Interlude - A year in the Khmerde part 3

For almost 2 years now I've been living and teaching in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and have recently come to the decision to take 3 months out and see what happens. Caution: a self-indulgent navel-gazing post will follow. So, what am I going to do?

Give the job a rest.

My teaching job, which I have loved, is getting repetitive. It also involves teaching every evening, which a priori I don't mind, but means I don't get to enjoy the early evening in Siem Reap, which is a lovely time.

Freelance it for a while.

I've got a blogging job that pays the rent. Other projects to investigate: translation, tuition, copywriting, publishing (another) Kindle book...

Try volunteering.

So many people come to Cambodia to volunteer that it feels a little selfish to work for money. On the lookout for volunteering opportunities! Much is said about the destructive effects of voluntourism, so I would like to find something constructive and valuable to do.

Write more.

Ideas are going through my head all the time, but it seems that teaching pre-intermediate English for extended periods of time tends to shrink my vocabulary. Mission: rediscover words. Put fingers to keyboard and let something into the world.

Relax.

Is a meditation retreat a ridiculous thing to do? Maybe it is, but the option is there. Also on the menu: massages, swimming, soaking up some UV rays. But you know what? I'm actually bored of yoga.

Exercise.

I've been running about twice since I've been here, filling the void with workout videos that achieve a lot of sweat but (probably) not much else. With the cool, dry season approaching and my Vibrams gathering dust, now's the time to fix that.

Go somewhere.

No, I don't know where, but I would like to visit pretty much every country in Asia. Problem: too much choice.

Study.

My Khmer needs to be improved more. I think that once more, teaching English has interfered with my ability to speak Khmer since my aim has been to stop my students speaking Khmer in the classroom and make them speak English. Now the tides can turn, and it'll be me making myself speak the foreign language. Other than that, I have vague notions of studying journalism and teaching myself more about Wordpress.

Relocate.

It should be said that a big reason for my position at the crossroads is that my partner and colleague is moving to Phnom Penh for work and study. I'm not completely convinced about living there, so I'm going to test the water first and see what happens. Relocating in a hurry sucks, so I'm going to take my time and do all of the above first!

Be unique! - Intermediate grammar revision game

This is a grammar revision game that alleviates some of the tedium of a gapfill exercise! It revises general verb tenses and forms.

You will need:
One copy of the worksheet per group of 2-3 students

Procedure (20-25 minutes total)

• Use your favourite student grouping method to make groups of 2-3 students.
• Give one copy of the worksheet to each group.
• In their group, students fill each gap with any appropriate word. Allow 10-15 minutes.
• As a class, check the answers. I like to do this with small whiteboards that students can reveal all at the same time. Groups score 1 point for a correctly used word, and 1 bonus point for a unique answer (that none of the other teams used).

Enjoy!

Song lesson - Magic - Rude

This is a song lesson I used with my intermediate Cambodian students. It worked well because they enjoy the song and it lends itself to a little follow-up discussion. Without further ado...

You will need
One copy of the worksheet per student 
Mp3 or Youtube clip of the song 'Rude'

Procedure

• Students listen to the song 1-2 times and circle the correct words 1-10.
• Follow up with True/False questions.
• Students in small groups discuss the question of what the singer should do about the situation (try to persuade the parents? Run away with his girlfriend? Take his parents' advice and find another girl? etc...)

Click HERE to download the worksheet for free!

Titanic reported speech activity - free printable worksheet

This is an activity I made to practice reported speech. First students listen to fill gaps in Titanic dialog, then they use prompts to create reported speech sentences.

This went down fantastically with my intermediate Cambodian students who love Titanic.

 
You will need:
An audio or movie clip of Titanic where Jack and Rose are clinging to the wreckage of the Titanic (the "I'll never let go" scene). 

One copy of the worksheet per student.

Click here to download the worksheet for FREE

Link opens with Google docs - no sign in required. You can then print and use as required

Perfect day song lesson (free printable worksheet)

This is one I often get out at the end of term. It's mellow, relaxing and lends itself nicely to a pleasant discussion. Plus, this song is so perfect that I never get sick of it, even if I use it for all of my lessons over a couple of days. You're going to reap just what you sow repeated at the end - at once reassuring and cautionary. Perfect, bittersweet, the languorous piano, the slightly uneasy strings, the strings, the strings.

I probably like it a lot more than the students do. Well, never mind.

Materials
Mp3 or Youtube clip of the song.
1 copy of the worksheet per student.

Time
Approx 45 minutes.

Procedure

1. Lead in. Write "a perfect day" on the board. Ask the students: what's your perfect day? If you had a day where you didn't have to work or go to school, what would you like to do the most?

2. First listen: gist task. The students listen to hear what activities the singer mentions doing on his perfect day. (Going to the zoo, watching a movie, drinking sangria in the park, going home with someone...)

3. Second listen: minimal response task. Hand out the worksheet. The students circle the word that they hear. Check unfamiliar vocabulary, and discuss the meaning of "reaping what you sow".

4. Productive follow-up: Ask the students to imagine that a foreign friend is visiting them this weekend, and plan a perfect day. Where will they go, what will they do? etc.

Click here to get the FREE worksheet.

(Link opens in Google docs, you can then download, save and print as required)

Life after the CELTA - 5 things I learned in my first year of teaching

January 2015 marks my first anniversary of teaching English in Cambodia, and I've learned a few things along the way. There have been moments of confusion, seas of blank faces, tedium and repetition, as well as (fortunately) nice surprises, unexpected insights into local life, and the satisfaction of developing a rapport with my students and getting better at my job (maybe). Looking back, here are a few things I've learned in the first year (as much for my own self-indulgence as anyone else's benefit).

1. You can't elicit what they don't know.
Sounds obvious now, but the focus during the CELTA was so much on eliciting that at first I stumbled when the students didn't know something that I was trying to elicit. I had put more effort into planning how to elicit something, than planning how to teach it. Lesson learned: your job is teacher, not eliciter!

2. You don't need to plan to the minute.
Start and finish at the right time, yes. Plan to spend 2 minutes explaining a task, allow 8 minutes for the students to complete the task, predict 5 minutes for answer-checking and feedback... no. In practice, you quickly learn that lessons don't work like that, in the same way that life doesn't work like that. An activity might take more or less time than you thought, depending on a multitude of factors: the mood of the students, the ability of the class, unexpected vocabulary questions, and so on. Students might not have a lot to say about the discussion questions you planned, or on the other hand they might take a topic and run with it. If an activity is taking longer than planned and the students are enjoying it and being productive, you can always cut something else and give it for homework or save it for the next lesson. But if the lesson is running too fast, then...

3. Always have something extra up your sleeve.

Or somewhere. Hee hee.

Maybe the students whip through an activity much more quickly than you thought. Maybe you planned 10 minutes of discussion, but they've finished after 5 and have nothing else to say. Maybe the unthinkable happens, technology fails or an activity falls flat and has to be abandoned. Always have an optional extra activity on standby. It could be extra exercises on a grammar point, extra discussion questions, a spelling race or vocabulary game, a mini quiz, or revision of something from a previous lesson. As you get more experienced, you build a bank of go-to fillers that can be adapted for any situation. It's better to have an extra activity and not use it, than run out of activities early. What you don't want is that awkward moment where you have 20 minutes left of the lesson, you've got no more material, and all you can think of on the spot is a Hangman tournament. Uh-oh.

4. Don't panic if it doesn't go right first time.
As a new teacher, it's easy to get distraught if an activity flops or if a student asks a question you just can't answer off the bat. But then you realise that it's not the end of the world. You can work out what went wrong, or check that weird grammar point so that you know it better for next time. You never know exactly how something's going to work until you try it, so don't be discouraged from trying new things. Over time you can refine techniques and tweak lesson plans so that activities run properly and you are prepared for the 'usual questions'.

"Teacher, have you got Facebook?"

5. Don't rush feedback sessions.
You've planned a fun and quick answer checking session and plan to whip through it in five minutes so that you can get on with the next activity. But then a student asks but why is that the answer? and it's a little bit tempting to answer because it just is, OK? However these are valuable opportunities for you to clarify a grammar point or explain an exception to a rule; and if one student asked the question, it means that several of them were probably wondering the same thing. If they don't understand the reasoning behind the answer, they risk making the same mistakes over and over again. Don't forget that feedback sessions are a great time to clear up confusion, and not just a hoop to jump through.

It Must Have Been Love - a song lesson for perfect modal verbs (free printable worksheet)

It's a new year, a new term, and time to teach perfect modal verbs of probability again. What a clunky term for something so straightforward. I usually refer to them as shoulda, woulda, coulda, which is another song, but not the one I've made a worksheet on.

I used to use this song as a warmer or lead-in to perfect modals, which was usually met with a lack of enthusiasm. I was about to stop using it but thought I'd move it to the end of the lesson as a last-ditch attempt at making it work, and this time it inspired singing along and some animated discussions. Well, go figure!



Lesson plan

Time: 35 mins
Resources needed: one copy of the worksheet per student. Mp3 or Youtube clip of the song.

1. Gist task. Write the question on the board:
Is this song about:
a. a happy relationship?
b. a relationship that is going to end soon?
c. a relationship that has already ended?

2. First listen. Students listen and compare their answers to the gist task in pairs before OCFB. Elicit the title of the song "It must have been love" and check that they understand this structure is referring to the past.

3. Second listen - minimal response task. Hand out the worksheet. Students listen again and circle the correct word.

4. Productive follow-up. Discussing in pairs, students imagine the story of what happened to the couple. Encourage them to use could/might/must have etc. Eg: they must have had a fight. He might have cheated on her. They can't have been happy together. Write particularly good examples on the board.

Click here to get the worksheet FREE

(Link opens in Google Docs, you can then download, save and print as required)

Why I'm still in Siem Reap - a year in the Khmerde part 2

12 months ago I was getting ready to up sticks and move to Cambodia to teach English as a Foreign Language at a private English academy in Siem Reap. Initially my contract was for 6 months but obviously I ended up staying - and I have no intention to move away yet. Having just finished my fourth term, and sitting in a hotel in Phnom Penh with all the room-service coffee I can drink, I've got the time to reflect on the year and the reasons why I've got so attached to my life in Siem Reap.

1. The sleepy pace of life. There's not that much to do here compared with larger cities. Enthusiasts of yoga, photography or cycling will find enough to do; otherwise most leisure activities revolve around eating and drinking. Some people find that's not stimulating enough, but personally I find it relaxing. I have a fairly light teaching schedule, which allows plenty of time for getting massages, drinking coconuts, reading books, studying Khmer, taking yoga classes, having the best intentions of getting up early to go for a run, a bit of voluntary teaching/tutoring (but not enough - resolution for 2015...) writing for Kindle and having a blogging job on the side.

Mondulkiri: elephants are available

2. It's a (fairly) good jumping-off point for travel in SE Asia. You can get from Siem Reap to Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh or Pakse swiftly by plane or slowly (but cheaply) by bus. Flights to Indonesia, Malaysia, China or the Philippines are not extremely cheap, but reasonable. However Cambodia's roads are bad so it takes a disproportionate amount of time to get anywhere by bus, and night buses carry the risk of breakdowns, crashes and theft of personal items (whether from the baggage hold or from your pockets while you sleep). If you're serious about finding the most ideal hub for SE Asia travel, then Bangkok might be a better bet, but Siem Reap does the job for me. I've travelled to Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh, Mondulkiri, Phnom Penh and Koh Rong this year without any particular trouble (most were solo trips).

3. Rapport with students. Terms at my school are 3 months, and we get a different set of classes each term. This means that with each passing term, I have a growing number of students I used to teach, who greet me with an excited "Hello teacher!" whenever I see them in the corridor. It can be disorienting to get a new set of students every 3 months, but once you've put in the work to break the ice and develop a rapport, the students repay you with loyalty and a sense of belonging to a community.

This class is awesome.

4. There are a few things I miss... Proper sandwiches. Khmer sandwiches ruin perfectly good baguettes by filling them with pickled vegetables and dodgy processed meat and drowning it all in watery sauce. I miss proper cookies, the big chewy freshly-baked kind. Bakeries abound in Siem Reap, but cookies are just never the right texture dammit. In general, I miss fair-quality products at a fixed, reasonable price. Over-haggling in the markets feels mean-spirited, so I probably tend to overpay for items of uncertain quality. Branded items are only available in the supermarkets, and they're overpriced anyway. Fake branded goods are rife, so you can't always be sure what you're getting. I also miss clothes that come in different sizes. I'm petite back home, but the clothes here are made for elves. I miss H＆M. Yes, I know their clothes are manufactured here but they export all the non-elf-sized ones, meaning I have to go to another country to get them.

5. ...but some things I don't miss at all. Queues in the post office. Christmas hype and the annual 'overcommercialisation' whinge. The M25. Drizzle, fog, frost, hail, de-icing the car. Squabbling over the central heating. Sitting for 8 hours a day in front of the same computer, pretending to be busy to keep your team leader off your case. Rail replacement buses. People banging on about reality TV (are celebrities still getting dunked in vats of bugs in the jungle? I have no idea!). Car tax, car insurance, MOTs, and paying £1.30 for a litre of petrol. The persistent, insidious influence of advertisers and the government trying to tell you what to do.

Overall I'm still happy with my decision to live and work in Cambodia, and don't think I'll leave until something drastic changes. Settling into a new culture has been a challenge but full of nice surprises. I look back on the year with a feeling of contentment, and forward to 2015 with excitement.

Suosdey bong! The first 10 phrases to know in Khmer

If you're planning a trip to Cambodia for business or pleasure, you should learn a few key phrases so that you can be polite to the local people you meet. Don't worry too much about pronunciation at first - Cambodian people are warm and friendly, and many will just appreciate you making an effort.

1. Suosdey = hello

A friendly greeting. Variations: Arun suosdey = good morning, reatrey suosdey = goodnight.

2. Jom reap suar = hello (formal)

A more formal way to say hello, to someone in a position of authority or an older person.

3. Sok sabai = how are you?

Literally: are you safe and happy? It can also be used when saying goodbye to someone, by way of wishing them well.

4. Knyom sok sabai, joh neak wenh? = I'm fine, how are you?

Note: neak is an informal word for you, and should only be used with friends. To show more respect to someone you don't know, use bong.

Try it on a tuk tuk driver.

5. Baat/cha = yes

Say baat if you're a man, and cha if you're a woman.

6. Ort dte = no

The same for both genders.

7. Som = please

Use it at the start of a sentence when asking for something, for example som kiet luy = bill please

8. Or kun = thank you

Or kun jran means thank you very much.

9. Som dtos = sorry

Use it to apologise or to say excuse me.

10. lia haie = goodbye

The formal version is jom reap lia.

Want to learn more? Why not invest in my Cambodian (Khmer) Phrasebook for Kindle. It contains all the key phrases for starting to learn the Cambodian language. Translations were provided and checked by native speakers. What's more, $1 for every copy sold is donated to Kantha Bopha hospitals who do amazing work for women and children in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Go to Amazon for more details or to download your free sample today.

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Process writing/present passive video lessons

Process writing can show up as an IELTS writing task, so it's important for IELTS students to know how to describe a process. However, these videos are also handy for reviewing or practicing the present passive with intermediates and up.

Procedure

1. Warmer: I like to use the "X is made from X" warmer. Students in groups of 2-3 have to brainstorm sentences using this model, for example "Cheese is made from milk", "Pencils are made from wood", etc. The group with the most will be the winner.

2. Review the passive form: subject + is/are + v3. Check the meaning. Does the cheese make something or does someone make the cheese? Does it say who makes the cheese? Why not? (The subject does not do the action, but receives it. It is not necessary to say who does the action because we are more interested in the results.)

3. Explain that you are going to watch a video about how something is made. Elicit any predictions or prior knowledge from the students.

4. Students watch the video and take notes on the process, especially any passive sentences they hear.

5. Check unfamiliar vocabulary and watch again if necessary.

6. Students in pairs construct passive sentences describing the process.

7. Have students write their sentences on the board and correct errors with the class.

8. Students write up the process in full to be handed in and marked.

Videos to use

Processes are an ideal context for the present passive, so you can easily find lesson material by typing "how [anything] is made" into YouTube according to your students' interests. Here are some I've tried before.

1. How ice cream is made

A slightly dated educational BBC clip. My students weren't thrilled by it, but it worked for the lesson.

2. How orange juice is made

They liked this one more. Lesson I learnt: don't use clips that are older than your students. 

3. How bread is made

Weirdly hypnotic.

4. How olive oil is made

Delicious.

5. How glass is made

Quite interesting.

Happy process writing!