Who am I?
Karen Passmore
I am a teacher and teacher trainer, with 30 years’ experience in English language teaching and an MA in TESOL from the University of Nottingham. My previous experience includes teaching in Egypt, where I completed my RSA TEFL in 1991, Edinburgh, my hometown and Germany, where I live. In 2006 I completed a two-year transactional analysis (TA) coaching course and since then I have undertaken teacher training workshops, focused on developing classroom management skills. In my free time I endeavour to work towards my PhD in TESOL and I am always grateful for thoughts and feedback on my research and writing thus far.
What do I offer?
TEACHING
Since 2019 I have been a member of the ibs staff at the University of Paderborn and recently join the staff of ZfS in 2020. I enjoy both my roles in EAP, leading university language courses in both business and technical English.
You think you are 1 person but you are 3
Welcome to the world of TA. In transactional Analysis we talk about the 3 ego states which reflect different parts of our personality: Adult, Parent and Child. The Adult is the wise self which makes subjective decisions. The Child is where we live and feel. The Parent reflects the beliefs we have not just from our parents but all adults who influenced us when we were growing up.
Different strokes for different folks
Imagine you are walking along the street and see your neighbour. As you pass each other you smile and say “Good morning” and your neighbour smiles and replies “Good morning”. All very normal, right? We are so familiar with this kind of exchange that we don’t really give it a second thought. But imagine this scene again. Imagine you are walking along the street and meet your neighbour. As you pass each other you smile and say “Good morning”. Your neighbour however walks past you and makes no response at all. How would you feel? Like most people you would probably be surprised at first and then the voice in your head would be asking “What have I done?” or “What’s her/his problem?”. This is because we all need strokes and if we don’t get them we feel rejected.
Games learners play
Most people who play TA games don’t even know they are playing. We play these games because we are afraid to ask for what we want or afraid to change our behaviour even if we think we should. Favourite games of learners include “Mines better than yours” , “Yes, but…” and “Cops and Robbers”.
Transactional Analysis
(TA) as its title suggests, is a theory developed by Eric Berne which is used to inquire into the social interaction between individuals and or groups of people. We can look at what goes on between people by analysing the words and gestures they use in transaction.
More about Me
Learning
Me encanta aprender idiomas !
I don’t just love teaching languages; I love learning languages too! J'ai un peu de français à l'école, und ich begann Deutsch zu lernen, als ich vor 30 Jahren hier angekommen bin. Recently, I have developed a love of Spanish and travelled to meet friends in Chile. Even a few words of a foreign language makes the experience of travel that much more intimate.
Writing
My research and writing endeavours to amalgamate my interest in TESOL and Transactional Analysis (TA). I am always looking for solutions to young adult classroom management challenges through the coaching tools of TA. I welcome any constructive feedback for those who wish to read my articles by clicking here.
