Teaching in Yunlin

Huwei Elementary School & Huwei Junior High School

from Brendon Hillebrand (2019-2020 ETA)

Group work is an important part of our lessons at Huwei Elementary and Huwei Junior High. Whether we are doing textbook exercises or playing games, group work gives the students opportunities to collaborate as they practice English speaking, discuss a reading article, and complete team challenges. Students here love competition but also have a good sense of camaraderie. It is rewarding to see the students grow in their ability to learn while also encouraging their peers along the way.

Dapi Elementary School & Houpu Elementary School

from Rachel Wong (2019-2020 ETA)

I taught at 2 different schools and used different co-teaching styles at both schools. At Houpu Elementary, I team taught with my LET because our teaching personalities are very similar. Both of us led activities equally during class. At Dapi Elementary, I only worked 2 days a week but taught 10 classes total, so my LET and I alternated with “one lead, one assist” model during class so that lesson planning would be easier for the two of us.

I think teaching styles will really vary depending on your LET, school, and students, so flexibility was really important for me. I had to be able to adapt on days that I suddenly had to solo teach or days where special needs students needed extra attention.

Overall, communication with the LETs is key. Make sure everyone is on the same page in terms of scheduling, expectations, and responsibility. They are also normally the go-between with the school administration as well, so I would periodically check in about upcoming school events, exam date, and field trips.

Anding Elementary School & Raoping Elementary School

from Linda Li (2019-2020 ETA)

I was the 2019-20 Fulbright ETA at Anding and Raoping Elementary Schools. Neither of my schools used English textbooks for my classes, so the content of my classes was flexible. At Raoping, my LET and I structured our classes around storybooks: we read and acted out storybooks, used the storybook as vocabulary targets, and created student-centered games and activities usually testing vocabulary. At Anding, I taught CLIL (Content & Language Integrated Learning, or teaching non-English subjects using English) using Chinese textbooks, so I had to use a completely different strategy! My LET and I based our lessons loosely off the main topics for each textbook unit and created a list of grade-appropriate vocabulary targets and sentence patterns with more games and activities.

In general, I would recommend setting a clear time each week to lesson plan with your LET, preferably at least a week before class. My LETs and I sometimes even managed to plan 3-4 weeks in advance, which made it possible for us to do activities that required even more resources and planning. Communication and compromise are also key. If something is not working between you and your LET, be the proactive one and talk to them. It's very possible that they see the issue too but don't feel comfortable addressing it directly. Also, be flexible. Your LETs will have much more teaching experience, but you are coming in with a much different mindset and teaching style, so work together to figure out what is the best way to combine your strengths.