September Updates

ILA YL

If you are new to the company then you may not know that ILA runs its own course to convert CELTA

qualifications into qualifications for teaching children. This is a fraction of the cost of the Cambridge

equivalent course (a snip at $250 compared to $650) and from what I have seen is actually much better.

It covers everything that the CELTA YL covers and a lot more. You also do not need to take any time off.

The next course will run in November. If you are interested (and I really recommend it) please speak to

some of the teachers who have taken it already – Zach, Bryony or Matt Wright and / or email

adam@ilavietnam.com or lili@ilavietnam.com. This looks good on your CV, shows potential employers

you are serious about professional development and will make your teaching and planning easier and

more enjoyable. Some sort of YL qualification is needed if you want to be promoted within ILA.

Don’t be annoying

If a printer jams please spend a few minutes trying to fix it instead of walking off and leaving it for the

next teacher to deal with. We’ve all probably done this but we’ve all also been really annoyed by it.

This is just common courtesy really. If you cannot fix the photocopier please ask a manager or one of

the TSC staff to help.

If you are sick

Then come to work anyway. If you are really seriously ill, perhaps in hospital, then you absolutely must

phone and speak to a manager in person. Do not text, email or use smoke signals as these messages

often do not get through. At the weekend please call us between 6am and 7am. During the week

phone us before 1pm for evening classes. This is so the cover teacher (if we can find one) has enough

time to prepare. Our numbers are:

Geoff: 090 689 3867 Jon: +841 2283 28016 Richard: +8412 863 80838

Chris: +8412 8618 9710 Pulkit: +8412 0760 7303

Please put these numbers in your phone. Then never phone in sick.

Dress code

This one never gets old:

Please note that you cannot wear shorts or flip flops at any time when in the building, even if you are

just popping in to get something from your locker or for a Vietnamese class. This is because we have all

the big shots (owner, CEO, investors etc.) living on the 12th floor and we have to look ‘non back

packerish’. If you are not teaching then jeans, trainers and a T shirt is fine, but no ‘beach wear’ please.

High School Contracts

As you may have noticed we are sending teachers to teach for a few hours in government high schools.

This is apparently part of the “We Care and Share” marketing campaign; these contracts don’t generate

much revenue and are perhaps best viewed as giving something back to the community. There are

several other schools that do this but ILA is different as:

we are better than the other schools

we actually care about the quality we provide to these schools

we will provide some training when we’ve got it together (soon)

we do not see this as a cynical exercise in just ‘putting a foreigner in a classroom’

This is a new and unexpected move for ILA (I found out about Le Quy Don High School two days before

the classes started), and it is obviously very different to what we normally do. Therefore we will be

doing some retroactive training with the teachers involved. I have done a couple of observations of

these schools and I was very impressed with the behavior of the students (not like my school days) and I

genuinely think it looks quite interesting – however it is quite different to what we normally do, hence

the training. If you are interested there is a video of a HCM4 teacher teaching 50 seniors at Le Quy Don

High School in the teacher area folder

(Teacherarea\TeacherDevelopment\Peerobservationvideos\SecondarySchool Classes). But I think

HCM1 can do it better than HCM4.

We are not exactly overwhelmed with teachers volunteering to teach at these schools but please

consider it as it is a way to see something of the Vietnamese education system (which was an eye

opener for me) and a way to interact with many students who probably could not afford to come to ILA.

Help your TA

The course folders contain sections Lesson Aims and / or Target Language, Practice Activity and

Production Activity (see below). TAs must complete these sections.

class hrs

done

Course book page / unit

Actual Page

Lesson Aims and/or target language

Practice Activity Production

Activity

Task Schedule

1 2 Unit 7

Please help your TA by telling them what your aim is for every lesson. Please also tell them what the

controlled and free-er practice activities are so they can fill in these sections. The Production Activity

will be a speaking or writing task. ESL luminaries and theory books tell us that slap the board is generally

not considered a productive activity.

EduTech

There is a list of all the rooms with IWBs on the noticeboard and in the front of the teacher schedule

folders. We have three types of IWB:

Promethean, which you need special pens for

touch screen boards which are at all the other centres and, so I’m told, work well for them

‘other’ touch screen boards which you cannot write on with any control

The important thing to note here is that all the media functions work on all the boards. The issue is with

the 19 touchscreen boards which you cannot really write on. These boards are clearly labeled in the

posters.

If you have yet to use an IWB, or find yourself wondering what ‘calibrate’ means, look at this step by

step guide (you will note it is using a touch screen board): teacherarea\TeacherDevelopment\Self

study\IWB Basics

For free money look at these resources:

Updates: inewsvietnam.blogspot.com

Classroom management: http://www.classdojo.com/ Real current news articles targeted at different levels from beginner to upper intermediate:

http://www.newsinlevels.com

If you have looked at these resources and not yet received the free money then spend a coupe of

minutes browsing this folder, which contains everything from blogging to having your classes create

their own online story book: teacherarea\TeacherDevelopment\Self study

To bring our classrooms in line with the new company ‘standard’ (think of how every Burger King is the

same all over the world) all TVs, DVD players and CD players are being removed from IWB classrooms. If

you have difficulty finding listening tracks on the system or playing a CD on the computer please tell a

manager immediately. I have not been given an exact date but it will happen towards the end of this

month.

If you have spent a long time crafting some groundbreaking technological resources speak to a manager

about getting workshop credits for sharing them.

From the anonymous feedback box – yes the printers have been a bit unreliable recently. Please keep

reporting issues and maybe we can get some new ones (but I can’t promise anything).

Christmas leave

Is filling up fast. Book soon to avoid disappointment (and because I hate saying no).

Adult teachers

There are some specific EA workshops this month. This is because we essentially have a new product for

adult students (new books and a slightly different emphasis on what we do in class). We are also

offering massive discounts for new adult students so we are getting more adult classes. The “EA Day”

(on Tuesday 17th) workshops are very, very important - particularly Encouraging Learner Autonomy.

Make sure you attend.

Please ensure you do the scheduled tutorials in the class folders. This is a chance to give the students

individual feedback and get feedback from them. The Vietnamese staff tell me that the students really

appreciate this one to one attention. During the tutorial, ensure you tell the students how much

progress they have made and in what areas. If they haven’t made any progress help them identify why

this might be – perhaps because this is the first time they have actually come to class.

A positive note

I have recently had to review all the reports from the last 12 months. The CSS average for every

programme (from the course formerly known as Cheeky Monkey to Adult upper intermediate) is the

highest it has ever been for every programme. I know sometimes people disregard CSS but this is direct

feedback from students on the quality of teaching they receive. Take this as proof that you are all

awesome.

Happy teaching!!