Musings of Ms. Volatyle» Musings of Ms. Volatyle

September 23rd, 2009

ESL Contracts: To Go or Not to Go

So what do you do once you’ve finished your TESOL or TEFL course?

Hell man, I’m gonna get a job in China/France/Haiti/Brazil and I’m gonna be gone while you guys clean up the mess around here!!

Uhmm.. wait. Did you sign your contract yet? Did you get the figures right? Are you sure you’re going to have the weekend off? Just some of the questions that your daddy might ask when you’re trampolining and telling him all about your new job.

So what are the loopholes you should look out for in ESL contracts? What are the benefits you must insist on? Find out.. Read More…

No Comments | In: ESL Musings | tags: CELTA, ESL, ESL contract, ESL jobs, ESL schools, questions about ESL contract, tesol. | #

September 15th, 2009

Project Write Well: ESL Tips for Good Writing

Most ESL students (and their parents) lay an inordinate amount of emphasis on conversational skills and gloss over the need to learn how to write. It’s true that conversational skills are the most important ones to teach. If immersed in an English speaking environment, students pick up conversational skills sooner or later (which is why I don’t think using L1 during lessons is a smart move). But once the student is past the stage of grappling for words, it becomes quite important to focus on writing skills.

Since English is a non-phonetic language, there is often no correlation between the way words are written and spelled. And if you thought that’s the hardest bit to learn about writing well, think again. With the multitude of writing style sheets floating around in this world, it can be incredibly hard for students to even realize what they’re up against when they embark out on ‘Project Write Well’.

August 24th, 2009

ESL Lesson Plan: Reading and Cooperation-related Vocabulary

I have been waiting to write this post since the day I presented this lesson. Not because it was a spectacular lesson or even a horrible one, but because presenting it was a lesson in itself. This was the last of all the lessons I taught during the CELTA course at St. Giles International.

One would’ve thought that the month-long somewhat rigorous course would have taught all us CELTAtians enough that we needed to know before we venture out into the world of ESL teaching. umm… apparently not.

Have you ever been in a situation when everything, and I mean Everything, goes against you? You think the heavens have conspired against you and after a series of mishaps/catastrophes, you begin to give up hope in all that is joyous and wonderful in this world. Presenting the last lesson on the last full working day of the CELTA course should have been a thrilling experience. All the ragda was over. No more stressing over lesson plans and assignments, no more rising at unearthly 6 o’clocks, no more late nights, no more no-beer nights!

August 12th, 2009

ESL Teaching Methods: Test-Teach-Test

Waiting to be written..

No Comments | In: ESL Musings | tags: ESL Lesson Plans. | #

August 5th, 2009

Find Someone Who: Fantastic ESL game

Waiting to be written

1 Comment | In: ESL Musings | tags: esl classrooms, esl games, esl grammar games, ESL Lesson Plans, esl speaking activities, esl students, find someone who, ice breaker games. | #

June 30th, 2009

Why I Chose CELTA?

CELTA? What’s that? Some sort of water purifier, glass cleaner?

Umm no, it’s actually a very well-known certification for ESL teachers worldwide. Duh, if you know what ESL stands for, you wouldn’t have asked me what the CELTA is.

ESL stands for English as a Second Language. And CELTA is right up there in a world choc-a-full of ESL certifications. It stands for Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA). It’s Cambridge University’s month-long certification offered in very few cities around the world. Of course, it is the most prevalent in UK and the most-widely known in Europe but language schools around the world are becoming more aware of the CELTA.. most of the better known language schools make it mandatory for teachers to have a CELTA before they apply.

So when I began my search for the ultimate qualification in the ESL world, the CELTA was a natural choice. I still had to go through reams of forum questions and answers, bouncing the ball back and forth. But it took little convincing to convince me that the CELTA is they way to go.

Recently, someone said