It's Steemhomework time again! :) This is something I look forward to every week, because I want to share my experiences as a teacher. Well, not only my experiences but some tips, methods or stories which are related to it.
If you're interested in answering this week's Steemhomework, please check THIS POST by @steemiteducation.
QUESTION:
With expanding curriculum's and so much content to cover, cross curricular planning is very important. What are some ways you use this in your teaching and has it been effective?
ANSWER:
As most of you already know, I am currently teaching English online as a Second Language to people from different parts of the world, especially those from Asian countries.
In this field of work, we don't only teach English to students but we also tackle various subjects. This field of job is very broad that I have to get myself informed with a lot of things from business, politics, economy, philosophy, medicine, etc.
There are times when my students request me to discuss some articles with them. Let me show you a screenshot of the news materials that we have in our school below.
As you can see from the drop down box, there are various categories. Of course, we focus on teaching the vocabulary words and comprehension, however, in order to comprehend certain articles you need to delve in deeper to the topic. Well, it also depends on the student and the topic they choose.
Aside from the various news articles, there are also some specific areas in English that I have to teach to students. An example of this is "Medical English".
Before being a teacher, I studied Nursing in the University... and because of that, I applied for a specialized area of teaching English. In our school, we have some medical materials that the students can study. In this material, they'll be able to learn some medical jargon and other medical-related things.
The prepared materials for Medical English in the school where I work for includes Anatomy and Physiology, Pathology and some Health Care Tips. Most of my students who book for this material are Medical students, nurses, health care practitioners and some students who are curious about the medical field.
In the field of online teaching, we need not prepare or plan out for our classes every time because students usually request us what they want to learn during the class hours. For my students who are doctors or medical practitioners, they sometimes provide me with their own material. For example, they'd have to do a presentation in English, so I correct their presentation and practice with them.
There are even times when some students ask me to describe some diseases and explain to them the cause, symptoms, etc. So from time to time, I need to review some concepts I learned in University. I find it really fun and exciting though. I also learn a lot from my students who are already doctors, because some of them introduce me to new techniques and methods used in the hospital. They explain things to me, and I simply correct their grammar and pronunciation.
IMAGE SOURCE
In the English Academy I used to work for, I also experienced cross curricular teaching. It was really a great challenge for me. One company in Japan sent some of their accountants to our Academy so they could study English, however, they requested that these accountants also learn a specialized kind of English for accounting.
Few weeks before the Japanese accountants arrived in the Academy, I and 3 other teachers were called in the office. They handed us a book entitled "English for Accounting". We all had a questioning look until our head told us, "You're chosen to teach Accounting English to some Japanese accountants who will arrive in a couple of weeks. You may take that book with you at home to study."
In my mind, I was like... "WHAAAAT? But I don't know anything about Accountancy.... T_T" but still, accepted the challenge. Good thing, the book was so informative and it also has some activities in which English rules and Accounting concepts were combined.
Two accountants were assigned to me for a month, and luckily, I survived. My students who were already accountant helped a lot, too. I made them explain some concepts in English. I corrected their sentences and taught them alternative expressions. I actually learned a lot from them, as well... ^^
Cross curricular teaching is a challenge for both students and teacher. However, it's really useful because both the student and teacher can broaden their horizon. In my case, I was able to collaborate with my students who are professional in their field.
In the classroom setting, I suppose this kind of planning would be really useful. Learners won't only focus on a single subject, but they'd be able to connect and relate one subject to another. They'll see things in a more holistic view.
@tegoshei supports @steemiteducation