Posted by Randy LeGrant on Mon, Feb 27, 2012
Robin Vaughn is an amazing cook, an amazing teacher and an amazing traveler. GeoVisions is so lucky to have Robin in Italy right now living with a host family and helping Italian teachers there teach English. Robin will be in Italy February, March and April.
Robin is very active with her host family. She keeps them busy…and they keep her busy as well. She's a great teacher. She also writes a travel journal on the GeoVisions Community Pages. You want to click the link below that will take you to her travel journal and read her entries and look at her photos (and cartoons).
In addition to that she writes a cooking Blog, A Bird In The Kitchen. I have subscribed to the cooking Blog because the recipes for Italian cooking (which she's doing onsite all the time) are amazing and the photographs capture all Robin is experiencing these 3 months.
If you're interested to know how you can use the GeoVisions Community Pages, Robin has it going on. You can learn a lot looking through her journal pages.
If you're interested in Italian wine and food…check out that food Blog of hers. I'm sure you'll be a subscriber, just like me.
And if you're interested in Conversation Corps-Italy or the program Robin is on, Conversation Partner-Italy…her two Blogs will help you make up your mind to choose one and put your butt in an airline seat.
And if you're interested in one of our THREE summer camps, being a counselor and teaching some English during camp activities…Robin is in the Marche region, exactly where two of the three camps are located.
Italian Summer Camp
This camp is on the ocean, you live in an apartment and bicycle to the camp each day. You can view a video of last year's camp experience right here.
Italian Summer Camp-Macerata
This camp is a 30-minute train ride to the beach. You live in student accommodations or shared apartments.
Coming Soon: Italian Summer Camp-Naples
Robin's two Blogs are model Blogs and you can't go wrong taking a few minutes to look them over. We hope you'll be in touch and let us help you get to Italy. Perhaps you'll add to Robin's recipes. Or you'll start a painting Blog...or you might write your first novel.
Posted by Randy LeGrant on Fri, Feb 24, 2012
It all began on Sunday January 8th, 2012. The January intake group for GeoVisions' Teach in Thailand program met Kevin and Jaco in the lobby of the Ratchada Hotel in Bangkok for their debriefing. After a little question-answer session, the group headed back to their rooms in preparation for the journey to Hua Hin on Monday morning. All of the students shared 2 minibuses for the two-hour drive down the coast. As soon as they arrived, everyone had a choice between three different accommodations. 12 of the students chose the Hillside, while 3 chose accommodation closer to town. For the rest of the first week, the group had Thai language classes, culture and politics lessons, as well as getting bank accounts, sim cards, and scooters sorted out.
In honor of the group’s successful first week in Thailand, we held a Braai on one of the most beautiful beaches in Hua Hin. On their first Friday evening, the staff, our January group, and even some of our friends from the Wildlife Rescue Centre joined to celebrate their new adventures. Everyone was telling stories about home and anxiously asking questions about Thailand or motivations for coming here. After one full week the teachers are settling in well and starting to build the type of connections that will last a lifetime. As the night went on, the food was served, drinks were finished, and the conversation dwindled.
As a supplement to the practical portion of the TESOL course, students get to observe an English lesson at a local middle school. The class is currently working on their food module. The teacher, a native Thai woman, revisited vocabulary from the day before, and had the teachers create bubble charts (one main idea in the middle circle branching off to other ideas) for the various types of food. An example was “Brainy Foods” and vocabulary that fell underneath the category was blueberry, banana, strawberry, and milk. The students were divided into groups, but sent an individual to present the bubble chart to the class. Through observation, these soon-to-be teachers get to see different forms of classroom management as well as how to teach older kids.
Throughout the TESOL course teachers are given many opportunities to practice presenting lesson plans. We encourage our teachers to act as if the classroom is filled with Thai children, giving instructions and eliciting vocabulary much like they will in their teaching placements. There are three main types of lesson plans, but teachers can be creative with the activities that will help the children learn vocabulary and conversation skills. Our teachers this month are all doing very well, and we cannot wait for them to get out there and teach!
For more information about the "Teach In" programs offered by GeoVisions, check out our Teach in China, Teach in Korea, Teach in Thailand and our newest, Teach in Vietnam programs to learn how you can travel to Asia, become a teacher and earn a great full time salary with excellent benefits.