Teaching assistant and tutoring at evas center

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ➢ It was a great pleasure and opportunity for me to work as an intern at EVAS center, one the most dominant English center in An Giang province which has contributed m

VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HO CHI MINH

AN GIANG UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

FULL NAME: Lê Bá Tùng STUDENT’S CODE: DTA176199

TEACHING ASSISTANT AND TUTORING AT EVAS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

➢

It was a great pleasure and opportunity for me to work as an intern at EVAS center, one the most dominant English center in An Giang province which has contributed massively to the education quality in general and the English levels of students in particular

First and foremost, I would like to express my deep appreciation to both my father and mother who have always supported me with their love throughout my learning process as well as in my daily life

Next, it would be a big mistake if I do not mention the devoted assistance of my mentor, Ms Do Thi Ngoc Nhi Without her instruction and test investigation, it is impossible for me to submit this report She is the most conscientious lecturer I have ever met

Then, I would like to show my acknowledgement to all the teachers in the Faculty of Foreign Languages, especially to Ms Truong Thi Thanh Nga and Ms Nguyen Thi Nhat Minh who have helped me a lot during my studying at An Giang University Their lessons are quite easy to understand and they are such inspirational teachers After that, I am so thankful to EVAS center for accepting me as an intern Although

I did not have much experience, they had taught me so well with every possible detail from making a copy to tutoring pupils There is no doubt that they are so much devoted in their work

Last but not least, I wish to convey my profound gratitude to EVAS staff, especially

to Ms Tran Au Quynh Tran, Ms Trinh Ngoc Anh My and Ms La Ngoc Huong, who

helped me a lot with their training lessons Without their aid, I could not have such a wonderful internship time

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A INTRODUCTION CENTER

I A brief introduction of the center

1.1 Center location 1.2 Center history 1.3 The operating structure of the center

II Classes available at EVAS center

2.1 English for kindergartens (EVAS Stars) 2.2 English for children - Cambridge English Young Learners (Starters, Movers, Flyers)

2.3 English for teenagers (KET, PET) 2.4 Communication English

2.5 IELTS + TOEIC learning 2.6 Active English

2.7 Vstep English (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) III Different activities

3.1 Off campus 3.2 Drop in session 3.3 Unleash your potential - A reading day with EVAS 3.4 Holidays activities

B INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES

I Internship purposes

II Rules and Course of actions

2.1 Rules 2.2 Course of actions

C ADVANTAGES AND WEAKNESSES DURING THE INTERNSHIP

I Advantages

II Weaknesses

III Lesson learnt after internship

D CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

I Conclusion

II Suggestion

2.1 Suggestion for the center 2.2 Suggestion for Foreign Language Department in AGU

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EVAS: European Vietnam Australian English center

AGU: An Giang University

LXEI: Long Xuyen Education Investment Company Limited

IDP: International Education Specialist

TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

KET: Key English Test

PET: Preliminary English Test

CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication

ABSTRACT

Graduation training, as known as internship, plays a vital role in both study process

as well as future career path It helps expanding the relationship network, which will

be a huge benefit for us later such as finding a suitable job or even maybe an

empathetic partner There is absolutely no harm in getting to know more people Besides, there is a gap between what was learnt in school and what will happen in real situation The theory is not always perfectly applicable and that is the reason why internship is so important - to transform the obtained knowledge into practical actions which can benefit both the trainee and the company

Having a desire of working in academic environment, I decided to make my

graduation training at EVAS English center, which is one of the most high-quality English centers in An Giang Province I strongly believe that they can offer me the skills I needed for the future jobs

This report will focus on the result of my internship Firstly, it will provide some basic background about EVAS center consisting of the location and a brief history Essential information such as classes available and the teaching quality as well as the achievement it gained will also be included Secondly, the internship activities will be presented and be divided into three parts: the purposes, the action committed and the result of the training Finally, the report will come up with some suggestion for both the trainee and the center, guaranteed a win-win situation

is near Nguyen Trai secondary school, was just founded in June 28th of 2020 The number of classrooms respectively in each branch is 15, 9 and 4 If you find it

inconvenient to go directly to the places, you can contact through several different ways, such as:

Website: auvietuc.edu.vn

Facebook: Ngoainguauvietuc

Picture 1: Location of EVAS center

1.2 CENTER HISTORY

EVAS brand first appeared in Ho Chi Minh city nearly 20 years ago, in 2003

However, EVAS’s headquarters in Long Xuyen city was just founded by LXEI on October 11, 2013 The slogans of the center are “Your English Your Path” and

“Build The Future Together” Its aim is to contribute to the English level of An Giang province through teaching students and help them to get a certificate with their true abilities, just like the saying “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials” Despite the fact that it was not established for too long, now the center has many good co-operation with well-known organizations all over the world such as IDP, Cambridge University and University of

Huddersfield Several international exams such as IELTS or Cambridge test

(including Starters, Movers and Flyers) were successfully organized in the past few years with a very high rate of passing From these points, there is no doubt about the teaching quality of the teachers and staff here

1.3 The operating structure of the center

Mr Tran Huu Phuoc

II Classes available at EVAS center

Currently there are 8 different kinds of class in EVAS center which have been listed

in the index

2.1 English for kindergartens (EVAS Stars)

The teaching courses for kids in kindergarten classes, which are called EVAS Stars, are prepared exclusively by EVAS staff It can not be found in any other language centers There are 3 levels from low to high respectively: TwinkleStars, BrightStars and SuperbStars The students will learn through games and songs, which are proved

to be very efficient in the early stage of life

2.2 English for children - Cambridge English Young Learners (Starters, Movers, Flyers)

The course is for children who is from 7 to 12 years old The aim is to improve their skills, including Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing from the very young

Ms La Ngoc HuongHeadmistress

Ms Huynh Thi Bich VanDeputy headmistress

Ms Tran Au Quynh TranFirst branch manager

Ms Nguyen Thi

Du EmSecond branch manager

Ms Jubail SilvaHead of training

Ms Nguyen Thi Bich ChiThird branch manager

Picture 3: the EVAS’S operating structure

ages With a well-prepared teaching plan plus righteous materials, the children can easily understand and therefore enhance their English abilities

2.3 English for teenagers (KET, PET)

The course is for teenagers who are studying in secondary and high school KET is equal to level A2 and PET is for B1 according to CEFR It is aiming at boosting all the 4 skills but especially focus on speaking Besides, this is a stepping-stone for those who want to take part in international tests such as IELTS or TOEIC

2.4 Communication English

As the name has suggested, this class is designed for those who want to

communicate in English better The ages can vary greatly from secondary school students to 3x workers There are 6 levels, from low to high respectively: Basic, Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper and Advance At 2 first levels, the students will learn with Vietnamese teachers From Pre-intermediate to Advance,

it will be foreign teachers who teach all the course The main focused skill is of course speaking Throughout interesting activities, students are encouraged to

express their ideas on specific topic However, it does not mean that grammar,

vocabulary or listening are neglected

2.5 IELTS + TOEIC learning

These classes are for those who want to get an international degree for different purposes, including studying abroad With well-qualified and experienced teachers, this is one of the center’s strength

2.6 Active English

The students of this special class are those whose time is flexible They can study in

a dissimilar schedule compared to other classes Besides, the purpose of this class varies as well, from quick learning for obtaining basic knowledge to solving

communication problems due to shyness In other words, depend on the student’s

2.7 VSTEP English (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2)

Finally, this class is for those that want to get an English certificate to get or keep a job Due to the fact that many companies, even the government requires an English degree to maintain a job, the class is designed for people who want to revise their knowledge since they haven’t learnt in a long time

III Different activities

Apart from normal learning in the class, there are also some special activities which are organized quite usually to inspire the fondness of learning English of those students

3.1 Off campus

Off campus means you will not study in the center but go outside, usually to a coffee shop and speak together It is designed for Pre-intermediate class or above Once a month, the foreigner teacher and his/her class will pick a café, go there, talk about all kind of topics such as dreams, hobbies or giving advices Its aim is to connect everyone, both teacher-students and student-student

Picture 4: An off-campus night at HOMIE coffee shop

3.2 Drop-in session

Drop-in session is held due to the fact that many students want to talk to native speakers to improve their communication skills From Tuesday to Friday every week, students who register before can come to the center and have a quick talk with

Ms Jubail, the Head of Training Based on the pupil’s level, the topic can be quite variable, from favorite colors or food to the dream careers in the future

3.3 Unleash your potential - a reading day with EVAS

This is the latest event which was just held from April 4th It will last until 30th of May With the assist of An Giang Province Library, students of all levels will have a chance to read interesting books of many different types, including history,

documentary, textbooks and even comics The purpose of this campaign is to boost the interest as well as to create a reading habit for the pupils, especially to the young learners This is a stepping-stone in becoming a self-learner

3.4 Holidays activities

The center also celebrates different holidays of the year such as Halloween, Autumn Festival, Christmas or Tet The aim is to help students relieve stress after hard-studying days at school Besides, it also creates a friendly environment

Mid-between teachers and learners Each year different activities are held to prevent the feeling of similarity and boredom

Picture 6: Students have fun at Christmas

As a result, graduation training is hugely essential to every Senior student The duration of 2 months is suitable for them to experience the outside world They will have the chance to become familiar with the working environment as well as the attitude needed of a professional worker Furthermore, they will be able to apply knowledge learnt from school to practical work, therefore eliminate the gap between normal theory and real-life situations After the graduation internship, each student can develop their own sets of professional skills that their jobs require This is the first and foremost step of working since tt is not only get the undergraduate prepared but also provide them with a clearer view of working world, what they need and what they want

II Rules and Course of actions

2.1 Rules

In every aspect of life, rules always exist to prevent people from doing something wrong or harmful to the society in general Of course, rules at workplace are no exception At EVAS center, the rules are not so complicated and it can be

summarized in these following points:

+ Be on time

+ Keep a smile on your face when talking to students and their parents, be

cooperative when solving the problems If the problems are beyond your ability, contact the higher position person

+ No smoking nor gaming in workplace

+ Protecting properties of the center

+ When receiving information, make sure to deliver it to the right person within the suitable time

…

After 2 months of internship, I believe that these set of rules not only express the atmosphere of a competent workplace but also guide the staff to do the right thing in the right way

2.2 Course of actions

The tasks that were assigned to me during the internship time at EVAS center are as listed below:

Assigned tasks Contents Practice time

- Get acquainted with

office work

- Learning about the

company: its vision, aim

and system

February 22th to February 28, 2021

- Invigilate learners during

their tests

- Supervise and make sure students do the test with their true abilities, no cheating, no asking

- All levels, especially Cambridge English for Young Learners and IELTS classes

Throughout the internship time

- Answering phone call

and solving parent’s

problems or requirements

Some particular problems:

+ Asking for class + Having questions on the fees

…

-Throughout the internship time

Tutoring students - Helping learners who are

left behind or have been absent for a long time

- The aspect is usually on vocabulary, grammar and listening

-From March 1st to March 15th, 2021

- Every Saturday and Sunday from March

26th

could be as efficient as possible

Doing paper work - Doing some office work

assigned, including photocopying the lessons for teachers

- Throughout the internship time

Teaching assistant - Assist the foreigner

teachers in communication classes (Pre-intermediate and Intermediate), helping them to express their lessons as much as possible

- Sometimes need to translate because there is a language barrier between teachers and learners

- Provide the pupils with WordList to help them improving their vocabulary

so that they can be more confident in speaking

+ Organize Off-campus meeting

- Throughout the internship time

Table 1: Assigned tasks during the internship time

C ADVANTAGES AND WEAKNESSES DURING THE INTERNSHIP

I Advantages

During my practice course, EVAS center has created very satisfactory conditions and environment Whenever I need help, the staff always be there and assisted me with a very enthusiastic attitude All of them were vert friendly and devoted in their work They were like my big brothers and sisters which made me feel warm from deep inside Especially, Ms My, Ms Huong and Ms Tran did help me a lot with their training Their assistance will be listed in the following part

On the issue of tasks and students, the tasks were not very tough It just took me a few weeks to get used to it In addition, the majority of students were very cute and obedient, which made my work easier and of course, made me feel happy too

II Weaknesses

Since this was the first time I had a job, it was unavoidable to encounter some

difficulties: Dealing with little naughty kids, misusing some functions of the

photocopy machines, … Besides, I found it quite hard to prepare the lessons for tutoring because sometimes I misestimated the levels of the students and most of the time, I couldn’t find a suitable way for them to be more interested in learning

III Lesson learnt after internship

As I have mentioned above, Ms My, Ms Huong and Ms Tran taught me very

important lessons that made me so grateful thinking of it Ms.My taught me when I want to do something, I should not start doing it immediately but looking from a different angle to see whether there are any better ways to do the job She also

guided me in preparing lessons for different classes, including common tenses, relative clauses, etc…Next, Ms Huong taught me how to prepare the lessons and tutor the kids efficiently For instance, instead of revising the lessons in a traditional way (read the words and let the students write), I can use different methods such as