Adapting an activity: USED TO

I teach an Intermediate level ESL class at a language school in Bogotá, Colombia.  A few days ago,  to teach USED TO, I decided to skip the song included in the coursebook and instead created a picture story (I took this idea from one of the sessions during the CELTA course).  After presenting the meaning, I dealt with form and pronunciation, followed by controlled practice of the language.

The coursebook suggested a writing activity in which students had to write about their childhood and the differences and similarities between their past and present lives. It seemed to be ok to give students freer practice, but I decided to make it a bit more interesting:

1) I gave each student a piece of white paper and a black pen.

2) Students wrote 3 sentences using USED TO as indicated in the activity.

3) Then I asked them to fold the papers and put them in my pencil case (I didn’t have a hat!).

4) Students picked a piece of paper out of the pencil case, read the sentences aloud and had to guess who had written them.

5) Then I asked students to work in pairs, to discuss about the sentences they had written.

I did nothing creative, but the activity worked well and students were very engaged.

Got my CELTA and loved the course!

I’ve just finished a 5 week CELTA course in Ecuador and I couldn’t be happier! It’s been a wonderful experience and I loved every minute of it.

 

Before the course, I had read that it was very intensive so I was excited but concerned at the same time.  Would I be able to cope with the rigorous demands of the course? Would it be more difficult for me for not being a native speaker?

The first two weeks were the hardest, because everything was new and there was a lot to learn about teaching: CCQs, ICQs, monitoring, drilling, classroom interaction, eliciting… and the list goes on. But once I became familiar with the course structure and contents, the following three weeks were surprisingly easy and most enjoyable.

There are some simple tips that I would like to share with those who plan to take the CELTA and that may hopefully help you minimize the stress and have a successful experience. I can’t guarantee that these tips will work for everyone, but they’ve worked for me, and maybe they’ll work for you too!

 
Before the course
- Do the pre-course task.

- Study some grammar.

- Read about teaching methodology. Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener is a good introduction to TEFL.

 

During the course
- Don’t procrastinate: I believe that this is the key to passing the course. Start working on your lesson plan as soon as possible, do plenty of research, make sure you know what you are teaching and anticipate any problems that may arise during the lesson. The same piece of advice applies to the assignments: don’t wait until the last minute to start writing. If you take the lesson plans and assignments seriously, and not merely as something you need to complete and forget about, you’ll learn a lot from them.

- Stay curious: Be eager to learn!

- Pay attention during lesson observations:  Don’t work on your own lesson plan or assignment when you are supposed to be observing someone else. Take responsibility for the observation tasks. Observing other trainees and your trainers will help you reflect on your own teaching.

- Respect yourself, your trainers, your fellow trainees and the students.

- Be a team player:  Help your peers and take advantage of the group’s collective energy and creativity.

- Be organized: Keep all your electronic files together in one folder and file all the handouts you are given during the input sessions (but remember to read them!). The more organized you are, the more time you’ll save!

- Read your trainer’s feedback: focus on the areas that need development and work hard to improve them.

- Keep a positive attitude: Enjoy the course! Doing the CELTA can be one of the most amazing experiences in your life. You can make it happen!

 

After the course
- Keep learning.

- Love what you do!

 

Questions? I’ll be happy to answer them and help you in any way I can.

 

 

Three Words That Mean The World To Me

The third week of the CELTA course has finished and I only have 2 more weeks to go.  So far, the course has been intense but I’ve been enjoying every minute of it and I can hardly believe how much I’ve learnt in such a short period of time.

I’ve already taught six lessons and I can’t wait to teach again this coming week. Honestly, I don’t mind being observed or being continuously assessed by the trainers. When I am standing in front of the learners, all I care about is them and nothing else matters.

I won’t deny that I’ve been getting good grades and I’ve made huge progress since the course started; however, what makes this experience so wonderful is not me and my development, but the learners.

Last Friday, after teaching Intermediate level students for two weeks and a half, I had to teach Elementary students for the first time. There was a lot to cover in 40 minutes so I went over the lesson many times to ensure that the transition from one stage to another was smooth and that in addition to presenting MFP (Meaning, Form, Pronunciation), learners had time to do controlled and freer practice.

Overall, it went really well, and learners learnt and had fun. By the end of the lesson, four of them came up to me while I was cleaning the whiteboard and said “Good lesson, teacher”.  Wow… I had tears in my eyes…and I have them right now as I’m writing this post.  I got an Above Standard but even if  I hadn’t, I would still be over the moon. Learners found the lesson good and enjoyed it, and that means the world to me.

I’ve made it through the first week of CELTA!

I’m happy and enjoying every minute of it.

No time to write about the two lessons I’ve taught now, but I’ll do so as soon as possible.

Now working on my third lesson…

Why are you taking CELTA?

“Why are you taking CELTA? Aren’t you a teacher already?”,  a friend of mine asked me last week.

In April I graduated from a 6-month teaching methodology course, which was administered by a recognized English teaching institution in Peru. The course provided me with an excellent base of knowledge for my career in the ESL field, and as proof of that some of my fellow trainees are already working as English teachers.  When the course came to an end, my trainer suggested that I apply for a job at that same institute, but I’ve decided to wait because I want to take CELTA before I start looking for a job.

Why?
These are my reasons:

• Because CELTA is a world renowned program that may allow me to work as an English teacher in many countries
• Because we live in a competitive world so it’s a good idea to enhance my résume
• Because I am keen on challenges, and CELTA looks like a real one
• Because I want to broaden my knowledge before venturing into real teaching

I’m taking CELTA this July and have read a lot about how stressful the course is. However, rather than being scared, I’m really looking forward to it. I plan to follow the advice of former trainees about time management and  keep telling myself that if so many people have taken CELTA and passed it, I can do it too! I’m excited about meeting people who share the passion for teaching English and learning from and with them.

Have you taken CELTA? If so, I welcome your comments and advice!

Living Unplugged / Teaching Unplugged

Last month I traveled to Buenos Aires to visit family and friends. Never before had I left my laptop at home, in fact on all my previous trips my computer was the first item I always made sure of packing. I even recall saying more than once, that I didn’t mind losing my entire luggage as long as I had my laptop.

 

I also left my cell phone at home. Roaming charges were too high to use it in another country and I knew I could use  a fixed line to make calls.

 
During two weeks I didn’t check emails and didn’t read the news either. It was the first time in eight years that I was living unplugged.
 

As days passed by, I went through different emotional stages. Before boarding the plane, I was freaking out about leaving my laptop behind. I was sure that I would panic without it.  Once I was on the plane, I felt excited about that “new experience” and I had the feeling that I would end up loving it . In Buenos Aires, I discovered the beauty of life without two of my apparently essential gadgets. I was happy. By the end of my trip, I had come to the conclusion that living unplugged has its own charm and that it is much easier to accomplish than I had thought. I felt safe.

 
I’ve been reading a lot about teaching unplugged and I wonder if I will go through similar emotional stages when I venture into it. Will I go from fear to safety, from excitement to happiness?

I’m looking forward to teaching unplugged.

My Best Teachers

I’m turning 35 today and I want to thank those who have given me life.

The above photo was taken 27 years ago. That’s me on a tree, when I was 8 years old. I remember my dad saying, “Let’s put it on a frame, because many years from now you will recall this day.”

I remember that day as if it were yesterday. This is what I wrote on the back of the photo:

On this day I was worried because school is compulsory. And to get some distraction, my daddy took me on a ride to Capital Federal (City of Buenos Aires). This is Lavalle Square.

I was just a little girl and I wanted to quit school. Weird, uh? I thought that my parents were so wise and knowledgeable that I didn’t have to go to school in order to learn, and instead they could teach me everything I needed to know at home.  They were my role models, the source of wisdom…  We used to spend countless hours sitting in the living room leafing through books, as they told me about the Roman Empire, the Age of the Dinosaurs and the Perfection of Nature. So why couldn’t they be my teachers? I still remember my disappointment when they said that they didn’t know enough to teach me.

 Today, almost 3 decades later, I feel that they were the best teachers I could ever have. Why? Easy answer: Because they were well aware of their own limitations just like good teachers are.