Bookmark and Share

April 2009 ESL Newsletter

Hello everyone!

Welcome to another month in Asia! It is spring and the weather is certainly heating up so we hope you are finding fun ways to cool off. This month we want to share with you some beautiful images from Taiwan, some useful teaching tips and a great new restaurant to try. Enjoy!

We have some fun events planned this month so stay tuned for future emails about exciting events with Reach To Teach!

The Reach To Teach Team

Reach To Teach Events

Taiwan Beer Factory - ESL Abroad Taiwan Beer Factory Event

At the end of March we had a fun event at the Taiwan Beer Factory and we were glad to see such a good turnout of old and new teachers. For those of you who missed it, the Beer Factory is ground zero of the production of Taiwan Beer. Every Friday and Saturday night you can enjoy live music, delicious Taiwan food and beer straight off the production line! Check it out!

This month we will be having our monthly event at the E7Play center near Shilin night market. Come and enjoy bowling, games, pool and a fun social atmosphere with Reach To Teach! The event will be held on April 25th and a follow up email will be sent out soon with more details.

Photos from Taiwan

Photo from Taiwan - ESL Abroad

This month we would like to support out local community and share with you some of the beautiful images from Richard Matheson, a local photographer here in Taiwan. We also hope that these images inspire you to further explore your new home and discover the great beauty that exists here in your backyard.

Richard is professional photographer based in in Tainan and much of his work can be seen in local expat magazines. Richard travels extensively throughout Taiwan and the rest of Asia and always has his camera ready to capture life's little moments. To read more about Richard and to see more of his images, please visit his web site at www.liefintaiwan.com.

Teaching Tips

Teaching Tips for the ESL classroom - ESL Abroad Teaching tips for the ESL classroom

We would like to share with you some teaching tips on class discipline and some easy ways to make the class more manageable and enjoyable for you and your students.

  1. This may be old-fashioned, but a seating chart prepared by the teacher still works! It breaks up the little cliques of friends who cluster together and want to chat.
  2. Over plan with a variety of activities. Students who are busy doing productive work don't have the inclination (or at least the time) to act out.
  3. Have an immediate activity ready to start class. If it's a particularly rambunctious class, make it a written activity for a clearly limited time, so that they have to get to it and get it done.
  4. Planning carefully doesn't mean that you don't pick up on spontaneous leads that present themselves as a good learning opportunity!
  5. Move around the room -- don't teach sitting behind your desk, or always standing in front. This not only changes the focal point, but allows students to continually move around a bit in their chairs even when the activity isn't physical -- and that releases some extra energy.

Tastes of Taipei

Ding Tai Fung, Taipei - ESL Abroad Ding Tai Fung - Taipei

Ding Tai Fung, in many ways, is Taipei's pride. This restaurant has won numerous awards and is covered by many travel guide books and fine dining magazines. In 1993, it was even voted as one of New York Times top 10 international restaurants. Today, you can find its branch restaurants in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the U.S. (Los Angeles).

However, the real Ding Tai Fung is right here in Taipei and has been serving authentic Shanghainese cuisine for over 30 years. The restaurant is famous for its steamed pork dumplings, which are so popular that some varieties are sold out within an hour after the restaurant opens.

I would advise that you arrive early and be prepared to wait in a long line. They do not accept reservations. Even better, come on a weekday. But definitely don't be scared off by the long lines, because it is well worth the wait.

Address: 194 Xin Yi Road, Section 2
Phone: (0)2 2321 8928
Open Hours: 10.30a-2p; 4.30p-8.30p Tue-Sun.

Return to ESL Newsletters