Teach English in Baihou Zhen - Meizhou Shi

This unit covered teaching methodologies, basic lesson planning, and correction. The various EFL teaching methods were described, with notes about pros and cons of each. The ESA method was introduced, which combines aspects of all the previously mentioned methodologies. The ESA method stands for \"Engage, Study, Activate,\" and it is used because it is flexible and keeps teacher talk time low. During the Engage stage, students are \"warmed up\" and encouraged to speak as much as possible. This stage usually involves games and little correction. During the Study stage, the teacher usually presents the concept/words to be learned, and the students are given activities or exercises to demonstrate and use the language form. The Activate Stage should come last, and it involves activities where the students are independently using the new language and incorporating it in with their previously learned language. The Straight Arrow, Boomerang, and Patchwork lesson plans are three different types of ESA lessons that can be chosen from depending on the level of the students and which concept will be introduced during that lesson. The unit presented various ideas for the Engage, Study, and Activate stages of the lesson. The final part of the unit covered when and how to correct students at the different stages of the lesson. It covered the differences between mistakes and errors and gave some common correction symbols for written work. In this unit, I learned the basic form of a lesson plan and what elements are most effective for teaching and encouraging students to participate and engage in the lesson. I also learned appropriate correction techniques for both oral and written work. The ESA method seems very flexible and allows the students to learn the language both directly from the teacher and from their own discovery.