Compelling Conversations

Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics for ESL learners and teachers

Posts Tagged Teaching English in Vietnam

What will I learn today?

Jul 17

Posted by Eric Roth in ESL | 1 Comment

Consider me psyched. I’m going to a huge conference of ELT, EFL, and ESL professionals today in Vietnam’s White Palace. The 4th-annual VUS-TESOL conference program is full, and I expect to hear many more teaching tips for working with Vietnamese students who want to learn English, but are often reluctant to speak.
I’m particularly interested in hearing about successful transitions from grammar-based EFL classes to communicative philosophies, and talking with other English Language trainers and ESL professionals who have enjoyed teaching much more than administering programs.

Naturally, I’m also looking for “good mistakes” that don’t seem to transfer from the United States, Australia, and England to Vietnam. As Octavio Paz notes, “To modernize is to adopt and adapt, but it is to also to recreate.” What will work for Vietnamese students? What materials will most effectively encourage more Vietnamese adults to speak more in adult courses? What techniques work best here?

Ask more. Know more. Share more. Speak more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Do You Really Use Youtube in Your EFL Classes? How?

Jun 7

Posted by Chimayo Press in EFL, ESL, English class, Teaching English in Vietnam, academic matters, adult education, democratic classroom, teaching tips, technology and education | 3 Comments

Do you use You Tube in Your EFL classes? How?

Absolutely!

Like so many other English teachers, I begin teaching with student interests and habits in mind. Of course, I also want to take them from the old and familiar to new and unfamiliar while improving their English language skills. You Tube remains a powerful classroom tool to achieve that goal.

I’ve used YouTube to have students research job interview tips, stress patterns, pronunciation problems, and informational interviews. The results have been consistently positive as I have students write concise video reviews and email me their reviews for homework before the next class.

Then I slightly edit the reviews, watch the videos and add my own comments in blue ink, and combine the reviews into a single document that is emailed to all class members. “Use or lose” I say, but here are the reviews from your classmates. Result: almost every student watches every video recommended and spending far more time on the topic than I could allocate in class. It’s both popular and quite effective.

As English teachers, we are truly blessed to be working in the YouTube era.

Ask more. Know more. Share more. Speak more.

Create Compelling Conversations.

Visit www.CompellingConversations.com


  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Culturally Sensitive Compelling Conversations Created for Vietnam!

May 30

Posted by Chimayo Press in ESL | No Comments

How do you revise a conversation textbook designed for American immigrants and international students in the United States for high school English language learners in Vietnam? Carefully!

Naturally, the new version of “Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics” will emphasize aspects of Vietnamese culture, avoid taboo subjects, and include local folk sayings and proverbs. The chapter called, “Driving Cars” becomes “Riding Motorbikes.” Other chapters get deleted altogether. Religious quotes are lost and some touchy questions remain unasked. So it goes – even in the 21st century.

Today, after weeks of collecting proverbs, talking with EFL teachers in Vietnam, and editing my original ESL for a particular EFL audience, I have a close to finished version. I feel quite satisfied with Compelling Conversations for English Language Learners in Vietnam. The new edition will be out within a month!

Shalom,
Eric
www.CompellingConversations.com
eric@compellingconversations.com

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Are you prepared? Are you ready? Aren’t you nervous?

May 23

Posted by Chimayo Press in Conversation Tips, EFL, ESL, ESL/EFL teachers' resources, Speaking Skills, Teaching English in Vietnam, VESL, adult education, conversation starters, educational philosophy, teaching tips, workplace communication skills | 2 Comments

During the last hectic week of international travel and professional development presentations, I’ve been heard a few simple questions over and over.

  • Are you ready?
  • Are you prepared?
  • Aren’t you nervous?
  • Do you have enough time to do that?
  • When are you going to sleep?

Friends – and close relatives – ask these questions out of concern and curiosity.  I appreciate their questions and enjoy our discussions.  My confidence can lead me to underestimate the difficulty of  projects, tasks, and chores. I should manage time better, probably reduce my commitments, and prioritize more. Yet that’s easier said than done when pursuing multiple projects and working with people on different continents. I also like my work, and appreciate new challenges.  And I can draw on a considerable amount of experience as a  world traveler and English teacher. Despite approaching deadlines, I tend to feel strangely comfortable.

For instance, this week I left Los Angeles to begin a new position creating a Practical and Academic English program in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Packing for a ten-week summer trip takes considerable time. So does writing up detailed course descriptions, planning professional development workshops, and writing a high school graduation speech. Tracking Compelling Conversations book orders, planning website and blog changes, and interviewing ESL/EFL teachers also takes time. So sleep becomes a lower priority and friends keep asking those few simple, reasonable questions.

They are good questions and fine conversation starters too. In our often-hectic world, many people make the same “good mistakes” as me. As a result, these simple questions seem about time management seem timeless. English teachers can – and I’d suggest should – introduce these practical questions to their students. Business English teachers and workplace instructors, of course, frequently include entire lessons to personal time management skills. Letting students ask these questions and interview each other will also lead to interesting classroom conversations.

By the way,  despite my last minute style, I was actually quite prepared. I quickly packed, arrived safely in Vietnam and lead an engaging workshop on creating autotelic materials for EFL students.  Experience and expertise help – even on limited sleep!

Ask more. Know more. Share more. Speak more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit Compelling Conversations.com


  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vietnam Embraces English Classes – and Looks for Communicative English Teachers

Apr 2

Posted by Chimayo Press in Compelling Conversations, EFL, academic matters, adult education, educational philosophy, language politics, linguistics, miseducation | 3 Comments

My recent trip to Vietnam to meet English teachers and lead a professional development seminar at the American-Pacific University, Vietnam lead to many wonderful moments and a few surprising conversations.

Teaching English in developing countries always poses challenges, and Vietnam falls into that category. Lt me share a few selective details to provide a brief introduction to education atmosphere for English teachers who prefer a communicative approach to grammar drill and kill tasks. Consider the gap between a traditional teacher-centered education philosophy and modern student-centered approaches for teaching English.

- An English language magazine cover story proclaimed: “Let Students Ask Questions.” The two-page article presented the idea of students – even college students – asking classroom questions as an overdue reform.
-Vietnam, the world’s fasting growing economy, has embarked on a rapid expansion of English language classes. The official government ministry of Education and Training has even adopted a new slogan: Friendly School; Active Students. This new slogan presumably indicates that the old approach was something else!
- Several APU high school seniors, in long interviews, indicated that they were forbidden from even talking in their old public high school English classes. These same students informed me that English class in the public high school ranged between 50-70 students. Sometimes the English instructor was believed to be unable to actually speak English. As a result, the class focused extensively on grammar and fill in the blanket tests.
- A few APU students expressed gratitude that they could have actual classroom discussions because this was a new educational experience for them. “We ask questions, and the teacher responds,” laughed one senior. Imagine the possibilities!

These few glimpses into Vietnam’s evolving education system indicate an increasingly awareness that communication skills matter. They also confirm that students, parents, and teachers want better schools and more communicative English language classes.

So let me repeat two favorite themes. Good schools cultivate student curiosity, and English lessons should allow students to display their experiences and perceptions. Further, students who have been forced to take years of English class should be able to speak English – and I literally mean speak English. Conversation skills are not a bonus for excellent students; they remain an essential life skill for international students, entrepreneurs, and immigrants. Therefore, English teachers can and must allow students time and opportunity to develop their speaking skills in class. Why is this still controversial in 2009?

Ask more. Know more. Share more. Speak more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

British English, American English, International English or World Englishes?

Mar 31

Posted by Chimayo Press in ESL | No Comments

English reigns supreme as the international language for business, media culture, and academic research in 2009. Some experts even estimate that more individuals speak English as a second, third, or fourth language than as a native tongue. What are the practical classroom applications of this situation for English teachers?

Let me be more specific. Should British English or American English be the standard for English language learners? What about an International English with a focused vocabulary of perhaps only 3,000 practical words? Or are we drifting toward a wide diversity of different English dialectics, perhaps even separate languages that some scholars call World Englishes? Would the location of the classroom matter? Do the goals, ages, and perceived needs of the English language learners determine the answer? As TESOL members know, this topic has become a very hot debate in the field of applied linguistics, EFL, and ESL.


TEFL.net published my book review of World Englishes by Andy Kirkpatrick (Cambridge University Press) yesterday that looks at these complicated issues.
Check it out at World Englishes
http://edition.tefl.net/reviews/applied-linguistics/world-englishes/ (TEFL.net, by the way, remains a rare treasure trove of information for English teachers and tutors working abroad.)

My recent visit to Vietnam – and intensive interviews with over 20 English language learner at an international high school – have certainly clarified some of the faultlines. For instance, if a Vietnamese high school senior wants to study in Australia, Britain, Canada, or the United States, they clearly must meet a much higher standard of English competency. High academic standards remain essential, especially for ambitious students seeking admission to competitive universities.

Yet, as Kirkpatrick notes, the vast, vast majority of Vietnamese studying English will never study or work abroad. Nor is the typical Vietnamese English student likely to immigrant to an English speaking country. What standard of English should the typical Vietnamese worker aspire to speak? Why? Context, as ever, seems essential. Perhaps, as Kirkpatrick argues, Vietnamese will develop a distinct version of English to meet their needs – and word endings are dropped.

My TEFL.net book review outlines the Kirkpatrick’s controversial thesis, his principal examples, and central arguments. It also includes my perceptions of the limits and difficulties with his increasingly influential perspective. Naturally, I hope you read it – and share your reaction with me.

Ask more. Know more. Share more. Speak more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Creating More Student-Centered Conversation Materials

Mar 7

Posted by Chimayo Press in Compelling Conversations, Conversation lessons, EFL, ESL, IEP, academic matters | 1 Comment

We need, it seems to me, to motivate English students more out of choice than duty – and tailor our ESL and EFL material as much as possible to our individual students. The web allows teachers to individualize instruction to an astonishing degree, but teachers must be prepare flexible, student-centered materials and lead by example. We set the standards, and students will follow their interests as they develop their reading and speaking skills. What does that mean?

Here is an example of a worksheet that I’ve used with considerable success in intermediate and advanced ESL classes.
————————————————————————————————–
Talking About Your Own Hometown!

Student Name:
Class:
Teacher:
School:
Date:

Please find an article about your hometown in English that you would like to share with your classmates. Read the article, clip the article, and be prepared to talk about the article.

Title:
Author: Length:
Publication: Publication date:

What’s the main idea?

How many sources were quoted?

Where there any illustrations? What kind?

What did you learn in this article?

What was the most interesting part for you? Why?

Write down 5 new vocabulary words, idioms, or expressions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

How would you rate the article 1-10? Why?

Why did you choose this article?

—————————————————————————————————–

English students search the web, select an article, fill out the form, and share their articles in small groups of 3-4. Then I ask for “brave volunteers” to give us a brief presentation to the class. Although only a few students may volunteer at first, soon everyone wants to share their article and hometown stories. This simple technique, putting more emphasis on student speaking than instructor talking, helps create a lively ESL classroom. (Obviously, the activity works better in a genuine international classroom with students from many countries like in many American summer language programs.)

Communicative activities remain under-appreciated in many English language classrooms, especially in Asia. But seeing is believing. I’ll soon be visiting Vietnam, observing several English classrooms, and looking for examples of effective speaking exercises. What will I find? I don’t know.

Vietnam, the country with the fasting growing economy in the world in 2008, has embarked on a huge social development campaign. The education ministry wants to dramatically improve their current English language education programs, urging the study of English to improve trade, and mandating the study of English for high school students. Therefore, Vietnam has attracted thousands of English teachers from the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom in recent years. “It’s a huge laboratory for teaching methods,” notes an English teacher who lives in Hanoi.

EFL teachers continue to bring communicative techniques and direct learning methods to more and more Vietnamese students. Yet another exceptional educator working in Vietnam has also warned me that preparing for standardized testing and drill-and-kill grammar exercises remain the rule in most English classrooms. Quality EFL and ESL materials – especially for student-centered, communicative classrooms – apparently remain relatively scarce. Naturally, I will learn more during my upcoming trip to Vietnam where I will observe teachers and lead a workshop on creating more student-centered conversation materials.

It’s also the type of activity that has made Compelling Conversations popular. So far, student word of mouth, popular CATESOL conference workshops, and satisfied English teachers have lead to Compelling Conversations being used in English language classrooms in over 40 countries. ESL author Hall Houston, in long English Teaching Professional review noted, “In sum, Compelling Conversations is a recommended resource for teachers who want to make their conversation classes more learner-centered…It reflects both authors’ considerable professional experience, and would be a notable addition to any English teacher’s bookshelf. ” Hall Houston, the book reviewer, is also the writer of The Creative Classroom: Teaching Languages Outside the Box.

We live in a wonderful time to teach English, and somehow I suspect that Compelling Conversations will soon find an audience in Vietnam.

Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.CompellingConversations.com

  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,