Beware the Ides of March!

Where the Jobs are in 2012

("Beware the Ides of March!")

The subject of jobs is is a constant chatter among educators looking for some stability in an world filled with incessant efficiency downsizing and fiat bail out businesses of the modern here today "gone to Jakarta" economies.

The topic of what “hot job prospects” there are overseas, is often limited by the job candidate's own timing and availability as much as their specific background skills and authorizations or prior experience.

 

One field which is continually growing and in demand is TEFL-TESOL English Language teachers.

 

You probably already know that in the very near future, China will have the largest number of English speakers globally. Markets in South East Asia are set to unify economically in the next three years according to government officials and this has created a deepening "worldwide shortage" of NES (so called "native English speakers") from abroad. 

Recently, many potential teachers of English are drawn from pools of sometimes semi-qualified "non-native" speakers who are actually highly fluent second language teachers from Europe, the Philippines and India who are being tapped in order to fill the increasing demand for English teachers to share the language of global business.

 

You will see many EFL training and teaching jobs on line advertising in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand for a certification and employment programs, guaranteeing jobs to their graduates across numerous well worn TESOL-TEFL employment websites. More and more, those web sites recommend that you sign up with them to get certified and get a guaranteed job at the end of the training. 

 

But beware! You should always ask yourself, "what kind of a job will I actually get" once I pay my money, put in many hours of study and have the authorized experience through their “one stop/one size fits all” TEFL teacher training's?  In reality, many of those programs dedicate only a short percentage of the time you are enrolled in a certification course to the actual teaching of English.

 

Having gone through a CELTA training myself, I can personally attest that the longest times I ever taught were never more than 20 minute segments where I was evaluated not on my overall effectiveness, but rather on how well I molded to my instructors demands instead of how well I reached my students.

 

Many Language centers now have year round recruitment of TEFL teachers offering employment in cities throughout Mainland China. In Ho Chi Min, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore you can enroll in the same kind of formula based assembly-line programs, where the need and demand for English teachers is constant, routine and ongoing. 

But what are actual the teaching success and employment rates? What are the conditions and quality of like there for English teacher graduates? How long do they stay and work abroad before they fold up their tents and head home?

 

Unlike locations in Europe or North America, in Thailand now is the time to look for work as the school year ends in late March and early April and the first semester begins in mid May with the end of summer and return of the rainy season. (Similarly, in many parts of South East Asia and throughout the cities and rural regions of Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Laos summer conditions are approaching and the end of the public school year is drawing near.) 

At Paradise TEFL we aim to give you the essential methods, proven techniques and educational theories in as understandable and a succinct form as possible, in order to focus and spend the maximum amount of time on our client's observed teaching practice. We do this so that you can develop your confidence and effective teaching techniques quickly, and have expert assistance in finding the kind of teaching job that personally suits your individual lifestyle and financial needs best. 

 

Whatever plan of action an unemployed educator decides to take, in general, the more advanced certifications a TEFL or TESOL Teacher holds, the more opportunity they possess in terms of their marketability and increased number of employment options. 

 

For a limited time, Paradise TEFL Certification Program offers these advanced certifications such as TOFEL, IELTS, and TEYL at the SAME PRICE as the basic TEFL/TESOL certification!

 

The advanced course provides additional English Language teaching certifications and is offered in tandem with our site course in Chiang Mai Thailand, or as a complete series of online modules.  You should have already completed a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA course first in order to be eligible and teaching experience is necessary. (Our on-site program provides 2 to 3 weeks of hands on observed teaching practice to help our teachers to effectively develop their skills).

 

All courses are certified and you will receive a certificate of completion, which is internationally recognized and accepted when you graduate from the course. Many of those who already have experience as TEFL instructors are finding that becoming a certified TEFL trainer is another opportunity and feather in their cap in terms of meeting the demand of TEFL instructors (who are leaving their home countries and working abroad) by teaching others how to teach TEFL effectively.

 

Graduates with these additional certifications have the advantage of substantially increasing their marketability and employment status. Improve your chances of getting a good job with a higher level of pay by enrolling today!

Learning an Additional Language- How the brain works

THE LEARNING BRAIN

How do you remember how to get to school or work every day? Why do your eyes blink without you even thinking about it? What is it that makes you feel happy or sad or even scared? Your brain is in charge of these things and a lot more. In fact, your brain runs your body, and it controls just about everything you do, even when you’re sleeping. And when it comes to learning, your brain is the most important part of your body, because it is where all your thinking, and remembering and feeling takes place.

Here are some things we know about the brain. The average human brain weighs about three pounds and looks like a great big grey sponge A dog’s brain is nineteen times smaller than a human adult brain, but an elephant’s brain is four to five times bigger than hours. 

While you are awake, your brain generates up to twenty-five watts of power, enough to illuminate a light bulb. The biggest part of your brain is the cerebrum and it has two halves, one on either side of your head. Scientists know that the left side of your brain controls the right side of your body, and the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body. When you are thinking you use your cerebrum, you need it to solve math problems, to speak, to draw pictures, to kick a football, to imagine things.  Just about anything you do in fact.  

Your memory works in the cerebrum, both short term memory  (like what you ate for dinner last night) and long term memory, how you felt your first morning at school. The cerebrum also helps you to reason, like when you work out that you should do your homework tonight, because there is a film you want to watch on TV later. So the brain is boss, with its captive zoom, it depends upon its microscopic cells called neurons, over one-hundred billion of them in fact. That’s what lets messages flow back and forth between the brain and the body.

Your brain is made up of tiny brain cells, often referred to as neurons. Your brain has about 100 billion neurons.  To give you an idea about its size, if every brain cell or neuron was to equal one second, then the number of neurons you would have would equal 8 years and 3 months.  Imagine counting every second of your life both day and night for 8 years and three months. That’s a lot of counting and therefore a lot of neurons and a lot of opportunity to be clever and smart.

The trick is understanding how your brain works so you can teach it to work for you. There are many different types of neurons,  which do different things. For example some look after breathing, others chewing food, others walking or learning a language, or even riding a bike. These are just a few examples. Everything you do comes from your brain cells or neurons. So let’s now have a look at how a neuron works, so that you can learn how to use its amazing power.

Each neuron has tiny branches that let it connect to other neurons.  When you are learning things, electrical messages travel from one neuron to another over and over. Eventually, the brain starts to create connections or pathways between the neurons, so things become easier and you can do them better and better.

Think back to the first time you rode a bike. Your brain had to think about peddling, staying balanced, staying with the handle bars, watching the road and braking, all at once. Hard work having to think about all these things at the same time, but eventually, as you got more practice, the neurons sent messages back and forth until a pathway was created in your brain.

Now you can ride your bike without thinking about it because the neurons have successfully created a bike riding pathway. Creating a “neuro-pathway” is how you learn and remember things. So, the more you use your brain to create these pathways, the more you will learn. Your brain is responsible for your feelings and emotions too. It is normal to feel all kinds of emotions, happy, sad, worried or stressed.

One of the things we know for sure is that our emotions have a big impact on the way we learn.  Feelings of stress or anxiety can make it very difficult for someone to learn. When you feel stressed or worried your brain is programmed to release chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisone into your body. These chemicals quickly alter the way you think, feel and behave, making it difficult to think clearly, or take in new information.  Scientists believe we learn best when we are happy and relaxed, that is when our brain processes information most efficiently.

There are other physical factors that can affect your brain’s ability to concentrate and learn effectively. The brain requires water for creating neuro-pathways, so being dehydrated can mean that your thinking will be less effective.  Not having enough water in your system can also lead to a rise in salt, and increase blood pressure, which in turn can cause stress.

 When an electrical impulse reaches an axon terminal, it communicates across a tiny gap called a synapse.  This is referred to as “synaptic firing.” This is how brain cells or neurons communicate with one and other. 

Basically what happens is, let’s say for example when you are learning to walk, a group of brain cells or neurons team up together and communicate with one and other by synaptic firing. Now when you first started to walk, you probably got up and fell down again.  But after awhile you learned how to walk with out falling down or holding on to anything. What was happening in your brain was that a group of neurons joined together, and this group of neuron then became responsible for your walking.  At first because the neurons didn’t know one and other very well, they were not used to working together. And because of that you found that you could walk a little, and then would fall down. As the neurons got to know one and other and got used to teaming up, you found that you could walk. Those neurons through repeated contact with one and other were now known as a team of neurons, and they then allowed you to walk.

Your brain cells are very clever, once they get used to being together, they just automatically get together, so you don’t have to think about the process of walking at all. All you need to think is, “I would like to go from the lounge room to the bedroom,” and your body just does it. It is the same when your body learned to ride a bike, or play a computer game. At first, you had to focus and think a lot about what you were doing. But after awhile when the brain cells got used to being together, you found you could do it without thinking about it.  Basically everything you do, say, think and feel works like this. 

The brain also needs the right balance of proteins, fats, vegetable, carbohydrates and sugars to work efficiently. So, maintaining a balanced diet is important for effective learning. If you have a diet that is high in sugar and food additives, you will probably find it difficult to concentrate well and it may even affect the way you behave.

Other things can have an impact on your brain’s ability to work effectively. When you are tired or hungry, too hot or too cold, it is unlikely that you will be able to concentrate effectively on learning. Sitting still for long periods of time can affect your ability to concentrate and study. It is good to take brain breaks where you do some physical movements or exercise. It is the increase of oxygen in your blood stream which will help the neurons to fire.

Many people believe that a persons’ intelligence is fixed and it is not possible to become smarter. In fact, our brains are constantly changing and creating new neuro-pathways. This means that everyone is capable of learning and becoming more intelligent. There’s lots you can do to make sure your brain is healthy to create the best conditions for learning. Firstly, the more you use your brain the more efficient it will become. Challenge yourself when you are learning, be ambitious, set targets for yourself and make sure that you have an imaginative and inquiring mind. Use your brain by doing challenging activities such as puzzles, reading, playing music, drawing, playing computer games, or anything else that gives your brain a work out.

Make sure that you eat enough healthy foods that will give your brain the minerals it needs to function well. Drink plenty of water to make sure that you stay properly hydrated, take regular exercise to increase the level of oxygen in your blood. Make sure that you get enough rest and sleep. Breaks your study sessions into chunks to ease concentration and take regular brain breaks to help maintain focus.

Stimulate your brain in lots of different ways. A combination of visual, audio and kinesthetic learning is often the best way to take in new information and learn new skills. Remember that your emotions play a big role in how well you learn. It is best to try and avoid learning new things when you are stressed or upset.

For a limited time, Paradise TEFL Certification Program offers these advanced certifications such as TOFEL, IELTS, and TEYL at the SAME PRICE as the basic TEFL/TESOL certification!

The advanced course provides additional English Language teaching certifications and is offered in tandem with our site course in Chiang Mai Thailand, or as a complete series of online modules.  You should have already completed a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA course first in order to be eligible and teaching experience is necessary. (Our on-site program provides 2 to 3 weeks of hands on observed teaching practice to help our teachers to effectively develop their skills).

All courses are certified and you will receive a certificate of completion, which is internationally recognized and accepted when you graduate from the course. Many of those who already have experience as TEFL instructors are finding that becoming a certified TEFL trainer is another opportunity and feather in their cap in terms of meeting the demand of TEFL instructors (who are leaving their home countries and working abroad) by teaching others how to teach TEFL effectively.

Graduates with these additional certifications have the advantage of substantially increasing their marketability and employment status. Improve your chances of getting a good job with a higher level of pay by enrolling today!

 

 

Language at the Heart of All Learning (Happy Valentine's Day!)

Language at the Heart of All Learning

(TEFL TEACHERS ADVANCE: No Matter What The Subject, We Are All Language Teachers)

As we approach another Valentine’s Day this month our attention focuses on matters of the heart.  What could be closer to the heart and mind than the language which expresses our feelings and ideas? In the Buddhist tradition I have noticed that whenever a monk speaks about the practices they follow, and the methods they employ to facilitate effective meditation, they will frequently point to their heart when they refer to the concept of “the mind” when discussing the Dharma and their intention to walk a noble path following the necessary precepts. This idea of the Heart being the center of our “mindfulness” is often a new and unfamiliar concept for many Westerners to initially grasp.

The same is true when one considers the role language plays not only in self expression, communication and understanding, but goes further to the heart of one’s own cognitive abilities as research demonstrates the ways in which language patterns, syntax and usage affect human ability to comprehend, and grasp ideas because of the ways the brain is integrated and wired from our native “mother tongue” languages as we begin our mental, emotional and spiritual development.

Language is integral to exploring and sustaining personal development, cultural identity and intercultural understanding. As well as being the major medium of social communication, it is tightly linked to cognitive growth because it is the process by which meaning and knowledge is negotiated and constructed. It is the main tool for building our knowledge of the universe and our place in it. Language then, is central to learning, as well as to literacy, and is thus closely related to success in school.

What is ESL, EAL, TEFL & TESOL Anyway?

Along with the research relating to language and learning, there has been an expansion of jargon. Terms for learners such as English as a second language (ESL), English as an additional language (EAL), second language learning (SLL) and English speakers of other languages (ESOL) carry with them differing connotations depending on cultural context. The term of reference in this document will be “learners who are learning in a language other than their mother tongue”. The term mother tongue is used in the research literature in various ways. It may denote the language learned first; the language identified with as a “native” speaker; the language known best; the language used most. When used in this document, it includes all those meanings.

“Almost all education is language education.”  Postman (1996)

Language learning in school is not a separate discipline isolated from all other learning (except when studied as linguistics). As well as being part of social and personal development, language learning in school is crucial for academic cognitive growth and the construction of knowledge. The language of academic discourses and the meaning and the knowledge content of any one discipline are closely interwoven. For example, the discourse of mathematics is distinct from the discourse of history and, in each case, is integral to constructing meaning. Similarly, the discourses of interpersonal communications vary depending on purpose. The language of a complaint will be different from that of a wedding invitation. The features of different discourses have been identified and are described in linguistic genre theory. A linguistic genre is a particular text type created by a specific communicative situation. Examples of some common genres used in school are recount, narrative, report, explanation, argument and discussion. As learners in schools build knowledge in and across disciplines, they move along a continuum of language and learning that includes an ability to use and understand a range of academic linguistic genres.

A conceptual understanding of the language and learning continuum is critical in determining what should be the focus in the processes of language teaching and learning. It will inform the staging of these processes in the curriculum as well as the kinds of materials used and developed for learning. Halliday (1985) expresses some of the complexity of the relationship between language and learning when he talks about “learning language, learning through language and learning about language”.

Three aspects of language and learning development are identified, although it must be emphasized that language development is a process of constructing meaning in which all three aspects, learning language, learning through language and learning about language, are operating at any one time. A separate examination of each, however, can provide a fuller understanding of what is involved.

Learning language

In the early stages of life when a child is first learning to communicate in a mother tongue, he or she is learning to use language symbolically in order to construct meaning and to interact. In a safe, secure and nurturing environment, rich in stimulating experiences, the child exchanges signals with others and learns to recognize, articulate and encode sounds, rhythms and intonations while associating them with meanings or concepts. He or she may associate the sound “bo”, for example, with a ball and learn that by uttering the word the mother is likely to respond in some way; perhaps by rolling it for him. The child is building up a resource for meaning.

The child is also developing what Cummins (1979) calls basic interpersonal communicative skills or BICS. This is the dimension of language that will enable a child to interact socially with teachers and peers when he or she begins school. The language of such communication is supported by contextual cues as well as by gestures and facial expressions. Learners who already have communicative skills in a mother tongue may become functional in social communication in another language within two years because of the transfer of understanding already in place.

As well as oral skills, the young child develops the early literacy skills of recognizing and manipulating symbols for decoding and encoding written texts in order to read and write. This includes learning to form the shapes of the letters or characters of a writing system and their phonetic associations. Learners who have basic literacy skills in their mother tongue are able to transfer some of these understandings and concepts when learning another language. Learning language is ongoing and is further fostered through reading characters of a writing system and their phonetic associations. Learners who have basic literacy skills in their mother tongue are able to transfer some of these understandings and concepts when learning another language. Learning language is ongoing and is further fostered through reading.

Learning through language

At some point a child has enough language so that in addition to it being a communicative tool, it is also a flexible resource for further learning and cognitive growth. Language itself, rather than direct concrete experience, can be used to negotiate new meanings and construct knowledge about the world. Literacy becomes increasingly important in doing this as more abstract learning takes place through dense academic texts in school. The ability to access the language of these texts is referred to as a cognitive academic language proficiency or CALP by Cummins (1979).

 Depending on age and experience, for example, some learners may have a wealth of knowledge in a language other than that of the classroom. However, it can take up to seven years for learners who are using a language other than their mother tongue to attain the same levels in academic language proficiency as those expected for learners learning in a mother tongue.

Learning about language

Understanding the relationship of language and meaning and how language works in the construction of knowledge empowers the language user. For example, an understanding of various linguistic genres means that a writer can choose the most appropriate genre for the task. Some learners who are learning in their mother tongue may have an intuitive unconscious sense of how the language works and have a full range of choices and linguistic genres available to them. Learners who are using a language other than their mother tongue cannot always be assumed to have this awareness, which therefore needs to be explicitly taught in such circumstances.

Whatever plan of action an unemployed educator decides to take, in general, the more advanced certifications a TEFL or TESOL Teacher holds, the more opportunity they possess in terms of their marketability and increased number of employment options. 

For a limited time, Paradise TEFL Certification Program offers these advanced certifications such as TOFEL, IELTS, and TEYL at the SAME PRICE as the basic TEFL/TESOL certification!

The advanced course provides additional English Language teaching certifications and is offered in tandem with our site course in Chiang Mai Thailand, or as a complete series of online modules.  You should have already completed a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA course first in order to be eligible and teaching experience is necessary. (Our on-site program provides 2 to 3 weeks of hands on observed teaching practice to help our teachers to effectively develop their skills).

All courses are certified and you will receive a certificate of completion, which is internationally recognized and accepted when you graduate from the course. Many of those who already have experience as TEFL instructors are finding that becoming a certified TEFL trainer is another opportunity and feather in their cap in terms of meeting the demand of TEFL instructors (who are leaving their home countries and working abroad) by teaching others how to teach TEFL effectively. 

Graduates with these additional certifications have the advantage of substantially increasing their marketability and employment status. Improve your chances of getting a good job with a higher level of pay by enrolling today!