Today, I had a meeting with the teacher of the first class I will meet. I am doing a short PowerPoint presentation for them tomorrow morning. Then, the students will introduce themselves and talk about what experiences they’ve had teaching English, while I take note of any pronunciation weirdnesses I hear. If something is quite incomprehensible, I’ll give some gentle feedback. Then the students will work on putting together an English lesson for young children (they’re going to be elementary school teachers). While they’re working on lessons, I’ll be there for them to consult. That might be all for the week. Hopefully, next week will be busier, but because all of the teachers are so busy, I may have to harass them about my schedule. In any case, I’ll probably do the same lesson with a different group next Wednesday morning.
The teacher used to do inservices for current teachers. This is her first time teaching “pre-service” teachers. So, I guess it’s a bit of a first for both of us. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Sounds like pretty fun work.
Well, it’s kinda nice to work into it gradually so you don’t feel overwhelmed right off. “Gentle feedback”? Is that a nice way of telling them “Get the marbles out of your mouths”? HAHA Enjoy the experience!
Mostly, something is worth correcting if it makes the message incomprehensible. It’s important not to embarrass students if you want them to continue to talk.
Another good way to give feedback is to wait a few days after hearing the error and then address it with the whole class claiming that it is an error you hear often that you think is important to discuss.