Peter TS # 16

On Friday 5 May, I met with Umutoni for the last time. She was very sad that it was our last lesson, and at the end of it, took a picture with me and gave me a hug. We went over emotions again. When we finished that, the topic turned to shopping. I wrote down a basic question: how much does this cost. I then drew a picture of a grocery item, and wrote a price below it. I asked Umutoni how much it cost, and she didn’t seem to understand. When I said this item costs X.XX, she realized what I had asked her. I drew another picture and repeated the question, and she was able to say, ‘this item costs X.XX’. When the lesson was finished, the whole family gathered around me, and was effusive with gratitude and joy. Everyone hugged me, and as I drove off, they waved me goodbye.

Peter TS # 15

On Friday 5 May, I met with Raul for our last tutoring session. He wanted help with his pronunciation, and he brought a long list of verbs in their past, present, and future tense forms with him. He went over each word one by one, and I would correct whatever pronunciation errors he made. He had trouble with the word breakfast. I mentioned something about its etymology: how you can think of it as a compound word: break + fast. It is the morning meal, and implies that by participating in it, the eater is breaking a fast (as in abstaining from food). He found this interesting.  When the lesson was over, he gave me a card and told me he was proud that I was graduating. We plan to see each other again someday. Maybe when I go to Mexico during the summer, he will be there and we can meet up.

Peter TS # 14

On 28 April I tutored Umutoni at her family’s apartment. We worked on words that express emotion. The word for emotion in Kinyarwanda is imbamutima. I gave her the following words with their Kinyarwandan analogues: happy (ibinezaneza); sad (intimba); fear (ubwoba); anger (umujinya); worry (guhangayika); anxious (guhangayika); and scared (gutinya). When we went over a word, I would give a gesture expressing its meaning. When we were talking about sadness, I would frown, and when talking about fear, I would pretend to jump in surprise. When I said an emotion I asked her to do the same, and she did pretty well. Her sisters joined in, and it became a game. The youngest seemed to enjoy the lesson the most, and was laughing in delight whenever one of her sisters made a funny face. I left her with the list of words, and I think she had grasped most of them by the end of the lesson.

Peter TS # 13

On 21 April I tutored Umutoni at her family’s apartment. We worked on telling time again. I drew a clock on a sheet of paper like I did last time, and cut up two other sheets of paper as clock hands. One was little and the other was short. I wrote down the following: What time is it? She remembered what this meant. I tested her by making the hands of the clock point towards noon, and she said that it was twelve o’ clock. I drew more tick marks than last time, and gave her more complicated times. When I moved the short hand to the ‘one’, the big hand to 5, and when I asked her what time it was, she said that it was one o’ five. This was incorrect, but I corrected her by showing her that between the numbers 12 and 5 is 20 minutes. So it is one-twenty. She understood and was able to tell the time when the big hand was placed over a number.

Peter CP #6

On Thursday 4 May, Raul and I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy II. We went to the AMC theatre in Tallahassee. It was opening night. The movie continued the story of Peter Quill, who meets his father and is told he is half celestial. It was a good movie; Raul thought so too. He found some parts of it, when the actors talked too fast, incomprehensible, but could guess at the meaning using context clues. He had seen Guardians of the Galaxy I when it first came out, but I had seen it the night before yesterday. We talked about the southern accent of one of the main characters; he found it to be similar to what he hears around Tallahassee. He said he could understand it because he was now so used to hearing it. This is our last CP meeting, but we have another tutoring session left to go.

Jacqueline CP #6/7

5/7 2pm

Today, I spoke with Yueyang on the phone. She just recently went to NYC to visit this guy she met. I haven't been able to get too many details, since we were with a bigger group on Friday, and she didn't want to discuss it on the phone today (she'd rather discuss in person). We talked about the weekend, dating, and dating as a Christian, specifically. I'm going over her house tonight to hang out, and we plan to hangout more over summer, before she leaves. She has been very sweet, and I've enjoyed getting to know her this semester!

Jacqueline CP #5

5/5 9pm

This weekend I originally planned on having Mexican food with Yueyang, but I ended up having to work late, so we just met up for drinks after. We started at Proof with some friends, then went to the Domi Station to play a game called Secret Hitler, a social deduction game. Having drinks before playing the game was not a very good call. I was just as lost as Yueyang! Overall, we enjoyed our time together.

Jacqueline TS #16

5/4 8-9am

For our last session, I had So-young read the article out loud, and I would do a comprehension check every few paragraphs.

The Business of Fast Fashion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhkBfbwCzxc

http://www.triplepundit.com/2016/12/high-environmental-cost-fast-fashion/

For this session, we discussed the danger of "fast fashion" and its impact on the earth. Companies like Zara and H&M produce tons of waste each year, and the fabrics they use are not eco-friendly. We learned that synthetic fibers, like polyester, emit 3 times more carbon dioxide in its life cycle than cotton. This article also discussed how the landfills are filling up with clothes, since the clothes are not made to last, and people often throw away or donate their clothes. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of waste, even when donating. Places like Goodwill can't accept everything, so a lot of items end up in the trash. It's a vicious cycle, and we will continue it unless we change our buying ways or companies change they ways they manufacture products. 

Jacqueline TS #15 adult

5/2 8-9am

On Tuesday we discussed the climate march. I had So-young read this article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/us/politics/peoples-climate-march-trump.html

We discussed the march protesting the denial of the earth's warming climate, as one of the hottest days in DC. We went over some vocabulary she didn't recognize, such as parlay, magnate, levity and antagonist. I told her about how Trump shut down some major websites when he first took office, such as the EPA. We discussed ways in which the climate was changing and how it can effect people (jobs- fisherman, farmers) and animals.

Jacqueline TS #14 adult

4/30 8-9am

During this session, the article I chose was on personal space:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/04/24/how-close-is-too-close-depends-on-where-you-live/?utm_term=.648953dd341c

Depending on where you live, personal space looks different to each culture. She said in South Korea, they don't require a lot of personal space. We also talked about how girls hold hands in Asian countries as a sign of friendship. I told her about a time with my last conversation partner, Min, and how she would also hold my hand. At first, it was a little weird, but I just tried to embrace it and saw it as a sweet gesture. We went to the circus one day and I felt super judged by everyone around us. It made me feel bad for couples who are openly gay. If I felt judged, and I wasn't gay, I can only imagine how hard it is for people to be in openly gay relationships...

The second half of our session, I helped her edit an application for a volunteer opportunity in South Korea. I chose a shorter article, so we would have time to edit and talk about her application.

Taylar CP #6

Date/Time: May 5, 2017; 8-9PM
Location: Strozier Library
In preparation for our final, Eun You g and I met up briefly inStrozier to study for our exam. We talked for about an hour, mainly about the test itself, but also our post-graduate plans. Although we wouldn't be graduating in the same semester, we both shared an excitement about being done with our undergraduate degree and getting jobs in the "real world." However, we both agreed that we are also apprehensive about graduation just because it means becoming fully independent, which more than likely scared me much more Eun Young! She also told me about the road trip she was planning on taking with her Mom when she comes to attend her graduation at the end of the summer. She hadn't decided where they were going yet, but she said she wanted to go to the west coast and possibly the mountains as well. We both agreed that we should keep in touch and I look forward to hearing from Eun Young again!

Taylar CP #5

Date/Time: April 27, 2017; 10:15PM-12:00AM
Location: Student Life Cinema
Eun Young and I went to go see the new movie Sot with some of our mutual friends. In our earlier meetings, we had both talked about wanting to see this movie, so it was perfect timing that it came up in the SLC film schedule! Before the movie started, we talked a little bit about our classes and where we were with studying. Because finals were right around the corner, we were both pretty stressed out with all the studying ahead of us, so it was nice to be able to relax and watch a movie. We might not have chosen the right movie for relaxation, however, because Split was full of jumps and scares that I'm not sure I could relax throughout the film! Eun Young and I seemed to have differing opinions of the film by the end as well. She said that because she couldn't keep up with all of the English that some of the important dialogue was lost on her and she didn't understand everything. I thought it was a really good movie, but she said it was confusing and everyone we were with seemed to agree that the ending wasn't what they were expecting (or even wanted!).

Taylar CP #4

Date/Time: April 23, 2017; 2:15-3:15PM
Location: Dirac Starbucks
Eun you g and I met up for coffee and we started discussing the recent United Airlines headlines and how shocked we both were at what had happened. I don't think anybody, ourselves included ever thought that something like that could happen on an American airline, especially me who flies United frequently. Through this discussion we began to talk about how different airlines work and how airlines in the United States operate differently than in other countries, including South Korea. We then started discussing different language learning techniques and how different languages are structured grammatically. Both Eun Young and I have experience learning multiple languages, so we started comparing and contrasting basic sentences like "hello my name is..." or "I am X years old." across the different languages that we learned and how each ARE different grammatically.

Kim CP #6

For our last meeting, Dojun and I discussed our opinions on a couple of very interesting topics including: childbearing, cohabitation, and marriage. I am not sure how old Dojun is but it was really interesting to speak to him about his opinions on these topics. He told me that in South Korea it is very traditional to meet the parents of your partner and have their approval before extending a marriage. He told me he will follow this tradition himself before marrying his girlfriend. I told him about my upcoming trip to Japan and how I recently read that the Japanese government offers incentives to young Japanese couples to have children and help grow the population. He told me there are similar pushes in South Korea as well because young people are not marrying or having children. He told me in Seoul it is really expensive to live in the city as a single person or as a couple, so he couldn't imagine having to pay for a child as well. This led into a really great conversation about the education systems in both the US and South Korea and how they vary. He thinks the children are worked too hard in South Korea. I've really enjoyed getting to know Dojun over these past few weeks and hope we continue to stay in touch!

Ryler CP#6

Conversation Partner #6 (with Dasom)

Date/Time:

05/04/17, 3:00-4:40pm

Location:

Starbucks

Topic/Skill

Slang and Idioms 

For our last meeting Dasom and I went to Starbucks for coffee. We chatted about how the new semester was going and our summer plans. We then spent over an hour talking about slang words and idioms. I used lists from the internet and then explained the meaning, etymology, and the context normally used. Slang and idioms are both fun to teach and learn about so this was a great last exercise for both of us. 
Dasom was a great Tutee and conversation partner. Even though the class is over I will try to meet up with her again to do more conversation later in the summer when I get back from Japan. 

Ryler TS#16

Tutoring Session #16 (child) with PJ

Date/Time:

05/02/17, 7:30-8:15pm

Location:

Professor Kim's House

Topic/Skill:

Reading comprehension

For this session, PJ and I read a random book from his book shelf since he had already finished his school assigned reading. The book we read was called 'Mrs Kute is a Hoot'. This book was a bit lower in level than the previous books so we sped right through it with no trouble. There was not much of a story line to the book as it was a simplistic narrative about a reading assistant dog at an elementary school. It was mostly silly one-liners. Since there wasn't much of a story line it was difficult to ask thematic comprehension questions and since the reading level was below PJs there were no vocabulary words that he had trouble with. It was good to end with something light and easy and we almost finished the whole book in the 45 minutes. 
PJ was a pleasure to tutor; I'll miss him!

Ryler TS#15

Tutoring Session #15 (adult) with Dasom

Date/Time:

05/02/17, 3:00-4:00pm

Location:

CIES

Topic/Skill:

Vocabulary

For our last tutoring session I asked Dasom if there were any kinds of vocabulary she would like a greater breadth of knowledge of. We decided to go over kitchen, shopping, and taste vocabulary. Using images and text on my iPad we extensively examined the vocabulary of things commonly found in a kitchen from utensils to furniture to cooking techniques (grilling, frying, whipping, poaching, etc) We then went on to shopping vocabulary from bargain to till to salesperson. Lastly we explored the different vocabulary for tastes (savory, sour, sweet, tangy, bitter, etc). I think it would be great to learn these words while sampling foods that fit with the terms; next time!

Nicole CO 3

Today's observation was another advanced class, so I saw a few of the same students as my last session.  I decided the advanced courses are probably the best for me to observe because the majority of students I work with will fall into this level as they are admitted to college and currently taking college courses.  The class began by taking attendance and then sharing the plan for the day. Students were doing presentations so it was not heavy on teaching materials.  The students who presented were very proud of their work and appeared excited to share their findings with the class.  There was a lot of conversation about differences in cultures and the students began preparing for their next class.  The next class was an interactive activity with other students on campus.  It was so neat to hear about the questions they planned to ask about other cultures.  We did a practice round and the questions some students had were so unique!  It's amazing to hear about the small differences in culture but the impact they have on others.  I wish I was attending the activity with the class the next day because I'd love to hear all of the answers to their questions!

Nicole CO 2

Today's class was much different than the first class observed.  It was a smaller course of advanced learners.  The teaching style was much more different and more similar to a college class than a primary school class.  This makes sense with the difference in levels.  When students didn't understand the question the instructor asked them to rephrase - I liked this tool because the student is learning another way to communicate their message.  The class reviewed their lesson from yesterday - modals for advice and followed that with learning modals for necessity and obligation.  This was an area I was surprised was taught but after reflecting on sessions with my students I found this lesson to be exceptionally helpful.  I would have never realized that students would need to learn the English ways to ask for advice or help.  The students completed a partner game and finished up with a writing assignment.  The class wasn't quite a interactive as I was anticipating but the information was very interesting and helpful for me!  I actually took the same notes that the students did and plan to go back and reorganize and create some lesson plans for modals!

Nicole CO 1

Today I observed Andrew's beginner class.  It was very interesting and I certainly enjoyed being a part of the class.  Andrew started the class by using a Word of the Day.  Throughout this activity when Andrew asked the class questions and we was met with silence or asked for clarification he would share the question again using the same verbiage.  He had no problem repeating himself but he stood his ground and didn't lower the language level he was using.  And it worked!  After a few times the students understood and participated.  A fun little quirk that his classroom uses is a bell.  He or his TA would ring the bell if there was an incorrect pronunciation or if there were missing words in the students sentence.  So a student said "my favorite place to shop Publix".  The bell was rang and the correction was made by Andrew.  Another piece of the class I found to be a great tactic was a the anonymous correction of mistakes through a Beautiful Mistakes worksheet. While the class took place Andrew would keep track of mistakes heard throughout the lesson.  At the end of the lesson he would pick a few and go over them on the board and the class would write it all on their own Beautiful Mistakes worksheet.  I think this was a great way to correct students without them feeling embarrassed and also help everyone learn something.