FSU TEFL 120 Certificate course Spring 1, 2021

Date/Time:  Topic/Skill:  Classroom Management:  Materials:  Feedback Provided: Lesson(s) on teaching you learned: 

Date/Time: February 3rd, 10:30 am Topic/Skill: Speaking with Olivia James Classroom Management: It was a small class (2 students or so) so they worked together the whole time.  Materials: Pronunciation flashcards, textbook, whiteboard Feedback Provided: The focus of the lesson was pronunciation. She used flashcards and a textbook as material for the students to read. She corrected their pronunciation after their mistakes. Lesson(s) on teaching you learned: I learned that using clear speech and enunciating is important when teaching beginners. Using repetition is really crucial as well so the students practice pronouncing various times. 

Date/Time: March 15th, 5 pm Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Applying to be a research assistant  Feedback provided to tutee: I reviewed applying and usual expectations for research assistant positions from previous experience so there were a lot of comprehension checks. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Halima and I worked on some of the sections in her research assistant application. We planned responses based on application expectations and her experiences.

Date/Time: March 15th, 4 pm Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: English reading assignment Feedback provided to tutee: We worked on the assignment together so I gave feedback as she read it and answered. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Halima and I went over an English assignment she was having trouble with. It was a scientific article on autism so she was not familiar with all the terms. 

Date/Time: February 17th, 5:30 pm Location: In-person Topic/Skill: Campus and University Vocabulary Feedback provided to tutee: I provided feedback as needed after he answered and spoke. I also did a lot of comprehension checks. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Meshaal and I walked around FSU's campus. I taught him where different buildings are located, their names, and their uses. I also taught him commonly used words and everyday objects we encountered on our walk.

Date/Time: February 7th, 3 pm Location: In-person Topic/Skill: Ordering Feedback provided to tutee: I provided feedback as needed after he answered and spoke. I also did a lot of comprehension checks. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Meshaal and I used a PowerPoint to learn vocabulary and phrases commonly used in restaurants and when ordering food.

Date/Time: February 5th, 5:30 pm Location: In-person Topic/Skill: English Exam Feedback provided to tutee: I provided feedback as needed after he answered and spoke. We also reviewed for the exam so I provided feedback on that. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Meshaal and I practiced for his English test for Professor Olivia's class.

Date/Time: February 3rd, 3 pm Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: IELTS exam Feedback provided to tutee: We mainly used comprehension checks and discussed the sections she had difficulties with. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: She did the exam while we were on Zoom and then we worked on it together.

Date/Time: February 1st, 2 pm Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: IELTS exam Feedback provided to tutee: We mainly used comprehension checks.  Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: We learned about the IELTS exam, its structure, and started practicing.

Date/Time: February 3rd, 7:30 pm Location: In-person Topic/Skill: Talking about the weather Feedback provided to tutee: There were a lot of different comprehension checks. Feedback was provided after Meshaal pronounced or said something (as needed). Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Meshaal learned new vocabulary words, and how to talk about them in a conversation.

Date/Time: February 2nd, 5:30 pm Location: In-person Topic/Skill: I want, I have, and I need Feedback provided to tutee: There were a lot of different comprehension checks. Feedback was provided after Meshaal pronounced or said something (as needed). Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: It is really important to know the differences between I want, I have, and I need. Meshaal wants to learn how to order food and buy groceries so it is important to know these words.

Date/Time: January 29th, 2 pm Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Introductions and PDF Tutoring Guidelines Feedback provided to tutee: Halima has an advanced grasp of English. I used comprehension checks more. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Halima is at the advanced level. She is from Saudi Arabia and has a husband and children. She wants to prepare for the IELTS exam so we will be focusing on higher-level readings and test preparation. 

Date/Time: January 29th, 6 pm Location: In-person Topic/Skill: Pronouns and sentence structure Feedback provided to tutee: Pronunciation correction, review of vocab Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: We used an online game with a lot of visual aids. I used this to analyze and help him better understand sentence structure and pronouns. 

Date/Time: January 29th, 5pm Location: In-person Topic/Skill: High-frequency words Feedback provided to tutee: Pronunciation correction, review of vocab Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: We used an online website with a lot of visual aids to learn high-frequency beginner vocabulary. The visual aids were really helpful and the website helped organize the session more since conversations aren't as effective at this level

Date/Time: January 27th, 6pm Location: In-person Topic/Skill: Speaking fluency Feedback provided to tutee: Pronunciation correction, review of vocab Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Saudi Arabian speakers struggle with the pronunciation of words containing the letter "x" such as "next". I learned that tutoring with illustrations to go with the vocab helps a lot with the student's comprehension of the words. 

Date/Time: March 17th, 7 pm Location: Facetime Topic Discussed: We talked about Mariama's post-graduation plans and the new semester Cultural and/or linguistic topics you and your partner learned: We talked about diversity in Senegal and the US, new CIES students from Senegal, her post-grad plans, and her interest in Guadeloupe 

 Date/Time: March 3rd, 8pm Location: Facetime Topic Discussed: We talked about Mariama's long-term goals and likes Cultural and/or linguistic topics you and your partner learned: Mariama hopes to one day be a nurse in Senegal and look to her dad for advice. She knows several languages and can read Arabic. She likes fried chicken but not American fast food

Date/Time: March 3rd, 7pm Location: Facetime Topic Discussed: We talked about Mariama's family's occupations and where her family lives Cultural and/or linguistic topics you and your partner learned: Different cities and countries (Japan, New York, Senegal) and occupations (her dad is a doctor, brother is studying biology)

Date/Time: Friday 03/19 at 4:30 pm  Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Presentations and Writing Feedback provided to tutee: Feedback was provided to Paola after she shared her current progress and practiced presenting to me. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee learned: Paola and I discussed presentation etiquette and then reviewed a presentation she plans to give. 

Date/Time: Friday 03/19 at 1 pm  Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Information Questions Feedback provided to tutee: Feedback was given after Jairo made an example sentence or responded. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee learned: Jairo and I reviewed information questions again. He is having a hard time remembering the 5 w's so we used an image to make information questions and responses.

Date/Time: Thursday 03/18 at 5 pm  Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: ACT and SAT standardized tests Feedback provided to tutee: This lesson was more so done through comprehension checks where I checked if Paola understood the vocabulary, test structure, and specifics.  Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee learned: Paola and I reviewed the requirements to apply to Florida State and the structure of the required SAT/ACT tests. We reviewed specific questions and I shared resources to prepare for them.

Date/Time: Monday 03/17 at 1 pm  Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Midterm Review Feedback provided to tutee: Feedback was provided to the tutee after reviewing what he answered. We reviewed the material he was getting wrong. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee learned: Jairo and I reviewed his responses to the midterm review. We discussed present continuous, prepositions, and information questions. 

Date/Time: Monday 03/10 at 9 pm  Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: American education system and choosing a major in college Feedback provided to tutee: Feedback was provided to the tutee after she finished preparing the sentences and speaking. Most of the lesson was smaller comprehension checks. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee learned: Paola and I talked about the difference between public, charter, and private schools. We compared them to her country and discussed higher education as well. We then talked about the benefits and the difference between AP, AICE, CLEP, IB, and DE courses. I also showed her the FSU academic map which was very helpful.

Date/Time: Monday 03/10 at 1 pm  Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Information Questions Feedback provided to tutee: Feedback was provided to the tutee after he finished preparing the sentences and speaking. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee learned: Jairo and I reviewed a topic he was introduced to recently: Information questions. We had reviewed how to structure and identify yes/no questions before so we did an in-depth of different ways to format information questions. We used the CIES textbook as guidance. 

(Dojun session #8) Date/Time: Tuesday, March 9th (8:30AM) Location: Skype  Topic/Skill: speaking; commonly used expressions:  https://www.englishcurrent.com/speaking/speaking-situations-general-esl/ Feedback provided to tutee: word choice; correct responses Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: We went through the list of commonly used expressions and discussed the "correct" response to each statement. We discussed the cultural aspect of using "sorry" and "excuse me" even though there is no need for apology. We also talked about how when asking someone a favor, people often you Yes/No structured questions even though they are not looking for a yes/no answer. Ex: "Do you know what time it is?" I learned that there aren't as many cultural differences as I thought there would be. Instead it was heavy on new vocabulary and sentence structures.

   <CO Blogs>   Date/Time:  3/2 Topic/Skill:  Listening Teacher Presentation:  Kevin cooks stuff in the kitchen with Ms Kim Classroom Management:  Students learned about summarizing and then listened to the audio from Ms. Kim. Afterwards they practiced summarizing and discusses the audio. Materials:  YouTube Student  Participation:  Students discussed vocabulary with the class and also discussed the audio/video.  Feedback Provided:  No feedback given during this class Lesson(s) on teaching you learned:  I learned how the importance of explaining vocabulary and origins of words. For example, in Ms.Kim's class we went over vocab like Quesadilla and Creme Brûlée, and in order to make sure that the students were pronouncing the work right, Ms.Kim emphasized the words are not English words and so they don't follow the English pronunciation rules. There are a lot of words in English that we use often but are borrowed from ...

 I met with Julia again this Wednesday, the 3rd. We talked more about her major, her course of study and life goals, and I answered some questions she had about graduate school and graduate programs. Julia told me a lot about what interests her about her career. We also talked about how different education is in Brazil. For example, in Brazil, students don't need letters of recommendation for college of grad school. Instead, admissions is based mostly on exams. 

 I had my final session on Saturday, the 27th with Arwa. We did more reading activities. This time, we went over nouns, verbs, and adjectives. We did this as a precursor to this weeks session, when we start focusing on writing. I had a worksheet for Arwa to complete with a few simple sentences. Her task was to identify the nouns, verbs, and adjectives in each sentence. I think we will have to work on this more in this weeks session because she didn't seem too confident when we finished last week. 

 I met with Sanghun again on Saturday, the 27th. We did more listening skills, but this time, I used clips from TV shows and movies with more colloquial English than the ones on Randalls ESL Cafe. I think this was challenging but beneficial for Sanhgun. I think the first few clips were too hard for him, but I was able to find more level appropriate audio for him as the session went on. I learned that it's really important for me to make sure that the work I choose is challenging but not too difficult. 

 I met with Fahad on Saturday, the 27th. We did some more listening exercises, this time with the audio coming from popular movies and TV shows. At the end of the audio, I asked Fahad a few questions to test his listening skills. I learned that when he couldn't answer a question, it was more helpful to him to go back to where they said it and let him listen to that specific part a few more times. 

(Dojun session #7) Date/Time: Thursday, March 4th (8:30AM) Location: Skype  Topic/Skill: speaking; gene editing Feedback provided to tutee: pronunciation (r/l), word choice Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: We talked about CRISPR and what we think gene editing should be used for vs. what it could be used for. We also talked about the influence religion, politics, and culture have on the legality of topics like gene editing and abortion. I learned a bit more about Dojun and his wife today, as well as his interest in mythology. 

 Date/time: 3/2/2021 3:00 pm Location: CIES building Topic: Past perfect verb tense Thing learned: I learned again with tutoring Hussam that it is really important to nitpick at his grammar. He expects me to correct his errors, and at his level of fluency he just needs the constant feedback so he can adjust. 

(Dojun session #6) Date/Time: Tuesday, March 2nd (8:30AM) Location: Skype  Topic/Skill: speaking; connecting Amelia Earhart to world history and popular streaming platforms + their influence Feedback provided to tutee: word choice Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: He is interested in history surrounding the 1930s-40s. He thinks the Japanese could have played a role in the disappearance of Amelia Earhart considering tensions were high during this time. I realized at the end of our session that Dojun has been able to form sentences a bit faster. We talked about American peoples' knowledge of Korean-Japanese relations and how platforms like Netflix might change that. 

Date/Time: Monday 03/01 at 7 pm  Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Handling issues at restaurants, customizing order, food culture (i.e. tipping) Feedback provided to tutee: Most of the lesson was comprehension checks. Paola picked up the information quickly. I provided feedback on definitions and explanations after she spoke. Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee learned: Paola and I talked about the aforementioned. I duplicated the PowerPoint I made for a previous lesson plan and updated it to be more advanced

Date/Time: Monday, March 1 at 6 pm   Location: ZOOM Topics discussed:  We discussed the differences in our education systems and our experiences applying to college and choosing which to attend Cultural and/or linguistic topics you and your partner learned:  Hossam and I spoke about the aforementioned, all of which are related to the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Date/Time: Monday 03/01 at 1 pm  Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: simple present and present continuous  Feedback provided to tutee: Feedback was provided after Jairo spoke or wrote a sentence Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee learned: Jairo and I talked about the simple present tense and the present continuous tense. He'd learned them in class and was still having trouble understanding them so I reviewed each one, gave examples, and then he practiced creating sentences and switching them from one tense to another.