Sunday 20 December 2009
teething problems
As I have said its very easy to teach on-line...that is unless you develop a technical hitch of course.Yesterday we had sound problems and today they were no better.I could hear my students but they could not hear me.The frustration is very strong!!I did all audio and sound checks ,my mic was fine according to the computer but two students in a row could not hear me and so we had to cancel the lessons...got students tomorrow so will fiddle about with wires and connections in the hope that I can get it sorted out.Wish me luck!
correct English?
This is a question that I am getting asked more and more often recently...is that correct ?
When I was 11 my I started at a convent boarding school thinking it would be like the tales from Enid Blytons Mallory Towers .She is a well known writer of children's stories.More information can be found herewww.enidblytonsociety.co.uk. At my new school I was all excited at the idea of midnight feasts and jolly japes....sadly the nuns at my Irish convent school had very different ideas to mine.Their main priority for me was elocution lessons as they wanted to 'knock that dub accent out of me'(dub=strong south Dublin accent.) and so that they could teach me how to speak correctly as they saw it.
So there I was ,age 11 ,in the middle of a bog in the middle of no where speaking perfectly modulated 'queens English'.....has it done me any good?Is it that important?The answer is that yes it has done me some good and yes it has some importance for some people.Its important to me now because I teach English to non native speakers .Its important to my students as they see it as a key to unlocking a better and possibly a more affluent future.Its all tied up to money.For me and for them.
But its quite amazing really that a country such as England and its language has had such a long standing impact on those from other places.Its a particular way of speaking and not just the language that students wish to learn.A larger amount of students prefer to have a British English speaker rather than a American English speaker as a teacher.In India you have people speaking with the most middle class tones (in perfect English ,grammatically correct ) but still living in huts or very poor conditions and they aspire to something wonderful in their future lives and 'English' is the key!
When I was 11 my I started at a convent boarding school thinking it would be like the tales from Enid Blytons Mallory Towers .She is a well known writer of children's stories.More information can be found herewww.enidblytonsociety.co.uk. At my new school I was all excited at the idea of midnight feasts and jolly japes....sadly the nuns at my Irish convent school had very different ideas to mine.Their main priority for me was elocution lessons as they wanted to 'knock that dub accent out of me'(dub=strong south Dublin accent.) and so that they could teach me how to speak correctly as they saw it.
So there I was ,age 11 ,in the middle of a bog in the middle of no where speaking perfectly modulated 'queens English'.....has it done me any good?Is it that important?The answer is that yes it has done me some good and yes it has some importance for some people.Its important to me now because I teach English to non native speakers .Its important to my students as they see it as a key to unlocking a better and possibly a more affluent future.Its all tied up to money.For me and for them.
But its quite amazing really that a country such as England and its language has had such a long standing impact on those from other places.Its a particular way of speaking and not just the language that students wish to learn.A larger amount of students prefer to have a British English speaker rather than a American English speaker as a teacher.In India you have people speaking with the most middle class tones (in perfect English ,grammatically correct ) but still living in huts or very poor conditions and they aspire to something wonderful in their future lives and 'English' is the key!
Monday 14 December 2009
teaching Russian students
Two weeks ago I took on a job teaching students based in Russia.It is mostly in the form of conversational English to mature students who work for international companies based in Moscow.They are very well educated generally and have an advanced level of English.The main point of our contact is to improve pronunciation and increase confidence with the spoken form of the language.I am learning a lot from them also..
According to my students life is difficult in Moscow at the moment with the current global financial melt down taking place.Moscow sees lots of immigrants from former Soviet Republic States who are all looking for work and homelessness is raising its head in the city.We discuss a wide variety of topics from the environmental crisis to pastimes and aspirations.Some students request homework and I am happy to oblige.I normally send an email with a topic for them to prepare or write about.So far its going well.
I am moving to Portugal in a month and will be in need of a decent broadband service so fingers crossed it works out for me or there will be trouble ahead as this work is to support the family!
Monday 7 December 2009
teaching with skype
Well I have been teaching using Skype for a little while now and its going well.I have been paid which is a big relief to me as you can never be completely sure about who is employing you when its via the net even if you do checks..anyone can build a convincing website after all.
So I have been mainly teaching people living in Moscow.Most of my students work for big international companies and have a lot of colleagues who are native English speakers and so there is a pressure on them to have 'good' English.The students that I have in Russia are all very highly educated with a wide variety of experiences.I am learning so much about current Russian culture which is an eye opener and at times surprising to me.But the professions range from former space station workers to web designers...nearly all are involved in work that involves modern computer technology.
The bulk of my lessons with these students are conversational based as most of them have a fair knowledge of English.I can understand them ,mostly ,and they mainly need help with grammar or perhaps an increase in Lexis.So we discuss world issues ,regional stuff pertinent to their lives or general chat about films or books.Its an enjoyable way to teach and feels quite equal.They are paying for me to provide this service and are on the whole very articulate in terms of their needs where the English language is concerned.I have had to invest in a decent notebook so that I can keep track of who I have spoke with and what we spoke about as I can have 6 students a day ...
So I have been mainly teaching people living in Moscow.Most of my students work for big international companies and have a lot of colleagues who are native English speakers and so there is a pressure on them to have 'good' English.The students that I have in Russia are all very highly educated with a wide variety of experiences.I am learning so much about current Russian culture which is an eye opener and at times surprising to me.But the professions range from former space station workers to web designers...nearly all are involved in work that involves modern computer technology.
The bulk of my lessons with these students are conversational based as most of them have a fair knowledge of English.I can understand them ,mostly ,and they mainly need help with grammar or perhaps an increase in Lexis.So we discuss world issues ,regional stuff pertinent to their lives or general chat about films or books.Its an enjoyable way to teach and feels quite equal.They are paying for me to provide this service and are on the whole very articulate in terms of their needs where the English language is concerned.I have had to invest in a decent notebook so that I can keep track of who I have spoke with and what we spoke about as I can have 6 students a day ...
Monday 2 November 2009
teaching mixed levels and mixed nationalities
Today I had a group of five students who are at different levels in their English .
Usually students are classed as beginner ,elementary , pre intermediate ,intermediate or advanced.A beginner student will be just that -they are starting out and may have no English at all- although with all the exposure the English language has through the media it is unlikely that a beginner student will have absolutely no English.
An advanced student will be one that is maybe preparing to enter a British university and needs to take an entrance exam ,such as IELTS, that all overseas ,non native speakers will have to take.
So all my students were at different levels plus in this instance they were all different nationalities.
My lesson today was on idioms and metaphors .It was a challenge to prepare a lesson to teach the group about this essential part of everyday use of the English language.
But I was in the 'drivers seat 'throughout the lesson and the students were 'all ears' throughout!
Usually students are classed as beginner ,elementary , pre intermediate ,intermediate or advanced.A beginner student will be just that -they are starting out and may have no English at all- although with all the exposure the English language has through the media it is unlikely that a beginner student will have absolutely no English.
An advanced student will be one that is maybe preparing to enter a British university and needs to take an entrance exam ,such as IELTS, that all overseas ,non native speakers will have to take.
So all my students were at different levels plus in this instance they were all different nationalities.
My lesson today was on idioms and metaphors .It was a challenge to prepare a lesson to teach the group about this essential part of everyday use of the English language.
But I was in the 'drivers seat 'throughout the lesson and the students were 'all ears' throughout!
Monday 26 October 2009
How do people learn English on-line?
Its easy!How I work is as follows
Potential student contacts me via email.
We arrange to meet at a mutually convenient time on Skype/Yahoo messenger /MSM .
Or in person if we are local to each other.
We discuss the purpose and form of lessons required .
We set a timetable for the first -free- lesson lasting half an hour.
After the first lesson we agree a timetable and price plan to suit us both.
payment is through the secure pay pal system.
Then the lessons commence !
So what form do the lessons take?Well again it depends on the needs of the students.Here is an over view of how I approach teaching English to complete beginners.For a complete beginner I would start with images and individual words so that students begin to build up a 'word bank'.Each lesson would have theme ,for example ,food or sport.Once the student has developed some vocabulary we begin to add connectives and look at simple tenses.The work is planned so that the student builds upon and reuses what's already been learned and extends it with each new lesson.
Potential student contacts me via email.
We arrange to meet at a mutually convenient time on Skype/Yahoo messenger /MSM .
Or in person if we are local to each other.
We discuss the purpose and form of lessons required .
We set a timetable for the first -free- lesson lasting half an hour.
After the first lesson we agree a timetable and price plan to suit us both.
payment is through the secure pay pal system.
Then the lessons commence !
So what form do the lessons take?Well again it depends on the needs of the students.Here is an over view of how I approach teaching English to complete beginners.For a complete beginner I would start with images and individual words so that students begin to build up a 'word bank'.Each lesson would have theme ,for example ,food or sport.Once the student has developed some vocabulary we begin to add connectives and look at simple tenses.The work is planned so that the student builds upon and reuses what's already been learned and extends it with each new lesson.
Why do people want to learn English?
The signs of England's historical past are to be found all over the world.Most people know that this was a Country that ,in the past ,got out there and explored/exploited the world and left its mark -namely the English language.Sometimes to the detriment of other native languages ......
Now English is so widely spoken it is a true global language.Non native speakers studying English
are often those who have aspirations in the spheres of business ,commerce and education.Others who study English do so for the joy of learning a new language and the freedom it gives them in communicating with others.Learning a new language opens up a new culture to the non native speaker. When we learn a new language we are not only learning grammar and vocabulary but we begin to also engage with the culture .We understand how language can be used differently in different settings and how cultural differences can dictate our speech.
How popular is the English language?
According to the on-line encyclopaedia wikipedia.org ,
- English is now the first language of almost 400 million people and
- almost 1,400 people have English as their second language.
- English is the official language in 53 Countries around the world.
- The English language is often referred to as a 'world/global language'.
About me
My name is Michelle and I am married with two children and a number of pets.
I enjoy meeting people ,learning about other cultures ,educating myself ,growing and cooking food and learning more about environmental architecture.
I am currently in the process of relocating from Yorkshire to Central Portugal to a village close to the town of Tabua.
I am a UK qualified teacher trained to teach in mainstream education up to the age of 18.
I also hold a CELTA award which means I have a number of specialised skills when it comes to teaching English to non native speakers.
I currently work as a language teacher in a private school ,a private tutor giving 1:1 tuition in English ,Maths ,Science and Geography up to KS3(age 16) plus one day a week I work with students based in Asia via Skype.
I have taught English at all levels including one to one ,beginners ,and advanced exam preparation.
I now wish to expand my teaching and to this end have decided to offer on-line interactive English lessons using Skype /yahoo messenger or windows messenger.
I can offer conversation level English at all stages from complete beginner up to particular business English.I can also offer a tailored , more intensive study of the English language and help students who wish to prepare for exams such as KET and IELTS.
For those people living within a reasonable distance to Tabua who have children that could maybe do with a bit of private tuition I am willing to travel and happy to discuss rates /exchanges when I am settled there.Currently I expect to be based in Portugal permanently from January 2010.
My fees are highly competitive and enquiries should be forwarded to
michellesenglish@hotmail.co.uk
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