Teaching
- Thread starter Gavin
- Start date
baboon2004
Darned cockwombles.
My friend taught 'Hiroshima Mon Amour' to 2nd year degree students....some of the essays were just staggering in their idiocy.
mixed_biscuits
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I know someone who got a 1st in English at Oxford who was still writing 'alot' in his final year. 
mixed_biscuits
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Why is that?
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
mixed_biscuits
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See your previous post!
Because education is actually damaging?
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Oi! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
Heh, I don't know really. Maybe alot
of people who've been to university think that having a degree is impressive enough in itself - especially if it's from a prestigious uni, perhaps - and so don't concentrate so much on 'technical' correctness, whereas people straight from school still have that teacherly i-before-e-except-after-c mentality and so make more of an effort to get things right. Just a thought.
mixed_biscuits
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Oi! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
Heh, I don't know really. Maybe alot
Yeah, good point. I, for one, hate to make technical mistakes in my writing - mainly because so many others do.
Many 'good' jobs still require a very high standard of literacy. When I was working for a copywriting business, it was absolutely essential that our writing (which largely consisted of 3-4 page essays rather than pithy slogans) was as clear and correct as possible - after all, it's how we supposedly set ourselves apart from the competition.
With most academics in Education intent on sacrificing 'correctness' and attendant clarity on the altars of 'diversity' and 'creativity' (and with public policy following suit), most people leave school with rather sloppy English.
Looking carefully and critically at written English also makes your spoken English more fluent.
erinmacleod
Member
Can't help but comment--though I should be doing my own writing at the moment. Damned thesis and all.
I work in a very different system. Here in la belle province (Quebec) we have the CEGEP (Collège d'Enseignement Général et Professionnel) system. It's community college, technical institute, and grade 12 all rolled into one. We have loi 101. It's a law passed in 1976 stating that all immigrants to Quebec (and some other groups, though I'm not fully conversant on this particular law and don't really like to get into arguments about it) must be educated in French until the end of secondary school--grade 11, for those in the US and the rest of Canada. According to 101 many students are only able to choose their language of education at the CEGEP level. This means that, as an English CEGEP, only 20% of our student population counts English as a first language. Of the remaining 80%, for whom the first 11 years of education was in French, 40% count English as a third, fourth or fifth language. As teachers, we are expected, after one 4-month semester, to have the students all writing at "college level". This means they should be able to write a competent 5-paragraph essay.
Oh, my job is fun.
I work in a very different system. Here in la belle province (Quebec) we have the CEGEP (Collège d'Enseignement Général et Professionnel) system. It's community college, technical institute, and grade 12 all rolled into one. We have loi 101. It's a law passed in 1976 stating that all immigrants to Quebec (and some other groups, though I'm not fully conversant on this particular law and don't really like to get into arguments about it) must be educated in French until the end of secondary school--grade 11, for those in the US and the rest of Canada. According to 101 many students are only able to choose their language of education at the CEGEP level. This means that, as an English CEGEP, only 20% of our student population counts English as a first language. Of the remaining 80%, for whom the first 11 years of education was in French, 40% count English as a third, fourth or fifth language. As teachers, we are expected, after one 4-month semester, to have the students all writing at "college level". This means they should be able to write a competent 5-paragraph essay.
Oh, my job is fun.
Nightmare!!!!
I mostly teach linguistics but I have one course now in which I have a year (1 90-min meeting a week) to teach Japanese students (of education, appropriately enough for this thread) how to write competently in English. It doesn't work.
But there are no expectations on anyone's part, so it is fine in some sense I guess ...
matt b
Indexing all opinion
another UCAS cracker:
"i have always held aspirations and been enthusiastic to work in a career involving children's [sic] as i have 4 younger sisters, where i have to care and be extremely responsible for them which is what being a teacher involves... i want to enhance thier [sic] future by laying thier [sic] foundation for them"
"i have always held aspirations and been enthusiastic to work in a career involving children's [sic] as i have 4 younger sisters, where i have to care and be extremely responsible for them which is what being a teacher involves... i want to enhance thier [sic] future by laying thier [sic] foundation for them"
Me as well. I never thought I'd enjoy it this much.
Tips in general - don't be lazy (at least at first.) By this I mean prepare good quality exciting materials (you can always reuse next year), tackle challenging behavior as it arises - it's so easy not to do so, but once they know they are going to get some shit for having their phone/being late/rude whatever. I do find I have to push myself in general but the lessons are better for it and the kids enjoy it more.
Constantly use analogies which draw on their experience and encourage them to make their own.
Move around, use humour, funny voices and physical theater continuously - you have to be the most exciting thing in the class.
More later when I've finished reading the thread.
Oh, one thing I do which is a good icebreaker at the beginning of the year or whenever you're having discipline problems is to get the class to agree to a learning contract - you ask them what they expect from themselves, each other, and finally from you. It's the last bit thats' the kicker as they are being invited to criticise you or set standards - gives them a bit of ownership of the task. Make a production of writing it down, typing it up and distribute next lesson and get them to sign it. You sign it also and let them have photocopies. Gives you an extra bit of power should things go awry later, but is also a good way of getting a class onside.
mixed_biscuits
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Very good advice, DannyL. I wouldn't be surprised if you are rather good at your job.