Checking understanding - practice

In a previous post I listed 7 practical ways of checking understanding. Now it's the time to put these ideas into practice.

Just to quickly remind you what they were:

1. CCQs.

2. Timelines.

3. Clines.

4. Personalisation.

5. Extension.

6. Translation.

7. Do you understand?

Below is a list of 10 sentences. The underlined phrases represent the target language whose meaning you have already presented (for ideas on presenting and clarifying meaning of target language read this post). However, now you want to check and make sure that the students have actually grasped the meaning.

Use each of the 7 techniques for checking understanding at least one. Justify why you decided to choose this particular technique and not a different one (as described in the previous post, some lend themselves better than others to certain language issues).

I haven't posted my suggestions, because I'd like to hear from you in the comments section. I don't want to influence your choices either. I'm also hoping I can learn a lot myself from your ideas and suggestions. Finally, for each example there's definitely more than one correct answer, so it should be interesting to see how different teachers approach each language point.

If you don't have time to do all 10, choose the examples that interest you most, or that are the most tricky.

Good luck! Looking forward to your suggestions and comments!

1. He’s sleeping under the table. vs. He always sleeps under the table.

2. I have to put up with lazy students.

3. I used to live in Poland.

4. He can take off any accent.

5. I’ve been drinking since midday.

6. I hope we’ll have finished this exercise by 2pm.

7. I’m still not used to the traffic here.

8. That can’t have been him.

9. He swerved to avoid hitting a pedestrian. 
10. Should you have any doubts, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Some FAQs and some very subjective answers

In this post I've tried to gather some of the most frequent questions I've been asked in the last few weeks on my blog regarding the topics of getting a (better) job, teaching qualifications, job hunts and the best/worst countries to work in. The answers I offer are entirely subjective - as the title suggests - so feel free to disagree and say so in the comments section. I hope, though, that at least some of them will come in handy and help you get a better job or develop professionally.

If this list is not exhaustive enough and there are still some questions nagging you, please let me know in the comments section and I'll do my best to answer them.

1. What are the initial qualifications I should take?

   Whether you like it or not Cambridge CELTA or an equivalent (e.g. Trinity TESOL) is a must if you want to easily find an EFL job abroad. A university degree in TEFL might do as well, but just to be on the safe side I'd definitely recommend doing the CELTA or Trinity TESOL. The reason is that they are internationally recognised, so you don't need to worry about validating your degree. In addition, there's really plenty you can learn from the course, even if you've already completed some university level courses in methodology. For me the CELTA is infinitely more practical than the courses in TEFL I did in university. If this still doesn't convince, you'll see a massive difference in positive job responses after completing the CELTA or an equivalent. There's a myriad of options for taking the courses, and you can read more about them here. I'd personally suggest a face-2-face month long course at a respected institution, such as International House, British Council or Bell.

2. Where should I look for jobs?

   
   Probably the biggest and the most popular search engine is tefl.com There are thousands of job openings around the world, all regularly updated. It's a bit of a pain to create the on-line CV, but once you've got it, applying for jobs is really easy and quick. If you have a specific country or even city in mind, you can search for schools there on this website. Emailing the school directly or calling, even if they're not currently looking for teachers, can often pay off. Both International House and the British Council post job openings on their websites. If you have time during the summer, there are plenty of job openings in the UK. And if you are aiming higher and have a DELTA or an MA in TEFL, look for pre-sessional EAP courses. There are numerous job openings in universities in the UK advertised on jobs.ac.uk and baleap.org.uk.

3. Which school should I apply to?

   Of course, it all depends on your preferences: some people like small institutions, others prefer bigger ones. Some will want to work in a bustling metropolis, whereas others dream of a quiet place in the countryside. No matter what your preferences are, though, consider applying first to respected and well-known language chains, such as IH, BC or Bell. On average, they offer higher salary, better working conditions and excellent professional development programs (not to say that independent language schools don't). You will get to work with qualified and experienced teachers and will be able to learn a lot in the process. Of course, they are all franchises so the quality and standards might vary, but none of them will go below a certain - usually very high - standard. For me the biggest plus, though, of large organisations is that you can easily transfer to another school at the end of your contract, without the hassle of having to write cover letters, send CVs around and search the web.

4. Are some countries better for EFL teachers than others?

   This is a question I've recently been asked a few times, but I find it very hard to answer, because there is no right response to it. It all depends, I guess, on what you're looking for and what kind of person you are. I've worked in 6 countries and they all have their pros and cons. You can read more about my experiences there in this post. There are still many places I'd like to teach in, so if you'd want to know my really subjective and biased opinion on it, then here it is. One of the "musts" on my list is South East Asia. I've just heard so many great things about it that I have to go there at some point. If at some point I feel like another adventure, I'll probably head back to Latin America, preferably to South America. If I needed to make a lot of money quickly, I'd no doubt choose the Middle East. If you're not a native speaker, than stay away from Spain, Italy, France, Korea and Japan, at least at the beginning of your career. Not that you can't get a job there (IH and the BC tend not to discriminate), but being treated as an inferior, constantly scrutinised, looked down upon and compared to a native speaker can be really frustrating and will most likely put you off. Speaking of which, the UK is probably the most NNEST-friendly country I've ever worked in. You might find this post interesting: 10 questions to ask before deciding where to teach English abroad

5.  What post CELTA qualifications and courses are worth taking?

   I'd say by far the best one out there is the Cambridge DELTA. I might be biased because I've done it myself and so I know little about other options, but nobody ever said that this post would be objective. It really does open new doors of opportunity for you. There's a host of positions you can be considered for only if you have the DELTA (or an equivalent) such as Director of Studies, Assistant Director of Studies, Senior Teacher, Teacher Trainer or EAP lecturer. I think it's also a necessary step any teacher who seriously thinks about professional development should take.  If this doesn't convince you, you're bound to see a huge difference in the number of positive replies to your job applications. And an increase to your salary.

6. What other professional development options would you suggest?

   Uff! There's so much stuff out there that I don't even know where to start. A quick look on the BC professional development site will give you a myriad of suggestions. Another good option is the IH teacher training website. Again it all depends on your experience, preferences and time and money constraints. One of the best options for free professional development is blogging. I've only been doing it for a short while, but it can really make a big difference. There are plenty of fantastic blogs around (links to some you can find here on my blog). Watch out for the BC monthly blog awards for innovative teaching ideas.They make a great read and you get a selection of excellent bloggers to choose from for further reading. There are also numerous free webinars going on, on-line conferences and courses that sometimes I wonder when I'll ever have time to attend just a small fraction of them.

7. I am a NNEST and I've come across so many native-only ads that I don't know what to do any more. Will I ever get a job?

   I know how you feel. I've been there myself. But cheer up - you can get a job. I have. And not just once, but several times. Before I cut to the chase, let me briefly explain the problem to some of you who are not aware of it. In a nutshell, a quick look on tefl.com tells you that over 70% of job ads are for native speakers only (regardless of their qualifications or lack thereof). In countries such as Spain, Italy, South Korea and Japan this figure is even higher. You can read why I think this is wrong here. So how as a NNEST do you get your dream job, assuming you're a fully qualified teacher?
   
   Within the EU such job ads and hiring practices are illegal. Contact an anti-discrimination agency - they often offer free legal help and advice. Join a support group on FB: e.g. Budapest NNEST. Write about it and get it published. But above all - be persistent! Believe in yourself! Stand up and speak out against discriminatory ads! Don't let the recruiter turn you down just because you're a NNEST - write back to them, argue, and if need be explain - in a non-threatening way - that their recruitment policy is illegal. Soon I'll published a more detailed post on what can and should be done by NESTs, NNESTs and language institutions to fight against discriminatory recruitment policies within TEFL industry, so stay tuned. Finally, as a qualified NNEST, your best bet might be respected language chains such as the BC, IH and Bell, as well as language schools and universities in the UK, as they all tend to be discrimination free.

My 2014 EFL resolutions

It's been a while since my last post, but Christmas holidays don't really give you too much time for things other than eating and lounging around on the sofa, with your brain half switched off. So, in a way I'm glad the festive slumber's all over (and I think both my liver and my stomach are too).

I was thinking about the best way to restart the blog in the new year, and I've decided that the most appropriate, if not the most imaginative, would be with some New Year EFL resolutions.This blog has given me a great chance to express myself and to reflect on my teaching practice, and I think I've benefited a lot from posting regularly.

However, there's still a lot of room for improvement. And writing down the resolutions might force me to actually follow them, as I can always go back and re-read this post. So off we go then.

This year I'm going to:

1. do a bit more of what I preach.

   This is not to say I haven't, but I think my eyes have been bigger than my stomach. Now that I look back at the posts, there are many activities and ideas I was meaning to introduce to my classes, but never did. Lack of time. Laziness. Conformity. The usual excuses. But I'm going to be better. Perhaps I'll write less. Or write more about things that I can immediately put into practice. Or that are more relevant to my day-to-day teaching practice.

2. plan my classes more thoroughly.

   Ok, don't get me wrong. I do plan my classes, as I imagine any English teacher does. However, I've become rather slack. Probably the last really through lesson plan I wrote was for DELTA LSA 4. Of course, you can't write a 10 page lesson plan for every class. But more than a running order on a loose piece of paper is needed. One of the things I need to focus on more is anticipating students' problems better. I should also be more thorough when planning how to clarify meaning. A good starting point are the tips given by Adam Simpson here.

3. read at least one EFL blog post a week and reflect on them by either implementing the ideas in my classes or/and blogging about them.

   Since I became a freelancer and set up the blog, I've been slowly discovering what a treasure trove of EFL ideas blogs and the Internet in general can be. But I can be a bit slack and there are so many great blogs I would like to read (apart from the regular non-EFL reading that I'd also like to do), that it can be a bit overwhelming at the beginning. So that's why I've set a low target to start off with. If I read too much, it might just go over my head. Or be forgotten too quickly. And just reading is not enough, I think. Unless I put the ideas I read about into practice, I won't know if they work. Or even worse - I will just forget about them. So I'm going to try to reflect on every post I read either through blogging about it, or through putting it into practice.

4. teach my students HOW to study.

   To somebody who's a teacher and a language learner, all the good learner practices might seem so obvious that we fail to notice that to some of our students they sound Greek. I've got students who clearly have no clue how to study a language effectively. So they struggle. But not because of the language content. The basic mechanics of studying and learning go beyond their heads. I need to build some basic learner training into my teaching routine. At times, something as simple as asking the student: WHAT did we do and WHY did we do it? might just do the trick and make them more aware of the learning process. The first thing I'm planning to do is to teach some of them how to be more gritty.

5. learn from my mistakes.

   Do you find yourself falling into the same trap over and over again? If your answer is now, then you're lucky. And I envy you. I've noticed that more often than not I am able to notice my mistakes, but I don't pay enough attention to them and the next time round I'm likely to fall into the same pitfall. It's quite irritating. Especially the second or third time round. So, I'm going to write down the mistake(s) I've made in my lesson planning/procedure/clarification/instructions/etc. and make a conscious effort to avoid them/it next time. I might use a post-it note and place them somewhere visible for me during the lesson, e.g. the lesson plan/running order.

Ideally, I would like to find time to comment and self-reflect on theses resolutions at least twice during the year by writing a post. And I'd love to hear from you about any teaching resolutions you've made and how you're planning to put them into practice.

Happy New Year!

Let's be gritty about our teaching

Yesterday I was browsing through Ted.com when I came across this fascinating talk about education by Angela Lee Duckworth, which completely captivated me: "Grit - the key to success".

Soon after she started teaching first graders, Angela realised that the students who performed best in tests were not necessarily the brightest or the most intelligent. On the contrary, some of the smartest kids in class would have some of the lowest scores in tests. It lead her to think that IQ was not what separated the high- from low-achievers. She became convinced that all students can learn practically anything, as long as they work long and hard enough, a belief I wholeheartedly agree with.

In order to find out what formed the real difference between succeeding and failing, she went on to do a PhD in psychology. She studied kids, West point cadets and salespeople, among others, trying to determine what made some more successful than others.

In all cases there was one key characteristic that made the difference. But it wasn't IQ or social intelligence. Nor good looks or health.

"It was GRIT".

But what is this mysterious trait that we would all want to have?

To quote Angela, "Grit is passion and perseverance for your long term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future — day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years — and working really hard to make that future a reality.”

The long term aspect of grit is crucial. Especially for us, language teachers, and language learners. Language is not learnt within weeks or months. It takes years of hard study. For example, typically it takes about 800 contact hours to get to C1 level, that is about 8 years if you study twice a week for 90 minutes.
8 YEARS!

That's indeed a long-term commitment. Strong but short-lived motivation won't do. You need GRIT. And a lot of it.

So how do we become gritty?

Unfortunately, the honest answer is: nobody's sure.

One idea, developed at Standford University by Carol Dweck, is called "growth mindset". This idea assumes that the ability to learn is not unchangeable, but that it is possible to develop and improve it. In a nutshell, Dweck has shown that if children are taught how our brains responds to new challenges, how they develop and adapt, these kids are less likely to give up when faced with failure.

This is because they have learned that failure is not permanent. Nor is it negative. It's just a natural and inevitable part of the learning process.

So what does it mean for us, EFL teachers?

As Angela puts it, teachers "need to be grittier about making our [students] grittier". We should make our learners aware that learning a language is a long and difficult process (great post by Luiz Otavio) and that there will be ups and downs, but that with enough grit, we can all get to the end.

The best starting point (or at least the one I'm planning to start with next week) might be to watch the video with your students, and introduce the concept of grit (lesson plan coming). We can then do the questionnaire that Angela used in her research to find out how much grit our students have. With the results in mind, we can hopefully find out what drives and motivates them, and help them discover their gritty side!

I'm not sure if it's going to work. But I'm going to try. And if I fail the first time, I'll try again. I hope you do too.

Let's be more gritty about our teaching methods!

PS If you're interested in becoming part of Angela's ongoing research program, you can volunteer as a data collector for your school here
PS 2 Emma Segev prepared an interesting practical follow up to this post. She uses the video described here, and another TED talk to motivate learners and show that failure is not the end of the world, but a learning moment. Recommended :)

The real deal

If you're like me, you try to use authentic materials in your classes as much as possible. The most common arguments in favour of authentic listening or reading texts (in comparison to course book materials) is that they:

•  are more engaging
• provide a "real" model of language
• give practice with texts students will encounter outside the class
• are topical and up-to-date
• provide a greater sense of achievement when tackled successfully
• can be carefully picked to match student's interests OR the student can choose the text themselves

Of course, there are many other advantages, as well as clear disadvantages (e.g. too difficult, too long), which are listed in detail, for example here. However, in this post I would like to focus on something different.

The question I want to pose has been hinted at in passing in one of my previous posts. Remember the A from the TAPEs? AUTHENTIC with a capital "A". But what I'd like to advocate are authentic TASKS rather than authentic materials, or preferably combining the two.

My premise here is that as teachers we should focus more on designing authentic tasks, rather than looking for an authentic text to use in the class just for the sake of using it. We have to remember that "different texts call for different treatments" (Nuttall, Ch. 1996: 153), and try to design the tasks accordingly.

So what do I mean by authentic tasks? Consider this piece of course book material from NEF Up-Int p.30. The text itself is perfectly authentic, however, what about the task itself?

All 3 questions are typical comprehension tests (1. Gist; 2. Lexis; 3. Implied meaning). Not that they are wrong, but the problem is they

• do not really teach the learner how to approach this genre (a short story) in the future
• are not an authentic response to this genre

So how can we make the task more natural? "A good rule of thumb, [...], is to first consider the sort of things a target reader is likely to do with [the text]" (Nuttal, Ch. 1996: 153). In other words, ask yourself: how would I read/listen to this text in real world? How would I respond to it?

Coming back to our example, one of the most natural reactions to a story/anecdote is that you retell it to your friends later on (possibly altering it, either consciously or unconsciously). The simplest authentic task would be then (presumably after a gist listening, but not necessarily, all depending on the level of your sts) to ask students to retell the story in groups. Then they could check it with other groups, and listen again to the original to see if their versions differed. Can you think of any other tasks that would be more authentic responses to the text than the original course book exercise?

As Wilson (2006: 39) rightly puts it, "listeners cope with different types of listening by preparing themselves according to the conventions and expectations of the genre". Students then must be made aware of those conventions and taught how to react naturally to certain texts. After all, nobody answers true or false questions when listening to a friend telling a funny story over a pint of beer down the pub, do they?

Below then are some typical text types and suggestions for an authentic task to do with your students. Not a definitive list, of course. And not to say that the classical T/F questions should be abandoned completely. There is always some room for them. However, when designing listening or reading tasks, we should ask ourselves more often: how would I react/respond naturally to this text in the real world? WHY would I listen or read it? And how can I design the tasks to reflect this?

Some of the most obvious advantages of authentic tasks are:

• they resemble tasks learners will have to perform in English outside the class
• they are more meaningful
• often there is no right or wrong answer, which avoids the disappointment and frustration of getting the answers wrong
• they provide learners with skills they can use outside the class
• they prepare them to attack similar texts more effectively in the future

So when you read it through the list, think why these tasks are presumably more authentic than a typical T/F or multiple choice question. And try to think of other authentic tasks either for these genres, or for other ones. I'd be more than happy to include your suggestions in the post :)

1. Story:

• retell your partner
• T or student pauses the recording, the student reacts (e.g. That's incredible/sad/unbelievable. etc.)
• T pauses the recording at different points and asks students a question which will involve them in the process of telling the story: e.g. What do you think X looked like?

     2. News article:

•  read the title and decide if it's worth reading and why
• skim through the paragraphs and find one which you'd like to read in more detail
• skim through, and retell the news to your partner
• compare the presentation of news in two different newspapers

     3. Interview:

• respond yourselves to the questions
• find one surprising/interesting piece of information and read more about it on the internet

     4. Dialogue:

• ask for clarification when you don't understand
• try to interrupt politely
• T stops the dialogue, the students respond appropriately (i.e. to practise functional language or adjacency pairs)

     5. Lecture:

• use the information from the ppt to identify the main points of the lecture
• pause after signposting language and predict what information comes next
• take notes
• summarise the content using the notes or convert them into an essay

Read up on reading and listening task design:

• Nuttal, Ch. 1996. "Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language". Heineman
• Willson, J.J. 2008. "How to teach listening". Person