one leg and wave with your left hand,' etc.

(click here for three more fun activities to use with young learners)

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: