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The Classroom and Language Learning | ||
Tags: School Education | Language Teaching | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| TheBiscuit Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 5925 days ago 532 posts - 619 votes  Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Italian Studies: German, Croatian | Message 25 of 33 12 May 2009 at 5:33pm | IP Logged | ||
If you're taking the 4 week one, cancel the rest of your life for 4 weeks, especially if you haven't taught before. It'll give you templates to plan classes and a few techniques. It's a lot to take in. The real learning starts when you get your first tefl job but it's fun. It also gives you a fantastic insight into your own language, making it much easier to learn other languages. I would say just enjoy it. There aren't many jobs where you can meet so many people from all corners of the globe. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6013 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 26 of 33 12 May 2009 at 5:42pm | IP Logged | ||
The real learning for a teacher isn't in reading and thinking about strategies but trying things out and finding what works, which is why the CELTA has observed teaching practise. You get feedback and you learn how to evaluate performance. It's a great start, but it's still just a start. Going into the professional environment, you want to go with a school that observes you as a new teacher several times in your first term. Mine didn't. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6013 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 28 of 33 12 May 2009 at 10:46pm | IP Logged | ||
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zocurtis,
No-one pays any attention to online TEFL "certificates". The main thing is observed teaching practise -- the CELTA and Trinity TESOL give at least 6 hours of this, but online courses do not provide you with the chance to actually do any teaching. Very few schools will take a teacher with only an online certificate, and those that do would probably accept you with just a good degree anyway.... 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Minder Newbie United States Joined 5764 days ago 11 posts - 11 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Japanese | Message 29 of 33 12 May 2009 at 11:05pm | IP Logged | ||
Culture should be left out of language classes. Its such a waste of time to have students who want to learn a language, but instead have to memorize history and facts, which do not help the students actually learn what they're there for (how to use a language). Leave the culture to the history classes. The problem with school is that they (1) don't allow students to do things in the language they would like to do on their own (2) stunt students growth by restricting learning to what must be measured and (3) continue to use inefficient learning methods even when they have so much evidence of their inefficacy. If schools realized that learning languages should be treated like PE (Physical Education) where grades are a matter of participation and effort rather than success, there would be a lot more people learning languages and being able to actually use them. Students would be interested because they could watch and read things in the target language that they are interested in and learn things that are useful and relevant FOR THEM, without learning the language artificially separated from WHY they would want to know the language. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Lemus Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6383 days ago 232 posts - 266 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Japanese, Russian, German | Message 30 of 33 13 May 2009 at 4:40am | IP Logged | ||
This would be nice, except even in gym class they don't just count participation. They also count how many sit-ups you do and how well you know basketball rules and other random things. I digress, but anyway, the problem is the vast majority of students are there because they want the language credit to put on their college application, not because they desire to learn the language. Allowing freedom might benefit a few, but the vast majority would do nothing productive and the few who do want to learn would probably feel self-concious and then join the time wasting. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Minder Newbie United States Joined 5764 days ago 11 posts - 11 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Japanese | Message 31 of 33 13 May 2009 at 7:00am | IP Logged | ||
That is measured, but it doesn't factor into your grade at all (at least not where I went to school). I agree that the majority are CURRENTLY taking the class to fulfill language credits, however, I think that if they were given more free reign while also supplied interesting shows/books/etc. that they would learn the language in an attempt to enjoy these materials. I think in the relaxed environment there would be enough interest in the materials to encourage learning the language, even if its just to facilitate media consumption. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| TheBiscuit Tetraglot Senior Member Mexico Joined 5925 days ago 532 posts - 619 votes Speaks: English*, French, Spanish, Italian Studies: German, Croatian | Message 32 of 33 13 May 2009 at 6:43pm | IP Logged | ||
In the uni I teach at the students have: Daily English lessons. A self-access centre with DVDs, music, PCs, all kinds of books, conversation etc. A very accessible native speaker on hand whenever they want. Native teachers and bilingual ones. Can they be bothered to learn English or even take advantage of half the resources available? No. The ones that do are that small minority in every class. You can lead a horse to water... 1 person has voted this message useful |
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