ready: o Update your Teams Chat link via "Invite to Teams" in Microsoft Teams, paste it into your SkimaTalk Settings page, and save it (refresh regularly as it may expire). o For new students, create a Teams Meeting link in the "Meet" tab and save it in your SkimaTalk teaching dashboard. 2. Confirm your registered Microsoft Teams information (e.g., Teams Chat link or Meeting link) on SkimaTalk is correct and functional. 3. In the "Upcoming Sessions" screen on your teacher profile, click on the student’s photo to view their information, such as feedback preferences. Use this to prepare for your session. 4. Before the session begins, send a message to the student via SkimaTalk Message. Ask what they hope to learn from the upcoming session. (Note: Use Teams Chat only if already connected from a prior session.) 5. Become familiar with SkimaTalk’s Courses and other tools in advance to facilitate sessions efficiently. Top 10 Reasons Teachers Receive Low Ratings – And Why Students Don’t Come Back 1. No-show. 2. Tardiness: beginning the session late or conducting a session that lasts fewer than 25 minutes. 3. No use of Microsoft Teams video: Students want to see the teacher. If you do not use Teams video, the student is entitled to a refund if they complain. 4. Speaking speed: make sure you speak slowly enough for the student to understand. You will need to alter your speaking speed for different students. 5. Lack of feedback for students: students want feedback on how they did during the session, and what they should practice. The new "Feedback" feature will allow you to provide feedback after the session as well as during the session.
Teams Chat prior to and during a session to send links, questions, and words for efficiency. Say hi and goodbye via Teams Chat or SkimaTalk Message before and after the session. 7. No use of the SkimaTalk course materials when requested: if a student books a course lesson, you must follow the lesson materials during the session. 8. Be sure to smile and be friendly. This makes students more comfortable. 9. Poor Internet connection: make sure you conduct the session from a strong internet connection in a quiet location (no loud cafes). 10. Lack of customization / focus on the student’s unique learning goals. Hitting the ‘I’m Ready’ Button 1. Teachers are required to hit the “I’m Ready” button at the beginning of every session. This is an important, and required, step in the SkimaTalk teaching process. Dealing with Student No-Shows: some steps to minimize no-shows 1. Not all students will respond to your SkimaTalk Message or Teams Chat sent before the session begins. Even so, you must initiate the session at the scheduled time via Microsoft Teams: o If connected via Teams Chat, start the video call directly. o Otherwise, join the Teams Meeting you scheduled. 2. Don’t rely on Microsoft Teams’ online/offline status to determine whether the student is online. Even if the student appears "offline," they may be online and waiting. You must initiate the session regardless of their Teams status. 3. You must remain available on Microsoft Teams for at least 15 minutes into the scheduled session time, attempting to call the student several times and sending several SkimaTalk and/or Teams Chat messages during this period. 4. If the student still has not shown, teachers are required to report the No-Show on the teacher’s “My Page”: To report the No-Show, click the ‘Report Student’s No-show’ button 15 minutes after the scheduled session time and before the session ends (the No-Show report button is effective only for the last 10 minutes of the session).
Ice Breaker (5 minutes) a. Get to know the student – where is he/she from, what are his/her interests, etc. b. Learn about the student’s goals – what does the student want to practice (e.g., pronunciation, reading comprehension, conversation)? c. Gain an understanding of the student’s current English ability level. This will be important in selecting teaching aides and materials. d. Ask the student if he or she has a specific material / topic to study during the session. If not, you can propose a topic based on b and c above. II. Teaching session (15 minutes) a. Based on your introductory conversation, begin working to meet the student’s goals (e.g., practice pronunciation or conversation) b. Learn about the student’s learning style III. Feedback (5 minutes) a. Provide the student with a few points of feedback – offer some techniques and materials the student can practice in between now and the next session. For example, provide a link to a news article the student can read or a YouTube video the student can watch. b. VERY IMPORTANT – Ask the student what he/she wants to practice during the next session. c. (If you have no teaching experience) Ask for feedback from the student – in what areas can you improve your teaching? IV. Post-Session (5 minutes) a. Leave feedback on the student’s profile on the “Evaluate” page. b. Leaving feedback offers many benefits. As a teacher it will improve your reputation and allow you to remember / learn about previous sessions. For the student it helps the student focus on where to study. Your feedback will be saved on the student’s profile page and also sent to the student immediately.
You can communicate with your student on the SkimaTalk website, but you cannot always send or receive messages. You can do so after your student books a session and within 48 hours after the session end time (this is to prevent spam). Student Feedback This feature enables you to leave feedback for students directly on their profiles. Lots of students have been asking for this feature – this is a great way to establish strong relationship with, and ratings from, your students. Comments from Students We have created a feature that allows students to leave feedback / comments on teachers' profiles. This feedback can be a great marketing tool for you – potential students will have the ability to see positive comments that students have left about you as a teacher. On the "History” page, check the box "Display on Profile" next to the comment that you want to display on your profile page. (Continues on next page)
SkimaTalk Message or Teams Chat (if connected) to your student a few minutes before the session. o Example: “Hi, good evening/morning. What would you like to talk about today? The news, accent reduction, free conversation, or other topics (interview training, writing correction… whatever you want!)? See you soon!” o You can also send a message after the session via SkimaTalk Message or Teams Chat. - If you and your student have an agreed upon lesson plan from the previous session, prepare a lesson plan that meets the student’s goals. - Remember that each student will have a different set of goals for the session – adjust your preparation accordingly. I. Introduction (2 minutes) a. Ask the student how he/she is doing. b. Ask the student if he/she has specific material or a specific topic to study during the session. Otherwise, you can give a 30-second summary of the lesson plan so the student knows what to expect. Make sure the student is comfortable with the lesson plan. II. Session (20 minutes) a. Work through the prepared lesson. b. Adjust the lesson accordingly if the student feels the material is too easy or too difficult, or not relevant to his/her goals. III. Feedback (3 minutes) a. Leave the student with a few tips to practice before the next session. b. Be very encouraging (e.g., “You made great progress today”). c. Discuss scheduling a follow-up session and a potential lesson plan for that session.
content for students. To be eligible to teach these Courses, you must Opt-in to each Course. To do so, take the following steps: 1. In the “Manage Courses” menu, select “My Courses”. 2. Select the checkbox next to each Course you want to teach (you may not be eligible to teach all Courses). 3. Select the “Update” button. That’s it! Preparation: 1. When a SkimaTalk Course lesson is scheduled, the session confirmation email will contain a link to the lesson materials. 2. Some lessons require teachers to prepare in advance. Please review the lesson guidelines to understand if you need to prepare in advance. 3. Prepare as necessary for the lesson. During the Session: 1. The Teacher version of the lesson materials provides tips/instructions on how to structure the lesson. It is important that you follow these instructions during the session. 2. Be sure to ask the student all of the discussion questions listed in the lesson materials. After the Session: 1. Provide feedback to the student based on the instructions in the Lesson Guidelines. 2. Each lesson has different feedback requirements. You must follow these requirements to receive credit for the session.
on time (+- 30 seconds) - Talk for at least 25 min. The student must not feel cheated on time. (End your session on time if another is scheduled right after.) - Call at 12:03 and end at 12:25. (It’s only 22min!) Speaking - At the beginning, speak slowly and deliberately. Speak as if you were talking with a young child. - Then adjust the speed based on the student’s level. - Do not overwhelm your student by speaking at your natural speed from the beginning. Pronunciation - Be mindful of your pronunciation. Try to clearly articulate each syllable when you speak. - If you speak slowly and articulate clearly, it helps the student greatly, as they can see the position your mouth and lips take in pronouncing each syllable. This is one of the best ways (especially for Japanese students) to practice various sounds. - Do not let one word flow into the next or allow your pronunciation to slip. Don’t speak too much - Make sure the student is doing the majority of the talking. It is common that Japanese people are somewhat timid when speaking another language. Therefore, it will be tempting for you to speak most of the time. Encourage the student to speak – this is why they are conducting the session! - Do not overwhelm the student by speaking too much. Provide frequent feedback - Be sure to correct your student when grammar, pronunciation, comprehension, etc. is lacking. The students need this feedback to improve. - Do not be timid about providing feedback. Your feedback will help the students achieve their
highlight areas where the student has improved. goals. - Do not let a 25-minute session pass without praising your student. Utilize Teams video - Always enable your Microsoft Teams video so that students can see your lip movements and facial expressions. - Do not disable your video, even if the student’s video is disabled. Use Teams Chat effectively - Type links, questions, and words in Teams Chat (if connected) for efficiency. - Send hi/goodbye messages via Teams Chat or SkimaTalk Message. - Review past messages for continuity. - Do not let students repeat “What did you say?”—type it in Teams Chat. Session design - Be strategic & creative in designing your lesson. How can you add the most value to the student & make the session enjoyable? - The quality of your session will determine whether the student will return for another session - Do not approach a session without a plan. This reflects poorly on you as a teacher and provides only limited value to the student. Ask for feedback - Remind the student to provide you with feedback on the session using the “Evaluate” section in the student’s SkimaTalk page. Ideally the student should provide a rating as soon as the session is completed. - Do not forget to monitor your reputation (rating) on SkimaTalk. The students use this rating to help select future teachers. Session timing - Note Japan’s time difference (e.g., California is 8 hours ahead, minus 1 day). - Align availability with Japan’s sweet spots: 7:00am-9:00am & 6:00pm-12:00am weekdays, 7:00am-12:00am weekends. - Do not forget that Japan is 1 day ahead of the U.S. (Monday U.S. = Tuesday Japan)
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