A Random EFL Teacher Muses

A pan in an ELT blog! What the hell? Bear with me, it’s relevant. Well, kinda…

This monstrosity appeared in my house after I had asked my husband to order a big pan. I didn’t even fathom that the non-industrial ones come in this size, as I had never seen such a pan in any of the households I had the honor of visiting.

I was frankly amazed by the sheer size (and weight!). And when I asked why my husband got this one, he just shrugged and replied something along the lines of “Well, you said you wanted a big pan”.

It got me thinking about the difference of understanding we have even for such seemingly simple notions as “big”. We need to be aware of such things to be good at communication in both private and professional life. For instance, if we tell a student to do something ASAP, well, there might be a problem. For us, ASAP might be immediately after the lesson, for the student it might be after they have beat the latest boss in their favorite game. It’s all about priorities, isn’t it?

The ASAP example was pretty simple, but this situation highlighted the importance of ICQs and criteria one more time. To do a task to our exacting standards, students first need to be aware of what those are. What’s more, we also need to MAKE SURE that they are in the know, so to say. And to do that, we need ICQs, even if sometimes they sound silly (downright stupid).

I would appreciate you sharing any sudden insights connected to anything, even the most mundane things. Please, do comment on this message ASAP.

🌍 Do you write a comment? – YES
🌍 Does it have to be deep? – NO
🌍 Is ASAP sometime in the next century? – NO
🌍 Is ASAP as soon you have read the message? – YES

#random_musings #methodology

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170 viewsedited  May 11, 2024 at 16:59

A pan in an ELT blog! What the hell? Bear with me, it’s relevant. Well, kinda…

This monstrosity appeared in my house after I had asked my husband to order a big pan. I didn’t even fathom that the non-industrial ones come in this size, as I had never seen such a pan in any of the households I had the honor of visiting.

I was frankly amazed by the sheer size (and weight!). And when I asked why my husband got this one, he just shrugged and replied something along the lines of “Well, you said you wanted a big pan”.

It got me thinking about the difference of understanding we have even for such seemingly simple notions as “big”. We need to be aware of such things to be good at communication in both private and professional life. For instance, if we tell a student to do something ASAP, well, there might be a problem. For us, ASAP might be immediately after the lesson, for the student it might be after they have beat the latest boss in their favorite game. It’s all about priorities, isn’t it?

The ASAP example was pretty simple, but this situation highlighted the importance of ICQs and criteria one more time. To do a task to our exacting standards, students first need to be aware of what those are. What’s more, we also need to MAKE SURE that they are in the know, so to say. And to do that, we need ICQs, even if sometimes they sound silly (downright stupid).

I would appreciate you sharing any sudden insights connected to anything, even the most mundane things. Please, do comment on this message ASAP.

🌍 Do you write a comment? – YES
🌍 Does it have to be deep? – NO
🌍 Is ASAP sometime in the next century? – NO
🌍 Is ASAP as soon you have read the message? – YES

#random_musings #methodology

BY A Random EFL Teacher Muses