Yeah, it’s called a CELTA and it costs about 800 GBP to earn, not including textbooks, travel, living expenses, and the time involved…that is, if you can get accepted. I think requiring people to spend 800 pounds would be enough to weed out the unserious, but also those who may be economically disadvantaged as well. Besides, the way some schools work, simply being able to speak English comprehensibly is the only requirement you need to meet. I’d like to think that these kinds of schools are going the way of the dinosaur as children “graduate” from their programs not able to do more than recite their ABCs and name off 1000 vocabulary words without an ability to put them together in any useful way and parents see that all that tuition money was for nothing, but they will be one bad case of parasites to shake off, especially as long as there are teachers willing to do their biding and keep that standard of learning low.
It would be nice to formulate a test, but I think it would be better to do so on a school to school basis since some schools have different methods of teaching English - eg. immersion, bilingual, etc. and different ages and abilities for teaching. A real course (instead of the one-week thing offered during Chinese New Year) would be beneficial to all, but who would sponsor it and how could you convince English schools out there to set up incentives for completing such courses?
It is my opinion that any place that is a hotspot for English teachers should have professional training courses available. It doesn’t have to be an International House, but even the local universities could host a part-time course maybe once or twice a year for teacher training instead teachers who want to learn how to teach effectively having to travel to another country to do so. Don’t get me wrong. All the training in the world cannot make one a good teacher, but even people who have no training and are decent teachers would benefit from learning different approaches and methods to teaching as well as any course that could give them insight on how to understand and motivate their students’ learning.
I received an invite to the ETAROC weekend…all sorts of training courses and seminars and such and I believe them to be a whole lot of horseshit. My question to them is…“When was the last time any of them actually taught?” I will go and listen to somebody who is in the trenches rather than some tosser who sits in a cubicle all day thinking of how children should be taught English. I always end up walking out of these seminars because these so called “experts” are not in touch with reality.
I would like to see a set of children’s ESL books that actually do the job. Yeah, there are a couple that are okay, but most books are complete crap. The publishing companies doing business in Taiwan are just looking at what has worked in the past…not looking at how the parents (customers) are changing their perceptions on how ESL should be taught. Most of what Caves puts out on its’ own is complete and utter horseshit. It’s really sad.
You are so right about Caves. I have wasted many a trip to Taichung to take a look at Caves and always come away empty handed.
I need to have a look at another wholesaler this week and see what kind of stuff they stock.
It amazes me how Taiwanese publishing companies think they are improving their books while all the time they are moving away from the basics and adding more songs and dances. Pretty soon everyone will be “the Wiggles”, dancing and prancing around the classroom. Sure, there is a place for songs and dancing but not at the expense of the basic foundations of learning English.
I am in the classroom and personally test out anything new, after it’s tested I can hand it over to someone else, but I am still in the classroom. How can I tell someone else how to teach something the best if I have never taught it myself?! Problem is trying to find the balance between my personal teaching hours and the hours I should spend in the office. At the moment I spend enough hours in Kindy classes but need to increase my buxiban hours a bit, however I can’t take hours away from my teaching staff, that wouldn’t be fair.
I agree with ImaniOU that it seems logical and practical to have local course offerings for teachers to expand their teaching repetoire and get exposure to various methods and ideas. Ideally, those who want to make teaching their career could get “official” training and certification without having to leave the country. But someone’s gotta make it happen and since I’m not going to take that on, I won’t harp on it too much… still, you’d think someone would. I also agree with DB. The ETAROC conference doesn’t provide much in the way of useful training to teachers (at least not in the past).
[quote=“Bassman”]
It amazes me how Taiwanese publishing companies think they are improving their books while all the time they are moving away from the basics and adding more songs and dances. Pretty soon everyone will be “the Wiggles”, dancing and prancing around the classroom. Sure, there is a place for songs and dancing but not at the expense of the basic foundations of learning English.[/quote]
Oh man…don’t wind me up about that singing and chanting BS. What’s even worse is when the books ask the teachers to play a tape or CD in class. A sure sign that the author is a complete idiot.
[quote=“Durins Bane”][quote=“Bassman”]
It amazes me how Taiwanese publishing companies think they are improving their books while all the time they are moving away from the basics and adding more songs and dances. Pretty soon everyone will be “the Wiggles”, dancing and prancing around the classroom. Sure, there is a place for songs and dancing but not at the expense of the basic foundations of learning English.[/quote]
Oh man…don’t wind me up about that singing and chanting BS. What’s even worse is when the books ask the teachers to play a tape or CD in class. A sure sign that the author is a complete idiot.[/quote]
None of the books I use need a CD, but all the parents want a CD. Well, we give the punters what they want for home but we don’t use it in the class.
By your definition of a complete idiot it would mean that Taiwan is full of complete idiot authors Or maybe they are smart because of the money they make from the CD’s
I wouldn’t bash CDs. It gives the kids the oppurunity to hear different voices other than their daily teacher. At one school I worked at the cds utilised a variety of voices and situations. For example,
Some people are in an airport. You can hear the planes and intercom in the backround. They are talking about their flight. The student has to listen and identify key points from their conversation and fill out a worksheet to show they get the main idea.
I imagine, these students who only have 1 Chinese teacher and 1 foreigner teacher will only be able to understand/speak to those 2 people.
How about people with different accents? Boys vs girls. We are talk differently!
From an adult class perspective it’s cool.
In some cases it is needed, but to build the whole book around it - idiot author - my opinion applies to Kindies and buxiban’s.
CD’s from stevieboy’s point of view are worthwhile, but I don’t think that is what DB is getting at, and it certainly isn’t what I am getting at.
CD’s can quickly become the main thing and no longer a tool - back to the point about idiot authors.
It may be sad, but it is also an opportunity for you. If the children’s ESL books are “complete crap,” then you should write a series of top notch books yourself.
If everything else in the market is so weak, then your books will sell very well and you will make tons of money (and effectively educate young people in Taiwan).
[quote=“fee”]
It may be sad, but it is also an opportunity for you. If the children’s ESL books are “complete crap,” then you should write a series of top notch books yourself.
If everything else in the market is so weak, then your books will sell very well and you will make tons of money (and effectively educate young people in Taiwan).
It’s a win-win situation for everyone, right?[/quote]
Yeah (sigh) that’s what I am planning to do. I have to revamp my phonics books first.
The conversation book series will be a big job and I need to take a vacation and re-charge my batteries before undertaking such a big project.
I’ll go back to Bassman’s comment about teachers ‘applying for jobs’ by telling you what you’re doing wrong. Do people really do that? I’m amazed.
I mean that something like that is inevitably going to get the recipient’s back up. People might pick a fight for their own bizarre reasons, but are there actually people out there who believe that this is the best way to get hired? And do they really want to get hired by people who have decided to do things a different way?
[quote=“stevieboy”]I wouldn’t bash CDs. It gives the kids the oppurunity to hear different voices other than their daily teacher. At one school I worked at the cds utilised a variety of voices and situations. For example,
Some people are in an airport. You can hear the planes and intercom in the backround. They are talking about their flight. The student has to listen and identify key points from their conversation and fill out a worksheet to show they get the main idea.
I imagine, these students who only have 1 Chinese teacher and 1 foreigner teacher will only be able to understand/speak to those 2 people.
How about people with different accents? Boys vs girls. We are talk differently![/quote]
I’m all for CDs and tapes…but not in the classroom.
Yeah (sigh) that’s what I am planning to do. I have to revamp my phonics books first.
The conversation book series will be a big job and I need to take a vacation and re-charge my batteries before undertaking such a big project.[/quote]
Please do remember that publishers need not see proposals of texts written in their entirety in order to deem whether your materials would be appropriate for sale in the local market.
Please also remember that taken to task as a coursebook / supplementary materials writer, you should aim your pedagogy toward all teachers and the work should be seen as transparent.
Please consider that Taiwan is a conservative ‘market’ and although new methods in materials may sound like a USP, they may not be acceptable amongst the local teaching force if they fall out of bounds of what they know and can legitimately work with. A 5-10% overhaul is more teacher friendly than a 50% one.
It is idealistic to think that materials can ‘train’ teachers. Teachers must see these materials as ‘teachable’ in any context, little or no preparation needed.
Often publishers works are dulled down by outside teaching consultants for these reasons. Publishers are printing work that sells. That’s why they’re in business. Do try to be realistic rather than judgemental about such issues. You’d be surprised that the dullest, and most uninspired works are actually the biggest sellers. If your proposal comes across as too inventive or requiring teachers to need to sharpen their skills, it will be rejected.
I am going to print your post out and refer to it anytime I have a beef about books.
I wasn’t planning to offer anything out on the open market. This is more a laboUr of love. So, I will take your advice to heart and keep stuff “in-house”.
I can’t find what I think an ESL textbook should consist of so, I make my own. I just can’t help but feeling, “No, this isn’t right” when I see 99% of the materials out there. I see little or no originality when it comes to new materials, and I think that is sad…and a little insulting (you can’t fool me, shit wrapped up in a different package is still shit). But the publishing companies have failed (for the most part) in one important aspect…they have not given me, the customer, what I want. That’s the bottom line. And with the amount of money I am giving these publishing companies (700,000NT a year…off the top of my head), I have every right to be judgemental, it is a customer’s right to do so.
Anyways, tonight is two-for-one night at Mama Mia’s and I plan to hoist one or two and salute the great way publishing companies are able to make oogles and gobs of loot just by packaging the same “stuff” in different boxes. After all, it is all about the money…and I can certainly respect that.
Yes, it’s sad, but true. The biggest international sellers, not to mention local ones, are also of the same ilk. Not all teachers are creative as you, in fact they are largely an uncreative batch altogether. You hear teachers say all the time, “This works for me, and this is what I do in every class.”
Teachers also have little time to prepare. Teachers are under pressure from parents and school admin to get ‘results’, and do not care to tinker with new ideas and concepts for fear of not getting the ‘results’ they’re expected to. Teachers have little time as well, there are politics, other teachers get nasty with teachers who try to be ‘different’, it goes on and on, but mostly in a circle.
Publishers find that they’re safer when they go with that flow rather than trying to skip outside of that.
[quote=“Alien”]Yes, it’s sad, but true. The biggest international sellers, not to mention local ones, are also of the same ilk. Not all teachers are creative as you, in fact they are largely an uncreative batch altogether. You hear teachers say all the time, “This works for me, and this is what I do in every class.”
Teachers also have little time to prepare. Teachers are under pressure from parents and school admin to get ‘results’, and do not care to tinker with new ideas and concepts for fear of not getting the ‘results’ they’re expected to. Teachers have little time as well, there are politics, other teachers get nasty with teachers who try to be ‘different’, it goes on and on, but mostly in a circle.
Publishers find that they’re safer when they go with that flow rather than trying to skip outside of that.[/quote]
That’s so true…and perhaps that is why the level of English is so low in Taiwan. Gotta get away from the fluff…
I have a bushiban and I change books every year of so. Mainly I’m never satisfied whiich the one I’m using. Then I see a new book that has some cool stuff. I started out teaching adults with the side be side books. We learned to always add stuff to round it out; great training. I still got bookshelves full of handouts I made.
Now I keep fiddling with writing my own when I have a few moments to spare each month. The problems then are: what vocab, what level, how fast, what phonics or grammar could I include with this topic etc. It’s extremely hard to try and produce a series that you would be satisfied with yourself.
Well said, spearman. I look forward to seeing–and perhaps using–the books that Durins Bane (and others) will produce.
It is easy to moan about the lack of good materials and books but not so easy to create something that is interesting, educational, and popular (in other words, sells well) in the local market.
Sure, it’s OK to continue to grouse about the lack of good materials here in this thread. But perhaps you can also complete your own book projects and alert us here in the thread when your books and materials are available.
Or maybe they are smart because of the money they make from the CD’s 
of love. So, I will take your advice to heart and keep stuff “in-house”.