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What do you want to get out of the training? What are your objectives? What are your long term plans and goals? These are questions that you need to answer before determining what kind of language training would be beneficial for you. Figuring out what your employees need is crucial in determining the content and best method of training.
Of course everyone has the same overall goal – to learn English – but many have specific goals that can be the focus of the lessons. Business is such a broad topic that narrowing it down can be quite a difficult task. Learning vocabulary related to telecommunications won’t be helpful for a company that sells medical supplies. Specialization and complete understanding of what a company is all about is important to achieve success.
Course content should cover a variety of things. Basics in grammar, vocabulary, idioms and expressions, practical application, and review of learning should be fundamental aspects in a lesson. Activities and exercises that stimulate the students instead of putting them to sleep is always a challenge – making everyone happy all the time is sometimes a difficult task – but appropriate content that connects and flows together, paired with an excellent teacher is a recipe for success.
Read these blogs about how TalktoCanada.com takes advantage of the online classroom and uses it to its full potential:
http://www.talktocanada.com/2010/03/how-to-be-creative-in-the-virtual-classroom/
Posts Tagged ‘creativity’
Part I Goals – What every corporation should know about Language Training
Thursday, June 24th, 20104 Part Series – What every corporation should know about Language Training
Sunday, June 20th, 2010Corporate language training is becoming increasingly popular nowadays. As companies 
begin to expand into different countries and markets, they realize the importance of having functional English skills to conduct meetings, communicate both orally and through writing, and for social events as well.
It is unrealistic to assume that employees will take it upon themselves and enroll in an English course – outside of working hours, and out of their own pocket no less. As it is also a misconception to believe that everyone in business has a functional level of English.
There are many language training providers out there – face to face – telephone training – and e-learning. All offer a different approach and cater to different groups in different ways. As a company, you need to decide what your goals are and how you are best able to achieve them.
In this 4 part series I will go over the different aspects of corporate language training to help you understand the different aspects and importance of selecting the appropriate corporate language training providers for your employees.
Have a look at these previous blogs to get an idea about how TalktoCanada.com can meet your corporate training needs:
http://www.talktocanada.com/2010/05/getting-to-know-talktocanada-com-how-do-we-teach-english-online/
http://www.talktocanada.com/2009/11/how-talktocanada-com-makes-online-english-learning-personal/
Getting to Know TalktoCanada.com – How do we Teach English Online?
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010What can you expect when working with TalktoCanada.com?
Before we start training companies and students in English, they have a very common and similar question. The question goes something like this, “How do you teach English?” The answer typically goes the same way. TalktoCanada.com will help you improve your English by teaching you exactly what you want to learn. Since starting TalktoCanada.com, we have trained all of our teaching staff to center around the idea of asking the student exactly what they want. Most students know what they want. The most common things are; business English, test preparation (TOEFL/IELTS), conversational English skills or vocabulary building. Sometimes a student doesn’t have anything particular that they want to focus on — this is also a great opportunity to touch on everything and determine which areas need the most work. Usually when students don’t know what they want they usually need help with their confidence. Confidence is a big concern for a lot of 2nd language speakers and by working with a tutor you have the opportunity to talk, practice and make mistakes in a non-threatening environment.
Depending on the type of student you are, beginner, novice, intermediate or advanced, we will work with you to improve all the areas that you feel you need help with.
If your looking for more detailed information about our teaching methods I suggest you read the following blog posts below:
Part I: The Basics of Dogme – Putting a name to the methodologies that TalktoCanada.com uses to teach ESL online
Part II – Key Principles of the Dogme Language Learning Approach – Putting a name to the methodologies that TalktoCanada.com uses to teach ESL online
Part III – “To Structure or not to Structure… that is the question….” – Putting a name to the methodologies that TalktoCanada.com uses to teach ESL online
Part IV: Cookie Cutter Language Learning – Putting a Name to the methodologies that TalktoCanada.com Uses
Part VI – Modifying the Dogme approach to accommodate your students’ needs – Putting a name to the methodologies that TalktoCanada.com uses to teach ESL online
Part V – Using the Dogme Approach in group lessons – Putting a name to the methodologies that TalktoCanada.com uses to teach ESL online
Tenielle Patterson – Teacher of the week
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Tell me a little bit about yourself:
My name is Tenielle and I’m a teacher with Talk to Canada. I currently reside in New Brunswick, Canada. I have both a BA and an MA in Sociology.
Fun facts about me; I enjoy a good debate, testing new technology, photography, learning new languages and collecting vintage books. I am a huge Star Trek fan, of all genres. I also enjoy conducting research projects on many different topics, such as global economics, multicultural education initiatives, and criminal justice to name a few.
What was the last book that you read?
The last book I read was The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
Describe yourself in 3 words:
Creative, adventurous and passionate.
Why do you like Teaching Online?
I like the flexibility of teaching with TTC and working in the online, adult education arena. It is a fun and uniquely cultural opportunity to meet, work alongside a great team and teach students from all over the world. This is truly a global experience, and all through the convenience of the computer.
Motto that you live by:
Everyday is an opportunity to achieve something, even if it’s just to hope for tomorrow.
Top 3 qualities that I look for in teachers who want to teach English online
Friday, January 22nd, 2010When hiring teachers for TalktoCanada.com, I look for the obvious things (basic requirements such as being a Canadian, having some kind of teaching experience, knows something about technology and computers) but I also look for things that don’t show up on “paper”.
Coolness factor
Are you cool? Do you have stories that will keep your students interested? Is your personality one that is approachable and fun? The coolness factor is one of the most important qualities that I look for in teachers. I can tell a little bit from a resume (experiences outlined etc) but during the interview I am usually able to tell who is cool and has the perfect personality for this job.. and who just won’t make the cut.
Flexibility — can you touch your toes? (just kidding)
Flexibility in the sense of understanding that this is NOT a 9-5 job. This is a job that sometimes requires you to work at “crazy hours” (in the middle of the night), or have classes that are spread out throughout the day… if you can work with that… then I can work with you! Don’t ask to have 9-5 hours because it’s just not going to happen…so save us both the trouble and look somewhere else.
Open to learning (don’t worry no heavy textbooks involved)
But yes, some training and ongoing learning is involved with this job. Every job needs some kind of training program that helps develop and fine tune your skills. It takes a while to become a star online teacher — and it also takes quite a bit of training.
Selecting teachers is a REALLY difficult task — but I love talking with applicants and learning about their experiences and how they can apply them to online learning. So far I have been quite successful, and have excellent teachers on board, that besides the general requirements meet these top 3 qualities and then some.
A Day in the Life of a TalktoCanada.com Manager — Marc Anderson – General Manager
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Marc Anderson
- General Manager
- Working at TTC since early 2006
What is a typical day for you at TalktoCanada.com?
Good question, not getting very much sleep..just kidding. I would say that a typical day starts with answering a lot of emails, keeping up on prospects and than talking with my other managers either on telephone or on Skype. After the usual stuff is done, I probably spend the rest of my time on the phone or in meetings with current and potential clients. Some of my time is spent supervising projects and making sure they are delivered in the way that the client requested which can sometimes get difficult depending on the highly specialized nature of the course materials. The rest of my time, is probably spent reading, which can include the latest business book or visiting several of my favourite websites including entrepreneur.com, searchenginewatch.com, msnbc.com and checking up on our industry competitors. My day doesn’t end at a specific time or start at the same time everyday, having to deal in so many countries around the world, some days I have to wake up while I am sleeping for a meeting or at supper time. You have to give up the 9-5 hours if you expect to be successful in this type of job.
What is the toughest challenge you have faced since starting with TalktoCanada.com in 2006?
I would have to say beyond a doubt, getting our first client was the toughest challenge. With such a new service by a very unknown company it’s hard to convince individuals and companies of your worth. Naturally the vast majority of those people interested in our services were skeptical and without my selling skills being full developed it took a while to get off the ground.
What would you say is your biggest triumph?
This would probably tie into the previous question. Getting our first client was the most exhilarating experience you could possibly have in a new business. A client was willing to give us the chance and I will never forget the name of this company for the rest of my life.
What is the best part of your job?
Meeting with clients around the world. I majored in accounting in university and seriously contemplated being an accountant but than thought if I am going to be in an office, I would rather do something more exciting. I haven’t looked back since and I love my job and would trade it for any other business job.
Lusi Brace – Teacher of the Week
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Tell me a little bit about yourself
My name is Lusi Brace. I graduated from York University with a Hon. Double Major in English and Italian. I recently applied to law school and teacher’s college. I am currently studying for my law entrance exam. I also want to finish my B.Ed, since I enjoy teaching very much.
I have a lot of hobbies among which are reading, traveling, languages, dancing and watching movies. My latest hobby though and definitely my favourite is sleeping since I barely get any. But I love a busy schedule, and enjoy accomplishing new things.
What was the last book that you read?
The Twilight Saga- Stephanie Mayer
Describe yourself in 3 words:
Ambitious, Determined and Loyal.
Why do you like teaching Online?
It is new, exciting and a completely different experience than the conventional way of teaching. I enjoy meeting new people, and immersing in different cultures. More importantly sharing knowledge and teaching a language online may seem challenging, but is nonetheless possible. I love creating different opportunities to help student achieve their aims. I am glad that I am part of such a great team of teachers.
Motto that you live by:
Learn from mistakes, forgive but never forget, however NEVER regret!
The Virtual World meets the Real World…
Monday, January 11th, 2010Working online does have its obvious advantages — setting my own schedule, not having to commute, meeting people from all over the world etc… but it does have some disadvantages in that sometimes you feel stuck in a virtual world and wonder if you are just a video and a voice behind a screen helping students learn English online.
I’ve always tried to add a “human” element to my teaching – by making things real, personalized and cater to each of my student’s individual needs, and I think it has proven useful. My long time students feel more like friends than like clients – we are able to share ideas and feelings freely learn about each other and all the while learning English. Recently, I received a mysterious package in the mail, upon opening it I was overwhelmed with surprise – it was a package from one of my students with a few food items which we had discussed in class one day. Of course presents from “real life” students are common – you almost expect them at all of the major holidays or at the end of a course – but in the “virtual world” the etiquette is obviously different and more confused.
I like how both worlds tend to mesh together, whether on purpose or not. The “human element” is always there no matter how virtual things are. We need that “human element” to feel connected, and TalktoCanada.com is able to offer that to its students, by making the lessons about them rather than about a set curriculum. This does not only apply to individual students – but also corporate clients, and it shows through their improvements as well as in their continuing study with TalktoCanada.com.
I like my “virtual world” and I like how I have made it into a comfortable environment where anybody can join, no matter where they are or what they are studying, the “door” is always open.
Why Canadian accents are the best and the easiest to learn and understand for ESL learners
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009Learning English is not a simple task, and learning it from someone who YES may be a native English speaker — but has a difficult accent to understand — is sometimes really hard to get used to.
In my 8 years of ESL teaching — my students have always commented on how easy and clear it is to understand my “accent”. Yes, it is quite different from British, Australian, South African and even American accents. Some describe it as neutral and easy to understand and learn. Not only that but mainstream English culture uses this neutral accent.
This makes it easier for the student to learn and understand English. For beginners especially, it is important for them to learn with a neutral accent – have you ever met a non native English speaker who’s English accent was British, or Australian? It’s quite amusing as an ESL teacher to hear — a Mexican who had never been to England — speaking English with a British accent.
Now I do realize that there are some misconceptions about the way Canadians speak — no we do not say “eh” after every sentence, nor do we say “aboot” or any other weird or unusual word. Granted we do have some differences in spelling and in some words (pop not soda, washroom not bathroom) but nothing that would put you at a disadvantage, if anything – an advantage.
So take advantage of learning English with a Native Canadian English Speaker — you’ll notice the difference — not only in the ease of learning and picking up on the new accent — but also in the mannerism in which we speak.
Part VI – Modifying the Dogme approach to accommodate your students’ needs – Putting a name to the methodologies that TalktoCanada.com uses to teach ESL online
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009The previous posts have described the Dogme approach and how TalktoCanada.com uses it with both their individual students and group lessons. This method is not used exclusively – as true Dogme approach is essentially material free.
What we do take from this approach is the focus that it has on the students leading the lesson. Not only does the Dogme approach require for both the student and the teacher to be on the same page – some students are unable to learn without material in front of them. They aren’t creative enough – they have “brain blocks” and just want to have a jump start with something that helps get the juices flowing.
TalktoCanada.com encourages their students to take advantage of the fact that they are learning with a native English speaker – and really put an emphasis on learning English through conversation, and this conversation being whatever the student brings to the table either with a jump start or on their own.
In my personal teaching experiences – I try to focus on the Dogme approach as much as possible – I ask my students to prepare things for the lessons – I go wherever they take the lesson – and help guide them through. But – sometimes a jump start can take you to places that you would otherwise not explore.
My jump start of preference are articles that deal with both random news, as well as serious topics that usually relate somehow to the student either geographically, or to their interests. Ideally, students read these articles ahead of time – and we can then go over the themes in class and discuss the ideas and opinions in the article and our own. This helps students learn about different topics that granted may be weird (“Oscar Meyer Wiener dog car crashes into house”) but it builds up useful everyday English vocabulary that can be used in a variety of situations.
Whatever your learning style – TalktoCanada.com will be sure to accommodate a style suitable to your needs. Working on the same page – and with the same goals in mind is always important in learning anything in life – not only for a language.
