Preliminary report: Looking back (a few months) and looking forward (to 2009)
I have been in Inhambane for a bit under two months and have been teaching at The Hotel and Tourism College (ESHTI) for six weeks. I am very happy with my job here and the job description I received from Georgetown appropriately described the work that I have done here or plan to do in the future. Thus far I have been able to organize the syllabus for approximately 60 first and second year tourism students (Animation concentration). I teach for eight hours a week focusing on basic tourism knowledge as well as practical situations students will find themselves in or should be aware of (tour guiding, podcasting, blogging, giving presentations, needs assessment and implementation, making information pamphlets/posters.). The course is heavily student centered—allowing students to build on the knowledge and skills they already have. It also motivates students to see exactly how accessible English communication is to them if their concentration is to use it as a tool to expand their ideas, increase their awareness of the world and themselves, develop the tourism industry in Mozambique as well as better their own lives.
In addition to classroom instruction I give students a supplementary 5 hours of conversation practice during “English Club”. This is a varied forum in which students can ask questions about class, debate issues related to economic development, exchange stories, chat about hairstyles, compare cultures, find out more about the participants, and otherwise have an opportunity to practice the English language—something all students articulate they don’t have enough opportunities to involve themselves in.
I also teach 2 classes (1 hour each) of English Conversation to 6 advanced level teachers at the University. There are also beginner and intermediate classes other English instructors are teaching.
I brought a plethora of grammar books, conversation and discussion books for teachers, and technical books in English about tourism. In the little time I have been here these books have been of great use to me as well as the other teachers that borrow them. The magazines the Information Center Library donated have also been put to great use. Students can checkout magazines for a period of time to read at their leisure. They also can use the information to write about in the journals they must hand in each week. I have added a few listening CDs for checkout also. They include podcasts I have found on the internet. Students in my classes must be active participant in their own learning.
In the future at the University I would like to work with the other English instructors to write a comprehensive curriculum including a plan for all four years so that there is continuity and progression across the years as well as a specific focus on Tourism English—the structures and skills students will need during their internships and beyond. Included with the curriculum will be sample activities, plans, outside resources, and vocabulary lists. I have started to gather information myself using the internet and the materials I brought with me, as well as to meet with current English teachers to make a thorough and suitable handbook everyone can use.
I would also like work with the director of language classes (paid classes by students and community members) to create a curriculum rich in student participation and appropriate topics and communicative situations. Lastly, at the University I would like to organize English lecture-type opportunities for the entire school. These wouldn’t be purely presentations of information but would also include lessons about how to approach a skill--listening, reading, etc. in English. In short, it would be a partnership between myself and the other English Teachers as well as people from the community (Project evaluators, job counselors, artists, Mozambicans who have studied abroad, students presenting their provinces, etc.) and the students, faculty and staff at ESHTI. They might be lecture-style, workshop-style, hands-on, art exhibition style or cocktail party style. The goal would be to give students more opportunities to see how English can be used in their learning environment and in the workplace, as well as giving them the tools to actually take part in them.
Outside of school I would like to organize and lead workshops about curriculum development and student-centered learning to university, secondary, and primary school teachers in Inhambane (and possibly at UEM in Maputo). I would also like to have a monthly support group meeting with English teachers so we can meet each other, exchange ideas, and learn from each other. My theme for my time here is a quote from Arthur Ashe, “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.” I hope to use this in every project I develop and execute. Not all solutions are appropriate for the context. Hopefully I can work together with my colleagues to find the best solutions for the Hotel and Tourism College and surrounding community in Inhambane.
In Brief
What I have accomplished thus far:
1. Teach 8 hours of Tourism English to 60 students
2. Hold 5 hours a week of English Club for first and second year Tourism students
3. Teach 2 hours a week of Advanced English for 6 teachers of the University
4. Provided a check-out system for English magazines (should find another sustainable solution for later)
What I plan to do in the next 8 months as well as in my second year:
1. Write a comprehensive curriculum including a progressive plan for all four years of English at the University
2. Work with the director of language classes (paid classes by students and community members) to create a curriculum rich in student participation and appropriate topics and communicative opportunities
3. Organize English use opportunities for the entire school.
4. Organize and lead workshops about curriculum development and student-centered learning to university, secondary, and primary school teachers in Inhambane (and possibly at UEM in Maputo)
5. Lead support group for English teachers in community
No comments:
Post a Comment