FSU TEFL 120 Summer 2_2022

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, 16 August at 7:10am AEST (Zoom) Session: Fall 2022 Session 4 Student: Dongwoon Kang Today’s session with Dongwoon went extremely well.    We briefly recapped the grammar rules for and usage of articles.    To my surprise, Dongwoon demonstrated his understanding of the concepts through applying the missing article (s) in “fill in the blank” sentence exercises. During the closing of the session, I noticed his confidence in article application from a grammar standpoint.    I assigned Dongwoon Fieldwork Exercise 2 which is comprised of forming three grammatically correct sentences using the Vocabulary Word of the Day.    We also covered the Idiom of the Day. I’m looking forward to reading Dongwoon’s Fieldwork Exercise 2 next week.

Date/Time/Location: Saturday, 20 August at 6:05am AEST (Zoom) Session: Fall 2022 Session 5 Student: Dongwoon Kang I am very proud of Dongwoon’s advancement!    He is beginning to understand the difficult levels of grammar, with respect to,article application.    We recapped some advance sentences to reinforce the concepts learned last session.   Additionally, Dongwoon did an outstanding job with his assigned Fieldwork Exercise 2 with minimal correction.    He even corrected himself as he read one of the sentences!    I pop quizzed Dongwoon on idioms to test for retention.    His ability to recall the meanings was still upper intermediate, but there is still room to improve.   Another great aspect of today’s session was that I was able to introduce the Speech Act of polite refusal of a phone call.    I was able to leverage the advanced article sentence during our recap segment. Overall, great session!  ...

Date/Time/Location: Wednesday, 10 August at 8:15am AEST (Zoom) Session: Fall 2022 Session 3 Student: Youngsun Kim Another great session with Youngsun!    I am impressed at how her confidence has evolved from our first session in June.   Today, we recapped some of the ESL concepts from last session while introducing more topics centered on Campus Social Pragmatics.    Youngsun provided her research writing sample and I was able to provide written back.    Her rearchitect topic is not only scholarly, it is intriguing!   I announced to Youngsun that I’ll be giving her some Australian, New Zealand, and Philippine University tours via Zoom.    She was so exciting to be a part of my travel journey!

Date/Time/Location: Wednesday, 3 August at 8:05am AEST (Zoom) Session: Fall 2022 Session 1 Student: Youngsun Kim This morning we kicked off the first TS for Fall 2022!    I am so glad to tutor Youngsun again.    She was so delighted to continue these sessions with me. This week, we covered some very interesting paralinguistic aspects of ESL such as Campus Social Pragmatics.    I was also able to incorporate Speech Acts and Critical Incident topics that were relevant to Youngsun’s pursuit of doctoral studies. To that end, I was able to provide Youngsun with some resources/contacts to aid her on the journey.    Another great session!

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, 9 August at 7:05am AEST (Zoom) Session: Fall 2022 Session 2 Student: Dongwoon Kang This morning we kicked off the first TS for Fall 2022!    I am so glad to tutor Dongwoon again.    He was so delighted to continue these sessions with me! Today, we continued our discussions regarding idioms and vocabulary words while introducing Articles (definite and indefinite).    Initially, Dongwoon encountered some challenges with understanding the rules to apply for each article (a, an, the)during the session. I was able to effectively instruct him to apply each rule to ensure his sentence structure is grammatically sound.    Dongwoon indicated that he understood how to apply the articles at the conclusion of the session. To that end, I assigned him a Fieldwork Exercise to complete before our next session to reinforce the grammar concepts.    Dongwoon also indicated that he has excelled in CIES and transitioned to anothe...

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, 26 July at 5:00am AEST (Zoom) Student: Dongwoon Kang This session covered speech presentation.    Initially, Dongwoon’s speech was not as polished    due to a few grammatical errors and pronunciation challenges. As the session progressed, we focused on Minimal Pairs, Pronunciations, and Vocabulary Words.    Fluency through repetition was critical for Dongwoon at this stage of developing his ESL skills. At the conclusion of the session, Dongwoon felt more confident about the contents of his speech and his ability to deliver it effectively.

Date/Time/Location: Friday, 29 July at 5:00am AEST (Zoom) Student: Dongwoon Kang This was another great session with Dongwoon!    We were able to discuss feedback on his speech in Mr. Flemming’s class.    I was really impressed with Dongwoon’s rapid improvement! After the Intonation and Pronunciation Dictations, I noticed that Dongwoon demonstrated confidence and effective grammar writing and speaking skills when delivering his speech assignment.    Wow!  I am very proud of him and it is very rewarding to witness his improvement.

Date/Time/Location: Friday, 29 July at 8:45am AEST (Zoom) Student: Nikita Popov Today’s session was bittersweet.  🥹 I am extremely proud of how rapidly Nikita has improved his ESL skills!    During this session we discussed his future ESL goals and educational pursuits. Additionally, Nikita expressed gratitude for my teaching skills and interest in keeping in contact.    I agreed.    Nikita is going to do well as he progresses in graduate studies. 

  I tutored Melody on July 27th at 9 pm over zoom via powerpoint and YouTube. As always her main focus is preparing for the IELTS exam. This lesson I used both test prep materials, and other activities to practice the skills needed for the test. We began with reviewing her answers to the part 2 IELTS homework questions. I provided feedback on her grammar, pronunciation, and sentence structure. Then we went over some tips for the IELTS speaking test. After we learned some common idioms and colloquialisms that relate to the following listening material and comprehension and vocabulary quiz. Then we went role played IELTS part 2 exam questions. I provided an example answer ahead of time. I assigned homework to write down her speaking practice for the IELTS part 2 speaking portion. I learned that she tutors people in music still.  

  I tutored Melody on August 2nd at 7:30 pm over zoom via powerpoint. As always her main focus is preparing for the IELTS exam. This lesson I used both test prep materials, and other activities to practice the skills needed for the test. We began with reviewing her answers to the part 3 IELTS homework questions. I provided feedback on her grammar, pronunciation, and sentence structure. Then we went role played IELTS part 3 exam questions. I provided an example answer ahead of time. I learned that she has a much harder time with part 3 than the other 2 IELTS speaking sections, and that she will be traveling to Hawaii. 

  I tutored Melody on July 19th at 7:30pm over zoom. As always her main focus is preparing for the IELTS exam. This lesson I used both test prep materials, and other activities to practice the skills needed for the test. We began with going over the questions and answers to part 1 of the IELTS test she had done for homework. I provided feedback on her grammar, pronunciation, and word choice for her homework and throughout the rest of the lesson. Then we watched a video from the movie Ocean's 11. The first time we watched the video straight through. The second time the video would pause randomly to ask her comprehension questions. We continued with more IELTS exam questions with a modeled answer. For homework she would write down more IELTS speaking portion questions and her answers for us to review next time. The materials we used were: pencil, paper, powerpoint, and YouTube. I learned she really liked the clip from the movie. 

  I tutored Henghua on August 3rd, at 7:30 pm over zoom  via  powerpoint. We focused every time on fluency and pronunciation. We began with the same warm-up activity where I showed him 2 different pictures, and for each one he had to pick one adjective and one verb to describe the picture. Then elaborate on why he chose that word. I first modeled this for him.  Then we moved onto an odd word out game with 10 statements.  Each number had 3 words that sounded alike or consisted of a minimal pair. He would read the words out loud and pick which one was different from the others. Then we did 4 different tongue twisters. I would model how to say it first and then he would give it a try. Continuing with the same theme of words that have similar sounds he had to write a simple writing poem. I modeled this with my own poem and instructions how to complete it. I learned that this was a much harder activity then anticipated for him. It was originally s...

  I tutored Henghua on July 27th at 7:30pm over zoom. We focused on fluency, pronunciation, and listening  comprehension . For our warm-up I showed him 2 different pictures, and for each one he had to pick an adjective, noun, or verb to describe the picture(s).  We then  acted out the skit he had wrote for homework on emotions. Then we watched a scene from the Office where Michael Scott gets hurt. After watching/listening for how the other characters react  to this we acted out a skit on an injury. Finally, we finished with a fun listening activity of a scene from Friends with post comprehension questions. Then a quick question about which scene from the two shows he preferred and why. For his homework I gave him a scenario to write a script for, and he was to record and listen to himself speak and try to point out his errors. As usual,  I would correct his grammar and pronunciation throughout the lesson like he asked me to. I  learned ...

I tutored Henghua on July 20th over zoom. We focused every time on fluency and pronunciation. We began with reviewing the clothes homework assignment. I was excited to learn that he enjoyed this assignment as he  doesn't   know many words for clothes in English.  For our warm-up activity I showed him 2 different pictures, and for each one he had to pick one adjective to describe the picture. Then elaborate on why he chose that word. I first modeled this for him.   I had picked 10 sentence starters and his job was to finish the sentence. Then I asked him questions about the  controversial topic of whether or not to legalize marijuana, and he had to give his arguments for each question. We ended the session with going over common conversation questions or scenarios  that he had to respond to. For homework I assigned a script he had to write about a conversation between friends on emotions that we would act out next session. The materials we used wer...

 I tutored Alice on August 5th at 7 pm est. over zoom. Today we worked on her summer reading homework again as requested by her mom. This time we were to answer specific questions about the book she chose to read. We briefly went over the parts that make up a summary before diving into the questions. Before writing down her answers to the questions I would have her explain to me verbally what she thinks the answer is. Then she would type it in the chat. We would review together her punctuation, conciseness, and relevance of each of her answers to the questions. The materials we used were: a pencil, zoom, the chat box, and the homework paper. The lesson I learned was I was sad to have this be our last session together, as I really enjoyed having her as a tutee. 

 I tutored Alice on July 29th at 7 pm. Today we focused on reviewing her assigned summer reading book  Number the Stars  and preparing her for her in-class quiz about the book. To begin we had a conversation about the book with specific questions I had prepared. I asked her what the book was about, who her favorite characters were, and if she liked the book. After talking about the book I had her answer a 20 question comprehension quiz on the book. After completing the quiz I had her read the questions out loud to me and give me her answer. If she got the question wrong we would discuss why it was wrong, and I would challenge her to figure out the correct answer. The materials used were: powerpoint, word document with comprehension quiz, pencil, and paper. I learned that she tends to over explain every detail and give unnecessary information about the general story.

Today Y and I enjoyed another day together.  We started our time by identifying and then creating a pattern with a sticker book.  This meant we combined identifying colors, counting and creativity in one short lesson.  Next, we took a "walk in nature." First, we greeted nature and then went hunting for something green, blue, brown and red, and something man-made. By identifying each item, we integrated phonemic awareness. Then it was time to hear with our ears and see with our eyes and a little game of Simon Says. Soon we both began to perspire, so inside we went and played a matching game with cards. After modeling the skill, Y was able perform the skill... and win a match! We worked a little more on phonemic awareness and ended our lesson with one more sticker book activity. High Five, Y! 

Today's tutoring was all about culture!  D and I took two hours and visited a local museum.  The great part of the tour was we were the only two  participants, so we could stop and ask questions when D (or I) wanted or needed more information. We learned about the history of the house and grounds, and about various unique and period items in the house. This gave us the perfect opportunity for discussion.  Overall, we saw how Americans, and in particular, people living in north Florida, would have lived in the 1800s through the late 1900s.  This visit gave a great opportunity to compare and contrast growing up in Viet Nam in the 21st century to being a person of means in the 19th or 20th century... not so similar! But now, D knows something unique and interesting and I'm pleased to have shared it. 

What I enjoy about teaching young children is how their play is full of learning opportunities.  Today I enjoyed tutoring Y.  We used a sticker book to identify patterns and find hidden pictures.  We read a book about counting to 20, which Y could do.  So, the next step was to try adding groups of five:  five plus five is ten, plus five is fifteen, etc...  This was a bit of a challenge, but the concept of addition is developing. After reading the book we built an ice cream cone with five scoops of ice cream, and identified the flavor of each. We took a break to move around a bit and sung the "head and shoulders, knees and toes" song and "ran" down the halls in a modified Simon Says type activity!  Finally, our lesson ended with a matching game to "build" a character out of various cards.  We built a clown, a mermaid, and a chef.  With this game, Y moved on to imaginary play to purchase the pieces of the character... this required speaking, li...