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| Work & Travel |
| Teaching |
You will now realize that teaching has such a vast connotation. You don’t actually need to be a qualified and experienced teacher to be able to get teaching assignments. As long as you have certain basic skills and have the will and the zeal to GO, you are in!!!! So you will end up benefiting the kids you work with, while learning some valuable skills yourself.
You will find placements ranging from primary to secondary schools, special schools to even universities. These situations have one thing in common a genuine need for practicing conversational English.
Though you would generally have to follow a schedule, you are given your own class. Depending on the country you choose for your placement, you will end up teaching a group of five-year-olds or even a class of adults. You might even be in a special school for visually impaired or the orthopedic ally handicapped.
Before you leave, remember to consult at least one out of good number organizations/setups which deal with the issue. They will provide you with a voluminous teaching guide packed with guidelines and ideas, teaching games and advice, besides tried-and-tested teaching resources.
But, always bear in mind that you are your own primary resource. Think of ways and means as to how you can maximize yourself as a 'resource'. For example use items like family photos, postcards magazines, coins, stamps, CDs, to kick-start conversation or a lesson. After you have arrived at your destination, comparing notes with other individuals in the same situation, about what works and what doesn't work will prove to be useful By the way you're not likely to encounter much difficulty in getting your pupils' attention. As a matter of fact they want to speak English well so that they can get into good universities, get good jobs, and lead a better life including a highly Westernized modernistic lifestyle.
While your pupils are keen to learn English, you might also find that the local teachers are equally enthusiastic. They will practice their spoken English on you. The better local teachers speak English, the better will they be able to teach their pupils.
A typical example of one of the many rewarding English language teaching projects abroad is the ‘Sri Lanka Teach English Volunteer Project‘. Those who teach English on this project work with children from a community that was devastated by the South Asian Tsunami. There are many other similarly satisfying opportunities to teach English abroad especially in parts of Africa and South America.
Alongside, try to involve yourself in other aspects of school life, or conduct extra-curricular activities and after-school clubs. After all, teaching does not men only academics confined to classrooms.
Since math is a universal subject, most of the Afro-Asian countries are perpetually on the lookout for people to teach math at all levels. Since math is dreaded by most pupils, a teacher who can make math interesting and comprehensible, can work wonders for the students.
You could teach football in most of the destinations in Asia or Africa, and teach children cricket in India, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The kids would enjoy being with someone who teaches English in the morning and then gets involved with arranging sports clubs and matches in the afternoon!.
Drama is a highly useful tool for teaching English. If you have a specialization in drama you will find scope almost in any school. If drama is a hobby for you, then a school play is an enjoyable and a lively method to teach and learn any language!
If you happen to be a music student, you will get an excellent opportunity to learn about the various music schools of the world, while teaching extra-curricular lessons. Why, you could even start a choir, arrange music groups, teach composition and promote these arts where you are teaching.
If you are adept at oil-painting, sketching, batik painting, embroidery / needlework, clay modeling, studio pottery, glass-enameling or paper craft, go ahead and impart your skills to the children, who will enjoy them thoroughly. |
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