Yesterday I had the opportunity to coach a lesson for a student on working through Smith’s Travel Course. This is one of three short term courses that are focused on one specific area of English conversation. This particular student will be traveling abroad at the end of September so she has a specific goal in mind. Using the Smith’s curriculum selected for the travel course, I’m happy to help her achieve that goal!
Now, because this is a special course with specific requirements it doesn’t exactly fit with my Smith’s training for lesson presentation. However, I want to keep the lesson format as close to loop format as I can to ensure this student gets the best lesson possible. This means that I and the other coaches here at Kyobashi still use one points and we still make sure to include both new material and a review in each lesson.
One Point – B2
I started out with a review of the B2, I want to (A) but can’t because (B). I made sure to keep it relevant to her course by keeping the situation travel focused. I asked how long she would stay abroad. When she answered I asked if she wants to stay longer. She started forming an answer then brightened up and realized she was saying her one point from the last lesson. “I want to (stay abroad longer) but can’t because (I have to work). This was my first lesson together with this student so I was glad to have made a connection so quickly. 🙂
Review – Directions
We started out with a review of the directions lesson covered previously by another coach. I wasn’t sure how much of the lesson this review would take, but I wanted to be sure she was comfortable using this lesson’s material. Being able to ask for and understand directions is a big deal when you’re in an unfamiliar place; especially when you need to find a bathroom in a hurry! She demonstrated quickly that she was indeed familiar with the material and after reviewing a few soft spots we moved on to the next lesson in the course.
New Material – Travel 1
We worked through dialogs together that she could use when she gets to the foreign airport. She commented on how many new words we were going over and jotted them down meticulously into her notebook. The lesson even unexpectedly led to some practice talking about numbers not only in the form of currency but some general mathematical terms as well. We finished up with just enough time for a one point!
One Point – A 1.59
Today we practiced using “Either will do.” in the context of choosing a smoking or non-smoking section at a restaurant. She has no smoking preference and just wants the first seat she can get for her and her family. This phrase short do the trick quite nicely I think!
When the lesson was finished she seemed not only grateful but genuinely happy, and that makes me happy 🙂
-Gavin
Leave a Reply