Amity Foreign Teacher Recruitment

Amity Lesson Structure
Amity has developed a class structure that incorporates the MAT (Model Action Talk) method of teaching and understanding. Consequently, and contrary to the model for AEON classes, many Amity classes do not follow a traditional structure. Amity classes use a large number of reinforcement activities to help motivate children and keep them focused on learning target language structures. Additionally, the ages of the students vary among the different levels and so too do the types of activities that appeal to and motivate different age groups. Amity classes are successful because we tailor classes to different developmental levels.

By providing children with a fun and active environment for learning and using English, they acquire information at an accelerated rate. Examples of activities include songs, texts, flashcards, games and chants. It is not uncommon for an Amity student's parents to find their child singing English songs and chants at home!

Amity provides its students with an excellent foundation in English as well as the motivation to continue learning. Because of this effort we are able to facilitate an easy transition into AEON's conversational English classes. Our native speaking English instructors are an essential part of helping Amity fulfill its mission.

Amity offers a wide selection of classes and are structured under these three lesson settings:

In group lessons, children can practice their English conversation skills with other children in teams and pairs. This student-centered learning environment is exciting for the children and provides a practical approach to English communication.

Semi-private lessons are similar to group lessons except that the children receive more personal attention. Class sizes are smaller, so instructors are able to focus on the specific needs and goals of the students.

Private lessons offer students the most personal attention, and therefore the most potential for progress. The teacher, together with the parents and child, can structure lessons specifically to the level and pace of the individual student.

As a rule, students are classified according to age, grade and level. However, as the need arises, classes may be broken down according to the students' abilities (i.e. bilingual lessons). Below is a comprehensive list of Amity class offerings.

Prenatal stimulation classes are offered to expectant mothers, not only to expose their expected child to English, but most importantly, to teach English to the mothers. Expectant mothers will learn songs, stories, and nursery rhymes to sing and tell their children. Additionally, they will learn phonics and the proper pronunciation of the words found in the lesson material. Once mothers gain a basic understanding of English, they will be able to read simple stories to their expected child and contribute to an understanding of English that will be beneficial to their child in the future.

Following completion of the Prenatal Stimulation course, Amity offers the Baby class, which both the parents and baby can take together. This course uses texts created solely by Amity. The class uses a four-part series (A, B, C, & D) which are taught in 6-month periods. Each level focuses on simple stories, songs, coloring books, and picture dictionaries. The Baby O class, however, does not use any textbooks and focuses on songs, exercises, and useful expressions for the parent to use with the child. This class is conducted on the floor and is taught by either the Japanese or the Foreign Teacher. There is more input by the teacher or parent than there is output by the student.
Maximum number of students - 5 pairs

At this age infants feel more comfortable with their parents. Having the mother or father in the classroom is helpful in that it increases the chance of review at home. The use of songs, activities, and creative playtime make this lesson fun and entertaining. This is a great learning age because inhibitions (i.e. speaking and pronunciation) have not yet been developed.

Students who enroll in one of these courses will be immersed in an English-intensive curriculum. Classes will be held three times a week. The students will spend 50 minutes with the Japanese teacher, have a break, and then spend 50 minutes with the foreign teacher, for a total of 300 minutes per week. The course curriculum focuses on songs, storybooks, phonics, and simple question/answer patterns. Input may exceed output.

Students will begin in Pre-Kindergarten, and progress through the Kindergarten class to Kindergarten 2. The curriculum for K-1 and K-2 is similar to that of the Pre-K course, but also includes many arts and crafts projects. Kindergarten 2 is the most rigorous course.
Maximum number of students - 6

This class is similar to Mommy and Me classes with the exception that the mothers are now out of the classroom. Emphasis is placed on listening skills, single word responses, and simple phrases ( It's a green robot.). As with MM classes, the curriculum is largely based on songs, activities, and creative games.

At this age learning is facilitated by tapping into the children's natural inquisitiveness, utilizing their boundless energy in positive and creative ways to encourage good pronunciation by modeling. Students require less prompting from the teacher and the amount of student speaking time in the lesson is much higher than that of MM or R classes. Due to the high energy level and short attention span at this age, many activities are used to keep the pace of the class lively and brisk.

At this level students are able to concentrate for longer periods of time and the amount of student speaking is expected to be as high as 80%. Lessons are designed to teach simple question and answer patterns, ( What do you do in the morning? I wash my face. ) as well as basic sentence patterns through the use of drilling, activities and learning reinforcement playtime. Songs are still used at this age.

At this level students still enjoy learning through activities, however, the goal is to improve their ability by using more advanced question/answer and sentence patterns (“Why did she stay home? Because she had a cold.). Students should be able to conduct simple conversations with little or no prompting from the teacher.

At this level the aim is to use the foundation established in CL and CH to make English begin to "come alive." Students should be able to convey ideas and draw conclusions on their own. Activities are still extremely useful learning tools at this age to counteract any shyness or lack of confidence.

The focus of this lesson is on conversation and utilizing everything that students have learned before at Amity and in their public school English classes. The aim is to increase their confidence in speaking, as well as teach the more colloquial facets of English, such as interrupting someone or excusing oneself from a conversation. Depending on their level of interest in English and their previous exposure, this class can be extremely enlightening and informative for the Foreign Teacher.

These classes are usually private or semi-private lessons. The level of the student varies greatly depending on the length of time they have lived abroad. Generally speaking, this is a conversation class that enables the students to maintain and improve their current level of English. However, a more well-rounded approach including grammar, reading, pronunciation, and writing may be required.

A mother or father of an Amity student may also take a lesson with the Foreign Teacher. Often, parents are interested in learning English in order to practice with their child at home. However, many parents are merely interested in improving the English they learned when they were in junior high and high school. This is usually a private lesson and these students vary greatly in ability.