Nathan

        

         Nathan Randall

          Pacioli assistant

 2008/2009 and 2009/2010


Using the online materials
On the Pacioli website, you can find a large collection of teaching materials that previous assistants––mostly from Pacioli, but a handful from other schools––have used. These materials are meant to give you an idea of what has been taught in the past, and to serve as a starting point during your own lesson preparations. When you like what you find, feel free to use it, but don’t ever feel like you’re obligated to do what previous assistants have done.

On this note, given that over the years there have been many different assistants––and many different personalities, teaching styles, university majors, personal interests, and life experiences––the materials online are quite varied. So as not to impose my own teaching preferences on future assistants, I’ve left almost everything. Which means that for many of the subjects, especially those that have been taught for multiple years, you will find several different approaches to teaching the same lesson. When looking at the available resources, it will be up to you––and perhaps the teachers you’re working with––to choose what to use, and what to ignore.



Teaching advice?
My classes worked best when I remembered that I wasn’t here to be just another teacher. I was here to be the young, foreign, recently-graduated-from-college English language assistant. Because of the nature of my position, I was able to have a lot more fun with the students than a normal teacher might be able to afford. And the more fun I was having, the more engaged the students were, and the better the lesson went.



Final thoughts

This program exists just as much for you as it does for the students you teach. Which means that you should have fun with it. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy your time at school, but even if you don’t, make sure to enjoy your time in Italy, as it will fly by.