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 Dani Wilburn on July 2, 2011 at 1:56pm

2. Pagoda English schools in Seoul, S. Korea. According to their website, they have a variety of programs, they focus on speech and conversation and they have additional training for their teachers. I've also heard from others who have taught in S. Korea that this is a good company.

3. Cuisenaire Rods

Permalink Reply by Dani Wilburn on July 2, 2011 at 3:15pm

6. Going into this, I know that since I've never taught English before I'm not feeling very confident right now, so my personal goal is to gain some self-confidence so I can be a more effective teacher.

Permalink Reply by Laura Rarick on July 3, 2011 at 8:27pm

I can relate to that feeling, Dani. I've never taught any subject before, so my confidence is very high right now either, however I do think this course will help a great deal.

Permalink Reply by Marissa Crawford on July 4, 2011 at 7:34pm

It's great to read these comments and realize I'm not alone! I've been stressing about my level of confidence in the classroom and I agree, this course will be incredibly helpful, and I think as a group we'll work well together to make each other comfortable and make it through!

Permalink Reply by Laura Rarick on July 3, 2011 at 9:13pm

2. Inlingua in Arlington, VA. I am considering trying to stay in the US after the course and this school is in a great location. Additionally, Inlingua offers a variety of academic programs and testing, as well as many extracurricular and community activities to encourage conversation and learning.

3. Functional Exponent

6. I tend to over-explain everything, so my personal goal is to become comfortable giving more succinct responses and to be more creative in terms of nonverbal communication.

Permalink Reply by Marissa Crawford on July 4, 2011 at 7:19pm

2. Worldwide School in Warsaw, Poland. After going through the list of schools in Warsaw (I have my heart set on finding work in the Polish capital), I am drawn to the Worldwide School due to several factors. Firstly, the number of websites in English is very limited, so of course access to information about the school is the first step. Secondly, the school seems well established throughout the country and involved in a variety of sectors. Apart from this, the school aims to tailor classes to the individual student with programs for children, adults, and to cover the specific necessities of their clients. In addition, the school is committed to further developing the skills of its teachers and providing access to cutting edge educational resources. As a new teacher, I am hoping to find myself in an environment that can offer me guidance and resources, as well as a regular and steady workload.
3. Functional Exponent
6. I am very comfortable being a student; however, I am terrified at the idea of changing roles and finding myself in front of a classroom as a teacher. My goal during the CELTA course is to develop the confidence to help students not only learn, but learn to love, English in the same way that I developed a passion languages. Apart from acquiring the skills to become a great teacher, I hope to discover more about my own language.