Wow, what an experience!

I have just returned to Poland from Baku. Although I am still a bit disoriented from the 3 hour time difference, driving my wife crazy with waking, falling asleep and requesting meals at strange hours, (plus also complaining, ‘It’s cold here.’ referring to +25 C), I would like to formulate some of my impressions while they are still fresh in memory.

A trainer goes somewhere to share knowledge and expertise, to make positive change, but there is always this added value for him or her: you teach but you also learn from others and grow as well. This is what I got from my Baku experience; this is what enriched me:

1.) The understanding of what the Turkish schools contribute to education in Azerbaijan. The teachers and school administrators attach great importance to quality education, and channel incredible resources into it.

2.) Living briefly in this country. Before I went, I did a bit of homework reading about Azerbaijan and also contacting people who have also been there, but nothing prepared me for the grandeur of Baku and the dynamism of its growth. In my part of the world there is always talk of economic crisis, followed by budget cuts for education and worry caused by low demography. This part of the world , in turn, looks extremely vibrant, with incredible potential. For instance, I was impressed by the facilities in which I was to work with IWBs in every classroom.

3.) The contact with my teaching group that came from Nakhchivan, a place I had never heard of. They turned out to be pleasant, gentle, and good-humored people. We had a lot of common knowledge in terms of global culture, but it was exciting for me to pick up all these little ‘exotic’ elements: the way they addressed me and the others in formal situations, (Hasan Teacher), the gesture of crossing their hearts, the little dance that my people did in class, or the literal meaning of their first names: Sahil, Jahid, Elkhaz, Elchin, Niyameddin, Sakhavat, Sumer, for example.

4.) Finally, the contact with my team, my co-teachers at the smartboard: Anette, Ola, and Vanessa, but also the ‘mission control’ people (Houston, we have a problem!), Kristina and Andi, working hard behind the scenes, making things happen. When you are blessed with a good team, their special combination of EFL expertise and international teaching experience, they share with you tips and materials, they support you, plus you have good fun with them after hours (every good trainer is a superb storyteller and an actor).

I will remember all these things, but what am I not going to miss? The situation when, before a class, I carefully arranged my notes and handouts, and then, because of the heat, my somebody opened the windows and the doors and turned on a fan. Guess what inevitably happened next ;)

Krzysztof

Baku course reflections 1 by Ola

On the first day of the course we met our trainees. It was a challenge for me to get a group of ten energetic men (in alphabetical order): Adalet, Ahmet, Cem, Emil, Ilkin,Mustafa, Reshad, Rufet, Sarvan and Yakup. They all came rather unprepared (no pens, not notebooks) but we have managed to get them organized! At the end of the course theY ALL produced folders with their handouts and microteaching stuff! 

Their expectations were very concrete: to get an insight into the EFL methodology to become better teachers. I myself also had goals – I wanted to learn the Azeri EFL context and… to have fun :). Teaching and teacher training is a job, but doing it without pleasure is a dreadful thing.      

One of the activities all my trainees enjoyed a lot was called 'It’s a bad line'. I have used it many times with all age groups of students, including adults. It always works! Students sit on the chairs in two rows, each person facing a partner about 2 m away, like this: 

x  o  x  o  x  o  x  o

o  x  o  x  o  x  o  x  

The ‘o’ students have a piece of paper with personal info about a person (name, address, telephone). Their task is to dictate/spell the info to the partner opposite (‘x’) whose task is to write all this down. The only problem is there are other people around who have the same task! Can you imagine the noise? Yes, it is a noisy activity but also fun and you practice spelling. Can you imagine 10 grown up men shouting like crazy to get the message across? I wish I had taken a photo of that activity. 

So, the teachers enjoyed the activity, they also practiced spelling. But what about the noise? Some of the teachers said they would not be allowed to do such an activity with their students because this would mean other teachersconducting their lessons nearby would get upset. They told me noise in the classroom means you are not controlling you students. Well, there is bad noise and there is good noise. If you are in control and know how to install order once the activity is over – that’s good noise! How can learn a language without using it? Even if my trainees decide not to use this activity in the classroom they at least had some fun and learnt at the same time!         

My name is Ola and I’m Polish. I have been teaching English (and Geography) for 25 years. For the last 8 years I have also been engaged in teacher training as a freelancer – mostly in Poland (especially in Geography and bilingual education) but also in the UK (EFL teacher training courses for Pilgrims and Bell). As a professional geographer I like travelling so combining English teacher training with visiting new places is what I like best! So far I have worked with teachers in Uzbekistan, Qatar and now in Azerbaijan as part of the CTS wonderful teacher training team. Thanks a lot for this opportunity, Kristina :).        

A guest post from Ali Bilgin Bey

Today we have a special treat. 

Ali Bilgin Bey, the Fatih Schools' Head of English, whose opinions I respect very highly, kindly consented to contribute a post on lesson planning. Here is his guest post:

I have been practicing teaching English for 16 years,

and let me tell you, in these 16 years, whenever I planned a decent plan 

and wrote it down, and went to my classroom, that lesson always went well.

The possibility of any planned lesson going bad is almost zero, and 

the possibility of any unplanned lesson going well is most probably again zero...

OK, it isn't easy to do the planning every time before the lessons.

It is time consuming and in this era when the teachers are super loaded,

it takes a lot from the teachers; but it gives us a lot too as an English teacher...

In Bediuzzaman's books (risales) there is a simile for the sins,

Bediuzzaman describes the sins as poisoned honey,

They first give us pleasure but then poison us when we eat that honey...

For that 10 seconds pleasure, we mustn't risk our life...

Like this simile, lesson planning is also like a reverse poisoned honey comparison...

It first gives you pain for 15 minutes, but then when you get accustomed to do,

you get a lifetime long of pleasure of teaching English properly.

Just try it and keep doing it, you will never regret it...

I hope it works for you.

Best wishes...