what's the difference?

this has come up in the main Spain bit in the thread about speaking Spanish


the question was asked of me (very reasonably I might add) as to how I can teach Spanish & yet not be fluent

when I was training to be a teacher I was taught that a good teacher can teach anything as long as they know more than the student - yet they don't have to know everything!

you can know a subject inside out & yet not be able to teach it - you need to be able to explain things


since this is a British expat forum I reckon most of you should be fluent in English?


so what's the answer to this?


why do we travel ON a train, yet IN a car?

this is a question I have been asked on more than one occasion

Why do we go by bike yet on foot?
The seemingly endless list of prepositions is a nightmare for most foreign students, especially when they are connected to verbs, nouns and adjectives.

I agree with the bit about not needing to know everything about a subject to be able to teach it at certain levels.

My daughter's primary school English teacher is more than capable of teaching the kids but a mother who happens to be a good friend of hers once told me that the teacher in question had told her that she was scared witless that I'd walk into her classroom one day gabbling away at top speed in English.
She can teach the kids, but wouldn't be able to hold down a conversation with me. The few times I have spoken to her, it's been in Italian.

actually I go on my bike

btw - I do know the answer to my original question

if anyone prefers to PM the answer for fear of being wrong, feel free

on yer bike you

exactly!

In Further Education in the UK the tutor is expected to be one level above the level they are teaching.

that's not much actually, is it?

I dont know the answer

Graduates teaching "A" Level? Shouldn't be a problem if the scheme of work and lessons are well prepared and cover the syllabus.

Might be slightly different for you, as you have to be more flexible.

actually when you look at it like that - I wasn't really thinking so carefully



by the same token can someone with A level teach O level?

I think some could - given help with planning, if they were 'naturals'


what about someone doing a four week internet TEFL course teaching English?

I bet a lot don't - they just won't admit it

Yes to the A level/O level equation. And all FE tutors do their teacher training in the workplace: it is quite intense.

If you want to work in ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages, then you have to do the one year TEFL - again, very intense particularly for those working full time.

Is it actually a question as google dont know it either xx

do you meanteaching ESOL in FE colleges in the UK?


the guy who mended our computer (that's what he's really qualified to do btw), did a one month internet TEFL course & did a year teaching in a language school in Denia (hated it)

he was the first to admit that it in no way qualified him to teach - he didn't find it so bad one-to-one - but given a group he freely admits that he was totally unprepared!

I'm not surpised!!!