Thursday, 20 October 2011

a better path to job experience

USA Today suggests "Skip the internship, go to camp".

I have discovered the perfect summer job. In this job, I am part of an organization that gives me duties that are critical to its long- and short-term success. Supervisors give me responsibilities such as interacting directly with customers on a daily basis, and they fully integrate me into the professional hierarchy. To top it all off, I am learning legitimate skills that will help me develop professionally when I move into the workforce. This mystery job I speak of: camp counselor. These are only a few of the many potential benefits of being a camp counselor, and I offer them not only to praise the occupation, but also to offer a propositional alternative to the profession’s biggest competitor: internships.
For the most part, interns do work that is wholly unrelated to any sort of day-to-day task that full-time employees fulfill. Indeed, not only do most offices give interns mundane tasks that the aforementioned employees would never do, but they are also given tasks that will only be taken over by another intern. In short, interning in any office, regardless of the field, will likely mean you will be performing more secretarial duties than industry-specific ones. 
Internship has always seemed a way for companies to gain free labourers.  When my wife was a business student, she interned at a bank.  The bank had her bowing at the customers as they arrived.  What does that teach about banking?

As a camp counselor, I was directly responsible for the health, well-being and education of 10-16 children.  It would be great training for people in education, social work and even medical majors.

On the phone (Unit 10)

Wednesday, 19 October 2011

What's in the box?

This box is in my office and no one knows what could be in it.  If it were full of exams, we might be told to 'throw it away after 2012', but why would we have to open it?  Is this Pandora's box?  Is there a bomb inside?  What do you, my students, think?

fall 2011 make up classes


Tuesday, 4 October 2011

tentative fall midterm for class 140

Class 140, Monday, Wednesday, 4pm in room 6501.

 Confirmed version.

Brian will ask you three questions from this list:

Unit 7
What did you do _____(past time)__.

lat night, last Saturday, in the summer, this morning.
Remember, don't answer 'Sleep'!
Give a full sentence and include details.
Unit 8
Tell me about your hobby.
Use full sentences.  Tell me what you do, where you do it and other details.
Which sport is this?
Brian will describe a sport; you name that sport.
Are we the same or different?
Use, "So am I", "So do I."... or "Neither do I"... or "I am"...
Can you ____?
Tell me if you can do the activity and if you are good at it or not.
Unit 9
Have you ever _____?
Tell me if you have done this and give details.
Ask Brian, "Have you ever ____?"
Ask Brian and ask follow up questions.

Job interview questions:
What are your strengths?
I am hard-working. For example, I am a university student, work part-time 
and do volunteer work at my church.
---------------------------

Then, with a partner that Brian selects, you will have a conversation based on this model:

1) A asks B a question supplied by Brian
  B answers the question with a complete but short sentence.
  A asks further questions on the subject.
A then tells Brian about B's activities.

The starting question will be one of:
a) A asks B about the past.
b) A asks B about his/her hobby.
c) A asks B about a seasonal activity
d) A asks B about a job or career that B is interested in.