Online vs. Personal Instruction [moved]

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

You have a lot of interesting ideas and obviously put a lot of time and positive energy into this site. But, do you realize how your last few posts sound? To me, this is the basic gist:

Forum boss posts his idea. Forum members voice opinions and argue disadvantages. Forum boss defends idea with counter arguments. Forum boss states that the discussion has been unproductive and requests that positive rather than negative statements be made, seemingly suggesting that all previous input has been wrong. A forum member suggests a new idea. Forum boss states that the post "sounds much better" and that the forum member is "right". (But why? Is it only because the suggestion was about something the boss is already doing and is therefore happy to hear it?)


Of course you want to argue for the merits and potential of your ideas. I think everyone wants to have his or her ideas accepted. That's only natural. It can be very disappointing to have an idea "shot down". But wouldn't you agree that it would be even more frustrating if no one even bothered to acknowledge an idea in the first place?

Not all ideas are necessarily good ones and even the best ideas often need development and fine-tuning. As I see it, that involves expanding on the idea as well as filtering out any not-so-good or impractical aspects. What's wrong with discussing the disadvantages? If others see primarily disadvantages or pitfalls in connection with a particular idea, isn't it possible that it is because the disadvantages just might far outweigh the advantages?

In my opinion, creativity is not fostered when people can only say things that "the boss" wants to hear or has already decided to do. To me, that usually has the opposite effect: It tends to stifle creativity and input.

I don't always agree with Jamie and I have frequently disagreed with EU. But, I think there have been some very good and valid points made in this thread and see that as both productive and valuable.

[Torsten]

Hi Amy,

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with me. You have invested the time and mental energy to analyze the ideas in this thread. What's even more, you have told me and our forum members what you think and fell about this discussion. That's a service you normally have to pay for. Really, most people wouldn't tell me what they think about my remarks or comments. You do and you do it in a very organized and effective way.
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

I'm really not quite sure what to make of your last post.

From the sounds of things, though, you are planning to go ahead with the idea of recording individual lessons (teacher and student) on CDs. In what sorts of settings do you envision doing the recordings? Do you think all students will agree to being recorded? Will you record all levels of instruction along with learners at all levels?

It seems to me that recorded lessons would be very beneficial to the recorded learner(s) themselves (to the learners in the lessons you record). Such a CD could be utilized by the learner and the trainer in any number of different ways.

Whether such a CD could also be easily or effectively used more "generically" is a different question. As I mentioned before, I see the points raised earlier in the thread as good ones to take into consideration, and I also agree that such a library of CDs would probably have to be pretty massive in order to be able to even come close to addressing and satisfying individual needs and questions the way "live" (especially one-to-one) instruction can.

I do think your recordings of various native speakers and also higher level non-native speakers is a good idea. It's been my experience that people working in international companies often have trouble dealing with the wide variety of accents they encounter in meetings and especially on the phone. Exposure to and assistance with variations in pronunciation can be very helpful.

[Torsten]

Hi Amy,

Thanks again for steering me in the right direction. Yes, the plan is to create a variety of audio CDs and after pondering Jamie's, Englishuser's and your comments again I think it's best to start the project by interviewing native speakers who have been working as English teachers and language trainers in various situations. For example, here in Leipzig there are at least 100 professionals from the US, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, etc. working as free lance English teachers. We will produce a CD that covers several aspects of being a self-employed English teacher/translator/interpreter/photographer/.../ in Germany. What do you think of this idea? Would such a CD benefial for students? What about American and British native speakers who are planning to work as English teachers in Germany, would they benefit from such a CD too?

Amy, you made an excellent point when you said that recorded sessions would be beneficial to the recorded learner(s) themselves. You are right, the vast majority of students won't want to have their lessons recorded and published but they might want to listen to their own voices so they can get feedback from their coach. There is a whole host of opportunities here. For example, you could offer one-to-one instruction to your students and record certain parts of the lesson(s) for further analysis. Also, if you record your student's lessons you and they can keep track of their progress which will boost their confidence. They might be surprised at what they sounded like a few months ago.

Please do let me know what you think.
Many thanks,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Jamie (K)]

[Torsten]

You are right, Jamie. Sometimes I have to think more before I say something.
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary