Week 4 Tesol – Phonemes, Allophones and a couple of ‘gators June 4, 2010
Posted by Liz Mead in : TESOL , trackbackCaptains log – 1000 hours First mate Lote Lost at sea: 1200 hours shock squall hit ship -mast severely damaged. Will weigh anchor at Phonemanical Archipelago – part of the micro Melopolopoulous within the week. Quarter Master Cote is keen to spot an illusive diphtonogator. Cabin boy Modal ate unknown amoeba and came down with fever and shakes. Clearly an education program is required.
This week our teacher advised the honeymoon was over. Seeing as though none of the class are actually dating each other, I presume she was referring to expectations of us on this TESOL teacher training course.
We have 4 micro-teaching sessions to plan and deliver!! a phonetic alphabet to learn and the first lesson plan assignment to complete. My mind is awash and awake, and awry.
I fear that even if I can maintain private and desparate study each night - I fear it won’t be enough to stay ahead of the game.
Each week, the lesson delivers information I had not even thought of thinking about. I clearly don’t know what I don’t know.
For instance, I definitely didn’t know about elisions, allophones, plosives, and voiced consonants or the fact that most of actually say “reb meat” instead of “red meat”, or “Tea your coffee” or that yapples and woranges are the new fresh fruit. The second lesson was as overwhelming – forms and functions in full flight, questions and auxiliaries, prepositional phrases, direction setting and map reading were all on display.
To add insult to injury, last night I dreamt that alligators were breaking into my house. To get rid of them, someone suggested I throw a book at them. I did so, and they turned tail.
But what do alligators have to do with my learning Tesol?
Sure I’m trying to toughen up, and yes, I’ve got to be thick-skinned, and yes beneath the surface of my language knowledge, lurks a monstrous threat of ignorance. But is the chance of failing phonology really cause for psychological concern?
Just in case it is – I’ve decided to twist the dream on its tail and throw myself at the books instead
Interesting links on abc radio: australia talks
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Comments»
If that was the ‘honeymoon’ and it’s over – thank god! Maybe just a coincidence, but I swear the trust/love-o-metre is rising. I truely am blown away each night as I learn some new strange and ordinary thing about such a surprising group of people. Bring it on! ps: Being my first blogger I’ve ever responded to must make you a bit strange too, I guess – can’t be me. Thanks Liz.
LIZ ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pop :-)