TomUK
Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- German
- Home Country
- Germany
- Current Location
- UK
I have been subscribing to these forums for quite a while now, but for one reason or another I never got around to post anything.
For some time I have been pondering about how to improve my English, and I have now finally come to the conclusion that the best way to learn English would be to teach it. Some members here may find this to be a case of the blind guiding the Cyclops, but I ain't bovvered. I rather hope that I might pick up some tips on how to prepare best for this long journey.
I have already found two victims, ahem, pupils, although they don't know it yet. I have got two Thai friends who work in a hotel in Thailand, When they applied for a new job they both were turned down because of their poor English. So I decided to help them by giving them English lessons during my next holiday in Thailand. I never have a problem to communicate with them, although their vocabulary is rather limited. One of them is weaker than the other, and the stronger pupil has also given me some examples of his writing abilities. Whenever he sends me an email I imagine Rolf Harris jumping up and down behind the words, holding up a sign “Can you guess what it means yet?”. Well, I always manage to work out what he meant, in the end. It is just a question of using the little grey cells, but I'd rather see them both writing perfect texts. Sadly both my friends don't seem too keen on reading books, which I personally found invaluable in widening my vocabulary and increasing my knowledge of the English language. I am not yet hundred percent sure how to tackle the teaching task, but as a starter for ten I might just ask them to write ten sentences about any topic they like, and then go from there.
I am also considering moving to a little Thai village when I retire (although this is still a long way off) and to offer my help with English to the local children and adults. I could imagine setting up an informal English club where interested villagers could join in to improve their English. As most villagers are not very well off financially, receiving any remuneration would be of no importance to me. It would just be my way to give something back to the local community and it would help me keep my cogs going.
Nevertheless, gaining some formal qualification would not only make me a better teacher (well, at least I hope so), it would also keep my options open should I consider a future change of career. Therefore I did a bit of research on the internet and came across ESOL, EFL, TESOL, TEFL and CELTA (I always thought that's a football club). I am not sure how this will further my knowledge of English, but at least I have got a new bunch of acronyms to throw at people.
I have got a full-time job and therefore I could only ever attend a weekend course, at least for the time being. The last time I attended any formal training in the English language was about fifteen years ago, and I feel I need to brush up on my English before I can even dream of signing on for a teacher training course. I still struggle with the occasional pismonunciation of worms and when it comes to grammar, well, all these various tenses make me feel rather tense at times.
So, to the few who haven't yet lost the will to live and are still reading on, may I ask you the following questions?
What books should I read and/or study as a preparation prior to any formal course?
What books or other material do you consider to be essential for a teacher of English (e.g. dictionaries, grammar books, thesauruses etc.)?
Any comments and suggestions will be much appreciated.
TomUK
For some time I have been pondering about how to improve my English, and I have now finally come to the conclusion that the best way to learn English would be to teach it. Some members here may find this to be a case of the blind guiding the Cyclops, but I ain't bovvered. I rather hope that I might pick up some tips on how to prepare best for this long journey.
I have already found two victims, ahem, pupils, although they don't know it yet. I have got two Thai friends who work in a hotel in Thailand, When they applied for a new job they both were turned down because of their poor English. So I decided to help them by giving them English lessons during my next holiday in Thailand. I never have a problem to communicate with them, although their vocabulary is rather limited. One of them is weaker than the other, and the stronger pupil has also given me some examples of his writing abilities. Whenever he sends me an email I imagine Rolf Harris jumping up and down behind the words, holding up a sign “Can you guess what it means yet?”. Well, I always manage to work out what he meant, in the end. It is just a question of using the little grey cells, but I'd rather see them both writing perfect texts. Sadly both my friends don't seem too keen on reading books, which I personally found invaluable in widening my vocabulary and increasing my knowledge of the English language. I am not yet hundred percent sure how to tackle the teaching task, but as a starter for ten I might just ask them to write ten sentences about any topic they like, and then go from there.
I am also considering moving to a little Thai village when I retire (although this is still a long way off) and to offer my help with English to the local children and adults. I could imagine setting up an informal English club where interested villagers could join in to improve their English. As most villagers are not very well off financially, receiving any remuneration would be of no importance to me. It would just be my way to give something back to the local community and it would help me keep my cogs going.
Nevertheless, gaining some formal qualification would not only make me a better teacher (well, at least I hope so), it would also keep my options open should I consider a future change of career. Therefore I did a bit of research on the internet and came across ESOL, EFL, TESOL, TEFL and CELTA (I always thought that's a football club). I am not sure how this will further my knowledge of English, but at least I have got a new bunch of acronyms to throw at people.
I have got a full-time job and therefore I could only ever attend a weekend course, at least for the time being. The last time I attended any formal training in the English language was about fifteen years ago, and I feel I need to brush up on my English before I can even dream of signing on for a teacher training course. I still struggle with the occasional pismonunciation of worms and when it comes to grammar, well, all these various tenses make me feel rather tense at times.
So, to the few who haven't yet lost the will to live and are still reading on, may I ask you the following questions?
What books should I read and/or study as a preparation prior to any formal course?
What books or other material do you consider to be essential for a teacher of English (e.g. dictionaries, grammar books, thesauruses etc.)?
Any comments and suggestions will be much appreciated.
TomUK