Julia TS #19 (Wei)

Julia TS #19 (Wei) 

Date/Time: Thursday, July 30th, 7:00 PM


Location: Virtual (Zoom)


Topic/Skill: Hometown/Daily Routine, linking words



Feedback Provided to the Tutee: In this session, we began with drills that mimic the IELTS speaking Part I questions, such as

• "Where is your hometown?"

• "What do you like about it?"

• "Do you work or study?"

• "What's your daily routine like?"

I then re-asked Wei 2 of the same questions and had her answer again, focusing on speaking without stopping to self-correct. We timed each answer and got her answers down to the allotted 20-30 seconds per response. We recorded the answers, played them back, and listened together. I had Wei identify one filler-word habit or repetition pattern to work on. In the second part of IELTS speaking, you are given a cue card and have 1 minute to prep before you talk for 1-2 minutes. We came up with this action plan for that one minute.

  1. 0–15 seconds: Pick a real, specific memory (e.g., getting a job offer, passing an exam, a friend having a baby). Do not try to invent an epic story.

  2. 15–45 seconds: Jot down quick keywords next to the bullet points (not full sentences).

  3. 45–60 seconds: Outline your final "why" point—think of two reasons why it impacted you deeply.



“I’d like to talk about….” 

“As I recall, I was…” 

“My initial reaction…” 

“This mattered to me because…..”

Wei and I practiced this process. 

Lesson(s) About Tutoring and/or the Tutee You Learned: I learned the importance of recording speech samples and listening back to them in order to catch filler words and awkward pauses. I also learned how important this is for the tutee themselves to listen to, as we often don't hear the filler words when we speak them. I was again reminded of the effect prepping for a test has on students' attitudes towards language learning as a whole, and made sure that the methods Wei and I used to study for her IELTS exam would have a positive washback and help further her ultimate language goal of communication.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Melina CO #1 = Grammar with Prof. James

  Melina CO Blog Post #1 = Grammar with Prof. James Date/Time: January 9th, 2025, 9:00-9:50 am. Topic/Skill: Grammar, Low-Intermediate Level (Simple Present tense instruction and practice). Teacher Presentation: Prof. James first used the whiteboard to write out the rules for and examples of the simple present tense in English. She then showed a video of astronaut Suni Williams in space, using this video as a basis for more example sentences, and for much of the questions posed to the class.  Classroom Management: Prof. James rotated which student she looked to for answers during her instruction.  Materials: Whiteboard, markers, Youtube video.  Student Participation: Students took turns providing answers to the questions Prof. James posed with regard to how to construct a sentence in the simple present tense (identifying the subject, conjugating the verb in the sentence, etc.).  Feedback Provided: Prof. James would correct student mistakes by ...
Read more

Dojun Kim TS #7

Date/Time: 2/26/2026, 9am Location: Zoom Topic/Skill:  Cultural Discussion Feedback provided to the tutee: Word use, vocabulary in practice and context. Talked about how we use the phrase 'scratched car/banged up car' for damage done to a car from minor to moderate, gave him the word for tow truck in American English (initially called a towing car), interchangeable use of bathroom/toilet in American English and context dependency.  Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: Mr. Kim told me about how his lunar new year went, telling me about damage to his car that led to them taking the train to see his family. He also talked about what he typically does on weekends; taking his wife and daughter to the mall, where his daughter can play in a kids area with other kids. We then talked about the Superbowl, and I showed him some popular Superbowl ads. 
Read more

Emma Baker TS #12 (Yerlan)

     < Emma Baker TS #12 (Yerlan) > Date/Time:  Wednesday, February 25, 2026, from 2-3 PM Location:  CIES Topic/Skill:  TOEFL Email Attempt #3 & TOEFL Vocabulary Review Feedback Provided to the Tutee:  I went through an entire email prompt for the TOEFL, narrating how I would approach the specific prompt. I think this helped him a lot; we have to conquer the time limit now. We then reviewed some of the A words on the TOEFL vocabulary list. I checked his pronunciation and understanding by having him use the word in a sentence. Lesson(s) About Tutoring and/or the Tutee You Learned:  Yerlan was very receptive to the way I taught the email section today. I utilized the approach my teachers in middle and high school would use when giving us shortcuts for how to maximize our time on exams. I think I need to start stealing teaching methods from my teachers over the years to test if they work in a language context.
Read more