audio/visual lessons are the most effective!
24 December 2009
22 December 2009
Mix it up!
One class = listening
One class = writing
One class = reading
One class = all of the three!
NEVER LET STUDENTS GET BORED
21 December 2009
20 December 2009
Bussiness Cards
A cheap and easy way to advertising your services. And, anyways, they look cool when you whip em out and hand them out.
19 December 2009
book bags
A comfortable book bag or ruck sack is essential. You will most likely end up carrying your ENTIRE day's worth of textbooks, photocopies, lunch, ipod, speakers, etc. with you all over Madrid. Pay the extra cash and save yourself the back and shoulder aches.
17 December 2009
Sometimes all it takes...
is a SMILE.
Smile. It puts the students are easy and makes you feel better.
So when things go downhill and you have no idea what's happening to your lessons. Pause. SMILE. and move on.
16 December 2009
Legal Status
Don't worry. Be jealous! Those of use from North American and other regions have a LONG LONG path to legal status in the EU. It's a path that is fraught with money pits, sleepless nights, reams of photocopies, lines, double talk, and triple think, and infuriating government drones... and those are the good weeks.
sooooo.... be jealous of those who you find with dual EU passports.
It's even permitted to wisfuly think of their ugly demise, especially while you stand in an all-day line instead of being paid to teach your classes.
14 December 2009
Some Advice
With Upper Inter/Advanced an episode of (or 10 minute part) a popular TV show can be a worthwhile activity.
Gap worksheets of lyrics combined with a popular song are valuable activities
13 December 2009
Notebook
Always keep track of your lessons. You NEVER know when someone will ask you to explain your classes.
12 December 2009
Some schools...
treat teachers as if they are disposable. And in their defense, they are sometimes are. Many teachers are here in Madrid only for a few months; a year at the most. So why get too invested in the long term with these teachers. They're young, poorly educated, and not too enthusiastic beyond where does my next infusion of beer money come from. But, it does give the schools the right to treat students as such.
11 December 2009
Some Advice
Always have them read, even directions.
Don't take anything personal.
Mad Libs are a useful tool, but only a certain level of proficiency.
Find teaching material that is interesting to students.
Use travel time to unwind. Read a book or listen to music.
Teachers should speak as little as possible.
Allow students to correct themselves. Only step in if they can't.
Give potential students options on the price of classes.
If assigned a textbook, use it. But deviate when possible. Mixing things up can (re-)energize a class.
Do your job. Don't get to tied up in your students' success or failure.
Ask the students want they want from the class.
Ask the students how often they hear English in a given day/week.
Give students time to find answers.
Always give students time to reason out WHY they are learning something.
10 December 2009
Punctuality II
A followup to this subject...
Use it to your advantage: you're getting paid for 15 minutes or even 30 minutes of simply sitting there reading your novel or prepping for later in the week.
09 December 2009
Free Time
Sometimes it's good to use your free time for something other than prepping for your class. Something that will cut down on your stress will always make your day move faster and make you a more effective teacher.
07 December 2009
06 December 2009
Punctuality
Spanish students, as are Spaniards in general, almost never on time for class. Do not take this as a slight to you. Nor that they hold you to a level of punctuality that they rarely ask of themselves or their co-workers.
04 December 2009
03 December 2009
IMPORTANT NEWS...
Under NO circumstances should you become depressed over the lack of your students' progress.
If you've done your job and done it well, then let it go. DO NOT get invested in your students.
01 December 2009
Whiteboards
If you find you've got access to a whiteboard, keep dry markers with you. They always seem to disappear from the rooms. Along with the dry erasers. That being said, you find one, you hold on to it for dear life.
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