Practicum Handbook

Welcome to My Culture Connect

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with us to complete your practicum hours for TEFL or TESOL certification. At My Culture Connect, we support aspiring teachers while enriching education for students in Taiwan.

This handbook will help you get started and make the most of your experience with MCC.

Who We Are

Founded on January 1, 2009, My Culture Connect is a Taiwan-based nonprofit organization focused on enriching education and culture, especially in Changhua County. Known locally as Renshi (人師), meaning role models or people's teachers, MCC fosters cooperation and global understanding through education.

How Your Practicum Works

Getting Started with Observation

After you submit your sign-up form, you will receive a link to our observation schedule. This schedule is your gateway to selecting observation opportunities that fit your availability.

The schedule provides details on available classes, including:

• Date and time: Displayed for both Taiwan and North America to account for time zone differences.
• Class details: Information about the school, student grade level, teacher, and platform.

How to Join a Class

• Click the Google Meet link provided in the schedule to enter the classroom.
• You do not need to inform anyone in advance. Just join at the scheduled time.
• Keep track of your observation hours.

Proving Observation Attendance

You can prove your attendance in two ways:

• Take screenshots during class.
• Use the Google Meet Attendance List Chrome extension. The free version allows you to download the attendance list as a CSV file.

During observations, stay muted and keep your camera off to minimize disruption.

📚 Ready-to-teach lesson materials

New to one-on-one tutoring and not sure how to plan a session? We're building a library of ready-made, 60-minute lesson kits — just open one and teach straight from it, no prep needed. Each kit includes a warm-up, key phrases with audio, leveled questions, a speaking activity, and tutor tips.

Open the Tutoring Lesson Library →

Start with Lesson 1 (Get to Know Each Other); more topics on the way — getting to know Taiwan (night markets, festivals, hometowns) and everyday topics (food, travel, hobbies).

Who You Will Be Tutoring

Our students range widely in age, from elementary and junior high students to high school students and adults.

Younger students are typically paired with a tutor by their parents. Older students, college-age learners, and adults often seek more conversation practice.

Some adult students are English teachers in Taiwan who want to improve their conversational skills. For example, if someone teaches elementary English every day, they may not often use English at an advanced conversational level and may want more practice beyond the level they teach.

Student Availability

Most participants in our program are based in the United States, which is 12 to 15 hours behind Taiwan.

For school-aged children, tutoring usually needs to happen outside Taiwan school hours. If you are on the U.S. East Coast, children in Taiwan are in school from about 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, which corresponds to 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM your time.

Saturday evenings in the U.S. or Sunday mornings in Taiwan are often the most popular times for tutoring. Adult and college students may have more flexible schedules, so being open to different age groups can make matching easier.

Student Goals

• Younger learners may need help with specific grammar points or vocabulary.
• Adult students often seek conversational practice.
• Many students live in rural areas of Taiwan with limited exposure to native or native-level English speakers.

Conversation is a common goal, but tutors can also include structured lessons, readings, current events, or specific topics during sessions.

Tutor Expectations

Responsiveness to Messages

• We primarily communicate through Google Chat.
• Download the Google Chat app and enable notifications.
• Respond promptly, especially to messages from Luke, who manages student matches.

Attendance and Timeliness

• Attend all scheduled sessions and arrive on time.
• Communicate promptly with your student if rescheduling is needed.
• Professionalism matters even though this is a volunteer position.

Room Setup, Lighting, and Audio

• Use a non-distracting, professional background.
• Ensure proper lighting for clear communication.
• Use a headset or earbuds with a microphone to improve audio quality.

Posture and Etiquette

• Sit upright and maintain professional behavior.
• Avoid gum chewing.
• Communicate politely and clearly.

Have a Plan

Prepare a clear plan for each session, including topics or activities. Avoid fully unstructured conversations. Articles, current events, visuals, and other materials can help create a stronger session.

Teaching Platform Guidelines

At MCC, we primarily use Google Meet as our teaching platform. To support coordination and documentation, please follow these guidelines:

• Use Google Meet as the main teaching platform unless otherwise arranged.
• Provide proof of your teaching sessions by taking screenshots during class or recording the session if your account supports recording.
• If you have a paid subscription to another platform such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom, you may guide your student to use your preferred platform.

The First Session

• Introduce yourself with a short presentation about your life, family, city, or interests.
• Ask the student about their background, hobbies, and goals.
• Assess their language level through conversation, writing, or listening activities.
• Remember that many students may have stronger reading and writing skills but need more practice in speaking and listening.

What Is Co-Teaching?

The main difference between one-on-one tutoring and co-teaching is that co-teaching involves working with a classroom of students in Taiwan alongside an English teacher in Taiwan.

As a co-teacher, you help teach the lesson to an entire class and give students exposure to a native or native-level English speaker. Many of these students live in rural areas of Taiwan and have limited opportunities to interact with English speakers.

During co-teaching, you are responsible for teaching the lesson, while the English teacher in Taiwan focuses on classroom management and may provide occasional Mandarin explanations for complex topics.

The Process

Step 1: Orientation

To begin, read this section of the handbook carefully.

Step 2: Matching with a School

Luke will begin finding a partner school and class for you to teach. The timing can vary depending on the number of co-teaching volunteers and the availability of schools.

Scheduling and Class Details

Time Zones

Taiwan is 12 to 15 hours ahead of the U.S. and Canada. Most co-teaching sessions occur during Taiwan school hours, which often means evening or late-night hours in North America.

Class Length

• Elementary school: 40 minutes
• Junior high school: 45 minutes
• High school: 50 minutes
• Special sessions during school breaks may last one hour.

Platform

Unless otherwise instructed, co-teaching sessions are conducted on Google Meet. If you have a paid subscription to another platform such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom, you may guide the class to use your preferred platform.

Lesson Planning

• Format: Use the PPP model: Presentation, Practice, and Production.
• Supplement materials: Textbooks or syllabi are guides, not the full lesson. Create your own activities to supplement learning.
• Focus on verbal output: The primary goal is to encourage students to speak English during the lesson.

Materials to Use

• Presentations such as Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Prezi.
• Videos and audio files, including resources from YouTube.
• Worksheets, either self-created or downloaded.
• Games from platforms such as Wordwall.net or other interactive tools.

Do's and Don'ts

Do

• Use a headset, good lighting, and a professional background.
• Test all materials before class, including videos, games, and worksheets.
• Introduce yourself at the start of class.
• Correct errors kindly and maintain student confidence.
• Over-plan so you have extra material if activities finish early.
• Make it fun with games and engaging activities.

Don't

• Avoid classroom competitions that may create imbalances or discourage participation.
• Avoid group work that may be difficult for the local co-teacher to manage online.
• Do not introduce too much new vocabulary. Six to seven new words is usually enough.

Resources for Lesson Planning

• ISL Collective: Worksheets and PowerPoint presentations, especially for younger learners.
• All Things Grammar: Grammar-focused worksheets.
• Lingua House: Useful for upper-level students and audio files.
• Wordwall.net: Interactive games and activities.
• MyWorksheetMaker.com: Custom worksheets such as word searches or fill-in-the-blank exercises.

🤖 Design lessons faster with AI

Luke also runs a free companion site, AI for Teachers, that shows educators how to use AI to plan lessons, build worksheets and games, differentiate activities, and create picture-book and slide materials — practical, classroom-tested workflows you can put to work in your own tutoring and co-teaching sessions.

Visit AI for Teachers →

Have a question? Just ask.

Stuck on how to use AI for a particular lesson, level, or activity? Email your question to luke@mycultureconnect.org and he'll build a page answering it on AI for Teachers — so your question helps the next student teacher too.

Transitioning to Tutoring or Co-Teaching

When you are ready to move beyond observation into tutoring or co-teaching, contact Luke Lin, MCC's executive director.

The process includes:

• Reading the relevant sections of this handbook.
• Submitting your availability form to schedule sessions.

Important: If you need our help finding students to complete your teaching hours, please contact Luke in advance. Coordinating schedules takes time, and last-minute requests put a lot of strain on our volunteer team.

Tracking and Verifying Hours

You are responsible for keeping a detailed record of your practicum hours, including:

• Observation hours
• Tutoring hours
• Co-teaching hours

If your institution requires verification, Luke can confirm your hours upon request.

Because our classes take place on Google Meet, the free Google Meet Attendance List extension can help track your observation time and serve as proof that you observed a class.

Submit Your Availability

To keep placements organized, the availability form is shared individually rather than filled out directly. Please email Luke Lin first. Once he confirms there is a suitable opening, he will send you the availability form to complete.

• Email Luke with a short introduction, your TEFL program (ITA, CIEE, or other), and your practicum deadline.
• Luke will reply with the availability form, where you will share your time zone, age preferences, available days and times, and any deadlines.
• Be open to different age groups for quicker matches, and plan ahead so there is enough time to match you with a student or school.

Email Luke Lin to register

Thank You

Thank you for choosing to volunteer with My Culture Connect. Your efforts make a significant difference in the lives of students in rural Taiwan while helping you grow as an educator.

If you have any questions, email Luke at luke@mycultureconnect.org. We look forward to supporting your journey as a teacher of English as a foreign language. Good luck, and happy teaching.