Blog 22
(more pictures to come..!)
In this teaching game, it's often interesting to use
your own materials when preparing classes; you might use other people's; you might use the standard coursebook. Which ever way, there's a lot of material floating round. One item of interest which drifted into view, along with some flotsam and jetsam, was a chapter from a senior school coursebook used across China - New Oxford English. Opening randomly at Unit 11, I found this interesting pre-listening task. It's an interesting idea to expose students to the language for suggestions and advice, I'll agree, but certainly not one that would've occurred to me. I really must learn to start thinking outside of the box and be more creative.
your own materials when preparing classes; you might use other people's; you might use the standard coursebook. Which ever way, there's a lot of material floating round. One item of interest which drifted into view, along with some flotsam and jetsam, was a chapter from a senior school coursebook used across China - New Oxford English. Opening randomly at Unit 11, I found this interesting pre-listening task. It's an interesting idea to expose students to the language for suggestions and advice, I'll agree, but certainly not one that would've occurred to me. I really must learn to start thinking outside of the box and be more creative.Still thinking about teaching, in a session about resources on a training course back in London, on the very day before I left for China, a trainee asked me about what teachers can expect in terms of what's available in other countries, and what can we do if we don't find them. I confidently
said that unless you're doing some voluntary work in Africa or such like, you'll always have access to a photocopier and most places have resource books you can delve into to help supplement the coursebooks. At the very least, there'll aways be a chalkboard. Oh how little I knew. Coming out to China and training 'on the road' has been an education in what to expect and what resources you have to hand. It all looks swish with PowerPoint and computers and integrated systems and the like, but not all is what it seems. Few things are here, as readers of this blog will have already noted.
said that unless you're doing some voluntary work in Africa or such like, you'll always have access to a photocopier and most places have resource books you can delve into to help supplement the coursebooks. At the very least, there'll aways be a chalkboard. Oh how little I knew. Coming out to China and training 'on the road' has been an education in what to expect and what resources you have to hand. It all looks swish with PowerPoint and computers and integrated systems and the like, but not all is what it seems. Few things are here, as readers of this blog will have already noted.Upon arrival I was armed with a computer and PowerPoint and told that I would need little more. Travelling about the place means that carrying copies is unrealistic and because schools are currently on holiday, no one wants to make copies for us, especially the thousands we require. To keep costs down, copying in shops is limited. OK, quite understandable, especially when everything can be beamed onto a screen for the course participants to copy down. This all works well if the computers and data projectors work, the screen is visible and the sound for videos is properly connected. Splendid.
All-in-all, everything seemed fine, that was until Chingqing (first location) when the local computer gives up the ghost meaning reversion to chalkboard. No problem there. Turns out I can't use PowerPoint anyway because the room is too bright (sun and no curtains) for anything to be seen. Not so useful for videos either.
Bring on Wuhan: windows with curtains, my computer to work from AND a whiteboard. Oh, but where's the projector. Ah yes, the the local education bureau wants more money for it after already having been paid for it. No money, no projector. The theme of more money in Wuhan for the EB officials came up several times. Back to the whiteboard then.
Let's try Zhangqiu: big room, my computer, projector and small whiteboard. Good, good. But wait, it's so hot the projector fails. Back to the board again until another location can be found. Oh, and don't rely on the local pens, they're permanent, as the previous user of the board found out. Luckily I had some whiteboard ones.
How about rural Honghe? Big lecture theatre, and all the works as before. It's relatively cool as well. All good? Well, what you forgot about were the regular power cuts (for days at a time) in this part of the country. Back to the chalkboard once more and PowerPoint slides and videos off the menu once again.
I want to emphasise that what's written above isn't a moan, just a collection of projector experiences. This being my first session using PowerPoint for an length of time,
my initial scepticism hasn't been overcome. I like using whiteboards. If they're interactive, even better. But at the end of the day, you just can't beat the basics. And the moral of the story if there is one? If you spend hours preparing on PowerPoint, ensure you have a back up to rely on just encase the prep goes for a Burton. Anyway, most of the time it HAS worked and it HAS been very useful and I really couldn't have managed without it at times. Thank you Microsoft for the software and Toshiba and Sanyo for the hardware. It's also good to be forced to think on your feet from time to time, too. Keeps your mind sharp. Now, if a trainee asks me the same question again...
my initial scepticism hasn't been overcome. I like using whiteboards. If they're interactive, even better. But at the end of the day, you just can't beat the basics. And the moral of the story if there is one? If you spend hours preparing on PowerPoint, ensure you have a back up to rely on just encase the prep goes for a Burton. Anyway, most of the time it HAS worked and it HAS been very useful and I really couldn't have managed without it at times. Thank you Microsoft for the software and Toshiba and Sanyo for the hardware. It's also good to be forced to think on your feet from time to time, too. Keeps your mind sharp. Now, if a trainee asks me the same question again...With such things going on, you would think there'd be a need to relax and forget about training for a time, and what better place than Jianshui. Apart from being delightfully quiet and really quite beautiful, it's the location of some notable tourist attractions and places of interest. 
First off is the Confucian temple (pictured above), the second largest in China, with a wonderful pond, tranquil gardens and pleasantly smelling incense. You can see Winnie preparing to burn a 'small' incense stick in the picture.
First off is the Confucian temple (pictured above), the second largest in China, with a wonderful pond, tranquil gardens and pleasantly smelling incense. You can see Winnie preparing to burn a 'small' incense stick in the picture.There's also the 'swallow cave', reputedly the largest limestone cave in all of Asia. And goodness me, it really is big. Cavernous is one word I'd use to describe the massive interior: possibly 400 metres deep and up to 80 metres high in places. Lots of stalagmites and stalactites lit up in a bright Asian way for punters to marvel at and take pictures of, too. It's called the 'swallow cave' because of the nesting swallows near the entrance. This is where intrepid souls climb to bring us the nests for soup and porridge, an expensive local delicacy. Unfortunately I had to turn down this eating experience as it was on the day I was recovering from food poisoning. Damned regrettable business. However, it's these things which make us stronger and make us grasp other eating experiences with both hands to gobble and gulp down in an instant.
Speaking of such experiences, I've had to turn down another formal banquet (was the last one responsible for the poisoning?) with the EB because I'm having to re-prepare sessions for tomorrow because of the lack of electricity. How the Lord works in mysterious ways. Maybe next time, though.
