Writing this after a lazy start to my newly scheduled day off, before I go light bulb shopping and to find a little cafe spot to settle down and work in.
Had a really good week in Chester meeting some very interesting people. I would have liked to have spent some time planning by myself and then applying the the concepts that were taught so I could commit them more easily to my memory and have more confidence in them. This is an even more important point for me than most as I won't be teaching Young Learners at all during my month here, as I'm working with ages 18+ doing higher vocational training. In some ways that's disappointing, but the placement itself is very well suited for me. I find it easy to relate to the students, and they all come from very interesting backgrounds, including the 59 year old former Argentine architect retraining in energy efficient technology! The structure of their courses means that they are taught particular things in particular ways at particular times, and I have arrived at a time when much of their reading and writing is reasonably well established, but they need significant speaking fluency practise, as they will be giving presentations in English to companies and assessors in March. As such, I've offered to teach lessons on giving presentations and public speaking, concentrating on material that's going to be of more use to them.
As my latest finish is 2 pm and Yas and I went hunting for vegetables on Sunday night, I imagine I've already had more chance to explore the city than other people, and I'm mightily impressed. Despite an absence of many notable tourist sights, the city is a joy to wander around, especially the El Carmen neighbourhood, composed of winding narrow streets and occasional preserved medieval architecture, as well as great street art and friendly locals. A lovely, if chilly start!
Had a really good week in Chester meeting some very interesting people. I would have liked to have spent some time planning by myself and then applying the the concepts that were taught so I could commit them more easily to my memory and have more confidence in them. This is an even more important point for me than most as I won't be teaching Young Learners at all during my month here, as I'm working with ages 18+ doing higher vocational training. In some ways that's disappointing, but the placement itself is very well suited for me. I find it easy to relate to the students, and they all come from very interesting backgrounds, including the 59 year old former Argentine architect retraining in energy efficient technology! The structure of their courses means that they are taught particular things in particular ways at particular times, and I have arrived at a time when much of their reading and writing is reasonably well established, but they need significant speaking fluency practise, as they will be giving presentations in English to companies and assessors in March. As such, I've offered to teach lessons on giving presentations and public speaking, concentrating on material that's going to be of more use to them.
As my latest finish is 2 pm and Yas and I went hunting for vegetables on Sunday night, I imagine I've already had more chance to explore the city than other people, and I'm mightily impressed. Despite an absence of many notable tourist sights, the city is a joy to wander around, especially the El Carmen neighbourhood, composed of winding narrow streets and occasional preserved medieval architecture, as well as great street art and friendly locals. A lovely, if chilly start!
What an interesting blog post James! Hope all going well for you. I'm a teensy bit jealous!Enjoy and good luck this week.
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