Back to the classroom

Pannasastra University of Cambodia - We have class here.

Motorbike parking in front

I graduated college in 2003 so it's been nearly 8 years since I've been in a classroom.  I've been saying for the past few years that I would be a much better student now because I actually want to learn.  (Television classes aside because I loved those.)   Math, History, English, and Science in high school and college sometimes felt like torture.  Especially History.  Now I want to learn all the history I can - especially about different countries.  I guess that's what happens when you get old.

For the first two weeks of the program we go to class everyday from 9am - 5:30pm.  We have an hour and a half for lunch.    We learn about making a resume for teaching jobs, constructing lessons, how to specifically teach Asian children, the differences between our language and the Asian languages, English language grammar (AHHH!!),  Phonetics, one on one tutoring, teaching young children, classroom management, games, activities, teaching business English.  

Every day we divide into 2 groups and practice teaching with each other.  We do it either by organizing an activity or having them repeat a dialogue over and over and over and over.  Since we already know English this tends to be boring.  But it is good practice for the one leading the class. 

Learning about teaching is more interesting than I thought it would be.  Especially learning how to teach English to Asian students.  We have learned a lot about their language and how it's different from ours, inorder to know how to best teach them. Vowel sounds, R, L, TH, SH are difficult for them to say.  English is much wordier than the Asian languages so they leave words out when they speak English.  (I go store)

Most Asians actually know how to read and write English very well but they have no idea how to say it. 

There are also things we might not even think about in the US but mean something negative in their culture.  Patting their heads, pointing with your feet, putting shoes on anything but the floor, pointing.

Losing face is something we don't have in the US to the extent they have it in Asia.  Lets say I call on someone to answer a question and they don't know the answer.  No one in the class will help them with the answer because by helping it causes the kid who doesn't know the answer to lose face in front of their friends and classmates.    Basically, it makes them look bad.

From what we've learned it seems that Asian kids are pretty well behaved.  This doesn't mean they don't show up late for class, talk to their friends in their native language during class, mess with their cell phones, or goof off but it seems like they actually want to learn and they respect their teachers.  I'll find out next week when I actually start teaching.