American TESOL Institute provides online and in-class TESOL certificationprograms for professional development and teaching English abroad.American TESOL hybrid seminar program includes two courses. Twenty hoursof person to person in-class training, plus Advanced TESOL onlinetraining.An Emmy award winner, Dr. Lex has spent 30 years behind the microphone,before the camera, and teaching ESL pronunciation. Recognized as one ofthe leading language educators in America, he will vastly improve yourgrasp of TESOL. Join Dr. Lex for a TESOL Seminar May 26-28, 2010 in Tampa, Fl.

Job placement is guaranteed with American TESOL certification.  Thehighest demand for teachers is currently in The Middle East, Asia, andLatin America.  Call ATI at 1-877-748-7900 to join, or visit us online atwww.americantesol.com

As language teachers, our job is to prepare our students to communicate successfully in the target language. In English, swearing and profanity are a huge party of daily speech. However, this is an area of the English language that is almost never taught in classrooms. Why? I would argue that it has more to do with an outdated sense of propriety in the classroom than any real moral or ethical problem.

Last week I used this clip in one of my lessons:

With this type of material, context is everything. The clip was presented as part of a unit on humor. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to introduce some “bad” words, their pragmatic features, and their role in humor. The students had to identify the words that they felt were probably “bad” words and determine their part of speech. We discussed how the bad words contributed to the humor of the video, and in what circumstances these words would be used (or not used) in our own conversations. It was a very fun and stimulating activity, and the students loved it. I am sure that none of them were offended, and none of them doubted the value of the activity. Moreover, I think the reason for the success of the activity is the demeanor with which I presented it, and the fact that I made the pedagogical rationale explicit beforehand.

So what do you think? Was I right to do this? Would you do the same? Is there any line to be drawn in English classrooms? Are any subjects just too taboo? God? Politics? Sex?

I think Bloomberg should have to start giving fluent speeches in every language present in this city, so we can better evaluate his public speaking abilities and his commitment to serving ALL New Yorkers. This is what he’s asking of my students.  If he can become fluent in discussing things like budgets, homelessness, safety and security in Mandarin by June, then we can evaluate his speech writer/language teacher (not the best analogy for what he’s doing to teachers since we’re far more than speech writers).

How else do you think we can best apply his logic to his own job performance?

Here is a quiz on fractions I recently gave from mathwire.com and here is how I adjusted it for my beginner/newcomer ELLs. I considered just giving them translations of words but I feel that may not always work. I will also give them a picture showing what “more” means.

I just take a closer look at some pages and blogs concerning the topic of new media and the possibilities of usage and came up with a very interesting blog by Nik Peachey who is a freelance learning technology consulter, a writer and a teacher trainer. He runs several websites with the topic of new technologies in the English classroom that features tips, resources and learning material for EFL and ESL teachers.

One of his blogs which I especially like is designed for autonomous ESL and EFL learners. It is called„ Nik’s Daily English Activities“ and gives ideas for simple activities and exercises which the learner can do on a daily basis. These activites can improve your English skills like pronounciation, listening comprehension or memorizing vocabulary just to mention a few. Beside this the learner get in contact with new technologies and new media in connection with learning the English language.

I really like the different activities because they are almost like little webquests because Nik uses websites with different tool or activites and designs his own tasks around these sites. I will give you an example how his activities work out by describing an activity that I like:

• Read and Write Very Short Stories: This one is an exercise where the learners are asked to write a short story based on five images. You can find these images on a site called Five Card Stories. Before starting to write their own stories the task for the learners is to read through several other stories on the website and then they are supposed to vote how good the story is according to their opinion. Through this they probably get some inspiration for their own writings and learn to give and receive feedback for written works.The next step is to write their own story to images or rewrite a story they have red using the same images. For writing the learner just need to fill in the title of the story, their nickname and their own version of the short story into a blank. After this they have to write two security words and then they can save their own version of a short story to the site. The learner can come back and see how other users like the story and voted for it! Additionally it is possible to create your own story by choosing images yourself. Go to the site on http://web.nmc.org/5cardstory/flickr.php and pick some pictures you like or find interesting. Then you can write your own story the same way already described before!

I really like this activity because on the one hand it is great for your students to improve their vocabulay and writing skills in a creative way and on the other hand this exercise does not necessarily need to be done on the internet. You can transfer these tasks easily to your classroom by just bringing different images and everyone can pick five of them according to one’s own interest and fantasy. After writing their stories they can put them somewhere in class and the other students can comment on their stories orally or through short comments on paper!

This is just one of the many differnt activites that the host of this blog offers for learners. As already mentioned most of the exercises are good hints and material for teachers as well and can be easily used in class. I really like this page and just can recommend it to you!

At the end of this week I am presenting the Information Seeking in a Second Language workshop to faculty at Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology as part of our professional development program coordinated by the Center for Teaching and Learning. These sessions will be in the form of two one hour modules. Module one will focus on the Sylvia Edwards model and module two on Krashen’s Affective Filter Theory, inlcuding the analysis of the student transcripts.. This now means I have three versions of the workshop to offer.

1. Full day Workshop

2. Half day Workshop

3 Two related but independent sessions on either information literacy or affective filter theory.

This is sort of part 2 of my previous post. I finally went in and talked with my principal about the Algebra class. Not about that student, but about the fact that several students are failing. I sort of dreaded talking to her because this is a class that has a state exam the kids have to take and as much as all principals and teachers disagree, test scores count. And I knew when I told her all these kids are failing, she would immediately think of that End of Course test.

She was very understanding. She told me I have to consider the kids that I am working with. They are trying to take in academic vocabulary and difficult concepts in a second language. What we are going to do is for the ones that really have not mastered the Algebra 1A concepts and skills, I am going to keep them in class next semester, but they are going to retake Algebra 1A. The other kids who are ready to move on will also still be in my room, but I’ll teach them Algebra 1B. So I guess I will do two small group lessons a day. I’ve done small reading groups before, so hopefully I can manage it. Still, it will be a new experience!!!

Today, one of my Chinese students finger-wrote his answer in the air during math and another performed the pledge of allegiance in sign language for my excited AP who right then and there took him and two others to show the principal who, I was told, was impressed.

The other night I was, of course, looking on the internet for images of Shaquille O’Neal in a baby outfit, and instead of finding that I found this, and just in the nick of time.  A few days later, as I was failing at making cookies at high altitude, and the pile of crumbles was mounding on the plate with each disastrous batch, my own mother asked me about …”that Draymus, with the devil’s thumb, what was it?  I know, The 3 Endeavors of Some Kind.”  Apparently the cookies reminded her of that thing he was making in Wyoming.  Aaaaahh, oh.  Uh-huh.

So, you want to be an ESL teacher. Since I logged countless hours on the internet looking for information on ESL teaching -from how to get started, to benefits, to “what it’s like”- I feel compelled to provide some information here for those of you in that same spot. I am by no means an expert on the subject, but between my research and my first hand experience, I think this post will be pretty valuable.
Who can do it?:

Besides some birthright, there is little stopping anyone from teaching ESL. All you need is a college degree and to be a native speaker (Canadian, American, English, Irish, a Kiwi, an Aussie, etc.). It helps to be as white as possible in Asia and it’s a good idea to look as clean cut as possible. Tattoos, long hair, disheveled appearance? No good here.

Getting Started:

Should I get certified? What certification should I get- TEFL, TESL, DELTA, CELTA? What school/company should I get it from?
This is perhaps the hardest past of getting started as an ESL teacher. There are so many ways to obtain a certification, so many different certifications, and so many internet sights contradicting each other on the importance of certification that it leaves your head spinning. Most of the emails I get from blog readers or friends from back home is “What certification did you do? What do you recommend?” The answer is complicated and depends on what you want with ESL. Here are popular scenarios and my advice.

A) I just graduated from school and I want to travel for a while before starting real life:
If this is you, I wouldn’t waste my money on expensive programs. Consider how long it would take to remake the money. A 1 month salary in Asian countries is probably around 1,000$ USD. Thus, to spend 1,000$ (plus expenses) to work for a month without getting paid (in person programs are generally 1 month long) for a 1,000$ a month job, means you could have just taken a badass 2 month vacation for what you’ve shelled out to be stuck in boring lectures. An online program would be fine and they are often priced at 200$. Worried about not “learning” how to teach ESL? Don’t be, unless you are doing CELTA, you wont learn anything in your 1 month course as it is. When I took one, we learned valuable skills like folding a piece of paper 28 ways, how to do traditional Thai dances, how to make a walking turtle out of cardboard, and the ever brilliant refresher lesson on “boulderdash.” The little we did learn (like a basic lesson plan) is good for about the first week. There are plenty of jobs in Asia, so in most cases, they are just looking for a certificate to pass you off to the ministry of education. In Thailand for example, there are jobs everywhere. You could probably come over, buy a “certificate” for 200$ USD on Koh San road, and find a job within two weeks. If you are thinking about doing one of these programs because they guarantee a job after word, I would be hesitant. You get no say in what job you take or the stipulations. So you will probably be stuck in some shithole part of Thailand (or China, or wherever) with nothing to do on the weekends, 25 classes a week, greeting obligations, English club obligations, Christmas obligations, etc. The language gap may be a little tricky when applying for jobs. But think about it, if it’s your first ESL job, do you really want to be working for someone you can’t communicate at all with anyway?

B) More rare, is the graduate who tutored, or did some ESL training in college and wants to keep going with it. I would recommend getting the CELTA. I have a friend from college who fit this bill and she decided to go with a lesser certification (Oxford Seminars) because she wasn’t sure how serious she wanted to be with ESL, just that she wanted to do it. Here’s the thing, a program that offers spaced out, long days of training can’t be very comprehensive and efficient (weekend courses like Oxford). Also, if you’re heart is in it just a little bit, you want to be good at it, and… it’s hard! So go get some good training. Besides, do the math. Even if a CELTA is 1,500-2,000$, you would already be paying 1,000$ to waste your time with this other program. Just pay the extra money and buy something of value. Worst case scenario, you decide it isn’t for you and you’re out 1K. But, if you do like it, you just saved yourself a lot of time and money by doing a program that was legit and necessary in the first place.

C) You want to do it for a summer: WHY!? Go on vacation. Even though it’s not national defense or surgery, it is a job and that means there are obligations, effort, and stress. If you are thinking of going for a summer, you are probably looking at “voluntourism” programs. Why would you pay someone to do work? And, if you are going to, pick a cooler resume builder- refugee camps, wildlife reserves in Africa, an internship with an NGO in D.C or Geneva. All much cooler possibilities. If you do find one of the few “programs” that will set you up for the summer, really look into them. I almost did one in college but thanks to a protective parent, found out they were notorious for setting you up in crazy places, offering no pay, and cutting ties, leaving you stranded, once you were there. You do not want this unless you like 20 hr plane rides of depression.

If you think I’m being ridiculous and you definitely want a 1 month, in person program, than go for it. I will save you some trouble though and tell you that which you choose doesn’t matter. Don’t keep yourself up at night trying to figure out which is the best looking certificate to an employer. There is no difference, this isn’t college. If there was a ranking, Princeton Review would publish it. Pick the one that looks best for you, be that the cheapest, the program in the best location (they are often offered in very cool places), or pick one with some in class training. My program offered 1 week of instructor evaluated teaching, it was the only valuable opportunity offered, but even it wasn’t that valuable. The students were all well behaved and I taught the same basic class (different topic) each time- this is not the reality of ESL. 1st, the students have a lot of energy and don’t want to learn. 2nd, if you are teaching conversation (a class that meets once a week), you may be able to get away with 1 basic structure. But if you teach IEP (an intensive English class) and you see these kids 5 days a week, you HAVE to start getting creative to keep them interested (and do actual, boring, pound it out, textbook learning).

D) You want to teach ESL in Eastern Europe: OK, so Asian ESL is basically babysitting. In most cases you will have young learners still struggling to learn Thai or pubescent middle/high schoolers who just don’t care and wont pay attention to you. Serious English programs, like business English, find serious teachers- this is not you. So, there are very lax standards here (thus my recommendation on a cheap, easy certificate). From what I hear, Eastern Europe demands a bit more ability. I would look into that issue before deciding to cheap out. I just don’t know enough to tell you here.

Note: TEFL, TESL, TESOL, etc. are all acronyms for the same thing- teaching English to non-native speakers. They differ because there is no global standard or name for “TEFL” certifications. “CELTA” and “DELTA” are certifications with some bearing. They are certifications of a much more serious course offered by either Cambridge University or Trinity University.

Certification handled, how do I get a job?:

Use the internet, there are plenty of websites like ESLcafe.com that have job boards. Often you can conduct interviews, fax necessary papers and contracts, and arrange the job through the computer. But, I would recommend not doing this for the same reason I would be weary of placement agencies. A plane ticket to Asia is only 500$, come over here and spend a month on your tourist visa going to schools and applying for jobs. You can take the names and addresses off the net to find them and you can even send emails or make a call to schedule the in person meeting. This way you will be able to see your working conditions, meet the staff, and most importantly, have a realistic idea of your living arrangement and transportation needs (amongst other things). Moreover, the plethora of job boards should be used as a way to check schools/companies. Run a google search, are a lot of people complaining about working for them? Heed the advice and beware! Also, generally, if the job seems too good to be true, it is. They need teachers here, bad, but they are also not about to treat your joke-ass, inexperienced self like a hot commodity. No one is going to give you super benefits and high pay for your first job.
Getting here:Mobissimo.com. Enough said.
Things to consider:

Remember that you do not get paid day 1. So, make sure you have some money saved up for living expenses, housing down payments, etc. when you get here. There are start up costs. Also, you don’t make much money, so don’t expect to save anything. You will make enough to eat and drink well, and just enough for a reward like a trip or two (depending on how you travel) during a break or after the semester.
Documentation:

What do you need to work in Asia. I am going to cover this issue from Thailand, but generally the process is the same. With paperwork proving validity of your school and a letter from them on your behalf saying that they want to hire you, you can convert your tourist visa to a non-Immigrant work visa. In Thailand thats a NIB, in China, it’s a Z. If someone is going to send you these papers to get said visa in the states, make sure you get the right one! Cengiz spent 150$ and countless hours of worry and rushing to get an NIB visa from the Chicago Consulate only to be issued a NI-ED visa- the consulate saw him as a student of our program, not a teacher (yet). This really backfired when he had to spend additional money and hassle making a visa run to Laos to get a tourist visa that could then be converted into the NIB visa (which also requires a fee). You will also need a work permit, but your school will help you file and attain this (note: another reason to be able to communicate, even just a little, with your employer). How long is the visa good for? That depends. Generally a work visa will be good for 90 days and can be extended twice if you make a “visa run” (traveling to a bordering country to then re-enter, and thus secure another stamp, allowing you to stay). In Thailand, you can avoid this hassle however, because your NIB visa will be good for as long as your contract with the school (this is a product of the work permit). You can check embassy websites to see what you need to apply for different visas; in general there is a form, a fee, proof of job, 2×2 pictures of you, proof of certification (including your degree), and potentially an official transcript. You will need your transcript and degree plenty, so have them on you, make plenty of copies of both, along with your passport, and carry plenty of pictures, they are needed for any official form you fill out. Letters of recommendation are also necessary for the ESL job search, so have several copies of 2 or 3.
Benefits:

For your first job, expect moderate pay and accommodation. Many schools will offer cafeteria food free of charge, which is nice. As you gain experience, you can look for flight reimbursement and higher pay. You get to travel to and live in exotic places (though note, it’s not vacation or Army Special Ops, just because you are coming to Thailand don’t expect to be living like Swiss Family Robinson in the jungle or some cool beach bungalow). Most likely, you will be living in a neighborhood that doesn’t see many foreigners and is not very glamorous. But you will be centrally located for easy, cheap trips to very cool and far out places. Cultural interaction: you want to learn a language or get to know what life is like in a different culture, this is the way to go. Working with kids- if you want to be a 1st grade teacher, that’s basically what you will be.
Cons:

Working with kids. If you need to achieve goals and ‘always be closing’ to find reward in your job, ESL is not for you. It kind of turns your mind to mush because tiny gains require lots of work, but not all that much thinking. Similarly, you have to be ok with small goals and hazy rewards. You will not be turning kids into fluent speakers, so you have to be happy with a couple new vocab words here and there and sometimes it is easy to forget/not notice that progress is being made. Low pay. A different standard of living (I have no plumbing or kitchen, there are no sidewalks, and throwing trash out is the same thing as littering). Loneliness: the job can get lonely as it will take effort to find/meet up with someone that speaks your language, drinks your beer, or likes your food. Communicating is tough and will often have to be done at a very basic level and you will be deprived of many of the securities you had back home (no TV, mac and cheese, Guinness, movie theatre, etc.).
ESL can be the easiest or hardest job in the world; it all depends on who you are. You have to be able to let things slide and roll off your back, here in Thailand we call it “mai bpen rai.” And, even if you do like it, I would suggest not expecting every day to smell like roses and taste like sugar. But, there certainly are rewards, like experiencing first hand and being shown off at a King’s Birthday celebration. Standing front and center to local people doing traditional dances, songs, and alms giving is that sublime moment you hoped for when signing up. That first poop, without toilet paper, in a hole, is the story that will never die. Your first taste of scorpion, cockroach, or previously uneaten organ will stay with you. And, you can be damn sure that you will gain access to things no tourist ever has: neighborhood petanq games, cock fights, bull shitting sessions, faction fights, etc. Good luck on the ESL job search, I hope this helped.

Librarians and ESL teachers from Ozyegin University, Koc University and Uskudar American School attended a half day version of the workshop held in the top floor MBA classroom of Ozyegin University.This room has amazing views over the Bosphorus to the Europen side of the city.

This workshop was different from the others in that only one of the participants spoke English as their mother tongue. Feedback once again indicated that analysis of the actual student information seeking experience was the highlight of the afternoon. The librarian and English teacher from Ozyegin University indicated that they would like to offer a version of the workshop for those who were not able to attend.

Do you find yourself wondering about teaching English in Taiwan?  Taiwan, a small country of around 26 million people, is a popular destination for English teachers.  Teachers have found their way to Taiwan to teach and live, despite their being many other countries in Asia where you can teach English.  However, Taiwan is unique and different in its own way.  You’ll find a way of life and experience something in Taiwan that no other country has to offer.  This includes but is not limited to better living conditions, a nation of friendly people and an opportunity to save up money if that is your goal.  Taiwan isn’t for everyone, but for many it remains the best place to work as a teacher.

Let’s be honest, many people consider making the move to being a teacher in Taiwan or Asia with the single goal of saving up money.  Many teachers end up in Taiwan with this single goal, save up money to use for whatever they need it for.  If you want to make money teaching English, then Taiwan is possibly one of the better places you can do it.  Why is this?  Why not try your hand at teaching in China, Japan or Korea to just name a few?  There are many other countries you can teach in, but they don’t offer what does Taiwan.  That is, a fairly high level of pay coupled with a relatively low cost of living.  One of the biggest things you’ll be able to save money on in Taiwan is your rent.  Some people end up spending half of their income on rent, but this isn’t the case in Taiwan.  If you want to save money, you might end up paying only 5 – 10% of your monthly wage on rent.  This might not sound like much to many people, but rent can be a big killer and after a few months of teaching you’ll be able to see just what effect cheap rent can have on your bank balance.  English teachers in Taiwan are also paid well when compared to what it costs to live.  You could probably make more per hour working in Japan or Korean, but when you add up what it costs to live in those countries, you actually come out behind.  Saving money is easy in Taiwan, but don’t get me wrong, it can be an expensive place if that is how you want to live.  However, if you are smart and make the right choices, you’ll be able to save more in Taiwan than most other countries.

Another great thing about teaching English in Taiwan is that the country is small.  Most of the population is located within three major cities, with each city offering plenty of English teaching jobs.  The bulk of the jobs are in Taipei, but you’ll also find plenty of work in Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.  It is common for someone in Australia or Canada to spend 30 minutes to one hour driving to work each day.  In Taiwan, this is extremely unusual, unless you really like driving.  I enjoy nothing more than knowing that work is only five to ten minutes away by scooter.  Why?  It gives me more time to do the things I like.  Less time traveling to and from work means I have more time to do what I want and enjoy.  Everything is close and convenient in Taiwan.  Taipei and Kaohsiung have subway systems that also make getting around easy.  After spending sometime in Taiwan, it can be very difficult to get used to how far you need to travel in the USA sometimes just to get to the 7-11.

Taiwan is a great place to work as an English teacher.  If you want to save money, you’ll be able to do it if you are prepared to avoid over spending and going out every night.  Taiwan is very convenient and makes getting around easy.  There are plenty of places you could work in, but none offer a teaching experience quite like Taiwan.

To understand English expression, it helps to be familiar with Western Philosophy. Nowhere is that more true than when discussing the senses. The mind/body dichotomy is a main tenet of Western thought, and though modern Westerners are starting to adopt a more holistic concept of the body and the mind, our use of language demonstrates a cultural tendency to disparage the physical.

The mind/body dichotomy is the idea that soul/mind is separate from the human physical form. The soul is eternal and holy, and the body is temporary and base. This dichotomy is not a equal relationship- in this philosophy the mind is godly, and the body profane.

This cultural baggage influences English speech patterns. English communication is distinctly lacking in sensuality, and compared to a language like Chinese, which deliberately engages the senses, English can seem dry and flavorless. However, to say that English expression is un-sensual is not to say that English speakers do not express feeling, they just express it differently.

Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste and Smell

English senses are not all created equal. The sense of vision is most important, and it’s almost always acceptable to talk about sights. The sense of hearing is the second most important, and discussion of sounds is common.

The senses of smell, taste, and touch are another story. English speakers almost never mention the senses of smell or taste unless they are talking about food. The sense of smell is considered personal enough that it is hardly mentioned at all in the U.S. except with close family members. The sense of touch is considered so private that it is mainly only discussed in the realm of the romantic. An English speaker will say that a sweater is itchy, or a surface is rough, but to say that a sweater itches my skin, or the surface feels rough beneath my bare feet is to share to much.

The Sixth Sense

There is another sense, though, that English speakers, and Americans in particular, talk about all the time: the visceral. A common English concept is the gut feeling. To feel something in your gut is to have a sense of something without knowing why. A gut feeling is physical manifestation of intuition.

However, the visceral senses extend beyond the gut; they include feelings in the muscles. As I’ve said before, English is a language of action. Correspondingly, a lot of the feelings, or senses, expressed in English have to do with action. Phrases like her eyes lit up, I withered before her stare, he shrank back in horror, and he was about to explode all give a sense of visceral, or muscle sensation.

Because of the Western distaste for the physical realm, English expression of sensation focuses on how stimulus effects the soul/mind. The soul can illuminate, but cannot touch the candle. The soul can soar, but cannot feel the wind on its skin.

Practical Application (and Avoiding Pitfalls)

Sensual phrasing in non-fiction writing can make native English-speaking readers uncomfortable.

For example:

A few years ago there was a restaurant in my neighborhood called The Succulent Noodle.

I could never bring myself to eat there. I feel bad for the owners, because they went out of business, and I wondered whether that name had anything to do with it. The problem with the name was that the word succulent was much too graphic. The restaurant’s Asian owners probably thought the name was engaging, but to Americans it sounded vaguely obscene.

In fact, restaurant names in the U.S. almost never contain adjectives. Restaurants have names like Voila, Chinoise, The Harvest Vine, The Melting Pot, Flying Fish, Rover’s, Thai Ginger. All these names contain only nouns or verbs. Voltaire once said The adjective is the enemy of the noun. I would argue it’s also the enemy of the restaurant.

Conclusion

Good English writing, like good writing in any language, engages the readers’ senses. But remember, when you engage the senses of an English speaker, you should aim for feelings of movement and action, and use verbs to reach the gut and the soul.

One of my Bangladeshi students just “published” a biography of her grandmother during writer’s workshop. She is a beginner ELL but she puts to use whatever new words she hears, and so her English has increased quickly. In terms of writing, her strengths are in narratives, rather than in response to a reading or in any of the content areas.

Her story started with pictures – she sketched it out and drew exquisitely detailed pictures of her grandmother in her village, wearing traditional clothing, and carrying fruit on her head. She added when and where her grandmother was born, and other timeline-related details. She then asked me what the word is for a job where women carry food around. I asked if she meant in a restaurant, and she said, “No, no restaurant in her village.” I suggested food vendor but she preferred waitress. Really, we don’t have a word for such a job since it doesn’t exist exactly – another interesting relationship between language, culture, and experience.

At the heart of the story, they were taught how to focus in on their subject’s most important moment. For nearly all of my students, this moment was when their person of study hiked across the border into the US, or arrived some other way.
Alia (not her name) told me her grandmother, however, was still in Bangladesh, so I asked her to sketch some more so I could help her choose the most important moment.

It wasn’t hard to do this – rather it really took my breath away.

Alia told me her grandmother, when she was 8, had to get a job because she didn’t have the $3 it cost to go to school, plus her parents had just died. So she got a job carrying and selling food.

As she was writing, Alia came up to me, drew a picture, and asked me how to say/write it in English. To be clear, she mimed the action. The picture was of a whip.

The tree Alia’s grandmother relied on to get the fruit she sold belonged to the Rajah, or king, as she translated it, and one day he yelled at her and tied her to a tree for stealing the fruit. As king, he owned all the trees. She tried to explain she wasn’t stealing, but he demanded she move to a different village. When she refused, he made her stand so he could whip her. Then he sent boys to trash her home.

I don’t know what happens next, and it’s not even all clear to me if all this happened when her grandmother was just 8 years old, but I can really see this little girl, Alia, who just came to America a few months ago, becoming a published author here.

It’s moments like this – where I get to see them write pieces that are not simply genuine, but meaningful stories that otherwise wouldn’t get told; stories that are locked inside them, and give us a glimpse into all the experiences that have brought them this country and to this point in their lives. It’s in these stories of personal strength, where I – and maybe they – can see the uniqueness and profoundness of their lives.

These brief glimpses into their lives remind me just how upside down the world really is.

Is it time to take the "home" out of homework?

An idea I’ve been thinking about for a while recently came across my Twitter feed: The Reverse of Homework.  A little digging brought me to the original article referenced in the tweet.  Essentially, the idea is to take the lecture portion of a class and put it online.  Class time can then be used for problems and activities that had been relegated to homework.  While not everything in an ESL context can be put online, there are some areas where this strategy can be used.

In my own intermittent attempts in grammar classes, I’ve run into some of the issues described in the article, most of which had to do with students’ adjustment from the traditional homework paradigm.  But the benefits included students being able to review the material as much or as little as they chose (which may also constitute an “issue”) and having much more class time to answer the most difficult, challenging and interesting questions which students often run into by themselves at home and then forget to ask the next day.

Another benefit is that this approach can accomodate multiple learning styles.  When I was in college, I had trouble doing the background reading for lectures, but found it easy to read the material after the lecture.  Similarly, in language classes, I would rather build my knowledge by attempting things and making mistakes because I have to find the reason for learning a particular structure or set of vocabulary before I am motivated to study it.  My teaching often reflects my own learning style, but I recognize that not everyone prefers to learn the way I do.  Reversing homework allows students to prepare for the activities by listening to the lecture in advance or to attempt the activities and then go back and use the lecture as a resource.

The biggest downside is that it can take a long time to develop and adapt lectures to an online format.  But, if they are developed in a modular way, components can be shared and reused, eliminating the need to reinvent the wheel each time a course is taught.  By combining original resources with preexisting resources, students may be given a wide variety of options which they can use to meet their goals and the goals of the course.

How often do you see these?

I read an interesting article in Time magazine this week called Can These Parents Be Saved? It’s about helicopter parents, parents that hover over their children, and the growing backlash against this style of parenting.

My wife and I, parents of two girls under 4, have discussed our parenting strategies for longer than our kids have been alive and lean heavily towards the backlash side of the debate.  We intend to avoid scheduling dance classes, and soccer leagues, and art classes, and piano lessons (at least all at the same time) so that our kids will have some time to be bored, to daydream, to create their own games.  As the article points out, this down time can help brain development and be useful for developing “leadership, sociability, flexibility, resilience” and more.  Anecdotally, the recent generation of over-scheduled kids now entering college tend to lack problem-solving skills and creativity, possibly as a result of their parents making too many decisions for them.

I think helicopter parents are well documented and widely discussed, particularly in higher education in North America, but I wonder how widespread this phenomenon is in ESL and EFL?  Of course, the answer likely varies as much as the field does.  For example, I teach in an intensive ESL program at a major research university.  Most of the students in my classes are over 18 years old and live without their parents.  If the parents want to be helicopters, they have to do it via email across an ocean, and it doesn’t typically affect teachers in our program directly.

Although I don’t yet feel the need to brace for an influx of helicopter parents and their precious offspring, I wonder if my colleagues in other areas of ESL and EFL do. Do other ESL teachers encounter helicopter parents, or is this parenting style a product of U.S. (or perhaps Western) culture?  Where do parents of generation 1.5 students fall on the helicopter spectrum?  What kinds of parents to EFL teachers in other countries typically encounter?

Communication technologies such as cell phones and webcams have been blamed for the rise in this behavior, or at least enabling it, because before these technologies, it simply wasn’t possible for parents to keep such close tabs on their children.  As these technologies spread around the world, will helicopter parenting follow?

Care to leave a comment?  I’d like to read it.  If not, I hope you enjoy the Time article.