One word springs most readily to mind when contemplating the month of August in Taiwan: humidity. A five-minute walk to the nearest 7-11 turns previously neat and respectable-looking people into sodden messes. Carefully prepared attires turn to raucously damp rebellions to the norm. The damp heat left none spared, tormenting all willing to remain dry.
Despite the heat, however, the August Training Week held at Shane Head Office welcomed eighteen new teachers into the fold, with a guest visit from South Korea franchise partners Jack Glowacki and Jaekyoung (JK) Lee, raising the number to twenty.
Over the course of five days, the trainees were given a comprehensive overview of EFL practices and methodologies for young learners. This included group demonstrations from the trainees of some of the techniques they had learnt and evening observations at Shane DTE schools. The group of twenty adults were invited to escape back to the simplicity of their childhoods, and from there were led through a series of games and activities that can be used to great effect when teaching young learners. Highlights included an early morning rendition of Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes complete with actions, and a conga line around the room – pretending to be on a rollercoaster, with arms raised in the air – as a fitting TPR routine to go with the sound ‘ee’!
The successes of the assessment and lesson plan feedback given on the final day of training week were testaments to how hard both the trainees and trainers worked all week, despite the overwhelming heat outside. We look forward to the next round in September.
About the Author
Tom Woodhouse is Director of Studies at Shane English School Taiwan (SEST).
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