VESL.org

Volunteer Feedback : Alisdair Smith

Ian — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:00:31 +0000

"The teaching was great fun and, as someone with little prior experience, I would definitely say that it’s not as scary as you might think!" Alisdair Smith, Volunteer in Thailand, 2011

A review of 2011

Ian — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:23:23 +0000

2011 has certainly been a busy year for VESL… here are a few highlights from the year : Kerala We had great success with our new programme working in schools within fishing communities in Kerala (South India). All of this year’s volunteers did a magnificent job in helping to lay down the foundations of this programme. [...]

Volunteer Case-Study : A Day in the Life

Ian — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:00:33 +0000

"We made a difference by teaching English to children who live in poor conditions and seeing them improve day-by-day in their English language as well as having fun, smiling and laughing with happiness was a joy every day." Emma Powell, Thailand, 2010-11

Songs : Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Kath — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:00:20 +0000

Songs are a great way of learning a language. They help with pronunciation, vocabulary and rhythm. And kids (and adults) love them! Particularly if there are actions to go with them! The kids really won’t mind how terrible you are. Trust me, I’m terrible and they still ask me to sing (again, and again, and [...]

Volunteer Case-Study : Chiang Rai, Thailand

Ian — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:00:37 +0000

"It is surprising how quick we settled in. Everyone was so helpful and caring." Caley Vye, Thailand, 2010-11

Volunteer Case-Study : Thailand

Ian — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:00:56 +0000

"I cannot think of a better way to spend my summer... it will be an experience you will always remember" Emma Warrington, Thailand, 2010

Fundraising Tip : Dinner Party

Kath — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:59:34 +0000

Here’s a great tip for fundraising beginners : I found that hosting a dinner party at home for friends and family was a great way to help me raise a little money and also helped to build confidence in talking to people about where I’d be going, what I hoped to achieve, and crucially – [...]

Effects of Short-term Volunteering on Qualified Teachers

Ian — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:00:11 +0000

The Society of Educational Studies (SES) funded VESL to undertake a research project looking at the effects on attitudes and practice of teachers undertaking voluntary projects overseas. ‘Global Educators’ Report Summary Schools and teachers are increasingly being asked to use a global outlook in the classroom, and to appreciate the issues of identities and diversity [...]

Student Talk Time

Kath — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:28:28 +0000

Increasing student talk time is a very valuable thing to do in a second language classroom. Here are a few ways of helping to make that happen. Ensure that all students have the relevant vocabulary for the lesson. In this example we had been looking at places in town: bank, hotel, museum, library, police station, [...]

Bargaining

Kath — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:00:19 +0000

A normal part of daily life In many places bargaining is a normal part of daily life but it can be hard for foreigners to get used to. It’s difficult to get over the feeling that you’re being rude or that you might insult someone, however, bargaining is the usual medium of exchange and people [...]

ESL Letter Cards

Kath — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:00:49 +0000

My favourite teaching resource is letter cards. They are cheap and easy to make. They’re versatile and the kids love them. What you Need: A list of words Coloured card (4 or 6 different colours depending on how many sets you’d like to make) Black marker pen You can also do it with white card [...]

Use a Dictionary

Kath — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:00:21 +0000

English is my native language. In fact, English is my only language. I studied English through secondary school and did English Literature as part of my University degree. I have a TEFL certificate. And when I teach English I take a dictionary with me to every lesson. Many teachers of English abroad (particularly in Sri [...]

Help! I Don’t Understand What People Are Saying!

Kath — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:00:55 +0000

Sometimes you will have trouble understanding the people around you. It might be your host family or the other teachers at the school or your students or the bus conductors or the people in the shop or just about anyone. There are things you can do to make it easier. Ask Them To Slow Down [...]

Help! People Don’t Understand What I’m Saying!

Kath — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:00:42 +0000

Sometimes the people you are talking to when you’re overseas will have trouble understanding you. It might be your host family or the other teachers at the school or your students or the bus conductors or the people in the shop or just about anyone. There are things you can do to make life easier. [...]