Here is a post that Jeff Sherlock wrote...I am simply putting it on the blog for him...
Our team has two parts with two different areas of focus. The Academic Team focuses on the professional development of the English teachers in the Zhuhai City school system. During the first week, they presented a variety of lectures and activities to help the teachers improve their teaching skills. During the second and third weeks, they observe the teachers in a classroom and give constructive feedback.
The other part of the team is known as the NESTers (Native English Speakers Team). Our focus is on helping the teachers and students engage in activities to increase their ability to speak and understand English.
Our day (for the entire team) begins when we arrive at the Doumen Number One Middle School at about 8:00am. We eat breakfast with the teachers and students before heading over to the classroom area. At 9:00am while all the students are in classrooms listening to lessons, half of the teachers come to the lecture hall. We have a short opening with a song, and then we break into 8 groups for about 1 hour of “free talk.” Over the past week, we’ve talked about travel, family relationships, technology, and other topics.
At 10:15am, the NESTers go to the classrooms to help the Academic Team lead the students in about 15 minutes of English “fun” activities. (The goal here isn’t to teach, but to use English in a fun and natural setting.) Then, at about 10:40am, we head back to the lecture hall. The teachers who were in the classroom the first half of the morning now come for their free-talk time. We again open in singing, and then break into groups for an hour of English conversation with this group of teachers. We wrap up the teacher-oriented conversation about 11:45am.
After lunch, the entire team meets in a small conference room at 1:00pm for rest and planning. We often find we need this rest time in an air conditioned room to regain our energy.
From 2:00pm till 4:00pm, we have activities for the students. The students are divided into primary students and middle school students, then into four groups of each level. Each group goes to four activities in two hours, each lasting 20 minutes. The NESTers plan activities that are both fun and English oriented. The teachers attend the afternoon activities with the students; this allows them to observe how the activities can be used in the classroom and, in many cases, participate in the activity. We hope that some teachers will begin moving away from lecture-oriented classes to a multiple-learning-styles approach.
The camp is over at 4:00pm, but interested teachers are invited to attend a special free-talk time that we call, “Important Life Issues.” Using essays from the NPR program, “This I Believe,” the teachers discuss issues that get below the surface to more universal, heart-level issues. We’ve been pleased that 12 teachers joined us the first day and 14 the second day. Next week, we are asking students to write and share their own essays.
By the time “Important Life Issues” is over, we’re all pretty bushed. But often the team’s day is far from over. Our hosts are consummate entertainers. They want to be sure that we are having a good time and they go to great lengths to ensure that we are well cared-for. Last evening, for example, we had a huge meal at a very nice restaurant and then were treated to the hot springs baths of a high end resort. It was something far beyond what is normally experienced on trips of this nature. Of course, we got home quite late and had a full day ahead of us today.
Don’t let this last paragraph with its description of our idyllic conditions deceive you into thinking we are not busy. In fact, we are all quite tired. It is challenging to live in another culture, particularly in another person’s home. We want to really make a difference, but it is hard to see where results might come. We truly need your ongoing thoughts as we try to serve faithfully. Thanks.
