Bringing the World Closer

FIRST ASSIGNMENT

Hello everyone!

Congratulations on completing your first task: successfully logging in to the MyTeachingHouse.com site!

We are presently developing Generation 2 of the MyTeachingHouse site. It’s a great resource both on the course and after the course (in finding work and keeping up with friends you’ve made during the course). As this site is under development, we’d appreciate any feedback or suggestions that you have.

I have a few more tasks for you to complete—it may take about an hour or two. Please read the instructions below and complete it before next Monday.

Directions: All written answers (except for #4 and #5) must be posted on this thread (First Assignment) within the discussion forum in your course group. Since there are many of you, it's important to post only on this thread (click "Reply to This" at the bottom) so that we can keep the forum from getting full and messy-looking. However, if you have any other comments or questions you are welcome to start a new thread.

1. If you haven’t already, edit your profile with your current location, status and photo.

2. Browse through our international directory of English language schools (hover over "RESOURCES" in the toolbar at the top of the page and click "SCHOOL DIRECTORY" ). Post the name of a school that you think you might be interested in applying to after the course, and (briefly) why you liked that school.

3. Go to Course Forms (the big blue arrow on your course page) and find a word from one of the glossaries that you do not know.

4. Check out the Forums section of the site and watch Bill Harris' demo lesson: (VIDEO) Demo Lesson: Elementary Level Speaking/Pronunciation/Vocabulary Focus. Make a comment about the lesson on the video's discussion thread.

5. Choose another topic on the Discussion Forum section of the site to read/watch and comment on. Or, you can create your own new discussion related to teaching ideas/questions or international jobs.

6. Post a personal goal related to taking our Teaching House CELTA course.

7. Post a comment about someone else’s comments, for example, “Lizzy, I agree with your comment about the job listings section…” or “Abby, I saw that you wanted to work in Paris. I was thinking about that myself—is it hard to find work in France?” If you're one of the first people to post, come back later with a comment after your peers have caught up.

Good luck and keep coming back to our site! You can email me at info@teachinghouse.com with any questions.

All the best,

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tara Frost on July 4, 2011 at 6:29am

2. I'd like to work in the UAE, so I considered schools in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai. These schools include American University of Sharjah, American Community School, and one that was not mentioned but is one of the top 10 places to work in the UAE, Zayed University. I'd love to work with any of these institutions because they have a very low turnover rate and are known to be the more rigorous schools in the region. Obviously I would have to up my qualifications a bit, but I'd be more than happy to continue my studies.

3. Back-chaining : I know of the method, but I was unfamiliar with the term.

6. A personal goal of mine is to not only improve my knowledge of the different parts of the English language, but to have a more concrete understanding of level evaluation and how to tailor lessons and planning according to this. I think that it is challenging to have a class with students of different levels, and I'd like to learn how to challenge those who find the lesson easy, while also not leaving any students behind.

Permalink Reply by JJ Murphy on July 4, 2011 at 12:23pm

2. I liked the approach of Connect School of Languages in Toronto, Ontario. The staff creates the curriculum and as I read the bios of the Conversation Teachers, something resonated. It would keep me alert and aware as a teacher of English as a second language to be living in a country where English is spoken, but is in many ways very different than the English I speak living in downstate New York.

3. Just one word? In addition to Debbie and Tara's choices, Cloze exercise. Once I read the definition, I recognized, but did not know this term. Even if I heard it spoken, I would have visualized "close."

6. I want to deepen my applied teaching experience. I also want to become a better listener, a more concise & captivating presenter and develop skills that will ensure the success of my students.

7. Debbie you have a very concise, but clear way of answering these questions. Tara, I like the way you care about students who learn at different rates. I'm looking forward to meeting you and the rest of our CELTA group.