last message to friends ©Thor May 1999 back to Last Message index
All the materials in last message to friends are working teaching documents subject to review, alteration or abandonment in classroom practice. Anyone is welcome to use this stuff, but copyright remains with Thor May. Feedback, positive or negative, is very welcome.ESL materials & ideas developed in China
"Explanation to an International Colleague" lesson plan
1. Scenario
Your workplace has just received an international visitor from a Third World country under an exchange scheme. You have been assigned to work with this person for six months to train them in your field. The visitor is a professional, but you are dismayed to discover that they are completely unfamiliar with both the equipment and the methods that you use. Of course, they do not speak Chinese, and cannot even read Chinese labels on equipment etc.
2. Your Task
a) Choose one piece of equipment or one procedure from your workplace.
b) Explain in extreme detail exactly how it works.
c) Check your colleague's understanding at every step by getting them to explain your instructions back to you (in English!).
3. Project Plan
a) Select a dialogue partner to be your "Third World colleague".
b) Select the piece of equipment or procedure which you wish to explain.
c) Make step by step notes on your explanation before you talk to the dialogue partner. Draw any necessary diagrams.
d) Explain the equipment or procedure to the dialogue partner.
e) You may show them diagrams, but not your explanatory notes.
f) Check the dialogue partner's understanding by having them repeat back your explanation at each step.
g) At the end, ask your dialogue partner to present the whole explanation to you in English.
h) Exchange places. You now become the "Third World colleague".
"Explanation to an International Colleague lesson plan" copyrighted to Thor May 1999; all rights reservedback to Last Message index