#ELTchat summary: How much is teaching a performance? The implications of keeping up appearances to maintain student satisfaction

How much is teaching a performance? 

The implications of keeping up appearances to maintain student satisfaction

There was an element of indecision about Wednesday 31st October's lunchtime  #ELTchat. As the question setter was not present, those present were left to interpret the topic.

Yohimar: Today is about performance teaching. But what is it, I wonder?

Marisa_C: Are we talking about performance teaching or something else? Performance teaching as in: Teacher at centre stage prancing around being exciting

vs.  being quiet and laid back.

Marisa_C: Or, How do we balance performance teaching with quiet laid back

learner-centred moments? 

OUPELTGlobal: Are we talking performance as entertainment value in the classroom?

Marisa_C: Everyone is talking about performing in class, but is it about keeping

up appearances? Like looking professional - dress code, distance or not to Ss?

teflgeek: My interpretation of the question is balancing learner needs, wants

and expectations.

This led to the discussion going down a number of different paths.

Shaun asked how many of the teachers present were performers. The answer was: quite a few!

AlexandraKouk :Teacher as a performer- useful analysis http://t.co/WauBjZOA

esolcourses and Shaunwilden suggested that we all play to the crowd from time to time.

teflgeek suggested getting to know the audience before deciding on your role. Wiktor_K said that outside work he rarely behaves the way he does in the classroom.  jo_cummins admitted that the performance adrenaline is what keeps her going on

her ‘off’ days and I feel sure that many of us can relate to that. She also mentioned

the fact that there seem to be a number of people with a drama background in teaching! teflerinha said there was an element of ‘putting on the teacher’s hat’ but that

students should be centre stage.

prese1 said that she didn’t always feel cheerful going into class, but you have to paint the smile on and get on with it. As esolcourses put it; business as usual!

teflerinha, in receipt of a Drama degree herself, thought that teaching was actually more like directing than performing. She found that accepting criticism on her performance was the biggest crossover from her drama course. Julian_LEnfant suggested that the role might be that of Conductor, which teflerinha disliked, as she thought that most of the work was done offstage, but Shaun made the point that a conductor allows individual instruments to be highlighted.  

esolcourses agreed that a performance background could help with issues of confidence. She also believes that audience participation skills are needed, as it is a difficult skill to learn to communicate with a group. teflgeek benefits from his drama classes as it helps him think about voice, posture, how to stand etc.

Julian_LEnfant: Don't we also play to our strengths? I was possibly more fun as a younger inexperienced teacher but have more substance now.  Does this mean that new teachers have the monopoly on ‘fun’ over substance, or is this an overgeneralisation?

theteacherjames was suspicious of the word ‘Performer’ and doesn’t believe it is advisable to perform in the classroom. He looks for honesty in the classro and thought that performance suggested the opposite. He is not against drama techniques being used, per se, and OUPELTGlobal agreed that a good teacher needs to perform to a certain degree, but hopes teaching goes beyond that.   teflerinha: but it can help novice teachers to put on a persona  (even if not 'honest').   She thought that a ‘fake it till you make it’ persona was helpful kevchanwow thought that being warm and positive in class could mean that a teacher is not  actually100% sincere, but that they would be being 100% professional teflgeek said it was more about putting your game face on. esolcourses thought James might prefer to look at it as presentation skills and classroom management. She said that, as a drama graduate, she found that many people adopt a 'teaching personality’. esolcourses also thought that a larger than life, more confident version of one’s own personality would work, and not give the impression of beingfake! It was agreed that, provided the character was based on the real person, then rapport would develop. SophiaKhan4 suggested that it just meant having a teaching personality separate from the personal one, which didn’t necessarily mean putting on a performance. James said that his personality didn’t change and that he felt he was a better teacher because of it. SophiaKhan4 said that she became more ‘serious and professional’ in class. teflerinha mentioned that she was more confident in the classroom than with groups of people in real life. kevchanwow suggested that, as teachers, we will be required to wear a different hat on occasion, as we serve as the communicative model for our students. jo_cummins noted that her teaching 'persona' is just herself on a good day! James also worried about the performance detracting from, or becoming more important than, the teaching. teflgeek agreed that style over substance was to be avoided, and Shaunwilden and esolcourses were quick to agree that those who entertain can miss the teaching point, and an entertaining lesson does not necessarily equate to the students learning much. theteacherjames thought that having to be ‘engaging’ all the time seemed like a distraction to him and OUPELTGlobal thought that it was unnecessary pressure to try to be entertaining all the time. Yearinthelifeof: There's a difference between being a good teacher and being a good laugh! OUPELTGlobal suggested that it might be a good idea to view the discussion in terms of ‘performance skills’ rather than performing. michaelegriffin agreed that performance skills are very helpful as the students are more likely to pay attention. Pysproblems81thinks that managing 'performance' is a useful skill for a teacher – but that doesn't mean it has to be full-on all the time. Esolcourses thinks that using performance skills to motivate and interest students can be productive. Julian_LEnfant: We can train and develop a teacher's teaching ability/knowledge, but coaxing personality out of someone is soooo hard. Prese1agreed: It would be difficult for a quiet person to be an extrovert in class. Marisa_C noted that quiet teachers are often in a better position to get students to participate more. Kevchanwow: When I keep my mouth shut, but keep my heart open, students rush to fill the space with language Marisa_C and SophiaKhan4 agreed that different teachers achieve rapport in different  ways and that one size doesn’t fit all. teflgeek asked whether a teaching performance is just putting aside the detritus of the day so that it doesn’t negatively affect ones classes. It is also a means of keeping a professional distance such as other professions do. It is wise to remember that the   teacher is not supposed to be the star of the show and that the students should be centre stage. Perhaps it is just another tool for the teacher to pull out as and when needed? OUPELTGlobal suggested that teachers should be able to perform AND teach, rather  than OR! kevchanwow and Shaunwilden talked about cognitive dissonance, where our feelings   tend to align with our behaviour and that perhaps if you act warm and positive you will actually end up feeling like that, and teflerinha agreed.  jo_cummins said: Often I'll go into class feeling a bit rubbish but put a brave face on and come out feeling better. teflgeek told us that his school was popular because their lessons were more fun than the competition. He agreed that fun is subjective, but that he hopes his learners have fun at the same time as learning. It is also wise to consider the context and the type of students, as young learners are different from EAP students. As theteacherjames said: Context is always king in our business! There was a bit of grumbling about the fact that some popular teachers use fun and personality and get glowing recommendations and the support of school directors, due to producing the ‘bums on seats’ effect. It was mentioned that some teens are happy to avoid any real work and will happily   settle for an easy, entertaining, lesson. Students may then unfairly measure other, hardworking, teachers against the entertainers, not always being aware that there is little substance to the lesson, although there are some students who are able to see through the smokescreen, in some cases better than the DoS! Those present were asked whether honesty in the classroom is essential, positive or risky. The consensus was that it depends on the reason for honesty- if it is in order to treat them as adults, then it could be beneficial. Many of the participants agreed that it depends on how it is handled. If it is an excuse to offload your problems- then no,  - we are a channel for learning, and our stuff can get in the way -teflerinha. If by honesty we mean being able to admit when we don’t know something, then yes- students are generally sympathetic. SophiaKhan4 thought that some distance was a good thing and that it wasn’t always a good idea to share personal information with students. Is it okay to play devil’s advocate? So the question is: how much of your true self do you take into the classroom? The answer was clear; everything except our negative feelings, although it is context and group dependent.                          What would make up a performance skill set? Advice, guidance and entertainment (if needed to fill the teaching objectives) Supplying what is required for each group Looking the part: wearing a suit when teaching Business English, for example Knowing how to use your voice The ability to command attention and get students to listen Balancing teaching with student-centred time Maintaining a positive attitude of good will for students to respond to Managing the flow of energy in the group Smiling; it makes students feel happier Ability to be unruffled and laid back Being principled, ethical,culturally aware and open to new ideas                                          And then, with any luck-                  the performance will take care of itself-                       and the students will be satisfied

Project #366 week 43

Not my favourite week of the year! This week was full of unpleasant things, as the photographs will attest :-)

Sunday 21st October 2012

 The start of the final week of training for the year. Today I spent most of it indoors, doing housework and answering progressively more demanding emails from my trainees. It was still reasonably warm, and I was delighted to see the rosehips in the garden next door. I remember having rose-hip syrup as a child in Scotland. My mother used to give us a spoonful before we left for school as she reckoned it was full of vitamin C.
Monday 22nd October
19 degrees today and we had to keep the window of our classroom closed. We had a plague of ladybirds- not the nice red ones- but the red and black ones with odd numbers of spots on them. We were squashing them against the wall whereever we could. They got in to everything, down our clothes, in our lunches - euggh! Here is one that escaped!

 

 

Tuesday 23rd October

It looks as though we have started a trend in'doing up your house'. Our next door neighbours have added scaffolding and it looks as though they are having their walls hacked about a bit. They are a block of flats, though, so it will be less expensive for each of them than ours was :-(
Wednesday 24th October

Almost all of the paperwork is in and I have time to take part in #ELTchat without worrying about all the things I should be doing. The nice thing is that I managed to get home from work at a reasonably sensible time for the first time in a couple of months :-) The lift in the car park has sprouted signs which made me smile. I'm not sure it would be a good idea to follow them exactly. The view from the lift is bright and sunny and the new houses are now all full of tenants.

Thursday 25th

This morning we were given the news that one of our much loved colleagues lost his fight against cancer last night. My colleagues are sombre and even the students are subdued. His wife works with us too, so our thoughts are with her and their 12-year-old son.

I had a bit of a panic when my watch stopped working, as I needed to pick the moderator up from the airport later today. I popped up to the supermarket to buy a dinky little alarm clock, much to the amusement of my trainees. As they pointed out- I am reasonably tech-savvy, so why didn't I think to use my phone? Never mind. The little  clock will actually be  quite useful.
Friday 26th
Moderation day! The lady from Trinity is lovely and will put my trainees at ease. It is freezing cold-but dry. I will have time to contact some of our old teachers to pass on our sad news. Many of them live far away, but I'm sure they'd like to send a card or something.

Alves, or Elvis?

After lunch the examiner returned to the airport and we could then have our party for the trainees and their students. Jack brought his guitar along, and some of the students played and sang songs in their language. It was quite a jolly affair. We always give our students a certificate of studies at the end too, which they are happy to receive. We then went down to the local pub for a tennerfest meal and a celebration of the end of the course. As Tam is returning to Scotland at the end of the weekend, I offered to show him around the island, but was pipped at the post by Siobhan who had offered first :-).



                 Saturday 27th October

I started to write the #ELTchat summary and had to abandon it to drop my daughter at her friend's house. The view of the beach was stunning as we passed, so I stopped to take a couple of pictures and  found it was covered in wading birds looking for food. We were early enough that we saw the ferry leaving for France.

#ELTchat SummaryWhat are the Pitfalls to be aware of when going to work in another country?

What are the Pitfalls to be aware of when going to work in another country?

This was the topic chosen for the evening #ELTchat of Wednesday 24^th October 2012

Present , in order of comments, were: @Marisa_C, @Shaunwilden, @hartle, @ljp2010, @SueAnnan, @Wiktor_K, @teacherphili, @stephenburrows, @discovernlearn, @theteacherjames, @Noreen_Lam, @esolcourses, @vickyloras, @LozCrouch, @MarjorieRosenbe, @elleplus1, @andyscott55 and any number of lurkers, who are very welcome to join in the discussion on a future occasion.

We started by looking at some of the horror stories:

Passports: there are schools who insist on holding on to yours- this happened to Noreen_Lam in Saudi Arabia, and almost happened to @ljp in  South Korea.

Rescinded contracts: This is also a concern, where the bonus payable at the end of a contract doesn’t materialise because the contract is ended a few days before the due date.

Or how about the institution wanting control and changing the syllabus on a weekly basis?-@teacherphili- or the institution using the language provider to set up the syllabus, then doing it themselves?

Or using really outdated course books= @vickyloras

@Marisa_C also warned us about jobs offering large salaries, and asking the applicant for money up front.

ljp2010, teacherphili and theteacherjames had different views on working in South Korea. Much of it comes down to the fact that there are cowboy establishments everywhere, but not all of the schools belong on any such list.

Recruiters who are permanently looking for staff make@teacherphili wary,as he thinks the turnover rate could be very high on sites such as http://t.co/1O5LSdZp

Some sites which might help you avoid problems are mentioned below,( but be aware that they could be used by people with gripes against the institutions mentioned, so dig deeper if at all possible). Marisa's advice would be to google the school and find out what people are saying about it.

teflteachingthe greylist.blogspot.com   
teflblacklist.blogspot.com
www.eslcafe.com
Tefl Tradesman http://t.co/NafUVTua
http://t.co/z0N2DV0s
www.internationalschoolsreview.com
http://t.co/IBrPuGLj ELT world discussion board

 

@Wiktor_K suggested asking some searching questions and @SueAnnan mentioned that inexperienced teachers don’t have the knowledge about what to ask. @Wiktor_K then suggested a checklist for inexperienced teachers to help them with their decisions. In fact the list is useful for anyone going to work abroad.

However, the first questions must be for yourself:

@Shaunwilden   Why do you want to go to the country? Have you done your homework about the school and the country?       

@discovernlearn Are you ready to be flexible and expected the unexpected?

@elleplus1 made the point that you can discover yourself in a new way.

The checklist:

·        How long is the contract?

·        What are the hours? Are they on or off site? Is travel time included?

·        What facilities are provided?

·        Are language classes provided?

·        Is an orientation programme available?

·        What kind of city/town/place will I be living in?

·        Are accommodation costs included?

·        Is Health care included?

·        What support is offered outside the school, particularly re cultural awareness?
 

·        Are travel costs included?

·        What about local tax laws?

·        How does the tax system work re my contract?

·        What is the cost of living relative to the salary?

·        What will happen at the end of my contract?
 

·        On average, how long do teachers stay at your school?

·        How many of your teachers are Delta Qualified?

·        Is there any scope for Professional Development:what is on offer?

·        Will you support me if I want to do the Delta?

·        Can I see the agenda for your last staff meeting?

·        What are the biggest challenges for the school next year in terms of planning ahead and school strategy?

·        Can I see the Teachers’ Handbook/Code of Conduct?

·        How do the complaints/grievance procedures work?

·        How motivated are the students? What is their reason for study?

·        Would you mind me contacting the previous teachers?
 

Should teachers learn a bit of the language before going? English  will get you by in many European countries, but if you are going to work further afield you have options: Hit the ground running, by being able to  use numbers, money, directions and how to order a beer (or tea) depending on the country! Or, pick it up on the ground from the locals! The consensus was that you quickly learn to communicate with someone you don't share a common language with.

There are difficult times ahead for some countries.

Be aware of the austerity measures in place   and how they will affect the tax systems.

Portugal is planning to tax everyone at 50%, making it less of an ideal place to workin 2013.

In Poland, it is not unusual to find schools asking teachers to be self-employed in order not to

have to pay taxes and insurance.

In Austria the self-employed teacher has to pay 25% social security.

It is an amazing privilege to live in another country and spend as much time with the people as we can. Embrace it and enjoy it, is @theteacherjames' advice.

There are many positives, but the key is to look at life from a different perspective @stevenburrows

 

Project #366 Week 42

A very busy week has just gone by! I stopped teaching my illiterate students on Tuesday and handed them over to my trainees to work on. They were begging me for a chance to work with them- so having thought I was saving them the difficulty, I relented. The weather hasn't been bad, but the wind, combined with monster tides has made travelling to and from work quite interesting.
All of my photos have been taken outside this week :-)
Sunday 14th October 2012

 I managed to get out today and went for a walk in waterworks valley. The reservoirs are almost full, which means that we won't have any water shortages over the winter. The valley is still quite green, although the trees are beginning to change colour. It looks like someone's chickens have escaped though. They were everywhere, as were ducks from the reservoir.
Monday 15th October 2012

 The school is looking quite autumnal now. I have been enjoying the colour change in the trees outside. There are leaves all over the playground, making it a bit slippery underfoot. This is a collection of them, which have been swept up in the car park.

I remember when I was little. I used to go for walks in the Autumn, so that I could scrunch through the piles of leaves :-)

Tuesday 16th October 

Today the island is preparing for the big spring tides. We have one of the biggest tides in the world, and there is always a risk of flooding near the coast. When the tide coincides with the rush-hour, the roads are sometimes closed, making life complicated for an hour or so. Many people barricade their houses with sandbags.

Wednesday 17th October

The high tide is on its way, but there is another hour to go. I stopped to take thisson my way to work. The water is already almost up to the wall, and the wind is making it slosh over the edge. You can imagine what it will be like in an hour's time!

Thursday 18th October

 I wouldn't have liked to be a cyclist on the cycle path round the coast today. I should imagine that they would need waterproofs at the very least! The tide is closer today, so I found a safe place to take my picture, so as not to get wet. As you can see the tide comes a long way over the wall- right across the street- and I even saw a couple of cars with seaweed on them.

Friday 19th October

Today was a bit frantic. My trainees had their Language Awareness test, and then Teaching Practice, and I did paperwork. In the evening we went out for a quick Pizza, and then went down to the pub to play music. I was actually too tired to go, but I needed the information for our gig on Saturday.

The sunset was golden. The island is pretty in the watery sunlight that bathes everything in gold during the day, but the sunset was amazing.

Saturday 20th October

big jam session

fais'sie du cidre

This weekend sees Jersey Heritage organising La Fais'sie du cidre, or the Cider-making festival. It takes place at Hamptonne,  a country life museum, and showcases some of the old crafts. We were invited to play on Saturday, in the cider tent, a good place to be :-) As we hadn't been sure whether all of the band would be able to play, we had called on the people we play with in the pub, to see if they would like to take part. The result was that the band had about 14 members at any one time! It was a fantastic big jam session. The men in the whites are members of Helier Morris, who had danced earlier, and some of whom play out with us. People sat around on straw bales and listened to the music for a good couple of hours. I then wandered round the show, looking at the cider making and enjoying watching the blacksmith at work.









 

project #366 Week 41

Another week over. This was a busy one, with my trainees in the classroom for the first - and all the inherent problems of preparation, timing etc. The weather was foul on occasion, and sunny and bright on others. This week saw the Jeresy Rally- one of a very small number which races on public roads. I wouldn't have fancied doing 80MPH on narrow roads with a granite wall on either side!
Sunday 7th October 2012
I was so busy during the week, plus a ceilidh, that I forgot to go shopping in time for the dinner party I was holding in the evening. Marks and Spencer to the rescue! We don't have Sunday shopping here, but some small stores are allowed to open for a short time on a Sunday. Many of them don't bother- but the M&S franchise made sure that their food outlets on the island were small enough to meet the criteria, and they are a godsend when you need something nice, fast! The one on the coast  also maintains a nice little garden area for people to sit in and look at the sea.
Monday 8th October 2012

Today the College had a group of French environmental students arrive. They have lessons in the morning and visits in the afternoon. I had a bit of free time while my trainees were meeting their TP tutors- I am going to teach the illiterate beginners group, as I feel that they are too much of a challenge for trainee teachers, and they have been sent by our Social Security department to see if we can help them. I offered to go with the French students down to the incinerator. There were too many of them to go as one group, so we split them into two groups and took them to look at the power station too. I then went back to school to find that my group of TP students was the biggest, as most of them live in the refuge down the hill. Our bus drivers decided to go on strike over the fact that a new company is taking over, and they have all been asked to reapply for their jobs. This prevented many of the students who would have taken the bus from St Helier from coming, although a few dedicated students actually walked the 4 miles!!

Tuesday 9th October

The bus drivers are still on strike!
I dropped one of the trainees home on my way back from school. He lives near the Greve D'Azette lighthouse, which always amuses me as it is used as a bus stop too. Looking at the rocks, though, you can understand the need for the lighthouse. This is the beach behind, at ebb tide. Even more rocks will be uncovered when the tide is completely out.




Wednesday10th October
Today I was extremely grateful for the support of my PLN. I needed material to deal with my enormous class of students who cannot read and write at all. #ELTpics came to my rescue today. I'll keep a record for later and tell you what I did with them when I get time. Many of the others offered support and resources galore! I really cannot tell you how helpful this was! Another problem with this group is that many of them have an alcohol dependancy. You can just imagine how lovely my classroom smells! I had to go out to buy flowers to keep the air as sweet as possible, but eventually I needed an air-freshener. My trainees refused to come back into the room after their lessons, and the smell was pemeating the whole upstairs area. After a while I become immune to it- but others don't.
I enjoyed the #eltchat on Mindfulness- but thought it was something that most of us do already, and I wasn't sure that it needed a whole discussion on the subject.

 

Thurdsay 11th October

Busy, busy day. The bus strike is over and the students decided to turn up en masse. The trainees    were observing my colleagues today, so I had a late start. I did a few errands and wandered up to the college in time for the coffee break with my colleagues. I don't get a lot of time to touch base with them during a training course, as my timetable doesn't always correspond with their breaks. This is to ensure that my trainees don't get underfoot when my colleagues are pressed for time to prepare lessons. In the afternoon I remembered that I hadn't taken anything out of the freezer for dinner. When I eventually got home I suggested going to the pub for a meal. In October all our pubs and restaurants run a programme called the Tennerfest, where you can eat  a 2 or 3-course meal for £10.00. Although this is difficult for the top restaurants, and their prices have crept up, over the years, to £15.00, it is still excellent value and most people take advantage of the promotion to try out new restaurants. We went to one of our usual haunts as I love their espetadas. It is anly a five-minute-drive away, and the food is excellent.

Friday 12th October

As if my life isn't busy enough, we have a ceilidh this evening- a Friday! Normally we work on a Saturday, but this week we have two. This one is a birthday party for a 70-year-old.To add insult to injury I have to be there at 7pm!  I have put  my share of the band equipment, and my clothes,  into the boot of the car and will go there straight from feedback with the trainees. The venue is the parish hall of St Ouen, (pronounced Sint Won). We don't often play in the parish halls as they are a bit precious about their wooden floors.

 



Saturday 13th

Today I decided to run a file clinic and tutorial session for my trainees. I opened the college from 10-3, which I think is sufficient time to give each of them my undivided attention. On the way home I stopped at a different honesty box from the usual one and picked up some fresh flowers. They are really autumnal, and look lovely on the mantlepiece. I always enjoy flowers in front of a mirror as you can get twice as many for your money! I am Scottish after all :-) I was also interested to see the number on my view counter. It has changed super fast this time- Must be the ELTchat summary I did:-)