Teaching One on One - Merseburg.

[GalwayBoy]

Hello all.
I have just completed 5 fantastic days with ONE ON ONE Teaching in Merseburg.
I hope you all find the following report of interest.
Thanks and Best wishes.
Ian

Report number MERS001:
Date: 16.07.2009
Location: AFI Private Akademie für Informatik GmbH, Bergstr. 62 04838 Eilenburg
Time: 9.00 AM - 14.00 PM (Total hours: 5)
Teacher: Ian Spring

Report:
Today was my first day with the ONE ON ONE training.
I meet my student in Merseburg and formally introduced myself.
As normal we spent the first hour getting acquainted with each other and learning a little about each other.
After the first hour, I asked the student exactly what his intentions were for the 5 days of intensive English training.
He explained that it was critical to improve his Business English, so that he could continue unabated in his professional training.
The student showed the learning material he had to understand and we formed our work load based on these priority materials.

To really break the ice into English, I wanted to carry out some simple skills tasks, to help me assess the real level of the students English.
We studied simple topics such as positions and actions.
Using a simple graphic, the student was able to demonstrate the different positions and actions in English.
We then created a Vocabulary list focused around his business training.
After this was completed, we began to create simple sentences using words from the new vocabulary list. The grammatical context of the texts were corrected and when necessary, examples were given.

This was the backbone of what was covered for the first day.
The student seemed confident with the material inhand and the methods and progress in which we wrere going to achieve it.

[GalwayBoy]

Report number MERS002:
Date: 20.07.2009
Time: 9.00 AM - 14.00 PM (Total hours: 5)
Teacher: Ian Spring

Report:
We began today with my normal procedure of asking the student about his privies evening.
This is always a great way to not only get to know your student a little more but also force him or her to think about forming sensible and interesting sentences about there lives.
After this was finished, we discussed Job Applications.
We first constructed a Vocabulary list for the students chosen profession and then created words that could be used in a application.
After the word list was created, I gave exampled of application letters on the blackboard and all elements of the letters were noted and copied by the student.
When this was finished the student then was given a fantasy advertisement for a new job position in varies posts and was tasked with replying with the appropriate application letter.
This exercise proved very beneficial and the student showed great skill in his writhing and reading.

Later we discussed the ordering of goods and invoices.
Covering as many topics of the students school work as possible, we again created a useful word list and then created our own mini invoices and business orders

To finish the day, we discussed the tenses past, past perfect.
We created exampled to demonstrate each and the student had to create his own exampled and read them out aloud.

[GalwayBoy]

Report number MERS003:
Date: 24.07.2009
Time: 9.00 AM - 14.00 PM (Total hours: 5)
Teacher: Ian Spring

Report:
Today we covered Business Letters.
Using examples and materials from the students school books, we were able to establish the correct format for business letters.
After every thing was explained and the letters were read through, the student creates his own business letters and reply letters also.
This form, allowed the student to understand the manner of both writhing a direct first time letter and also a correct reply letter.

The second half of the day, we focused on polite requests and small talk in a business context.
I found that the student had a good grasp of written English but lacked confidence in speaking English.
We created a dialogue between us, imaging that I was a potential business client and the student had to convince me that my opinion was not the right one.
The student agreed with me, that not only should we continue with refining his written business English and grammer, but strongly enforce the students spoken English. The student was quite happy that I was a native speaker and thus, must speak English for all questions and answers. This was of great benefit for this particular student.

[GalwayBoy]

Report number MERS004:
Date: 27.07.2009
Time: 9.00 AM - 14.00 PM (Total hours: 5)
Teacher: Ian Spring

Report:
Today we began our day with discussing the students last evening. We also discussed where he lives and talked about his favourite hobby.
We wrote a small essay about his hobby and giving reasons why he likes fishing so much.
Because the student was so excited about his fishing hobby, he was very happy with writhing long stories about what he caught in the past and the technology he applied in his fishing.
We covered all the normal procedures but also took the opportunity to openly talk and discuss his hobby.
Both of us knew it was very critical, that the student speak English as much as possible, and this topic, was the first true show of skill.

To finish the day we read from the business English book the student had and translated from English to German and in reverse, restaurant conversations and the booking of flights in a airport.

[GalwayBoy]

Report number MERS005:
Date: 31.07.2009
Teacher: Ian Spring

Report:
Today was our final day.
We reviewed all the material from the previous 4 days of English and covered some small aspects of topics that the student wanted clarified.
After this, we discussed what the students had learnt and what he felt was good and bad points about the training.
The student admitted that he had been with another German teacher for 5 days and found that dealing with a native speaker in comparison, was although in the beginning more difficult and stressful, quickly payed off and forced his mind to think and operate using English for 5 complete hours a day.
The student also stated that, although he had many English words in his head, he lacked confidence in using them and tieing them together to form conversations.
By the end of the 5th day, the student had no problem in writhing and reading English and also being able to relax and openly have a enjoyable conversation with me in complete English.

My final note is that, this student has fantastic potential and has a very clever mind and friendly personality, but like many teachers, I hope this young man finds some opportunity to continue with his written and spoken English and that his confidence can build even higher.

This young man was a delight to teach and to know!

Ian

[Scott Graham]

Hi Ian,
sounds like you had a great week with this one, I always like it when we get the chance to work 1-to-1. You can really focus your attention on personal and relevant tasks for the ss.

Scott
_________________
By learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn.

[GalwayBoy]

Hi Scott.
Yes it was a great experience for me and the student.
We were both quite lucky as our personalities really worked well together.
A really interesting and fantastic first experience for me, teaching one on one.

Ian