Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id g9FKFoX05541; Tue, 15 Oct 2002 16:15:50 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 16:15:50 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <Pine.GSO.4.21.0210152253300.11527-100000@hamlin.cc.boun.edu.tr> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Meral Kara <karamera@boun.edu.tr> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:8219] Preaching in ESL classes I need HELP X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: O Content-Length: 2064 Lines: 39 Sorry for the length of the message... Hi, I have a problem in the institution that i currently do some voluntary teaching. And i feel you are the correct body to give me the advice i need. Firstly, this institution is a university and they offer free English / speaking classes to the spouses of international students and scholars and they work with volunteers and i am the newest guy in the block. Because i showed up after they formed the classes and assigned the volunteers i am supposed to be helping the lady who teaches the beginners speaking class which is an open enrollment class. Apparently this lady comes from a church and has really good intentions and wants to be of help, but the problem is we had checked the university bookstore for the kinds of books that we could make use of and the library and as an English teacher who has been teaching Beginners i had a few suggestions. The first day of the classes i saw that she actually preferred preaching from the Bible and expected them to converse about religious matters. I feel, actually strongly believe, that the Bible is a really heavy reading for beginner students and thus is discouraging as they only looked at each other during the class and possibly did not understand even a word she was saying. I preferred to speak rather slowly and after the class i worked on some minimal pairs with three of the students. Then they went to her and said i was a very good teacher and they could understand me better. So the lady got offended. Now, should i go tell her directly that this is not the way to teach beginners speaking or is it better to talk to the person in charge? Other than the difficulty of the Bible as an English reading, I have the motto "no religion, no politics, no soccer" in my class (British people can easily understand the third one, I don't know yet if it is valid in the States). Given the sensitivity of American people after September 11, do you think they would misunderstand me as i am also Muslim? I got really stuck and need HELP. Thanks in advance Meral
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Jan 17 2003 - 14:44:25 EST