ESL/EFL/EFT, What REALLY WORKS!
IT’S NOT ABOUT THEORIES
by Arthur Rubin, MSW

So many theories. So little time. 

Are you familiar with current ESL/EFL theories that proponents proclaim, “x made (will make) THE difference in my/your professional success, and/or the success of my/your ESL/EFL students?”

Search the web for ESL, EFL or EFT, and you’ll find an almost endless variety of such statements, as well as descriptions of the theories that trigger them. The same is true for many of the ESL, EFL, EFT, and English professional journals, blogs, newsletters, LinkedIn commentaries, etc.

If you go to a conference, training session, staff development presentation, or, in many cases, a SIG meeting, you may hear monologues propounding one or more such theories, or you may engage in a discussion about one of them, with the suggestion that it is the necessary tool you need to meet your professional teaching obligations.

Wherever I turn, whatever I click on, whenever I flip a page I see an argument (pro or con) or an explanation (in favor or against), or an article, description, or blog that takes sides.  My guess is that you having similar experiences.

What I haven’t found (yet?) is a well thought out and researched piece that OBJECTIVELY compares and contrasts a theory’s or multiple theories’, methods, successes AND failures in a comprehensive manner.

continue reading

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Teaching Abroad: What it's like to teach in São Paulo, Brazil
Willy C. Cardoso

Since I was born people say ‘Brazil is the country of the future’, and all I could see until a while ago was: warm weather, friendly people, amazing food, lots of holidays, football and Carnival; - nothing ‘of the future’ about it, even though I might have already persuaded half the readers to at least spend a couple of weeks here. For those of you who need more than that, let’s get back to the saying quoted above. Recently, Brazil has been trendy and looked up to in the global economy, it was one of the last countries to suffer from the latest economic turmoil and one of the first ones overcome it. The country has really developed a lot in many ways, and São Paulo being the economic center, is not far behind megacities like, New York, London, Tokyo or Beijing, especially in terms of opportunities.

Paulista Avenue, business + entertainment

Teaching English
In São Paulo you can find an English language school on every corner, it’s not hard at all for a native-speaker, for instance, to get a teaching job. There are two key points for this being an easy task, both of which I’ll then point out as actual drawbacks.

1. It is extremely difficult to be sponsored to get a work visa in Brazil. However, there are no laws or policies controlling privately owned language institutes as regards their teachers’ visa status in the country. i.e. You can come in as a tourist, and then – presto - you can get a job!
2. Most schools don’t require qualifications such as, CELTA or Trinity. In fact, many of them don’t even know there are such qualifications, and then again – shazaam - you can get a job, easily!

Good, piece of cake, right?

Wrong – these are dead-end jobs. continue reading

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Teacher Tip:

One of my favorite warm-up activities is using anagrams. I will use them either to introduce some new vocabulary or to practice vocabulary my students have recently learned. Alternatively, it is a great way to transition into the topic of the day. The students always like it, and it is a great way to get them to start thinking in English before delving into the lesson. Don't worry if some of the words are new or very challenging, the point here is they will be thinking in English, and the words be relevant to the students. Here's one example you can take to the classroom for the topic of travel.

1. gugalge
2. kittec
3. icesatus
4. iyarntire
5. tpir

See if you can guess the words yourself, or click here to check your answers.

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Jobs This Month:

If you know of a job, please submit your name, email, job title, location, and description, and I will post it to this newsletter. Please be sure all info is included, and send it to correia.brian@gmail.com

Alternatively, you can add the job to ESL International's Job Board.

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Contact: Agnese Cattaneo
Email: agnese.cattaneo@gmail.com
Title: English Teachers in Bologna (Italy)
Location: Italy
Description: I am interested in getting in touch with experienced and qualified English Teachers for Business Courses in Bologna, starting from mid February – March 2010.
Please send your CV and cover letter to: agnese.cattaneo@gmail.com.

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Contact: Roberta Croll
Email: Contact via LinkedIn
Title: Teach English in Taiwan
Location: Taiwan
Description:
The Graduate School's International Institute is currently accepting applications from certified teachers who are interested in teaching English in Taiwan from August 2010 to July 2011. This program is sponsored by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan.

Taiwan Teacher Exchange Program Benefits: Monthly salary, health, dental, and labor insurance, round trip air fare to Taiwan, dormitory accommodations or a housing allowance, Chinese language learning opportunities, and the chance to learn firsthand about Taiwanese life and culture.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
March 15, 2010.

For more information on the program, please visit: graduateschool.edu/exchange

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See more jobs on the ESL International Job Board

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Teacher Tip Answers:

1. luggage
2. ticket
3. suitcase
4. itinerary
5. trip

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