The halfway point has been reached. As you can probably guess from my post on Tuesday, the week started out a bit rough. I was prepared for my lesson on Tuesday, but it didn't go very well. No need to bring that all up again. The rest of the week went up from there.
The input sessions in the morning were a little more intense this week. We had a lot of material to get through and only 4 mornings to do it. We went over more teaching frameworks, grammar (that was fun and somewhat depressing), sentence stress, connected speech, and guided discovery. The rest of the days were devoted to planning, preparing, and teaching.
This week was the last week with the elementary students. It is amazing how much I have come to love that class and those students. They are such fantastic adults and there have been some pretty funny moments. One of the older students (around 55) is Diego. He is from Spain and a total ladies man. He always jokes about when he travels that it isn't for the sites, it is to see women. Paco, another guy from Spain, is basically a man boy. He decided against university in order to start his music career (he plays the guitar). He always laughs that it didn't pan out very well.
I always like to start my classes by getting the students pumped up. I'll ask, "Are you EXCITED??" There is no point being there is you aren't going to be involved, am I right? And who said that learning a foreign language had to be droll all of the time? I say make it exciting and entertaining! Make it difficult and intellectual. I'm all for students talking more than the teacher (I just need to stop commentating the class).
There was something this week that was quite funny. I have a tendency to just "lose it" on Fridays. Everything becomes really funny and I have a tendency to laugh a bit too much. So, this past Friday we were doing feedback after observing the intermediate class since my TP group will be teaching them for the last two weeks. I was with my 2 other TP mates and we were talking about the need for ICQs (instruction checking questions). It seemed that in the intermediate class they weren't needed, which is good since I am rubbish at asking them anyway. Case in point being my lesson on Thursday on present simple v present continuous for the elementary students. I blocked my instructions, demoed the worksheet, handed it out, they started....and then I asked the most POINTLESS ICQ IN THE WORLD! What was I thinking? I interrupted the flow of things because that obnoxious CELTA gnome in the back of my mind was saying "ask and ICQ...you need to make sure that you ask an ICQ!" I ask something along the lines of how many things do they need to write--absolutely absurd. I was telling this to my mates and I started laughing so hard that I couldn't even tell the story. Ah, good times.
I know that it probably isn't that funny to read. I'll have to tell it to you in person, it is much more entertaining and humorous.
Anyway, that was good.
I will miss the elementary class. But I am excited for the challenge of taking on the intermediate class. I am halfway done with my prep for TP5 on Tuesday.
I feel like this post is a bit addled, much like the current state of my brain. Suffice it to say that it was a good and busy week. A lot of things got done, which is good considering that the tutors and reception ladies have told us that week 3 is the worst of the course and a lot of trainees start to crack.
Yep, looking forward to increased looniness.
The input sessions in the morning were a little more intense this week. We had a lot of material to get through and only 4 mornings to do it. We went over more teaching frameworks, grammar (that was fun and somewhat depressing), sentence stress, connected speech, and guided discovery. The rest of the days were devoted to planning, preparing, and teaching.
This week was the last week with the elementary students. It is amazing how much I have come to love that class and those students. They are such fantastic adults and there have been some pretty funny moments. One of the older students (around 55) is Diego. He is from Spain and a total ladies man. He always jokes about when he travels that it isn't for the sites, it is to see women. Paco, another guy from Spain, is basically a man boy. He decided against university in order to start his music career (he plays the guitar). He always laughs that it didn't pan out very well.
I always like to start my classes by getting the students pumped up. I'll ask, "Are you EXCITED??" There is no point being there is you aren't going to be involved, am I right? And who said that learning a foreign language had to be droll all of the time? I say make it exciting and entertaining! Make it difficult and intellectual. I'm all for students talking more than the teacher (I just need to stop commentating the class).
There was something this week that was quite funny. I have a tendency to just "lose it" on Fridays. Everything becomes really funny and I have a tendency to laugh a bit too much. So, this past Friday we were doing feedback after observing the intermediate class since my TP group will be teaching them for the last two weeks. I was with my 2 other TP mates and we were talking about the need for ICQs (instruction checking questions). It seemed that in the intermediate class they weren't needed, which is good since I am rubbish at asking them anyway. Case in point being my lesson on Thursday on present simple v present continuous for the elementary students. I blocked my instructions, demoed the worksheet, handed it out, they started....and then I asked the most POINTLESS ICQ IN THE WORLD! What was I thinking? I interrupted the flow of things because that obnoxious CELTA gnome in the back of my mind was saying "ask and ICQ...you need to make sure that you ask an ICQ!" I ask something along the lines of how many things do they need to write--absolutely absurd. I was telling this to my mates and I started laughing so hard that I couldn't even tell the story. Ah, good times.
I know that it probably isn't that funny to read. I'll have to tell it to you in person, it is much more entertaining and humorous.
Anyway, that was good.
I will miss the elementary class. But I am excited for the challenge of taking on the intermediate class. I am halfway done with my prep for TP5 on Tuesday.
I feel like this post is a bit addled, much like the current state of my brain. Suffice it to say that it was a good and busy week. A lot of things got done, which is good considering that the tutors and reception ladies have told us that week 3 is the worst of the course and a lot of trainees start to crack.
Yep, looking forward to increased looniness.
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