SPTR Info

Tool

Sat, 17 Aug 2019 13:33:17 +0000

Staff room

After submitting the information in the online google form, you will be able to have your Trainer’s page which will serve as your passport as you perform your duties as a trainer here in SPTR.

This teacher’s page will require the ff;

an email add
a password

Teacher’s page includes :

Weekly Schedule (where you have to input your week schedule every Sunday, on or before 12 NN; failure to do so means a deduction)

Note: Part -timers are required to input at least 2hrs/day schedule.
Less than 2 hours is not counted. We follow 30 mins count basis. (applicable only TGA)
Schedule Adjustment (This is where you can adjust your schedule when an emergency matter arises, you can untick your schedule or cancel your whole day plotted schedule when you can’t work on that day. (Please inform the head coach or SETA's Skype forum). For leaves and absences, make sure to cancel all your plotted schedule to avoid students from booking your class. (Cancelled class is a deduction)
My Training
PPT Staff Room : https://drive.google.com/file/d/14obuU6Qla9nG2OJ3f7G818cGRq6ir2Dm/view?usp=sharing
(This is where you can check your training for that day. You have to keep refreshing your page every 25 mins since students can book your class 5 mins before the time.
Click the ready button at least 4 mins for bookings done less than 35 mins before the time, click ready button at least 30 mins for advanced bookings more than 35 mins.
Trainers need to click start button to start the training

(Failure to do so would lead to training cancellation - deduction. )

Other media

Gmail

Gmail is mainly used for file sharing, training notifications, training changes, cancellations and some other important notices. Always check your gmail every now and then while you are working in SPTR.

Skype

Skype is our main training platform.

Note:

If you have a training on that day, send a link of your speedtest result on SPTR/Name forum (speedtest.net). Sending of link is only done once a day.
Submit record of the training with student

Slack

channels - like group chat in other apps,

all employees are part of a channel. Channels are used to communicate with your colleagues and other staffs of the company.

Important Channels to remember:

trainer-support = this is where you can post any trouble you encounter or may encounter in your training (tag Mr. @jun sumida for technical troubles, tag the heads (C.Rose).
announcement = always check this channel for updates and announcements from the management
guide-correction = for training material issues, when you find a mistake OR improvement point while handling training. Post here tag the TG Head (C. Marian)
random = this is where you can ask questions or post inspirational quotes, etc for all the employees, or anything not related to work.

Information Guide

Sat, 17 Aug 2019 08:24:42 +0000

General Information

Staff Room

https://sptr.jp/staff_rooms

SETA Hiring Site

https://hiring.sptr.jp/

Company Policy

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bCEAgJr0-MRsJ4eMB_OsG5dIle8AcW1V/view

Company Profile

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pIM-DbRXHmgN0NwW9CucGOR5tnpERyn5/view?usp=sharing

Important Points for New Joiner

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y3cWIn89j4CDzJvrG5W3SZQO08Bh3S2NZx9nVVPu8jM/edit?usp=sharin

Training Flow Guide

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XKwrSkqjmMx3A7o2-aD2k22_41CZDK40vIWqRiMUXUw/edit?usp=sharing

First Time Training

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dUC8d6htISf1dwDbECo0_9fAIq05g9IK

First Timer’s Deck

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cJSUNkPOs84PDkvVR-7TFFxcksRuOIwAjtGLnj5OJHU

Training Checklist

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f8XOb44mezrVz2UW288A9gvBb21RHAropWfsIHCN-70/edit?usp=sharing

Assessment Scaling

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RD8I-JQCglqjY9PmC2borPSR9MwqQtFa

Recommendation / SPTR training strategy

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K4hjmsaHz5R5JVneyZAbbcZp6XDFE227Btv8XgZs0F8/edit?usp=sharing

Training Output (Writing)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14d1i1_uMriwiIUsYctK4xaurDhfIoz3u

Forms

Leave Request Form

https://forms.gle/22K6ZUi7MpFqL8Vv6

Trouble Report

https://forms.gle/2BAGdq8WtgEazwYv9

Files For Management

Hiring Operation (Recruitment, MS)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1re1N7I_tHPDFKJhGEJp_3f0AwFWzztbb_YFXMWzFjPo/edit?usp=sharing

On- Boarding Training 1 (Recruitment)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14t7N-KBHSFmGbN5QHDF256GWc3OD13M6E2DtOmAotWE/edit?usp=sharing

Orientation (Recruitment)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zqRpnJ4znrgVVET9coCdWDMuoXt-NUK5

Trainer’s Guide (TG)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1weOq9kX5KQfix4EtIu14AimOviaVK-0x

Compliance Checklist (MS)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hTfsCcfvRMG9yCKFeiHfXllVh8VOqd3RDQPw1sOViBQ/edit

Daily Task Timetable (TG, Recruitment, MS)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZaBKHp5_x87LXH7JBJ2x5cjEmSE7vRL_/view

Skype Interview Guide (Recruitment)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rg3CmxXf5s_7xXbKpMAP1rpNzR8eh44ClPOUY7l5bCY/edit

MOVIE

Sat, 17 Aug 2019 08:24:42 +0000

Training Knowledge

Vocabulary Enrichment
Recommendation for Next Training
How to give feedback
Giving good written feedback
Looking good on screen
General Skills Refresher Course Part 1
General Skills Refresher Course Part 2

Vocabulary Enrichment

URL: youtu.be

Recommendation for Next Training

URL: youtu.be

How to give feedback

Recommendation of Training Method is important as it is a way to help your student improve and attain their goal. Recommendation of training method is done once;

The student is studying the OLD SPTR MATERIAL
The student is about to finish his/her chosen training method
Upon training, the trainer finds out that the training method is not for the student’s level (The current method may be too difficult or too easy for him/her)
The student asks for trainer’s recommendation of the training method that is suitable for him/her
Student’s first time training in SPTR (based on the First Timer’s Deck Evaluation Result)

Note: The trainer should consider student’s level, performance on the training, skills she needs to improve and her goal in studying the language before deciding the training method to recommend.

More details

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K4hjmsaHz5R5JVneyZAbbcZp6XDFE227Btv8XgZs0F8/edit?usp=sharing

URL: youtu.be

Giving Feedback can be a delicate process, but assessing a student’s progress can lead to improvement and growth.

General concept

When Trainers give feedback to someone’s performance, we follow a general concept. Many call it sandwich, other says sugarcoating. Well, whatever trainer may call it, in the field of Education, we named it as 3Ks - and that is the (Kiss, Kick, Kiss). This 3Ks is a representation.

Kiss - Positive
Kick - negative

So, when giving feedback, we have to tell first the positive things about their performance/ work, before we will proceed to the things to improve and wrap it up with another positive remarks.

Do’s and Don’ts in giving feedback to our students

DO’s

Be specific.

In giving feedback, you have to be clear what are the things s/he is good at and what are the things s/he needs to work on and improve more. Trainer needs a technique to give the important points in the training. Give him concrete instruction to improve his skills.

Ex:

Instead of saying “You have pronunciation lapses” , specify what specific sound s/he has to work on and practice more like “You have to practice more in pronouncing your “L and R”.

Instead of saying “your idea and answer is lacking.” Tell the student to create simple complete sentences one at a time.

Focus on feedback appropriate for the student’s level.

As a trainer, you don’t have to point out mistakes again and again if not a big deal. For example, “The student’s pronunciation of R is not right, however, there is no problem to communicate up to intermediate level, when you can’t pronounce ''R” perfectly. So, point it out once or twice but never tell it again and again. Instead, focus and teach your student critical points to facilitate communication at their level.

Be Sensitive

Always keep the emotional needs of your student into account. Avoid negative and strong feedback. Make it milder. In order for the students to be motivated to continue learning, you should praise the performance and target only the really important points (Not all mistakes.) that s/he needs to know at his level. Don’t forget to respect him and be sensitive.

DON'Ts

Do not correct all the mistakes every time.

Correcting everything in detail could worsen the situation. The students will feel shy to try again and worst when s/he will lose his/her motivation to study if s/he commits 4 mistakes in 1 sentence and you are there stopping him/her correcting every detail of each, the result is s/he will become demotivated and stop learning.

Avoid telling negative words

Avoid telling negative words like “no” , “that’s not correct/right”, “that’s wrong”. Instead, tell them things to improve in a good way. Make negative comments sounds positive. Instead of saying “that’s not right”, say “it could have been better this way when you….”

Don’t give mean comments.

Ex:

“You have bad pronunciation.” - mean / rude and can hurt someone’s dignity.

Instead, tell your student in a nicest way possible. “You have a little pronunciation lapses that needs to improve and practice. Try pronouncing “R” again, good! say “reading” - that’s it.” Aright! in other words : (Give praise though it’s not that perfect yet, at least they try and you see a good improvement.)

Elaborate, Don’t Just Verify

Provide elaborative feedback by giving enough information to clarify a point. While learners should know whether their answers are correct or incorrect, limiting feedback to verification only is not as effective as providing an explanatory feedback. You can provide elaborative feedback in different ways. These ways include the following:

Describe what the issue or problem is
Describe how the problem can be solved
Describe why the particular answer is wrong
Provide worked examples
Provide guidance.

Keep It Short And Simple

It’s important to provide enough information without overwhelming the learner and invoking cognitive overload. The key is not to overwhelm the learners by keeping feedback clear, specific and simple. Long and complicated feedback that requires extra information processing will make the learners tired, demotivated, and perhaps confused.

DON’T press if the learner seems threatened.

“Back off” and listen to the learner if you sense the learner feeling threatened or defensive. Continuing without doing this will impede learning and disrupt trust.

when can we give an immediate feedback

Immediate gain is desired
The task is complicated
The task requires immediate practice
The task requires retention of procedural or conceptual knowledge
Learners are low achievers.
Provide delayed feedback when:
When the aim is better transfer of learning
The task is relatively simple
Learners are high achievers.

Here in SPTR, we are not called TEACHER, we are called TRAINERs on purpose. Why? because we are not here to teach, we are here to guide and navigate a student’s learning. We train them for what they have learned. So, let’s be a better trainer to guide and encourage our students to learn!

Important tips;

If the student can’t answer, type the question on Skype chat box and wait for the student to understand the question and answer. If the student finds it difficult to answer, provide the sample answer on the Skype chatbox and read it. Then, ask the student to answer again.Trainer's output should validate the student's input of learning.

input ( reading and listening ) is important for SLAs
In ESL, we follow 70% Student's Talking Time (STT) and 30% Trainer's Talking Time (TTT). Please guide the student to talk and practice. Trainer's role is only to guide the student, not to talk all the time. But in SLAs, if students can understand the trainer’s speaking and if something is worth hearing, it is considered as an input.

choose words according to the student's word level (vocabulary)
vary and adjust the speed according to the student's level of understanding
Convey the purpose of study to the students each time to make them aware of it (state the training objectives)
Since reading alone is not a guarantee of understanding, the trainers should check if the student understands the lesson (article/ dialogue, etc) Ask the student to do self-study and do comprehension check by asking questions about the topic..
The word test (vocabulary enrichment) is to make sure students remember the meaning. Take the level of students into account when listening

Don't ask students the meaning of the word, unless the student is already advanced or proficient in the English language.

(Mr. Ms.) in which students' names are given honorific titles
Working with Students as Professionals (Please do not talk informal words and sensitive issues to your student like a friend.)
Trainers do not use or teach less commonly used words such as slang (Don't do anything except slang classes/trainings)
When pointing out students' mistakes in class, focus on frequent mistakes. Do not cover infrequent words or content unless the question is from the student.
Small mistakes like English articles (The/A) doesn’t need to be pointed out because even advanced English speakers sometimes make mistakes.( Trainer should only review this in writing class)
/r//, /l/, /v/, /b/ and /th/ are difficult for Japanese learners to pronounce. It can't be fixed easily. Once the pronunciation of the word is enough to be understood, there is no need to point this out. It is important for learners to be highly motivated in pronunciation.
Even advanced English speakers sometimes make mistakes with tense, plural, or -s, so It doesn’t have to be pointed out.
(The trainer should only review this in writing classes.)
We don't recommend Netflix as a recommended way to learn English if the word level doesn't fit (It's okay if students are interested. They can also listen until they understand it, or can listen until they understand it over and over again. It's better to use subtitles.)

ensure student's level of understanding
It is also important to choose to watch programs with a lot of vocabulary.
It is also good to try to speak or write various things about the movie.

Do not engage in personal topics or even start one unless the student opens up. If the student opens up, listen and remain professional in your interaction. Don’t give too much opinion, continue the conversation with limitation.
We can recommend reading and listening to English on student’s favorite subjects. If students read and listen to the same thing over and over again, their comprehension will increase and they will memorize words.

But pay attention to the level of words.

Always maintain eye to eye contact during the training.
Don't end with a good job, focus on what the student did and praise him/her with a not so obvious exaggerated praise.

Giving Written Feedback

At SPTR we give our students written feedback at the end of every training session. We want this feedback to be specific, timely, meaningful, and actionable. Watch the video presentation below for advice on how to do this effectively. (Added Feb. 2021)

URL: www.youtube.com

To access the Feedback Template Tool and the TASK from the above video, check the google drive at 5_Trainers>1_Operation>Trainer's General Info>Operation here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1XsvsX57AcP6iBeF2DpPg7oT9h8kDQ_T0?usp=sharing

Looking Good on Screen

As SPTR trainers, we want to present ourselves as professional, skilled, and trustworthy educators - and we project this through our personal appearance. Presentation and aesthetics are important parts of Japanese culture and Japanese customers really care about the personal presentation of customer service staff. It's important that you consider how you present yourself on camera. This goes beyond just your wardrobe, camera position, lighting, and clean audio can make all the difference.

Watch the video to learn more about it: (Added March 2021)

URL: youtu.be

General Skills Refresher Course Part 1

There are some general skills that many trainers are struggling with - and we consider every struggle to be an opportunity for improvement. Join some of our SPTR Trainers as we grapple with some of the following skills: (Added April 2021)

① Correcting student’s English (giving verbal feedback)

② What to do when a student asks a question you can’t answer

③ How to eliminate “dead” silences in your training

URL: youtu.be

General Skills Refresher Course Part 2

Trainers have spoken and we've listened! Here are some of the skills YOU wanted us to cover in our General Skills refresher course Part 2. (Added May 2021) - as you can see it really pays to go over the basics and conduct your training with grace and professionalism.

① Building Rapport

② Professional, Appropriate Conduct

③ Working with students of different skill levels

④ Handling upset, angry, rude students

⑤ Recommending effective ways to study

URL: youtu.be

SPTR Info

Tool

Gmail

Skype

Slack

Information Guide

MOVIE

Table of contents

Training Knowledge

More details

General concept

Do’s and Don’ts in giving feedback to our students

DO’s

DON'Ts

when can we give an immediate feedback

Important tips;

Giving Written Feedback

Looking Good on Screen

General Skills Refresher Course Part 1

General Skills Refresher Course Part 2