SAM G BENNETTS

PROFESSIONALLY TEFL Teacher Lecturer. Business English Specialist MATURITA English Coach American college admissions and SAT cramming IN A PAST LIFE Coffee shop ownerModel Failed Art Dealer Magazine Publisher IN MY FREE TIME Keen paddleboarder Building a cottage for sustainable living off grid Dog lover Keen Gardener.

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Certification and diplomas

The question are what point grading and teaching towards exams is necessary is a complex and tricky one - often dependent on the individual or dynamic of a specific group. While some are highly motivated by study for exams and enjoy marking their progress this way, others find the pressure causes anxiety and is detrimental to their general learning. As most people will only ever be asked for their highest certificate in a given subject I generally avoid exams for people until it becomes essential. The most successful education system in the world Finland gives no grades at all to any student under the age of the 13. Nonetheless most students enjoy receiving participation certificates and as often the biggest gift a native speaker can give is to inspire students with the confidence to speak in a foreign language without fear. 

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Third Culture Kids (TCKs)

An increasing challenge to educators in Central Europe is the rising number of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) who have parents from multiple cultures or who have grown up in multiple cultures.  In todays interconnected world it is increasingly common to meet small children, teenagers and adults who have a Italian mother, American father, went to Kindergarten at an International School in Singapore, Primary school for a few years in Belgium and a few years in Qatar, secondary school in Germany and University in Copenhagen. The unique set of challenges this poses can favour group lessons where English is the language of instruction or in some cases individual tuition. It can also need a network of English speaking tutors specialising in different subjects especially in the cases of refugees or students returning to the state education system who do not speak the language of instruction. Many young people acquire excellent English while living abroad while young only for it to stagnate or decline if not adequately supported on their return to their home country. Others my find themselves competent in several languages but truly fluent in none...

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Roundtable discussions

With young adults and older learners traditional notions of teacher and student are best dispensed with, especially when dealing with complex matters of marketing, economic theory, literature or philosophy. Many of these subjects are best deal with in small seminar groups in university coffee shops or bars. In these situations I prefer to utilise a system of problem based learning (PBL), where a theoretical problem is posed and the group work together to use the material they have studied at home to tackle the problem. In these situations the teacher should act as a guide eliciting suggestions, posing socratic questions and suggesting vocabulary to better explain a concept.

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Workshops for teachers

Over the last 13 years I have had the pleasure of participating in numerous workshops alongside fellow teachers where we have exchanged ideas, techniques, anecdotes and games.  Particularly enjoyable are the multinational events where we compare the different operating environments in different state education systems as well as different cultural attitudes to second language acquisition. A valuable part of my professional practice is working with Primary, Secondary and University teachers to discuss the pros and cons of an entirely English based learning environment. Many people in Central and Eastern Europe are sceptical about the effectiveness of using English as a language of instruction - this is hardly surprisingly considering the number of poor quality native speakers in the 1990s after the fall of Communism and the present number of so called Bilingual schools which often fail to communicate the subject matter adequately.

Often after watching one of my lessons or having a course delivered by me in their institute I will be invited back to run a workshop on the techniques I have used. I am certainly not a strict believe in an entirely English learning environment and believe an understanding of students first languages aids communication with beginners but also correcting false friends and over use of certain phrases with more advanced students.

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Reading time

One of the first and foremost duties of any educator is to inspire a love and enthusiasm for the subject in their charges. 

Thus the English teach must ensure that students remember that English isnt just a language for school, computer games, ordering in restaurants on holiday, studying abroad or instruction manuals.

The great sea of fantastic British and American childrens literature can inspire young minds. Furthermore though lexical skills in Central Europe are typically far behind those in Western Europe a modern phonic based approach with regular weekly reading groups, books to take home to read to parents and review can inspire a life long love not just of reading but reading in multiple languages.

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English teaching and sports

Especially while working with young learners for intensive courses or summer camps its extremely important not to spend too long the classroom. All modern teaching practice incorporates large amounts of learning through play and activity. 

Any vocabulary test can become a running relay, any sentence structure set to rhythm and dance, sports can be commentated on, new games can be design and the rules explained and re-explained to practice concept checking, question asking and recall.

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Forest schools and learning in nature

Far too much English teaching in Central Europe takes place indoors with student sitting in rows. Effective engagement of learners from 4 to 84 years old often takes place outside of traditional classroom settings.

Here a group of my youngest students have toured a meadow where the collected bouquets of wild flowers, learner the names of parts of insects, label diagrams and made collages. Colours, numbers, tensile strengths of materials, smells all discussed enthusiastically and with a passion that couldnt be achieved with mere textbooks.

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Cookery in the classroom

Since I first began teaching almost 12 years ago I have been incorporating cookery into both my lessons in school but also my smaller group lessons. This effectively creates a change in dynamic away from tradition classroom teaching which effectively engages introverted and SEN needs students as well as challenging more able students with vocabulary outside of their comfort zone. Sometimes I cook traditional English or American foods such as roast dinners or biscuits and gravy, at others I embrace local dishes from the students culture so they can teach me to make them. These lessons can involve basic vocabulary like spoon or bowl, up to units of measure such as a pinch of salt or a dash of soy sauce.

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#fantasticweather on #perranporthbeach #backhome for a #briefstay in #cornwall for a #cornishsummer and some #beachlife (at Perranporth Beach)

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This noble beast! #bryndza #pittbullpuppy #noble #handsomedog (at Bratislava, Slovakia)

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#quietfridayafternoons #tango #doggydancing #bryndza #sidaschool #cousinjack #expatlife (at SIDAS School Trnava)

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Today I have fitted #bryndza the #pitbullpuppy with a #gopro6 in order to create my latest audiovisual extravaganza #bryndzavision! I hope your all looking forward to my first feature film “Bryndza in Winter: A Hlohovec Story” #bryndzainwinter (at Hlohovec)

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As a child I once threw a spectacular tantrum in #tragomills at #redruth because I insisted I wanted a #globecocktailcabinet and father refused. Now I have achieved my #boyhooddreams. I feel like the Israelites returning to Zion.

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There is a slightly #bizarre #mobilephoneandmonkeyshop on #sturovoulica in #kosice where #bryndza has met her first #pygmymarmoset and reacted with disbelief to the sight of a #cappuchin #monkey. #confuseddog and #confusedowner in a strange but #niceshop with #greatservice (at Kosice, Slovakia)

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This #littlepuppy is a #bigdog now, and has started needing her own seat on the train. #dogsontrains #zeleznice #zsr #presov (at Kosice, Slovakia)

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#midmorning #coffeebreak #dogtime #espressoonthepiazza #indiansummer in #trnava #slovakia (at Trojicne namestie)

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#bryndza is watching her #favouritefilm #planetoftheapes for #saturdaynight #movienight her favourite character is Maurice the Orangutan as she likes the hooting noises! (at Trnava)