Comments on: Expectations http://toshuo.com/2006/expectations/ Chinese, Linguistics, Science, Cultural Observations and whatever else I feel like writing about Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:56:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Great Videos from a Great Teacher | Doubting to shuo: Chinese, Investing, EFL and Being a Geek in Taiwan http://toshuo.com/2006/expectations/#comment-130869 Great Videos from a Great Teacher | Doubting to shuo: Chinese, Investing, EFL and Being a Geek in Taiwan Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:22:33 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2006/expectations/#comment-130869 [...] of the really great teachers I’ve worked with before has put up what appear to be training videos for new teachers at his school. Ross’s school [...] [...] of the really great teachers I’ve worked with before has put up what appear to be training videos for new teachers at his school. Ross’s school [...]

]]> By: Mark http://toshuo.com/2006/expectations/#comment-1989 Mark Tue, 09 May 2006 17:36:21 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2006/expectations/#comment-1989 Ah, I can see where the confusion came from. In the normal buxiban classes, there are 30 students to a class and they meet for two hours, twice a week. But, in the first and second grader classes, there are only 10 students per class and they meet for an hour and a half a day, four days a week. Unlike our normal buxiban classes, the first and second grader classes aren't set up with the expectation that the kids will thouroughly learn and understand everything presented to them. The books include a lot of review, and the kids get a firmer grasp of older vocabulary and structures as they go on. I work at First Step (首步). I suppose it qualifies as an HFRB, but unlike Tomcat, Cortland, Total Recall, The Way, and all the others I've encountered, it's NOT a Modawei clone. We use QARs, but we also use Ron's phonics system and extensive reading, neither of which are used at the other HFRBs. Well, maybe Modawei is making some tenative steps towards ER, since I've been talking it up so much with my old co-workers who are still there. Ah, I can see where the confusion came from. In the normal buxiban classes, there are 30 students to a class and they meet for two hours, twice a week. But, in the first and second grader classes, there are only 10 students per class and they meet for an hour and a half a day, four days a week. Unlike our normal buxiban classes, the first and second grader classes aren’t set up with the expectation that the kids will thouroughly learn and understand everything presented to them. The books include a lot of review, and the kids get a firmer grasp of older vocabulary and structures as they go on.

I work at First Step (首步). I suppose it qualifies as an HFRB, but unlike Tomcat, Cortland, Total Recall, The Way, and all the others I’ve encountered, it’s NOT a Modawei clone. We use QARs, but we also use Ron’s phonics system and extensive reading, neither of which are used at the other HFRBs. Well, maybe Modawei is making some tenative steps towards ER, since I’ve been talking it up so much with my old co-workers who are still there.

]]> By: Simon http://toshuo.com/2006/expectations/#comment-1981 Simon Tue, 09 May 2006 08:42:52 +0000 http://toshuo.com/2006/expectations/#comment-1981 Hi Mark. I enjoy reading your blog. I'm interested, you say you have gone through 3 "Up & Away" books in 3 months. One book per month. Given that you teach your kids for 4 hours a week (if I'm not mistaken) that works out to approximately 16 hours per book. There are 32 units in each book, which means you are averaging 2 units an hour. And this doesn't include the time you must spend teaching the kids phonics. May I ask, how many students do you have in your class? Do you find 2 units an hour a bit rushed? Can the kids keep up okay? I know you said the younger kids are a bit slower. The reason I am interested is because I am planning to start teaching "Up and Away" myself, which I chose after careful and thorough research of other textbooks. I like the straight-forward layout and grammar-based structure of the series. One more thing, do you mind telling me who you work for? Do you work for a so-called "HFRB"? Look forward to hearing from you, Simon. Hi Mark.

I enjoy reading your blog.

I’m interested, you say you have gone through 3 “Up & Away” books in 3 months. One book per month. Given that you teach your kids for 4 hours a week (if I’m not mistaken) that works out to approximately 16 hours per book. There are 32 units in each book, which means you are averaging 2 units an hour. And this doesn’t include the time you must spend teaching the kids phonics. May I ask, how many students do you have in your class? Do you find 2 units an hour a bit rushed? Can the kids keep up okay? I know you said the younger kids are a bit slower.

The reason I am interested is because I am planning to start teaching “Up and Away” myself, which I chose after careful and thorough research of other textbooks. I like the straight-forward layout and grammar-based structure of the series.

One more thing, do you mind telling me who you work for? Do you work for a so-called “HFRB”?

Look forward to hearing from you,

Simon.

]]>