TKT Practicum

TKT Student Teacher Practicum

TKT Practicum - Which is really just a fancy way to say practice!

Under the guidance and direction of super teacher Helen Gamble ... the girls know how to interact with a class.

Helen has told us "The TKT students are learning to be English teachers. During their course, they plan and teach exciting lessons to other PGIC students. In these pictures they are getting to know the students in their practicum lesson before they set up other amazing activities. PGIC has had many great TKT students who are now teaching English in Korea, Taiwan and Japan.”

Su Yeon Choi, Rose Ha and Kate Kim doing a terrific job.

The student teachers were doing a great job yesterday giving out FREE English lessons to all students. This helps them practice the delivery of their lessons and gives a fantastic service to all PGIC students.

Kate gives some advice, up close and personal.

Everyone is invited on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2.45pm to join in and be taught by out TKT student teachers.

Southbank BBQ

Southbank BBQ

The best PGIC BBQ in history.
It was a great event with 60 students coming to eat, drink and relax after a tough day of Communication Assessments.

There was lots of food and happy faces. Thank you to everyone that helped cook and organise the night.

There was a special guest, Amy-Maree (the previous Activities Coordinator) came back from Italy to say hello!

Andy and Roberto getting ready to chow down

50 Cent facing off against his posse

Lets get cookin ...

PGIC students are the best looking people in Brisbane!

See below for more examples

These two were the Master Chefs of the BBQ

HELP @ Ithaca Creek

Last Saturday, a group from PGIC went down to help the Australian group Save our Waterways Now do some bush regeneration along the banks of Ithaca Creek in Ashgrove. We mulched, weeded and planted lots of lomandra and sedges along the creek bank to stop it eroding in the heavy rains, and try and attract the native wildlife back to the area. Historically native animals such as turtles and platypus were common here.

It was a great day in a shady spot by a creek with no mosquitoes, lots of fun and good conversation with Ken, Craig and his son. After some volunteering we walked along the creek bank to a park for some lunch. Craig was super happy with the effort from the PGIC crew and said he would like to thank all the students involved. He is sending a certificate to each of these students.

Check out the photos and come along next month if you like the look of it.

Min, Betty and Kenta in the middle of the creek with Craig

Min Planting Sedges

Min talking science with Craig and his son (They both work in medicine)

Harumi - Queen of the mulch pile

Juri couldn't stop smiling

Harumi found a nesting box

Stacy giving the seedlings a drink

Show us your pitchfork skills

Kotaro wants to be a koala when he grows up

Min and the strange slimy water crystals

The mulch crew: Kotaro, Lourdes and Kenta

Vivian getting in touch with nature

Craig shares his knowledge of the creek with the students

Highest I.Q. Award

This man has the BIGGEST brain in PGIC

INTRODUCING IAN KENNY ... the man.

The PGIC Blog would like to make a special mention of Ian Kenny. Ian is a TA at PGIC (which stands for Teaching Assistant), however he spends his spare time writing poetry and solving most of lifes mysteries. If you have ANY questions at PGIC please ask Ian. He is so intelligent he will always have the correct answer for you.

All students may recognise Ian as the TOEIC "clock" guy.

IAN KENNY

I.Q. of 165

After careful examination of Ian's head we have decided there is no way a head that size cannot contain a brain of massive proportions.

Ian pondering the many possible reasons for his brilliance.

Thank you Ian for being so intelligent.

A WARNING FOR ALL STUDENTS LOOKING FOR SHARE HOUSING - PLEASE READ THIS

Finding the right share house in Brisbane can be difficult.
Often it requires students to rent city apartments with each other to save money - and some students who want to live with Aussie people (or people from other countries) don't know how to find such a place...

There are websites you can use to find good share houses in Brisbane.
One example is www.realestate.com.au - this website will allow you to find available rooms/houses for rent in any area of Brisbane, whether you want to live in Zone 1 or Zone 5. It's up to you...

There are other websites available such as Gumtree - but now I have to warn you of a very severe problem that is becoming more common in Brisbane.

The '419 Scam' is a fraudulent operation that is most commonly carried out by Nigerian crime syndicates in West Africa.

At the moment, these Nigerians are advertising fully-furnished apartments in the city for $120 p/week. It sounds too good to be true, right? THIS IS FRAUD.
If you are contacted by these people via email, you will be asked to send bond + 1 month's rent via international money transfer through Western Union. Never, under any circumstances send money to an overseas bank account for an Australian apartment. It's just common sense.
You would never see that money again.

So, here are our tips for finding a legitimate share house in Brisbane...

1. If you want to live with Australians, find your house through www.realestate.com.au
- this website works with Real Estate agents in Brisbane. You can contact these agents easily via email with any questions you may have (internet/bedroom/etc.)

2. Make sure the place you rent is in sync with the RTA (Residential Tenancies Authority). When you pay a bond for a house, it is supposed to be lodged with the RTA - that way, if there is a problem between you and your landlord - it is possible to get your bond back.

Some students have lost money in the past because they paid their bond to their landlord - but it didn't go through the RTA. They had a disagreement with their landlord and then they never saw that money again...

3. Make sure you ALWAYS inspect the house before signing anything, or giving money to anybody. If you paid for a t-shirt in a store, wouldn't you want to see the product first? The same goes for the house you live in.

4. If you suspect that the house or apartment is part of a Nigerian scam - think of these factors..
- How good can they write in English? Nigerian scammers often use terrible broken English
- The scammers will also praise 'God' alot ie. 'God Bless You' etc.
- They will pressure you to pay the fee very quickly

5. Talk to NATALIE at PGIC.
Her job is to coordinate homestay and accom. for PGIC students - and can help you when you need it. Her experience and knowledge is very valuable, so please don't be scared to talk to her.
If you don't know Natalie, you can find her office on Level 1 - near Pla at reception...

Share-housing can be a very amazing part of your Australian experience. You can learn many different things about Australian life and culture, and make many friends. Living with people from other countries will also do a lot to improve your English.

However, a bad experience like I have described above could ruin your stay in Australia,

and change opinion of our country.

We hope this information helps you for the future!

5 Reasons Why We Love/Hate TOEIC

Jesse Olsen Tattoo Lessons!!

Free Tattoos at PGIC !!

If you are looking for something crazy to do ... you can get free tattoos at Lunch Club!

(this story is a work of fiction)

It all started off very innocently ... a few simple fun drawings... some laughs ... and then Jesse broke out the ink gun. I think Miho and Amy will look great on Hell's Angels motorbikes. Now that they got their ink, their next goal is to get tattoos from prison. They are going for that bad ass look.

Unfortunately for Jesse, when the tables were turned, they drew pictures on his hand it was Sponge Bob Square Pants. Not a good look for that manly image!

Have a look below and check out some cool drawings.