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Teaching English


Beryl
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I have been asked if I can teach English to some adults and children , which I have said I will do [8-)]

Can any one recommend any cheap teaching and learning materials / ideas suitable for all ages? Or a book for me on where / how I should start?

 

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There are loads and loads of materials on the internet. Google ESOL or ESL, or to give you a flavour of some of the stuff available, have a look at www.onestopenglish.com, which is one of the many websites with free downloadable materials. There's also a very good resources website jointly run by the BBC and The British Council, but the list is almost endless.................
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Thank you, I will have a look at those sites .

Having never taught English as a foriegn language or indeed as any language, I want something that is not going to confuse me or them [:D]

Something straight forward and logical that doesn't get  bogged down in grammar too soon.

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Not that I want to worry you then, Beryl, but you're certainly throwing yourself in at the deep end trying to master teaching English as a foreign language at the same time as teaching both adults and children, which requires adapting both the materials and the approach you use. Anyway, I wish you luck. If I were you, and you aren't already confident about it, I'd give yourself a crash course in grammar on the side, if nothing else. I have found that almost every other country in the world pays significantly more attention to teaching grammar than we do in England, and if you don't know what modal verbs, phrasal verbs and gerunds are, now's the time to learn, before someone asks you to explain them!!!!!!!!!!![:D]
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I just want to second what Croixblanches said Beryl - I've been teaching English for nearly 4 years over here and despite having a TEFL qualification before starting, I was not at all prepared for the grammar. The French learn this side of things when studying English in far more depth than we ever learn English ourselves. I knew what a noun, adjective and adverb was, but had never disected a sentence into subject, object, direct object etc. I didn't know what the present perfect tense was and trying to explain this to French people when they don't have an equivalent tense is not an easy task. There are some very good grammar books available - I also found that using French learning english books like Anglais Facile helped explain things a lot in a way that the French understand. Phrasal verbs are a nightmare to teach and not easy to make into an interesting lesson. Bon courage!
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Beryl - I teach my friend's 3 children English on an informal basis - but have found it a problem that they are so hung up on grammar.  Luckily I'm quite good at grammar myself (did Latin & Greek) but find it very frustrating that they prefer to say nothing than say something grammatically incorrect.  Sadly find that lots of adult French people can read Shakespeare but not order a meal.  I point out to the kids that they learn reading, writing and grammar at school - but that I am teaching them to communicate.  If you are not teaching on a formal basis try making lessons into games.  For example get a town map and give each person a copy then make them direct each other from, say, the railway station to the hotel (turn right, straight down the road, cross at the lights - that sort of thing), I also set up shop with the contents of my cupboards and do role plays for phone calls etc.  This week had a barbecue as my English speaking family were here and they had to come and try to speak English - we all had fun and I was amazed at the amount they managed as we only started last September.  Eldest child has improved his grades at school no end so it is working even if my teaching is not perfect.

Maggi

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I'll second what most people have said.  I did an online TEFL course before I left the UK but then never used it for the following 4 years, so have forgot a lot but I still had the books.  When our neighbour asked if I would give their 15 year old daughter extra English lessons so that she didn't have to redoublé I thought it would be easy.  They insisted on paying me so I set the rate at 10 euros an hour (the same as another neighbour charges to teach English people French).  I have to say it is the hardest 10 euros I ever earn because i's not jsut the hour of teaching, it's the couple of hours of preparation beforehand and to be quite honest I was grateful when mum said that they would like to stop until the autumn now.  The more I read those English grammar books the more I realised that I don't even know my OWN language and I've always been a stickler for correct grammar and felt I was pretty good at it - but trying to explain it to a non-English speaker is extremely difficult, especially in FRENCH.  The trouble is, when I correct Camille she doesn't just accept the correction (and who can blame her) she wants to know WHY I have corrected what she said, what tense she had used that was wrong and what the tense is that she should have used, and no, there isn't just past, present and future!!!!  No wonder people say that English is so hard to learn, she wanted to apply rules to everything I taught her and in just about every case there were always at least half a dozen exceptions to the rule she was trying to invent.

Good luck anyway Beryl.  I'm pretty sure it helped my French if it didn't help her English!!!

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I am going to start helping at our local adult education centre with the Adult English class and the teacher is helpful with material and sending me private students.

I found two magazines in our local Tabac one is called The World in English Today and the other Go! English en anglais pour les Français. Both are articles about English speaking countries with grammar and vcocabulary, games etc; Go!English has a website www.goenglish.fr and the are the sort of things I used in Adult Education classes in England to learn French.

To actually teach in an Adult Education estabishment you need qualifications but if it is just on a private one to one basis or as an assistant to help the students with their speaking practice it is different, I was expalined this by the teacher I am going to help. I am in it just for the enjoyment and any pupils I get are a bonus.

Coral

 

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[quote user="Charallais"]

To actually teach in an Adult Education estabishment you need qualifications

[/quote]

I don't agree - all of the language schools I have taught in prefer native English speakers over qualified French English teachers, regardless of qualifications.

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Thanks again for the suggestions.

Do any of you recommend to your students any French published text books for learning English?

It may help me get an idea of how it is taught in schools or colleges, but I am  not planning on charging or turning this into a career.

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[quote user="beryl"]

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Do any of you recommend to your students any French published text books for learning English?

It may help me get an idea of how it is taught in schools or colleges, but I am  not planning on charging or turning this into a career.

[/quote]

If you want to get an idea of how English is taught in schools, then why not have a look at some text books.  This is the time of year to get them second hand, if you ask around, or in second hand bookshops.  Just make sure that you get post 1995 for the Collège and post 2002 for lycée level, because the curriculem has changed, (and is about to again in 6eme)

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