Robert Crosland's South American Odyssey Part 8

The historical centre of Quito

It should be pretty clear that I had an unforgettable experience in Ecuador due to the fun and supportive teaching environment, the outstanding diversity of the country and the sheer beauty of Cuenca, which I was proud to refer to as my home for a year. Nonetheless, an English teacher considering making the move to Ecuador needs to consider the downsides. Low rates of pay can be an issue for some English teachers in Cuenca, so I would recommend that anyone thinking of teaching English there brings a reasonable amount of savings ($2000 perhaps). This would ensure a higher standard of living in Cuenca, and the possibility to travel extensively around Ecuador. I hope you enjoyed reading about my experiences, and if you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Robert Crosland (robc_89@hotmail.co.uk)

Robert Crosland's South American Odyssey Part 7

My students

A wide range of courses are offered by the English programme including regular classes which follow the attitude curriculum, children’s classes, a conversation club, tutorials customised by the student to fit their needs, and preparation for exams such as the TOEFL. This variety of courses creates an excellent learning environment for both the student and teacher. Finally, the school itself is well-resourced with a plethora of materials for each level, photocopiers which rarely broke while I was there and simple yet pleasant teaching rooms.

I generally had a rich experience teaching English at CEDEI, due to the high level of support offered by my colleagues. New teachers are assigned a mentor with whom they meet regularly to discuss progress and concerns. Furthermore, a lead teacher can always be found in one of the buildings to provide support when necessary. During each 10-week cycle there are several workshops which cover a range of topics including student discipline, activities and how to teach particular skills such as reading. Due to the wide range of courses on offer and the sheer number of students, inevitably the teaching schedules varied significantly. I was fairly lucky with my teaching schedules, but split shifts can be expected as well as a Saturday class in at least one cycle per year. Teachers are usually given three or four classes to begin with. For example, two regular afternoon classes from 15h00-16h15 and 16h30-17h45 Monday to Thursday, and a Saturday class from 08h30-12h30. As this is only 14 hours a week, teachers often take extra classes and tutorials to increase their workload and pay.

In truth, the only real downside of CEDEI is the hourly wage of $6.50 which makes it very difficult to live comfortably without teaching a lot of classes. If you teach about 25 hours a week, you will earn just over $700 a month, which does not go that far even in a city as affordable as Cuenca, so many teachers work at least 30 hours a week in order to live more comfortably. I personally believe you need about $800 a month to live well in Cuenca, but this still does not include any travelling costs. Indeed, there are two week vacations between each cycle in CEDEI whereby there are no regular classes, but these are not paid. Therefore, teachers need to take tutorials or give placement tests in these weeks if they wish to see a pay cheque. Otherwise, a healthy savings account is necessary. Overall, the wages offered by CEDEI are lower than those offered by many language schools in Quito, the capital city, and Guayaquil where $10 an hour is definitely attainable. Nevertheless, in my opinion Cuenca is a more desirable place to live. Overall, South America is not a teaching destination where one can make a lot of money, but teachers do enjoy a rich cultural experience.

Robert Crosland's South American Odyssey Part 6

The garden space outside the school

While living in Cuenca I worked for a language school called the Center for Intermerican Studies (CEDEI). CEDEI is an academic institution dedicated to the study of American languages and cultures. Throughout the year there was always a buzzinginternational atmosphere, as students and teachers from a range of European and American countries participated in their respective language, dance or cooking courses.

The English programme itself is well developed and there are currently 700 students of all ages and levels. The majority of the students are teenagers, but I also had the opportunity to teach some adult classes. The teenage classes were challenging at first, because my students during the TESOL course were all highly motivated adults often with clearly defined goals. Some of my students at CEDEI did not share this motivation, but I had to empathise with them as I was hardly an enthusiastic language learner when I was a teenager. However, teenage classes were also very rewarding at times, due to the students enthusiastic approach to games and activities.

Robert Crosland's South American Odyssey Part 5

Montañita and Canoa

In the north of the mountainous sierra, a wide range of adventure sports can be enjoyed in Baños de Ambato, and just around the corner is Puyo, a town linking the sierra to the Amazon jungle.

Canyoning in Baños

Ecuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, and each of its four regions, the sierra, the coast, the Amazon jungle and the Galapagos, can be clearly marked by their distinct climates, cultures and physical appearances. Although Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city which is located in the coast, is only a three hour bus journey away from Cuenca, the differences between the climate, the people and the dialect are vast.

Las peñas in Guayaquil

My favourite activity while I was living in Ecuador was actually learning Spanish, and the regional differences never failed to impress/amuse me. Cuenca in particular is a great place to learn Spanish as it is spoken very clearly there, which is not always the case in the coastal region. The school where I worked provided teachers with free Spanish lessons every week, but most of my learning came from spending time with my local friends, who were always more than happy to help me.

Robert Crosland's South American Odyssey Part 4

I already mentioned that Cuenca is generally a very clean city, especially when I compare it to some cities in South East Asia which I had visited before coming to Ecuador. However, noise and air pollution can be an issue in the centre of the city due to the sheer number of buses and taxis passing through, so it is important that teachers choose the location of their accommodation wisely. Travellers to Ecuador are often concerned about security, and sadly crime levels have increased throughout Ecuador in recent years. However, Cuenca holds a reputation as one of Ecuador’s safest cities, and I believe that this title is deserved. While petty crime certainly exists, in one year I never heard of any fellow teachers, or local friends, experiencing violent crime. With common sense and standard safety precautions, one can have a very safe and enjoyable time in Cuenca.

What Ecuador lacks in size, it makes up for in diversity. Indeed, anyone teaching English here will be spoilt for choice in terms of the activities offered by this fascinating country. In addition to visiting the colonial cities, I used to enjoy comparing the anything goes nature of Montañita, a lively beach town on the southern pacific coast that is popular with tourists from all over the world, with Canoa, which is far more rustic and tranquil.

Robert Crosland's South American Odyssey Part 3

Some pictures of my studio apartment

Prospective English teachers who are considering looking for work in Cuenca will be pleased to hear that it is not a difficult place to live in. Firstly, the cost of living is still very low. One can easily rent a furnished studio apartment here for $200 a month.

It is of course much cheaper if you live with other teachers or locals. Generally you should expect to pay between $80-$120 a month to rent a room in a house or apartment. Cuenca is also a great place to eat out, and I have enjoyed many delicious and healthy almuerzos (set lunches) in the locally run restaurants located throughout the city. One personal recommendation is Cafe Moliendo, where for $2.50 you can expect soup for starters, a main course with a tender cut of beef, avocado, salad and hearty arepas (maize pancake), and a fresh glass of maracuyá (yellow passion fruit). It is even cheaper to cook for yourself if you take advantage of the local markets. I usually spent about $150 a month to feed myself. Foreigners are generally pleased to see how far their money can go in Ecuador. The only exception is electrical goods which are as expensive, if not more, than those purchased in Europe or the United states.

Robert Crosland's South American Odyssey Part 2

The historical centre of Cuenca

Inside the National Bank

In addition, it is also a modern city. Although I was definitely a little naive when I arrived in Cuenca, I remember finding it difficult to believe that I was actually in South America, and subsequent travels to other parts of the country confirmed that this is a city both charming and cosmopolitan. Despite being a relatively small city, with a little under 500,000 inhabitants, one can find a huge range of restaurants serving local and international dishes, large shopping malls equipped with all the designer brands (and the expected price tags), and a thriving nightlife served by bars and nightclubs. Here a young and stylish crowd enjoy an eclectic mixture of international floor fillers, Salsa and Meringue. Furthermore, trendy art galleries and excellent museums reflect Cuenca’s status as Ecuador’s cultural capital.

Indeed, Cuenca is becoming a popular retirement destinations, because it combines colonial beauty with an exciting, modern atmosphere.

Robert Crosland's South American Odyssey

Robert Crosland, one of Tefl Lab London trainee teachers, recently returned from Cuenca in Ecuador after teaching there for a year. He wrote about his experience there and he has kindly let us publish it on the Tefl Lab London blog. Any trainee planning to travel and teach in South America should read this as it is a very accurate portrayal of just what life is like for a TEFL teacher in South America.

With a beautiful historical centre, a mild year round climate and welcoming people, there is no doubt that Cuenca is an excellent choice for aspiring English teachers. Even after spending one year in this city, I was still impressed by the magnificent colonial architecture as I walked through the city centre, and the proud residents who worked hard to keep their city streets spotless. I still believe that Cuenca is the most beautiful city I have seen in South America.

Silent Pronunciation Modelling 18th January Tefl Lab

Hi

I will be hosting an IPA session on silent modelling of the vowels and consonants in English. I would love to see you all there on the 18th January at 6.30pm or thereabouts.

My method is taken from what is called 'Silent Way' the brainchild of Caleb Gattegno. Adrian Underhill has successfully utilised this method and teaches using the silent model. This workshop will essentially model what he does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5RekixAMoM

Here is a link to how Adrian approaches the IPA and silent modelling.

The central question is; Is teaching pronunciation a physical act or a mental act? Grammar and lexis are often seen as mental representations of language and teachers find these 'easier to teach' than aspects of phonology. Teachers (especially non native teachers) find the teaching of pronunciation difficult. Often trainee teachers find drilling a difficult technique to master for a wide variety of reasons and often don't see the utility of it during a preliminary training course. Language learners across the world know though that drilling makes a big difference to their mastery of language.

We will discuss silent modelling and a whole lot more. I would like to talk to you about aspects of phonology such as prosody, contrastive and lexical stress and the role of teaching intonation- this is a particular challenge. I believe there is no consistent approach to teaching intonation. ELT literature offers nothing accessible to the English language teacher. We all know our learners need explicit help with intonation but there is little if not nothing on how to teach it and improve our learners ability in this area.

Here is a good website to get an idea about Silent way and improving the teaching of pronunciation

http://www.pronsci.com/

I look forward to seeing you there.

Will Tichener

Why Listen and repeat does not work

This post from pronsci clarifies the message about listen and repeat.

http://www.pronsci.com/pronsci-approach/why-listen-repeat-doesn-t-work/

Why Listen & Repeat doesn't work

All around the world, pronunciation is taught using the ‘Listen and Repeat’ (L&R) model: the student is asked to listen to his teacher or to a recording, and then asked to repeat what he hears. Many students cannot do this successfully, but even those who can find that it doesn’t have a lasting effect on the way they speak.

This is because L&R misdirects the student's attention. Instead of focussing on what he is doing with his speech articulators and what the acoustic effect is, he is trying to copy an acoustic image. That copying process is attempted using good, bad or indifferent skills that he learnt in the past, but whatever his level of success he is not left with any insight into the mechanics of the pronunciation of the new language. He has little to take away with him at the end of the process.

Those few students who do emerge with good pronunciation from L&R classes do so because they subvert the process: they practise on their own, they watch what they are doing with themselves, and so on. The good results they achieve are achievable by all, if only we encourage these behaviours in everyone.

How we speak and breath....where does stress come from?

Here is an activity from Piers Messum and Roslyn Young. They are both members of a special interest group that discuss issues relating to pronunciation. I have added it to our blog as I think it is interesting and relevant for trainee teachers.

The issue that they have been discussing in general is whether it is a good idea to teach students pronunciation with a 'listen and repeat' model. This is the primary method used in EFL throughout the world. They question its utility. We will start with the idea of stress and timing.

1 When we speak we're normally unaware of how we control our breath (our

`speech breathing'). But in extreme circumstances, it's more apparent.

Try

saying a nursery rhyme (like `Jack and Jill went up the hill, to fetch a

pail of

water') in a loud whisper. Try saying it after breathing out almost all

of the

air that you can. (It may help to stand up for this exercise.)

a) What can you feel in the muscles around your waist?

Now go back to normal breathing and make a string of short /s/ sounds at

different rates. 4 per second, 2 per second and 1 per second.

b) What can you feel in each case in the muscles around your waist?

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/iatefl_pronsig/message/916

The idea behind the first exercise was for people to become a bit more

aware of what they do with their respiratory systems during speech.

Technically, this is known as speech breathing (SB), although the name

is a bit imprecise: we're only really concerned with the control of

expiratory ventilation rather than breathing as a whole.

When we speak under normal conditions, we use voluntary muscular

activity to inhale. Pulling down the diaphragm and expanding the ribcage

opens up our lungs, and air flows in. The muscular activity stretches

the stiff, elastic tissue in our chest walls and as we decrease the

voluntary effort this tissue creates pressure inside us as it starts to

recoil. The situation is not dissimilar to a balloon, where the elastic

skin compresses the air inside.

The pressure this creates is more or less sufficient to drive the vocal

folds and create other sounds sources in the mouth (explosions for /p/

and /t/ etc). As we `deflate' we add a bit of pressure through

voluntary muscular activity, but for normal speech we really don't

need to do much that is active with our respiratory systems. There's

a constant pressure under our vocal folds, and all the interesting

things in speech happen from the vocal folds upwards.

This changes under extreme conditions, or when we don't speak

normally. If you tried to say a train of /s/ sounds at different rates,

you probably found that at 4 per second your SB was as it is during

normal speech. But at 1 per second, you were actively compressing

yourself for each sound, and relaxing between sounds. Let's call

that a pulsatile style of SB, since you were breathing out in pulses.

Clearly your SB can be either `smooth' or `pulsatile'

even if it is normally smooth.

This is leading up to a discussion of stress. How do speakers create

routine (rather than emphatic) prominence on some syllables in English?

Among phoneticians, there's disagreement about this and disagreement

in the data. Traditionally, phoneticians said that speakers put more

respiratory system effort into stressed syllables. Some data from the

1970's challenged this, and now there are people who believe that

stress is largely created by a vocal fold adjustment (more tension means

a louder signal) plus lengthening of the syllable, while others think

that it is caused by SB pulsatility which leads to greater loudness and

length automatically.

This affects us as teachers, because it has implications for how we

should teach stress. If stress is no more than greater loudness and

length, we might be best teaching it by getting students to copy

acoustic models.

But if it involves more effort being made by the respiratory system, we

should probably start with this, and get the extra loudness and length

as a by-product of the correct actions being made by the learner.

The extra information which, we think, resolves this dilemma is

something that phoneticians have paid no attention to: the SB of

English-speaking children during the period when they learn to stress

syllables. I looked at this as part of my PhD research, and it turns out

be very significant.

Children have compliant, floppy tissue in their chest walls, not stiff

tissue. So when they breathe in and stretch this tissue there is very

little pressure created by its weak tendency to recoil. If an

adult's lungs are like an inflated balloon at the end of

inspiration, a child's is like an inflated paper bag: full of air,

but not pressurised.

Also, children can't make syllables louder just by tweaking their

vocal folds ( in the way that adults can). They have to increase their

respiratory drive for greater loudness.

So for children learning English, stress has to be the result of

pulsatile SB activity.They are making more effort on every prominent

syllable than on other ones. Stress is something they do with their

respiratory systems and larynx in combination, not just an acoustic

effect they copy with a small adjustment of their vocal folds.

This post would get very long if I went into more detail about this now,

and I think it would be better to see if what I have written so far is

clear to everyone and what questions and thoughts, if any, it

precipitates before we go any further.

The proposal, though, is that stress can and should be taught

non-imitatively: by getting students to do something active with their

respiratory systems for a stressed syllable, and for the result to be

louder and longer as a result of this. Concurrent activities like using

some other part of the body in synchrony with the stressing may be

helpful, but in this case let's get to the core of the matter and

help students to make stress in as `natural' a way as possible:

with their respiratory systems, as phoneticians in the past always used

to recommend.

Piers Messum