Teaching English as a foreign language.
 

For those of you who teach English, Are you qualified and have passed examinations on teaching English?

Which method do you use and how do you teach. Do you follow the Cambridge Method?


How easily do you think your students absorb the lessons?

Post Deleted.

I've tutored kids in English and from my experience I'd say phrasal verbs are by far the hardest and most troublesome for them to learn and use in the right context. As for the method, pretty much the one used in prepararation for the ESOL examinations. These books are filled with plenty of exercises that go over the same grammar over and over again so eventually it gets stuck in your brain.

I give private lessons at home for kids up until the A-Level. I was lucky enough that my current students are all in 9th-grade and below.. so that the level is still manageable for me to teach them.

From time to time it gets pretty basic like Suki already mentioned. They all pretty much focus on grammer and writing, just like they do in school. So if you did that a couple of times then your an expert at it.

I'm looking forward to teach in Japan next year, hopefully to middle school :) Gonna be an amazing experience for me.

I've taught in Kenya, Korea, for foreign university students in Canada, and in Japan.
Surprisingly little of the experience from any one of the places could be carried over to the others... well Japan and Korea a tad alike, but that's an overstatement.
I would have sometimes been better off with no experience rather than trying to adapt what I thought I knew.

Teaching in Japan, honestly, is a walk in the park compared to other places. The grammar base is so strong it's just giving chances to speak and a better teacher notices repeated mistakes and their underlying common misconception then drills that form a little.
This of course can't be applied so easily to someone with a weaker grammar level than spoken.

I recently conducted about 30 interviews because I'm hiring a 2nd teacher at my school. all but 3 of them were absolute shit. there are so many absolute shit teachers out there who aren't teachers at all, just native English backpackers or no-lifes hoping to get laid in Japan

Edit;

about how easily lessons are absorbed.
I've tried various teaching methodologies, and honestly the retention depends far far more on motivation and time spent exposed and in practice than teaching system or even age do.
I was shocked last year when one of my best students, by best I mean advanced the fastest, was 75 years old! (Learning English to hit on boys while traveling lol)

edit2;
@robinmask; the most difficult part is to keep caring about individual student's needs when you are #2000 and your schedule is filling up a lot and it starts to feel too much like a job than a service to another human... Thank GOD I no longer work at a school that made me feel that way!

Hey James, maybe you would like to employ me at your school next year? Then you can skip all those time-consuming Interviews? :ywave:

middle school would be nice :)

not a native speaker^^

lol no, I wouldn't hire anyone I want to throw out the window lol

I'm a qualified Primary (Elementary) school teacher with experience in teaching native British children and those with English as Additional Language in both England and Japan. It takes a lot of work to get children with English as Additional Language to understand your lesson especially if they are completely new to the language. Try and develop language for social practice such as play time words before developing technical words for subject understanding such as explaining grammar.

Jim Cummins has done alot of work on this, I suggest you read up.

Any questions, PM me.


I lol'd

Well^^ nobody can say I didn't try right ;D

Looking forward to it :)


I lol'd too

Just out of curiosity, did any of these people (or any pre-interviewee) try to apply without a university degree or something needed for a visa? I've always wondered how many people just apply completely on a whim without any research. :L

With how you made them sound, they seem exactly that type. I'm a bit jealous I couldn't have been there tbh :L

a few applied on Working Holiday visas, just looking for 3 or 6 months of work, technically in that situation they don't need a degree...
I only put the job postings in places that people within the Kobe/Kansai area are likely to look, so that filtered out the non-applicable people :)

James, If you have worked for language schools-- did they not insist on paper qualifications?


Tellus how you actually started in your teaching when you were living in other countries.

I believe many here iN UK learn The various methods such as TEFL because they know that will get them work in Japan-- but I believe that some schools demand much higher teaching qualifications--.


One of my friends-- had no qualification at all-- and went to teach in Poland. He even married a Polish lady.

I guess it depends on the demands and having to be sure that whomever they employ will be ON the Ball and clearly be aquainted with all the Needs in order to teach really well.

When I see my japanese friends textbooks and all that she needs to learn and absorb-- its hard even for me to understand.

someone mentioned Phrasal Verbs. I had never heard of them, but of course we English use them without thinking. Plus the many idioms we unconsciously use.

ENGLISH PAGE - Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs

Advanced English lessons

ENGLISH PAGE - Modal Verb Tutorial

catch phrases:English Proverbs | The Phrasefinder
ENGLISH PAGE - Present Conditionals



my friend has to learn these and many others. We English have picked them up naturally so often do not realise what they are called.


Prepositions she found really difficult--but with constant corrections- is finally beginning to understand

I had my experience, no paper qualifications.
My first job at NOVA gave me a 1 day training course, which was pure and utter nonsense and had no bearing on any of the attendees ability to teach.

In other words, experience.
You can't teach private lessons for a year, as a full time job, without learning all the grammar and tricks of the trade required to be a decent teacher.
You'll learn more that way also than any certificate will give.

I hired a teacher with no certs, but 4 years experience with teaching in Japan, and I chose him over someone with a list the length of my arm of certificates and papers but had no experience in Japan, just in Spain.

When I first started teaching English, it amazed me how many grammatical rules there are which we native speakers use every day naturally. Then learning how to explain them was the first hurdle, then each different nationality of people I taught English to had entirely different stumbling blocks and the stuff I'd learned in the previous was largely unnecessary lol.

Hi James-- I guess that if teaching English-- you have learnt/learned a great deal because it can be in the teaching that we actually Learn?

I have to agree that you cannot beat EXPERIENCE in Anything.

That is why I always believed the old apprentice system was the best way to learn.

It also must help if the teacher also has some insight about the students own language and possibly that must help to explain.

I believe that as Japanese is Sooooo different especially word order-- and learning to use our alphabet--compared to the kana and kanji of Japan-- it must be a mammoth task for them to learn English .

Must have been all Brits or Aussies then. :L

Ahh I see, I thought you posted in other countries, didn't know it was an inside recruitment. Still, like you said the skill of the people who actually make it to Japan must be surprising in most cases, especially with those pesky Working Holiday visas. :L

You have anything against Working Holiday makers? :)

do they take your job away or get them quicker? ;)

Well they usually don't have degrees, and because of that may be... let's say... less smart, or able to properly do the job. And like James said, they may just be in Japan for the wrong reasons because a Working Holiday is a relatively easy way to get into Japan if you have the money.
Then they're just taking jobs away from people who actually want to be there to teach the best they can, and who have degrees and are better suited.

Just because you have a degree doesn't make you superior over others. Most degrees have nothing to do with the English Language. If you did study the English Language, then I agree with you.. but other than that a guy who speaks fluently English or already did one Working Holiday in an English speaking country is much more suited to teach than someone who only went to school in his entire youth. They have no clue whatsoever on how to deal with different cultures..

Also WHV graduates do want to be there and teach. How could you say otherwise?

The Working Holiday is a blessing and one of the greatest things these few countrys have realized. I hope it can be a World thing one day.. other countries shouldn't disallow their people to do such a fantastic culture change.

It's a unique thing which brings this World closer together!

Well someone with a degree is superior in a way, as they're the ones allowed to live in Japan indefinitely and are generally more intelligent for a lot of areas. If someone's without, and isn't eligible for a WHV, then they have to stay put. But yes, I understand what you mean about it in the English language sense.

And I say otherwise because usually people don't want to go there because they actually want to teach, they only want to go so they can be in Japan and geek out on pop culture, fulfill fantasies etc. :L

I do generally think the Working Holiday visa is a good idea too. I just think it should be more focused on poorer countries that have a lack of English language teachers rather than rich countries like Japan which is already full to the brim with English language teachers.

Hmm. I wonder how I'll teach my students?

Call me ignorant if you wish but what the heck is the Cambridge method?

Im from from a different county...am I still speaking English?

Cambridge ESOL exams - Exams - British Council Netherlands

take a look at this. Students have to pass Cambridge Examinations.

where are those other teachers who post on here-- those who teach others English on this Japan Forum. They are keeping very quiet.

I would like to know how they have achieved their own expertise in teaching.

Again, your comments are incredible ignorant don't you recognize that?

Like I said, it does make you a lot smarter in this particular subject which you studied, just as I am far superior than you when it comes to construction technology. An apprenticeship is just as valuable as a degree. Other people just choose to go different ways and don't go to University. It doesn't make them less smarter. Such an childish thing to say..

Same goes for people who haven't got an A-Level btw. Just because they don't have one doesn't make them less smart. Everybody can get an A-Level when you really put the time into it and when you really want it. You will certainly have more knowledge when you finished the A-Level, however people who didn't archived it in their life doesn't say anything about their intelligence at all.


Also, don't you do the same thing? Why do you want to teach in Japan? Why don't you stay where you are and teach there?? Right, because you want to see the country and their culture. Just like the people on the WHV!

Japan is a country which has a lack of the English Language still. Many, many WHV are recieved with open arms.. I mean ask your self why that is?

The WHV is a culture exchange programm which should be a law in almost every country.

Superior? Really?

Big headed I would call it.

unless all humans are perfectly equal, those with higher education would generally be considered better... isn't that a given?

teaching english is not as popular as before in some places. i heard that indonesia now encourages other foreign languages like japanese, german, arabic and hindi over english.

the University of LIFE-- thats what I have experienced and there is nothing superior about having passed exams.

|Nobody should think they are more superior than anybody else.

A damned useful asset is to have Common Sense.

maybe someone can be more qualified in things they have studied and passed exams-- but that doesn't make them superior to anybody else.

Practical experience is more important.


If someone thinks they are superior then they are merely Snobs.

Big headed.

If someone doesn't go to university they're just as smart? I dare you to tell that to someone at Oxford or Cambridge, where they need to be exceptional in all areas ;)

Well, if anyone is physically able to get an A-Level but chooses not to, and doesn't follow any other path other than working in McDonalds, that tell me a lot about their intelligence. They may be able, but the fact that they choose not to isn't the smartest thing in the world.
Before anyone flames me for it, this of course doesn't apply to anyone who can't because they can't for family, financial reasons etc.

But you can't say that someone who failed their A-Levels is as smart as someone who passed them with flying colours, or everyone in the world would be scientists.

What you don't realize is that these people who just want to go for the different country and experience the culture are affecting the children's education, something which shouldn't be sacrificed if they're doing a poor job just because they want to be somewhere else for a year. It's the children's future at stake.

I'm not being big headed, because I haven't been to university, thus no degree. But I still think that people who do are most certainly superior to me. Just watching University Challenge is enough to prove that.

I don't mean superior in a Nazi-ish kind of way. I mean, if you were the owner of a hospital and needed to employ a doctor, would you go for the person with the medical degree, or the person with 2 GCSEs? In that sense, the person with the degree is superior to the person with the GCSEs. I just can't see how that can be disputed.

In the context of English teaching... well there has to be a reason that Japan has the '4 year university degree' rule for permanent immigrants. Those are the people who will be truly dedicated, and there for truly the right reasons. I believe Japanese immigration is very much correct by demanding degrees for permanent immigrants.

If there is nothing superior about passing exams, then why bother having them in the first place eh. Lets put the space program in the hands of someone with no qualifications. Lets put a passenger jet in the hands of a random guy.

Common sense does not mean you'll be a good teacher or anything. Could you walk into a class right now and teach so everyone in the class would pass with ease? If so, whats the point of even having schools eh.

For practical experience to be effective to the ones you teach, I think you need background knowledge and education, otherwise you won't know what the heck you're doing, and the practical experience will be worthless.

We had a neverending discussions about that in the thread Are you a student?

I agree with you. Some things cannot be argued. This is one of them.

Yeah, a good thing to put in your resume. Screw university, common sense will get you a job. :rolleyes:

why is that?

Could you explain how teaching in Korea and Japan is different?

so basically only those who had he privilege of attending University are capable of doing great things?
What about the millions who could not go to University?

Anyone who is determined to learn and learn something new or useful to the world should have the opportunity but Not everyone has that chance.

The latest legislation where students here in England willl leave UNI in heavy debt.

There are other ways to learn apart from attending a UNIVERSITY.

Our government is cutting funding towards adult education-- so reducing opportunities.


ANyone can have a go at something that really interests them, and learning how to teach a foreign language is useful but anyone can do that if they so desire and can afford the costs.


I am sorry but the word Superior really gets my goat. Better educated possibly but there are other ways to learn and the old apprenticeship training was an excellent and practical way to learn a skill.


As so many of our trades have been taken over to other countries-- here in UK we have lost so many of our industries. Losing many of our traditional skills.


Not everyone can take the time or have the finances to afford University.

They are fortunate if they have family backing and supporting them.


SUKI already thinks she knows everything about everything so who on earth could teach Her anything.


There are those who are skilled in their particular field but where would so many be without the ordinary people who do the more mundane jobs.


I have aristocratic friends-- their families go back several centuries-- they could make themselves out to be better than lower class people-- but They are anything BUT. THey are the kindest and most generous people I know

Yes and SUKI-- You can be really clever and knowledgeable but without Essential Common Sense- you are not much use.


WE learn all our lives and I am still learning.

I do not consider anyone superior to myself-- more knowledgeable and widely travelled-- etc but superior? NOPE> Thinking oneself superior to others is like the upper class who look down on ordinary folk--thinking they are better-- but Not so.


We can all achieve many things in this life-- if we so desire and one does not have to attend University to do so.


Evening classes can teach numerous things. I learnt Sign language for the deaf at Evening class-- I taught my self Braille.


I have specialised in the Care system over the past fifty years and helped ,any who were searching for their families.


I belong to the University of the third age which is for retired people who share their knowledge gained over a life time of work. There are many retired teachers who are glad to pass on their skills and we have a huge variety of opportunities to learn what ever interests us.

I shall carry on learning till I die. I study whatever interests me.

Young people who have been in the Care system have a really tough start in life. Not many of those have opportunities to go to college or UNi. They are lucky to find somewhere to live or get a good job-- Many end up in the prison system because of lack of proper support.


Those children who were exported to some of the Commonwealth countries from England-- often had terrible childhoods and were abused-- with no one to intervene.

Think yourself lucky if you had good opportunities to study but don't look down on those who did not.

dogsbody you seem to be taking things a lot more emotionally and personally these days than when you first joined, and were very reasonable

I say people with degrees are better.
you say people with experience are better
I agree
I didn't say degrees are better than experience
if both people have experience, are the same height, age, have the same IQ, are virtually identical otherwise, then the person with a degree is better...

The degree to which a poster must make stipulations, clarifications etc on this forum at the cost of being lynched is beginning to get tiresome.

Clearly having a degree is not some kind of final say on a person's position in the social ladder.

Please don't read into things ideas which aren't there.

I'm more than positive that each person in this thread who said that people with degrees are better/superior would easily agree that there are myriads of people without degrees who are far superior than a plethora of people with degrees for a variety of other factors which may outweigh the possession of a degree.

Well maybe because of too many english speakers not doing the reverse?
Just a thought.