Struggling With job Interviews? 10 Tips to keep in mind

                                                                                                  By Zarela Cruz                                                                        

         Looking for a new job may be a tiresome experience, even when we have been looking forward to a new opportunity or to making progress in our career path.  Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the prospect of the big day? Below you will find some important aspects to keep in mind, although they are quite often neglected.

1.   Get ready for the interview.

2.   Show up 10 minutes before the arranged time.

3.   Always bring a copy of your resume.

4.   Observe their dress code or a reasonable one.

5.   Do not use your cell phone during the interview.

6.   Make eye-contact with your interviewer.

7.   Do not criticize your former employer.

8.   Do not tell the interviewer that you really need the job and the money.

9.   Be ready to explain how the company will benefit if they hire you.

10.  Prepare a model class should you be asked to give one.

         Is that all? not exactly. Whenever I have been in charge of evaluating applicants for a teaching position, I could see that some of them had a tendency to replicate the teaching model they were used to.  Furthermore, they used the same slides, a grammar-centered approach and examples related to themselves. They did not have any information about the students’ profile, education, age and interests to name some; the kind of courses that the institution offered, even the technology that was available.  In a word, they hardly did any research about the institution they wanted to work for, not to mention the position.  On the other hand, some of them mentioned personal issues such as how much they needed the money or that they wanted to have additional income. We all work for money, up to a certain extent, but it should not look like our top priority.

      Once you got the job, your homework is not done yet: it is the beginning of a new phase in your working life, so you have to be ready to undo some routines and embrace new ones; such as working in teams and participating in the training programs.

    By keeping these remarks in mind you will show that you are really suitable for the institution and for the position.

And now your turn:

Have you ever made a mistake in the course of a job interview?

Did you find the job you were looking forward to?

         We will be expecting your comments, suggestions and/or tips regarding this topic.

References

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/03/the-most-common-interview-mistakes-job-candidates-make.html

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/most-common-interview-mistakes-2061111

Biodata

Zarela Cruz graduated from Ricardo Palma University as a translator.  She also finished her master’s studies in Linguistics and took some specialization diplomas in the Teaching of English and Spanish. She has also completed some online certificates:  Teaching the Working Adult, Online, Hybrid and Blended Education, among other self-study courses. She has taught different courses, programs and levels and has been a teacher trainer, a lecturer and online instructor for more than 25 years. She is has just finished her master’s studies in Translation. This article aims to reflect on the convenience of getting ready for a job interview to deal with it successfully.

Experience, Degrees or Language Proficiency? Does One Overshadow the Others?

By Mayra Yaranga Hernández

          As a new year starts, many English teachers begin to make decisions regarding their careers. This is the best time to analyse their strengths and weaknesses. They evaluate the labour market and may start looking for new jobs. Which aspects of their careers, as seen on their CVs, should they improve in order to stand out from the crowd?

          Some teachers take pride in their years of experience and consider them to be their best asset. Granted, seasoned teachers know the profession, which helps them justify their classroom decisions. However, if this experience is not linked to progress, it may not be so attractive to potential employers, since it may mean that these teachers were not able to step out of their comfort zone and try out new dares: teaching more challenging courses, preparing students for international exams, changing schools or adopting new methodologies, doing research, etc. Having said that, there should always be one or two areas in which English teachers should feel most confident and demonstrate more expertise.

          On the other hand, postgraduate courses (Diplomas and Masters’ Degrees) are nowadays much more attractive and more readily available than in the past; this is why quite a few teachers choose to take this option as part of their professional development. This seems to be a good idea: postgraduate courses usually provide theoretical foundations to many of the things that happen in class, as well as foundational research methodology for those more academically inclined. However, in practice, postgraduate study may not have an impact on the quality of language teaching and learning overall as some courses are probably too abstract or do not cater for their audience’s everyday needs.

          We could argue that English teachers may find that strengthening their language proficiency is probably more useful in the long run, as this is the core of their daily work as well as an important asset when seeking further challenges in their ELT careers. Teachers are usually advised to be at least one level above their students in terms of proficiency. This is especially true these days, since many Peruvian schools have decided to start teaching the language from early years and more parents also decide to enrol their children in private language schools after school classes. This results in an interesting challenge: by the time pupils arrive at secondary school, their standard is very close to B1 or B2, which means that teachers would need to operate at a good B2 or C1 in order to deal with language issues more confidently and without “losing face.” Naturally, spending in language training and qualifications requires time and money to invest, which not all teachers have, although maybe they could compensate for this by being constantly exposed to the language outside work.

          All in all, the three aspects are important for English teachers, and should be upgraded as much as possible throughout their careers; but, if they want to make themselves more attractive in our current career market, they should think very carefully about which of the three points they need to hone the most. Arguably though, improving their own language proficiency could yield the best long-term results.

Now, it’s YOUR turn:

Is it enough to focus on one aspect only?

 Is there one that you consider more important than the others?

     Biodata

Mayra Yaranga (1985) Doctor in Education (UNIFÉ); Master’s Degree in Media, Culture and Identity from Roehampton University (London) revalidated by PUCP, a Bachelor’s Degree in Education - UPCH and the Professional Title of Licenciada - IPNM. Currently she is Cambridge Oral Examiner and Member of the Research Area for Universidad del Pacífico Language Centre. She is also ESP coordinator and Pre-University Centre Director at UNIFÉ.

We Will Keep Searching for Topics of Your Interest

By Enrique Rojas Rojas

     
 As we said before, 2019 started and with it our fourth year of existence as the Research Group of the Language Center, Universidad del Pacífico; it also signals the fourth year of publishing this blog, dedicated to the interchange of thoughts and ideas related with the teaching of foreign languages and the wellbeing and advancement of the persons dedicated to this endeavor.

         We must express our recognition and gratitude to the individuals who have accompanied us in this journey, not only in this country but throughout the Americas, and even in some faraway, and unexpected, places such as Russia, where we know we have regular readers.

         For the New Year we have started we have a number of very interesting topics swarming about our heads which we are eager to work and share with you. We begin this 12-month period with a series analyzing what is that makes a teacher attractive in the labor market. Is it their knowledge of the language or their learned pedagogical techniques? In other words, is it language competence, perhaps demonstrated by an international certificate, or a university teaching degree what makes teachers more desirable in the eyes of employers?

        

      

Or perhaps we might deal with what a language teacher should know in order to be able to drive a good bargain at interview time?   Or maybe which are the   other --more valued now— qualities, such as soft skills or emotional intelligence? Of course, which is the teacher profile sought by learning institutions nowadays will be another topic we will submit to scrutiny.

         So keep with us, we will keep working

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA
Graduated in Journalism at the PUCP, Peru, Enrique Rojas R. holds a MA in Journalism and MA in Inter American History from Southern Illinois University, USA; an MA in Literature from University of the Americas, Puebla, Mexico, all the coursework for a MA in TEFL at Universidad de Piura, Peru and BA in Education from Universidad Federico Villarreal. He has also obtained Certificates of Proficiency in English both from Cambridge University and the University of Michigan and the Diploma for EFL Teachers from Universidad del Pacifico. He is an Oral Examiner for the Cambridge University exams and has been awarded the title Expert in E-Learning from Asociacion Educativa del Mediterraneo and Universidad Marcelino Champagnat. He has worked as a professor in universities in Peru, Mexico and the United States; as a newscaster and a producer in radio and television stations in the United States and Mexico, and as a writer and editor in daily newspapers of the same countries. He has been in the staff of CIDUP for 19 years teaching English and Spanish specializing in International Exams, English for Business, ESP and Teacher Training. He has been a speaker in every Congress of English for Special Purposes organized by Centro de Idiomas de la U.P. He is also a member of its Research Area.  

COMING SOON!

2019 has just started!

Ready for the new challenges?

Stay tuned!

SEASON'S GREETINGS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

                                             https://youtu.be/sU6cBG5Ehh

Are CLIL courses that good for boosting foreign language acquisition?

 By  María de la Lama E

In many private schools in Lima there is an increase in the number of courses taught in English. Courses like  Social Sciences, Mathematics and Literature have boosted parents’ demand for such courses like never before. The term CLIL (Content and integrated learning of languages) appeared in the nineties with the aim of integrating the learning of a foreign language with the learning of new content. In this methodology, language and content are two equally important aspects and a special effort must be made to maintain the balance that prevents one from eclipsing the other. The ultimate goal is to achieve proficiency in the language by learning new content.

What are the main benefits of the CLIL methodology? To begin with, the integration of the aforementioned content with language provides a real communicative context, one of the main foundations for the acquisition of a second language. In fact, CLIL seems to correct several problems of language teaching. In CLIL courses, students have a real interaction in the language due to their need to develop knowledge. On the other hand, in foreign language or second language courses, there is frequently a very controlled interaction between the students, enough to practice a new structure and, generally, in contexts that may not be too attractive for them. In fact, CLIL courses expose students to topics that are more relevant to them, increasing their motivation, which in turn will promote the acquisition of the foreign language.

However, the integration of language and content, which is the heart of the CLIL methodology, is not an easy task, especially due to the insufficient number of teachers. For this methodology to be applied successfully, teachers, if they are not native speakers, must have a native command of the language as well as a solid knowledge of the content to be taught. But even if the availability of teachers were not a problem, it must be asked whether students really improve their performance in the second language with the CLIL methodology compared to the results of the foreign language courses.

Research aimed at comparing the results in language acquisition with that of traditional language courses shows that CLIL students improve their listening comprehension, fluency, reading comprehension and their vocabulary range. In an excellent paper entitled “Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL): Limitations and possibilities”, written by Ena Harrop, there are some interesting research results worth to be considered. According to some authors, CLIL students’ pronunciation and writing accuracy do not show a significant improvement when compared to students that have been learning English as a foreign or second language. Furthermore, according to Cummins (1998) in CLIL courses, there is not enough focus on the form, which in may in turn cause the fossilization of grammatical errors. Finally, CLIL courses can only favor the development of receptive skills rather than the  productive ones.

In summary, although CLIL courses can offer several advantages over modern language teaching approaches, it seems that the balance between content and language has not yet been reached. Much research still needs to be done to point out the benefits of this methodology compared to the results of modern language teaching approaches.

And now, your turn:

 Are CLIL courses that good for boosting foreign language acquisition?

   How much do our students improve their command of a foreign language when learning not the language per se, but something else through that language? 

   Should schools promote the teaching of subjects such as Literature, Social Science or Math in English?

References

https://www.unifg.it/sites/default/files/allegatiparagrafo/06-07-2017/harrop_clil_limitations_and_possibilities.pdf

BIODATA:

DE LA LAMA, MARIA, Bachelor in Education, has a master's degree in Applied Linguistics and a Bachelor's in Linguistics, both obtained at the University of California, Davis. She also holds an MBA from Universidad del Pacífico. She currently serves as the Director of the Language Center at Universidad del Pacífico.

Are

The Teacher as a Researcher: a Dream or a Nightmare?

By Flor de María Vila

In the process of trying to diversify my lessons, I found myself trying different formulae to teach. Even though many changes went quite well, I felt that something was missing. I mean, sometimes I felt that what worked very well with a group didn´t turn out equally satisfactory with another.  Then a new journey began and after many trials I came to the conclusion that if we pursue a real transformation, we need to go deeper to find the real reason why something works or why it does not.  In order to do that we need to start one of the most amazing trips: research.

Can any teacher do research in his classes?

          Absolutely! In fact, we may say that it should be considered as part of any teacher´s development.

Is it difficult to do?

          I wouldn´t say it is the easiest exercise, because nothing worthwhile ever is. However, I can promise it is manageable.

          In the following lines, I will share some secrets to begin. After that, you will need to ponder what you have done and what you will eventually do.

#1. Select a minor hindrance in your lessons or anything that prevents you from feeling absolutely satisfied with your classes.

          It is more probable that you will be motivated to get under way if what you are planning to do is likely to help you with your lessons and not that just become another “load.” We teachers are already pretty busy, aren´t we? But it is really important to begin, no matter how. So, on the first day, select that issue that bugs you or something you feel could be improved.

#2. Make a diagnose of the current situation. You cannot “cure the illness” unless you identify the symptoms, can you?

          It´s necessary to try to pinpoint what the problem is, why a lesson went wrong or why it didn´t work with a certain group of students.

Make a list of the activities you organized and recollect the objective you had for each one. Were they achieved? Why or why not? Share this situation and ask your colleagues what they think or if they have ever been in a similar situation.

Next time you carry out a similar exercise, for instance, a listening practice, record yourself using your mobile phone. You can either only tape your voice or have a video made. Sometimes, we do not become aware of the problem until we listen to or watch ourselves in action.

You can even ask your students why they have difficulty with a certain exercise, for example. They may give you important information.

Last but not least, surf the web and type for instance “problems with listening skills.” You will find thousands of articles that could give you a better idea of what could be happening.

          It is crucial to gather information from different sources before attempting another way of teaching. You may also like to read this article: https://languageteachingblogger.blogspot.com/2018/07/listening-skill-difficult-to-teach.html

#3. Do not panic! Now you have a lot of information, so you are ready to prepare a plan of action.

          Believe it or not, this is manageable. You can start with the simplest plan you can think up. I would suggest connecting one of the ideas your students gave you, one of the teaching experiences your partners shared with you and one of the solutions described by the authors you read.

          Prepare a simple plan which should have the following characteristics: Activity, its objective, and a sample of evidence that will show that your venture is working. Make sure this evidence is visible so that you can monitor and keep a record.

#4. Evaluate and plan again.

          Assessing yourself is not that difficult if you have a clear objective. It is simple: If the goal was achieved, then your plan worked well. If it wasn’t, you need to reflect and plan considering another solution. Go back to #3 or #2 if you feel you need to gather more information to propose something new.

From my experience, I could say that the hardest thing is to commence. When I began, I felt I didn´t need more work (probably you don´t either). Nevertheless, when I realized that my job started to flow and that my students could improve their skills faster, I just let myself be carried away by each issue I needed to fix or improve.  

So today begin with the easiest step: #1

Do not try to do more today, or you will be feel overloaded.

Tomorrow, you can hack # 2 and then go on from there.

Feel free to share your experience or ideas.

References:

Action Research for Language teachers by Michael J Wallace

https://es.scribd.com/doc/172811222/139627763-Action-Research-for-Language-Teacher-Michael-j-Wallace

Action Research in Language Learning by Mohammad Ali Nasrollahia, Pamela Krish , Noorizah MohdNoorc

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812026523

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA

M.A. in Cognition, Learning and Development from PUCP, B.A. in Education with a major in English Teaching. Ms. Vila is currently Teacher trainer, Pedagogic Consultant and Member of the Research Team at Centro de Idiomas de la Universidad del Pacífico. She is Academic Director of International Contacts (test training & foreign applications advisory) and relationship manager for American universities´ MBA admissions officers with International Contacts. She is official Examiner for several University of Cambridge tests, freelance consultant with Universidad ESAN, experienced speaker on diverse English teaching issues for prestigious institutions, and senior international examinations trainer (GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS).

Are we Prepared to Let our Students Think Critically?

By Enrique Rojas R.

                       

        

The whole concept of education seems to have changed. In our modern pedagogical jargon we refer to things such as critical thinking, developing reflective judgment, and fostering independent reasoning as the newest tendencies. However, coming to think of it, aren’t those characteristics inherent to the thinking process? Our deliberating, just in order to be ours, doesn’t it have to be critical, reflective and independent?

         The concept of teaching as sharing knowledge with our students is no longer accepted if by knowledge we understand a bundle of facts, truths and principles that are fed in oral or written form by preceptors to disciples. People used to think of teachers as individuals full of knowledge distributing it among the students, pretty much as in the example presented by Jim Scrivener, of a full pitcher (the instructor) pouring its contents into empty mugs (the students).

       

  But if we go back to our ancient Greek roots, we cannot imagine the pedagogues merely splitting out pieces of wisdom. The concept that the real mission of a teacher was to educate their students to think could not have been strange to them.

         In much more modern times but still far from our contemporary millennial thinking, Bloom clarified different aspects of teaching and learning far from just spoon feeding intellectual stuffing. So, critical thinking cannot really be an invention of recent days.

         However, in the teaching of foreign languages, as in other aspects of education, it is appalling how we cling to worn out and erroneous formulae. Just an example of that should suffice to demonstrate it. Only a few years ago in a major learning institution a supervisor was coaching teachers in proper exam correcting techniques telling us that we should exclusively accept the answer offered in the answer key. When we asked why we could not accept an equivalent answer, he told us: “Because the answer in the answer key is aligned with the textbook and this is what the students have been taught and, therefore, what they have to answer.”  We wonder what that type of attitude has to do with educating.

NOW IS YOUR TURN:

Are you ready to let your students think independently?

Do you accept alternative meaningful answers?

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA
Graduated in Journalism at the PUCP, Peru, Enrique Rojas R. holds a MA in Journalism and MA in Inter American History from Southern Illinois University, USA; an MA in Literature from University of the Americas, Puebla, Mexico, all the coursework for a MA in TEFL at Universidad de Piura, Peru and BA in Education from Universidad Federico Villarreal. He has also obtained Certificates of Proficiency in English both from Cambridge University and the University of Michigan and the Diploma for EFL Teachers from Universidad del Pacifico. He is an Oral Examiner for the Cambridge University exams and has been awarded the title Expert in E-Learning from Asociacion Educativa del Mediterraneo and Universidad Marcelino Champagnat. He has worked as a professor in universities in Peru, Mexico and the United States; as a newscaster and a producer in radio and television stations in the United States and Mexico, and as a writer and editor in daily newspapers of the same countries. He has been in the staff of CIDUP for 19 years teaching English and Spanish specializing in International Exams, English for Business, ESP and Teacher Training. He has been a speaker in every Congress of English for Special Purposes organized by Centro de Idiomas de la U.P. He is also a member of its Research Area. 

Social Media and Technology in the Classroom

                                                                 

                                                                            By Zarela Cruz

        Who hasn’t heard of Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp and Google? Are we already used to Blackboard and Moodle? Social media does encourage social connections and does allow exchange of information at once.

        Despite their drawbacks: access to questionable content, addictive nature, bullying, and negative peer pressure, there is no doubt that they are here to stay. Since we can either embrace technology or neglect it, we should set up filters that prevent students from getting distracted and/or waste their time.

        We have to consider that there are also tremendous benefits when it comes to social networks. On the optimistic side we find that introducing the latest tools and technologies can be a great ally and not only to the growth of our students, but also towards the educator’s professional development.

        Below, I list some positive ways in which social media can be used in our lessons:

Social Media Technology in the Classroom Helps to Increase Student Knowledge

        And it can be done in a few minutes! How?  By simply scrolling through your newsfeed. You can also easily find relevant information by using #news. Besides, you can discover information about different fields: from gardening to astronomy. And at the reach of a click!

Allows Students to Get Help from Others

      They can get this help from another student or from an expert. Students can also have the chance to send private messages to the teacher in case they need some clarification and/or want to share their progress.

Can Encourage Student Participation

        How so? Shy students will feel more comfortable sharing their insights via internet. Social media also allows students to collaborate with each other: by posting in Wikis and Blogs, for example; leaving their comments and exchanging information.

Students May Keep on Working on Topics of Their Interest

        Once the activity or task is over, students have the chance to keep on working on topics of their interest by contacting experts. They can even find valuable related links or websites and share them with teachers.

And What About Teachers?

Resource Sharing

        By using MOOCs like Blackboard or Moodle, teachers can share documents, videos, websites and applications with their colleagues. These platforms also allow teachers to load updates, messages for the students, reminders of upcoming events, tasks and their deadlines among others.

Tool for an Educator’s Professional Growth

        There are institutional international networks that help to foster professional growth. How? Enhancing collaboration and contacting colleagues all around the world. Teachers can either be mentors or have mentors to get feedback about teaching styles, classroom problems, disruptive insights and so on.

        With increased web access, teachers and students get information they may have been completely unaware of. This, in turn, will have a say in the proper implementation of social media and technology in class. 

AND NOW, IT IS YOUR TURN:

Do you use social media and technology in the classroom?

 Are you for or against it?

References

http://www.teachhub.com/technology-classroom-reasons-use-social-mediahttps://www.teachthought.com/technology/6-ways-https://www.schoolmart.com/2017/03/02/social-media-in-the-classroom-friend-or-foe/

Biodata

Zarela Cruz graduated from Ricardo Palma University as a translator.  She also finished her master’s studies in Linguistics and took some specialization diplomas in the Teaching of English and Spanish. She has also completed some online certificates:  Teaching the Working Adult, Online, Hybrid and Blended Education, among other self-study courses. She has taught different courses, programs and levels and has been a teacher trainer, a lecturer and online instructor for more than 25 years. She is currently studying a master’s degree in Translation. This article aims to reflect on the convenience of using social media and technology.