Site: My job at MUST of Darkhan

My job at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) of Darkhan has many parts. First, I teach English to students. All of my students are studying to become English and Russian translators. Their focus, then, is language studies. I have recently learned that this translation studies major at MUST schools across Mongolia was 2 years ago discontinued by the Minister of Education. Therefore, the two grades of students I have are some of the last of their kind. I have 3 classes. 2 of those classes are with 3rd course students, a.k.a. juniors (the same group of juniors) and the other is with 4th course students, a.k.a. seniors. With the 3rd course students, I teach Spoken English and Grammar/Vocabulary. With the 4th course students, I teach Spoken English. Oddly enough, the 3rd course students have stronger English language skills and are all around better students. As a result, I have been told that most of my time here in Darkhan will be spent instructing the 3rd course students, those who are most willing to work with a native teacher and those with the most potential to capitalize on their instruction. From my end, I am thankful for this. The 3rd course students have thus far been a pleasure to teach.

Second, I observe the other English teachers. These teachers have a range of language skills capabilities, methodological styles, and teaching abilities. Their desire, as with all teachers, is to become better at what they do. There are 5 other English teachers. They are all women. In fact, all of my 11 counterparts are women. The longest tenured English teacher has 10 years experience at my school. Each of these women has a Master’s degree. So, in Mongolia they are all qualified to teach college English. In my observations, I note their strengths and weaknesses, how they can improve and what new teaching styles would be of benefit to them. I work with 1 teacher each week. I observe 3 classes each week. After I have worked with each teacher, I begin again the rotation. My general assessment thus far is that each teacher needs improvement, but more than that, the curriculum is in need of changing. The greatest problems I observe is that students 1) regardless of level or ability are being too quickly moved along by their teachers and are not given adequate time to learn what they have been taught and 2) the content is not optimal for beginning learners or for long-term learning. Both of these are problems not particular to Mongolia; they exist everywhere.


Peter with some of his counterparts at Opening Ceremonies

Third, I am preparing my colleges for the TOEFL IBT or Teaching of English as a Foreign Language Institutional-Based Test. It is a modified, more basic version of the international-recognized TOEFL exam. I am preparing 7 women (5 of which are the aforementioned English teachers) for the exam I am told they will take in the next couple weeks. For the most part, I teach strategies for question-answering. I assign them homework, sample tests, and then twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, we work through them together. After two weeks of preparation, it is apparent to me that language skills of even the better teachers require a lot of work. They all do, however, have the desire to improve. It was their idea to receive homework daily. We talk about answering such things as detail questions, main idea questions, inference questions, etc. And what we’re really talking about, as much as it TOEFL preparation is just as much about critical thinking.

Finally, the last big part of my job is to act as an advocate or an advisor for all things university-related. When I am asked or when a situation requires it, I give feedback on a variety of issues. Some of my recent interjections as an advisor have been about the format and content of student presentations. The 4th course students are required to present on a three-week language practice they conducted over the summer as well as a recent two-week teaching practice which pulled them from all classes earlier this semester. I sit in on these presentations and share my impressions with the department chair and the other English teachers. I find that I am more openly honest and constructively critical than I think I have ever been. I realize the absolute importance of my candor and therefore don’t hold back. I genuinely want these activities to be of the most benefit for the department and for the students. That requires, in my professional opinion (I’ve always wanted to write that), changes in procedures and attitudes. These same things are sometimes required university-wide, as is with the case of a proposal I have been working on that I will turn in to the school director on Monday. This proposal discusses the very serious early semester attendance problem, in which many students do not arrive until the 2nd, 3rd and even sometimes 4th weeks of classes. I have taken it upon myself to interview teachers and student representatives, compose a document for change and to bring it before the administration in an effort to improve an existing university problem.


The University Building

So far, I have really enjoyed this job. I spend a lot of hours lesson planning, developing relationships with co-workers, giving advice on any number of topics (sometimes this comes in the form of seminar presentations), assessing my work environment and thinking about what it all means. It is challenging. It is rewarding. It is the kind of Peace Corps assignment best suited for me.