TEFL Waffle

Marking, anyone?

Steve and Troy waffle up a storm. It's Steve's turn to be belligerent and he's doing on about marking. Or is it grading? Or evaluating? Or giving feedback? Whatever it is, teachers hate it, students hate it and yet it has to be done, and it's really useful for students' development. Or is it? Listen to Troy dancing around the edges of this very prescriptive and red-pen laced topic which sits close to every teacher's resignation letter.

Neuromyths

Troy and Steve have a heavy duty waffle about the things we have been led to believe are true but are not in fact supported by research. Troy brings up the example of the myth that we only use 10% of our brain, but a more interesting waffle is about the myth of VAK, then even more interestingly a waffle about MI, and we touch on learner strategies, and then we get onto the myth that Steve actually knows anything much at all. But hang on, are these really all myths and should they all be thrown out with the baby?

Teachers in the Movies: Ferris Bueller

It's not TEFLWaffle!! No, instead Yort and Evets are waffling about teachers in the movies. Ferris Bueller has a lot of teachers in it, and they are wonderful to talk about because they are all so stereotypically awful. Really, they are. Well, Evets thinks so, anyway. If you've seen the movie, come share in the discussion. If you haven't, come find out what you have missed from the 80s. And if you've never seen this movie, we'll make sure you hate it enough by the end that you'll stand out as an individual amongst your peers in your weekly Friday afternoon staffroom film club group meeting discussion.

Out of the loop

In some schools, a clear distinction is made between the local teachers and the foreigner teachers. Working in these schools as a foreigner means things are sometimes rather opaque. This is the topic of today's episode. Why does that happen? What can be done about it? As usual, Steve and Troy will waffle endlessly, throwing ideas around, solving all the problems, and just generally being show-off know-it-alls. 

Why teach?

Why are you a teacher? Yes, Troy and Steve waffle about this question, whether we make a difference, how teachers stay interesting in their jobs and all other kinds of stuff like that. Troy uses wonderfully banal analogies, Steve gives bizarre examples and neither of us have any doubt about the benefits and wonder of teaching. But really, why do some teachers teach well? This, in fact, is the real question. Isn't it?

Using the whiteboard

Steve is on a mission to define what good board work is. Is a board necessary in a language classroom? Can Troy and Steve come up with 5 principles for good use of the whiteboard? Is Steve just barking up the wrong board? Will Troy ever agree with Steve on anything? Will you agree with Troy? Can you hear, somewhere in the podcast, Steve closing the curtains?  Will you hear the phone ring? Will you be able to listen to both Steve's waffle and the phone ringing at the same time? Listen to one of the least professional waffles about board work in the history of language teaching.

Teachers in the Movies - Kindergarten Cop

It's not TEFLWaffle, it's TITM! Today, Evets and Yort waffle about Arnold Schwarzenegger, and how good (or is it bad?) he is at teaching kindergarten. If you haven't watched the movie, don't worry - we'll tell you all about it. If you have watched it, great, you can waffle along with us in your head as we go. The nice thing about this movie is that the plot builds in the concept of teacher development - Arnie can't teach, and then he can! It's actually amazing how much Arnie stretches his teaching muscles in only 90 minutes (or 91 perhaps). We won't waffle about professional development, though. We are far more interested in classroom management!

It doesn't work!

Steve and Troy wonder, wafflingingly, what happens when a teacher tries the communicative approach and it fails. Some teachers fight it, don't understand it, get confused by it, and even maybe reject it! Or maybe it's the students who reject it? Oh wait, is it maybe worth rejecting? Both Troy and Steve have lots and lots of things to say about teachers who are incompatible with the communicative approach - join us and laugh at Steve's stupid stories. 

Teachers' beliefs

What do you believe? How do your beliefs change what you do in the classroom? What do you believe about podcasts? Are your beliefs congruent with Troy's beliefs? If so, I have a number for a good psychiatrist. Anyway, today we waffle. Specifically we waffle about what how beliefs influence what we do as teachers, as learners, and as trainers. Believe me, you're going to hear the word belief a lot!  

Teachers and conferences

What's the point of hanging around with a bunch of teachers in a formal event where you have to talk about teaching and eat pre-prepared food? Do you really want to hang out with the type of teachers who are so obsessed with their profession that they choose to spend their own money on attending an event to show off how into it they are? Aren't they all just academic weirdos stroking each other's egos? Should I endeavor to be a stroker and keep stroking until I finally become an elvated strokee? We tackle these important questions, giggle a little, and decide that conferences are a must for every teacher. Well, sometimes.