FSU TEFL Certificate Course Summer 2025

 Date: 7/14 Location: Online Topic: Everyday Activities and Feelings Feedback Provided: I gave my tutee a lot of feedback on word choice during this lesson. We talked about the day she had and how she felt during the certain activities she did, as well as looked at a picture of patrons in NYC and talked about how they might be feeling. I taught her the meaning of the word metropolitan in regards to a metropolitan city. We also talked about how certain words make more sense in a cultural and casual context even those the original word may be grammatically correct.  Lessons Learned: I learned that it is sometimes difficult to explain why certain words or phrases would not be used even though it is grammatically correct. Sometimes my tutee will say things that are technically correct on paper, but sound uncomfortable and would not be typical speech for a native English speaker. I do try my best to explain why it wouldn’t be used, but most of the time find that just saying that it...

Date/Time: Saturday, July 19th, at 10:00 AM Location: Lucky Goat Coffee Topic/Skill: Academic Small Talk, Networking Confidence, and Conversation Transitions Feedback provided to the tutee: In this session, Nejoud and I tackled one of the most terrifying things in academia,  networking small talk. Specifically, how to approach those awkward moments at conferences and receptions. We opened with a warm-up discussion about awkward professional conversations. Nejoud shared a few relatable stories from previous events where she wasn’t sure what to say, especially in English. We discussed cultural differences in how professional small talk happens, and I introduced the idea that in U.S. academia, small talk isn’t just fluff, it’s the bridge to meaningful connections. Our mini-lesson focused on a three-stage framework for transitioning from casual to academic conversation: Friendly Opener : “This is a great event, isn’t it?” Light Question:  “What brought you to this...

Date/Time: Tuesday, July 15th, at 5:00 PM Location: Dirac Library Topic/Skill: U.S. Dating Culture, Cross-Cultural Comparison, and Relationship Vocabulary Feedback provided to the tutee: In today’s session, Wei and I dove into the wonderfully awkward world of dating in America . We kicked things off with a short YouTube video called “8 Things to Know About Dating in America.” Wei actively listened for the main idea and took notes on a new vocabulary word, and reflected on a dating behavior that felt different from her home culture. She was especially surprised by the openness of casual dating and how quickly some Americans move into relationships. We then transitioned into a short reading on dating etiquette in the U.S., highlighting social expectations around asking someone out, who pays for what, public affection, and the infamous “DTR” moment (Define the Relationship). Wei identified cultural contrasts with ease. For instance, she found the idea of splitting the bill unus...

Date: 7/7 Location: Online  Topic: Reading Comprehension and “th” Sound Pronunciation Feedback Provided: I had my tutee read a story that used a lot of “th” sounds in it and gave her feedback whenever she messed those up. She often would say it as a “sh” sound instead, so we went over the differences in mouth movements in each of those sounds. Lessons Learned: In my previous lessons with other tutees, I learned that it’s hard to produce pronunciation mistakes when a student is reading directly from a page. I tried to prevent that this time by having her read it out loud a few times and then reciting it to me as best as she could. While this did work better, I did learn that it’s probably best to have them memorize something before hand and then say it to me, as she missed many of the key words that I was looking for. I did, however, learn that this is a great way to test comprehension. I was able to see things she missed and placed where she got characters/topics confused with anot...

 Date: 7/3 Location: Online Topic: Job Interviews/Professionalism Feedback Provided: I gave my tutee feedback on how to structure her answers to typical interview questions. For example, when asked about what her greatest weakness is, I told her to give an honest answer but to make sure it’s something that she can then explain how she’s working on it or how it makes her a better worker. We also talked about how it’s okay to keep some answers more short and sweet (such as the one about weaknesses), while going more in depth about others (such as the ones asking about why you’re the most qualified candidate). Lessons Learned: In this activity, I provided a lot more linguistic support. I gave her answer structures and example answers prior to her answering the questions, which I think helped guide me in giving better feedback and also helped her understand her answers and the questions a lot better. I also learned how important it is to pay attention to my own speech in these lessons....

 Date: 6/28 Location: Online Topic: Debating (AI pt. 2) Feedback Provided: In this lesson we talked a lot about the professional structure of debates. Though she was not expected to be completely professional since this was a more casual setting and she couldn’t be completely prepared, I did explain that there were certain things that would make her lose a real debate. For example, I told her to stat away from reduced forms and to make sure she gives reasons to back up her points. We also talked about sentence structure and word choice and how that correlates to explaining things properly. There were a lot of instances where she over explained, explained things backwards, or used a word that grammatically made sense but just did not translate as well as it could have. We went over better ways to phrase what she meant. Lessons Learned: In this lesson I learned that I need to be better at preparing more linguistic support, as well as better anticipating mistakes. I felt that there wa...

Date: 6/26/25 Location: Online  Topic: Debating (AI) Feedback Provided: I mostly gave my tutee feedback about sound pronunciation, especially for “v” and “w” and “th” and “sh” sounds. I taught her about minimal pairs because she tends to mix those pairs up with each other. We also  Lessons Learned: In this lesson I learned a lot about the difficulties of teaching over a computer. I think one of my strengths that I’ve noticed in these lessons is my ability to teach pronunciation, but I didn’t realize how much easier it is when you are face to face with a student and they can see the way your mouth moves. This lesson taught me to get better at explaining how to position one’s mouth and tongue for certain sounds. It also taught me that it’s more helpful to say the word slowly to myself first in order to understand the mouth positioning, rather than just repeating it slowly over and over again. 

  Date/Time:  Saturday, July 8th at 10:00 AM Location:  Lucky Goat Coffee Topic/Skill:  Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, and Academic Discussion Skills Feedback provided to the tutee : Today, Nejoud and I leaned into some essential grad school survival skills: how to actively listen, critically read, and respond thoughtfully to academic content. We opened with a warm-up on listening styles, using the classic contrast: “Do you listen to understand or to reply?” This sparked a fun, reflective conversation about how grad students are constantly juggling both. Nejoud shared that she often finds it easier to understand than to quickly explain her thoughts out loud. Next, we practiced academic-style listening using an excerpt from the TED Talk “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown. Nejoud made predictions based on the title, identified the main idea during the first listen, and then tackled more detailed comprehension questions on the second go. We focused o...

  Date/Time : July 10th, Thursday at 12:30 PM Location : Strozier Library Topic/Skill : Understanding Regional Accents ; The California Vowel Shift Feedback provided to the tutee : In this session, Thakshila and I surfed into the laid-back yet linguistically wild world of the California accent,  specifically, the California Vowel Shift,  a fascinating sound pattern that’s reshaping vowels up and down the West Coast. We started by breaking down what vowel shifting actually means, and why it’s more than just a "Valley Girl" stereotype. From there, we compared how vowels like “kit,” “trap,” and “goose” sound in California English compared to other regions. We examined real-world examples; snippets from podcasts, YouTube influencers, and everyday speech. These were used to highlight how vowels are being re-positioned in the mouth, often moving lower or back. Thakshila caught on quickly to the subtle shift in words like “bit” sounding more like “bet,” or how “dude” gets stretc...

  Date/Time:  Tuesday, July 8th, at 1:30 pm Location:  Dirac Library Topic/Skill:  Speaking Confidence, Cultural Reflection, and Modal Verbs in Social Contexts Feedback provided to the tutee: In today’s session, Wei and I focused on communication strategies around feeling self-conscious, particularly in academic and social environments. We opened with a warm-up discussion about her homework; a verbal reflection on the TED-Ed video Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator. Wei shared thoughtful insights on the “Panic Monster” and reflected on her own decision-making tendencies. She identified with the balance between rational planning and last-minute motivation, which led to a deeper conversation about time management strategies. We then explored a short reading on group work and accountability cycles. This text introduced key vocabulary, including self-conscious, judged, support, and accountability,  all in the context of common classroom challenges. Wei con...

 Date: 6/21/25 Location: Online Topic: Introduction/Getting to know each other Feedback Provided: There was not a lot of feedback provided in this lesson because it was just an introduction for us. We talked a lot about the differences in American and Chinese cultures and I did give some feedback on a few pronunciation and grammar errors. We also talked about the meaning of the word “swollen”. Lessons Learned: Though I knew this before, this tutoring session really solidified that many ESL students are on completely different levels when it comes to reading/writing compared to speaking/listening. My tutee had near perfect grammar and conversational skills when we were texting and didn’t once have to clarify the meaning of anything I said. Although her speaking and listening skills were not bad, they were nowhere near the level that they were at when we were texting. It really showed me how important working on automaticity can be and made me think harder to come up with lessons tha...

Date/Time:  Tuesday, July 1st at 1:00 pm  Location:  Dirac Library Topic/Skill:  Reading, Vocabulary, and Listening Comprehension Feedback provided to the tutee: In this session, Wei and I began by reviewing her homework and diving into targeted vocabulary practice. We explored six high-frequency academic and conversational words; “procrastinate,” “whereby,” “irritants,” “balloon,” “menial,” and “tweak”. I provided EFL-friendly definitions, example sentences, and cultural notes. Wei actively engaged with the words, offering her own examples and asking great follow-up questions about how these terms appear in daily life and on campus. She especially enjoyed the cultural tip about Americans “tweaking” everything from schedules to sleep routines. We then transitioned into a short listening activity using the first few minutes of the TED-Ed video I nside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator . Wei listened for the main idea, new vocabulary, and an idea that stood out to h...

Date: July 2nd 2025 (Wednesday) Location: Killearn Methodist Church Topic/Skill: Third Grade Reading / Cause and Effect  Feedback provided to the tutee: Read through a fiction passage and had the tutee identify all the cause and effects pairs in the story. Then, the tutee used this to fill out a graphic organizer and draw the cause-effect pairs out.

Date: July 1st 2025 (Tuesday) Location: Killearn Methodist Church Topic/Skill: Third Grade Reading /  Feedback provided to the tutee: Read through a nonfiction passage and worked on identifying the underlined words in the passage. She learned four different types of context clues.

Date: July 1st 2025 (Tuesday) Location: Zoom (Ukraine) Topic/Skill: Holidays in the US // Answering Comprehension Questions Feedback provided to the tutee: After the presentation by the main professor, my group discussed comprehension questions based on the lecture.  I had five students, but m ost of them didn't participate. We had a brief discussion about holidays in Ukraine.

Date: June 26th 2025 (Thursday) Location: Killearn Methodist Church Topic/Skill: Third Grade Reading / Using context clues. Feedback provided to the tutee: Focused on deciphering unknown words using context clues. Read through a nonfiction passage and answered comprehension questions. Tutee underlined any unknown words and worked through finding the meaning in-context.