Ask Micki New to ESL and confused!

© lusi

 Question: Hi Micki, I’m hoping to be an ESL tutor, and I need some guidance.  

I got the idea to be an ESL tutor recently, and am really excited about it!  I’m just starting out, trying to get all of the information I can, but I have to admit that I am kind of puzzled.  It seems like there are A LOT of different terms out there when it comes to ESL related subjects, and I am completely confused by them.

TESL, TEFL, TESOL, ESP, ELT - help!

What do they mean, what do they do, and are there any that I need to be less worried about than others?  

I want to tutor ESL, but I also want to know everything I can about the terminology so that my students can feel confident that I know what I am talking about when I meet with them.

Thanks for your help!

Confused Katie in RI

Answer: Hi there, Katie!  Great question - you hit on an important aspect of the tutoring profession.  

Pretty much any profession under the sun with have its own lingo.  A lot of it is terminology and jargon that you will pick up as you move forward in your profession - in this case ESL tutoring - however, it is a great idea to have a foundation of knowledge to use when you are getting getting started in your new career.

In other words - way to think ahead! It will save you time and trouble later.  With that said, let’s get into Micki’s quick guide to ESL acronyms - you may want to grab some coffee or tea, this is going to be a long post!

ESL - English as a Second Language

This is the term you will likely encounter most often.  It refers to a person whose mother tongue is a language other than English, who is learning English in a foreign country.  An example of an ESL student might be a Russian man learning English in the US or Canada.  

EFL - English as a Foreign Language

This term is similar to ESL in that it refers to a student who is learning English, whose mother tongue is a language other than English.  The difference is, while ESL students learn English in an English speaking country (UK, US, Canada, etc.), EFL students learn English in a non-English speaking country.  For example, a Japanese woman learning English in Japan.  

TESL - Teaching English as a Second Language

TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language

TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

              (or Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)

All of the above terms and acronyms refer to the practice of teaching English to non-English speakers.  TESOL refers to both a professional association in the US, and the field of ESL teaching and tutoring. Usually, you will see TESOL used more often in the US, while Canada typically uses TESL.  For the most part, the terms are used pretty interchangeably.

You will likely be seeing the above terms and acronyms most often as you begin your ESL tutoring career.  However, here are some other terms used in the ESL profession.  

ESP - English for Specific or Special Purposes

ESP puts into practice exactly what we were talking about - specialized lingo and terminology for specific professions.  The main focus of ESP is on teaching specialized terminology that is most often used in very specific fields.  An example would be a professional in medicine or technology who needs to learn specialized English terminology (vocabulary and context) within his or her field.  

EAP - English for Academic Purposes

EAP refers to preparing students to speak English in an academic setting within an English speaking country. A high school student in India, for example, who wants to study at a university in Canada.  Typically, EAP utilizes a more formal approach with a lot of focus on reading, writing and presenting.

ELT - English Language Training

ELT is training relating to the teaching or tutoring of English as a second or foreign language.  It is a term widely used in the UK.

TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language

This is the test that measures a non-English speaker’s ability to understand English.  Typically, foreign, non-native speakers of English take the TOEFL as part of the application process to colleges and universities in Canada and the US.  A student from Malawi who wants to prove her English language abilities, for example, would take the TOEFL test for admission to college or university.  

TOEIC - Test of English for International Communication

The TOEIC, much like the TOEFL, is a test used to determine a non-native speaker’s English communication abilities.  The TOEIC is more recognized in Europe and Asia, whereas the TOEFL is more widely recognized in Canada and the US.

Phew - Thanks for sticking with me through all those acronyms!  And good luck on your journey towards becoming an ESL tutor - with your enthusiasm (and quest for knowledge), I have a feeling you will be really successful! 

---------------------------

Photo Credit: © sxc.hu/lusi

http://www.sxc.hu/profile/lusi

Ask Micki: Younger sibling blues.

© theswedish

Question: Hi, Micki, I was hoping to get some help with a kind of delicate situation.  It's a little awkward, so I'll be keeping everyone's names (including mine) anonymous. 

See, I've been tutoring a student in 9th grade math for the past few months.  We meet once every week for an hour.  She's smart, pays attention, gets involved during the tutoring session, and is a pretty cool kid to tutor.

The problem is her younger brother.  I'll call him Mike (not his real name).  He's in the 7th grade, and is one of the most ill-behaved, annoying kids I have ever met.  He will walk by the table, knocking the books off of it on his way past us.  He'll throw pencils, erasers, and other things at us during tutoring.

Recently he's started throwing this little bouncy ball against the wall really hard, watching it bounce wildly around us while we try to work.

So far, I've tried ignoring it, but it didn't work, unfortunately. 

I also tried talking to his parents, but they just laughed, and said "Well, boys will be boys!"  Ugh. Annoying, and way less than helpful.

As you can tell, I'm getting frustrated, and am not sure what to do next.
Help!
Feelin' frazzled in FL


Answer:  Hi, there, Feelin' Frazzled, sorry to hear about your annoying situation.  You have my sympathy - that sounds really frustrating to deal with on a weekly basis!

The great news is, I am sure I can help find a way for you to keep tutoring your tutee with a lot less interference from her younger brother. 

First of all, I commend you for talking to his parents.  You did the right thing, and (in my humble opinion) they were not helpful to you, or to their daughter who is trying to be a good student in the midst of chaos.  By ignoring her needs and favoring the boy's bad behavior, they are doing everyone involved a disservice. 

That said, here are some options for you:

1. Talk to "Mike."
Let him know that it is really important that you and your tutee get some time to work together on her math.  Honestly, he seems like a disrespectful kid, though, so this may not work quite as well as I would hope.  That said, give it a try!  You never know.  He may just be desperate for attention, and you talking to him one-to-one may just be the attention he needs to snap him out of his annoying behavior.  Just remember to keep the conversation upbeat and positive. 

2. Move locations.
Since Mike is allowed by his parents to rule the home, you might try moving locations to a place where Mike isn't.  Try heading to the library, or another quiet area where you two can work.  If Mike is not there, then you two can focus more on getting the work done, and less about being harassed. 

3. Try ignoring him a little while longer.  Okay, obviously there is a shelf life for this idea - if it has been many months of no change, then ignoring him probably won't be effective.  However, if this is a fairly new behavior, ignoring him a little while longer may work wonders.  He may finally get bored and simply give up.

4. Try talking to the parents again.  Now, I know what you're thinking - it didn't work the first time, why do it again?  If you can sit down with them and impress upon them just how negatively the interruptions are affecting the tutoring sessions, they may be more inclined to start acting like parents and make some changes.  It is definitely worth a try.

Good luck, and please stop back by, and let us know what happened!

-----------------------------------------------
Photo Credit: ©  sxc.hu/theswedish
http://www.sxc.hu/profile/theswedish

Ask Micki: Flyers? Good idea or not?

© irum

Question: Hi, Micki. My friend and I were just talking about how to get the word out about our services (we're both tutors. She tutors science, I tutor math), and we have a friendly debate going.

I swear by flyers. I put them up at the local schools, libraries, and anywhere else I think students might be frequenting.  One of my best "hot spots" is the coffee house that's about a block away from the college.  I've gotten a ton of business from that spot!

My friend, on the other hand, thinks that flyers are outdated in the modern world, and that I'd be better off going high tech, posting my tutoring services on websites. 

What do you think?
Can you help us settle our friendly debate?

Thanks!
Jasmine, NM

Answer: Hey, Jasmine, thanks for the question. 

Well, you and your friend will be happy to know...drum roll, please...
You're actually both right!

No, that's not my inner diplomat talking!  There are a lot of benefits to both techniques, and combining them can make you a tutoring powerhouse when it comes to finding new clients. 

I post quite a few flyers myself, and I always make sure to ask my tutees which flyers they used to contact me.  Based on their responses, I've been able to pretty well home in on which areas work well for my flyers, and which ones don't.  

I would guess that probably about half of my business comes from good, old fashioned paper flyers stuck up on bulletin boards. 

The other half of my business comes from online advertising.  Bulletin boards, forums, blogs, social media, tutor-tutee matching services, etc. can all be great resources when it comes to finding new clients. 

Maybe both of you could try combining techniques - merge the low tech and the high tech.   Help each other learn what techniques work best. 

Trust me, you two will both be happy with the results! 
Good luck finding those tutoring clients!

--------------------------------
Photo Credit: © sxc.hu/irum
http://www.sxc.hu/profile/irum