Advertising Module (2-3 classroom hours, intermediate – advanced)
This is a great lesson that never fails to get students’ creative juices flowing. The activity usually takes at least 2 (40-50 minute) periods to complete. You may need to stretch it into 3 periods. Read more
Do you need TEFL certification to teach in China?
Whether you’ve made the decision of coming to China to teach or are in the “just considering” stage the question of whether or not to get a TESOL certification will inevitably come up. Let me help you answer this question. Read more
Teaching in China Blog Review -Sept 19, 2008
OK, so the Olympics are over and “expat life” in China is starting to calm back down to normal. The next question is, “Were the recent visa restrictions just for the Olympics or are they here to stay?” Many of us have been having visa problems recently, especially when it comes to the “used to be convenient” F visas. There might be good news for some. F visa holders aren’t the only ones with problems and it may be time to get your latest visa questions answered. Read on for more. Read more
Politics in the Classroom
One of the great things about teaching in China (especially at the university level) is the range of perspectives you can get from your students on any range of topics. I have generally found my students to be well informed and intellectually curious in ways that fuel genuinely interesting (if often chaotic) discussions. For the most part, they will be interested in your perspectives and open with their own. That said, I have never been particularly successful at leading a discussion on any sort of political topic. More than with any other possible subject, these topics have always ended with the diplomatic critique; “maybe, this is a little bit too boring.” Read more
How’s Your Reception? (Classroom activity, 25-35 minutes)
Highly adaptable to any level and/or material, How’s Your Reception is my personal creation.
Students need to use their cell phones for this activity so tell them a class ahead of time to bring their cell phones. This idea alone will get middle school students stirring in the seats. Read more
Best TEFL Job Websites For China
ESL teaching job listings in China? Below are a few of my favorite websites along with introductions in order to help you find the perfect TEFL job for you. All of these sites have employers seeking teachers throughout the year. Don’t worry if you missed the beginning of the semester. There is always an unfilled TEFL job in China! Read more
The Running Diction (classroom activity, 15-20 minutes)
The basic idea of the activity is to get students to read something, remember it, and then verbally relay that information to a classmate. It’s easily adaptable to any level and/or material. I use this about once every two weeks.
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ESL Classroom Management
Managing the flow of classroom activity and student interaction is, in my mind, even more important than the material you’re teaching. Managing a university classroom is vastly different than managing a middle school classroom, which is quite different from a primary school classroom, which is different from a small group of adults in a training center. Read more
Make it a competition
When I first came to China to teach in 2003, I made plans for all manner of problems I would encounter. I bucked up on independent clauses, dangling modifiers, and the subjunctive (If I were to be a good teacher, I knew I would need it). Upon arrival, however, I found the largest dilemma in my classes was something far more general, and far less easy to solve with a simple grammar textbook. Despite the fact that each of my students had been placed in the “advanced” English class, they ranged more dramatically in their ability than I ever had anticipated. In my experience since, this range in ability exists across universities, primary schools, private training centers, and anywhere else you may find yourself teaching in China. Read more
Can your school cancel your visa?
A true story…
Teacher X (Tom) had his Z, foreign expert visa revoked without knowing about it.
Tom was working as an ESL teacher for a school in China. His school provided him with a Z, foreign teaching expert visa as many schools do for their foreign teachers. His Z visa was valid for one year so Tom sat back and relaxed, thinking his visa situation was taken care of for the next year.
A few months later, Tom began having a number of misunderstandings with his school and within a few weeks the headache was more than he could handle. Tom quit his position at the school without a guilty conscience. “They broke the contract in so many ways” he thought. “I don’t feel badly about not holding up my end.”