Happy Monday Everyone! Today I wanted to post a little about TEX Training. One of the main services that Literacy Connexus offers is teacher training through our TEX program. Literacy Connexus sends our TEX trainers out to ESL ministries to help train their volunteer teachers and equip them with the basic strategies and information that they need in order to be successful in their new roles. TEX training educates volunteers who are new to teaching or new to ESL on everything from lesson planning and classroom activities, to pronunciation, reading, writing, cross-cultural witnessing, and dealing with advanced English language learners. Literacy Connexus also offers extended trainings that focus on pronunciation, literacy, and advanced ESL.
I asked our ESL Coordinator, Karen Peiser, to share a few words about TEX Training and these are some of her reflections.
Three important reflections in TEACHING ENGLISH WITH EXCELLENCE.
TEX (Teaching English with Excellence) ESL Teacher training workshops are such a blessing to me. Literacy Connexus holds them several times a year to train volunteers to be effective in teaching English.
l) The workshops are full of activities and the participants enjoy the fun of doing the activities being taught. An example is Walk about Matching. The participants are given two different picture cards. At the signal from the workshop leader, everyone gets up and goes around the room trying to find matches. The question they ask is, “Do you Have?” The room is full of laughter and learning. In other activities you may have a cork in your mouth to help with pronunciation, competitive games like concentration or singing the Hokey Pokey. These are just a few of the samples but there are more than 20 activities in which to participate! No time for dozing!
2) The Workshop leader is also a ministry consultant and will help with any questions that the participants might have. All our leaders are available to help in any way they can to make your teachers teach with excellence. There is a lot of networking going on during the workshop.
3) After the participants finish the workshop, they are equipped with a TEX notebook and online resources. They proudly leave with a certificate in hand and ready to step in and teacher or assist in an ESL classroom.
If your church or organization has an ESL ministry or is interested in establishing one, contact Literacy Connexus for help in getting started from planning to training volunteers to teach, contact Literacy Connexus at info@literacyconnexus.org.