Student Teacher Practicum/Volunteer Opportunities with My Culture Connect


One of MCC’s core missions is to train volunteer teachers to help in areas that lack educational resources. Student teachers studying to obtain their TEFL, TESOL, or other English as a second language (ESL) certifications play an important role in helping MCC achieve this goal.


MCC currently offers several volunteer opportunities that can assist those seeking ESL certifications not only gain practicum hours, but also form new relationships and build a community of educators around the world. Check out our current opportunities below.


Classroom Observations


Classroom observations are one of the foundations of any new teacher training program because it allows the student teacher to see the information they’ve learned in the textbook put to practical use. Depending on the time of year, MCC offers a variety of observation opportunities from observing actual English classes taking place at schools throughout rural Taiwan during the regular school year, to special English education programs led by certified ESL teachers during winter and summer breaks. Classes vary in length: 40 minutes for elementary schools, 50 minutes for junior high schools, and up to a full hour for our special programs during school breaks. All observations are conveniently held over Skype or Google Meet, so the only requirement is ensuring that you have set up a free account on these platforms.


Tutoring Opportunities


One of the biggest educational challenges rural areas face when learning English is a lack of exposure to native English speakers. Having the chance to speak with and learn from a native English speaker is a valuable experience for students in these areas. As most ESL certification programs require student teachers to have actual tutoring or teaching experience as a part of their practicum, this is a great way for student teachers to volunteer their time and obtain practicum hours. MCC has a wide range of students seeking native English speaking tutors: different ages, language levels, adult learners, and even some Taiwanese English teachers wanting to freshen up their English language skills. Tutoring is often the most flexible volunteer opportunity as you are able to work directly with the student you will be tutoring on times that work best for both of you. While this is true, keep in mind that school age students are in school during the day in Taiwan, which is 13 hours ahead of eastern standard time (12 hours DST) in the US, so this can limit their availability during the school year to the evenings (early morning in North America).


Co-Teaching Opportunities


Co-teaching is the most advanced form of volunteering that student teachers have the opportunity to complete with MCC. Co-teaching involves working with a Taiwanese English teacher at an elementary or junior high school. Co-teachers are typically provided with the curriculum currently being covered in the class, and build a lesson plan based on the topic being covered. When co-teaching, the emphasis should be on getting the students to practice their listening and speaking skills, since this is often what they lack without having much exposure to native English speakers. The co-teacher is encouraged to plan lessons with fun activities and utilize different forms of media (e.g., presentations, YouTube videos, audio files, etc.) to enhance their students’ classroom experience. Similar to observations, classes are held on Skype or Google Meet, so you will be required to have accounts on these platforms.


How MCC Supports Its Volunteers


As a new teacher, we know that beginning to tutor and co-teach can often be nerve-racking and anxiety-provoking, but we are here to support you. In addition to the volunteer opportunities offered by MCC, we support our student teacher volunteers in the following ways, and as always, these are completely free:


Orientations

Before sending you off on your teaching journey, MCC wants to ensure that our student teacher volunteers feel adequately prepared. While completing observations does not require an orientation, tutoring and co-teaching will require the volunteer to attend an orientation with the Program Manager.


  1. Tutoring Orientation:


This orientation will prepare you for your first tutoring session. During this orientation, we will cover the following topics:

  1. What makes a quality ESL tutor;

  2. The types of students we have available;

  3. The typical goals/aims of the students you will be tutoring;

  4. What to expect during your first tutoring session and how to plan your first lesson; and,

  5. How to engage and get your student to participate.


  1. Co-Teaching Orientation:


This orientation will prepare you to co-teach a class with a Taiwanese teacher, which is a very different experience than tutoring 1-on-1. During this orientation, we will cover:

  1. Things to consider when teaching a full classroom of students;

  2. Technology demands and how to effectively utilize the platform you’ll be teaching on (i.e., Skype or Google Meet);

  3. Lesson planning for a full class;

  4. Presentation softwares (e.g., Prezi, Google Slides, Powerpoint, etc.) and how to integrate those with Skype or Google Meet; and,

  5. Common classroom activities that have proven successful in a co-teaching environment.


Office Hours

Weekly Office Hours are held with the MCC Program Manager. Office Hours are an open discussion forum where new student teachers and/or current teachers can bring questions and topics that they wish to learn more about. This is a great opportunity to get tips and tricks for areas of your teaching that you may be struggling with, and learn from more experienced teachers, as well as each other. Office hours are held on Google Meet or Skype, and you are encouraged to turn on your camera, unmute, and join the conversation, or you can always type a question or topic in the Google Meet or Skype chat.


Webinars and Workshops

MCC hosts webinar presentations/discussions about a variety of topics that you care about as an ESL educator. As teachers, we should always seek to increase our knowledge, learn new teaching skills and techniques, and share our own ideas and experiences. Additionally, since we know many of our volunteers are new ESL teachers who will be seeking employment, we also offer webinar series geared towards providing knowledge and best practices for entering the ESL market as a new teacher.


What to Do Next


If you are interested in learning more about the programs My Culture Connect has to offer, please contact Quentin Gooch, MCC’s Program Manager.


Quentin Gooch, MCC Program Manager

Email: quentin@fdps.chc.edu.tw

Skype: https://join.skype.com/invite/yd29Odx99XOV



Hear Directly From Some of Our MCC Alumni


***Michael Dishnow***

"You are never too old, too experienced, or too accomplished to learn new things. At the age of 76, during this COVID-19 pandemic, I enrolled in TEFL certification programming at the International TEFL Academy in Chicago (on-line). After earning the 140-hour TEFL certificate I completed the three specialty courses (Young Learners; On-Line; Business).

I am entering my 10th year as a volunteer English teacher and member of the Taiwanese nonprofit, My Culture Connect. MCC is focused on providing English education and cultural exchanges in underserved rural schools. I have been in classrooms in Changhua on 5 different trips of 4 to 6 weeks. My experiences in the schools and community are broad. When at home in the USA, I do Skype sessions weekly with students and teachers.

I learned many new ideas and had many of my practices reinforced/tweaked while becoming TEFL certified. It was a broadening, a growth experience. My colleague Luke Lin has been setting up classes for TEFL students to observe for practicum hours/credit. I often teach the on-line sessions with him. Team teaching.

The networking effect is amazing. The growth in our reach as MCC volunteers and the gaining of newly certified TEFL colleagues is significant. This added an additional level of internationalism to our programming. It is our hope at My Culture Connect to continue and expand our work with our new partner, The International TEFL Academy in Chicago and elsewhere. This team is accomplishing good things.

Thank you TEFL Academy and students."


***Kira Smalley***

"I first found MCC after completing my online TEFL Course, while searching for an organization to complete my 20 hour practicum. Working with MCC and Luke Lin, I was able to complete my practicum (In record time, I believe.) and utilized both observation and teaching hours for the completion.

I am now a volunteer teacher with MCC and am so happy about my experience. Having the ability to observe classes online before jumping in can help to take a little bit of the pressure off and gives you the chance to see multiple teaching styles, all while connecting with fellow TEFL teachers. The community and outreach work MCC does is wonderful and much needed, but Luke is really taking it a step further and creating an online community for the TEFL Teachers."


***Bridget Hoarty***

"I first heard about MCC while I was completing my online TEFL course with ITA. At the time, I was looking for a way to complete my practicum. During my first conversation with Luke, I could tell how passionate he was about teaching English to students in Changhua County. I began observing classes with MCC right away and was instantly impressed with the coordination between MCC and remote EFL teachers, the range of topics and activities in lessons, and the progress students made.

I continued my practicum with co-teaching classes over Skype and since have continued to work with MCC after becoming TEFL certified. Every time I teach a class, I come away with a huge smile on my face. MCC’s values of community, fun, and passion in education create a wonderful environment to work in. I am excited to continue my journey with MCC and cannot wait to see what the future holds for the community of students and teachers they connect with."


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Student Teacher Practicum/Volunteer Opportunities with My Culture Connect