Prior to taking this
tefl course, I had taken a
tesol course and had taught english in
indonesia and
chile. Despite my experience and TESOL
certificate, I still felt that I was lacking skills and knowledge that would help me be a better teacher. My previous
TESOL course had provided a good foundation, but I still felt that I didn’t know how to effectively teach basic grammar, how to adapt materials to schools’ curriculum, and how to organize a course for a semester. I decided to take an
online TEFL course so that I could refresh my memory of ESL methods, learn new information about teaching, and gain confidence in my knowledge and abilities.
One of the mistakes that many ESL teachers make is that they assume that teaching is only about the material. As long as they present the required material and finish the course book by the end of the semester, they feel that they have done their
job. This course taught me to be more strategic in my teaching methods and use different activities to help my students learn different skills. I learned about topics like group formation, the role of the teacher, class dynamics, the physical setup of the classroom, and how all of these contribute to students’ learning experience. I learned the different trends in ESL teaching, many of which I didn’t previously know about, and I also learned the different ways to structure a lesson (and the pros and cons for each). I also learned the profiles of different types of students and their motivations for taking ESL, which could help me in addressing students’ needs. From this course, I gained direction, organization, and insight into how to be a better and more sensitive teacher.
With this new knowledge, I hope that my classes will be more than just teaching material and following a course book. I intend to be more creative with my lesson plans and have the confidence to branch out from the curriculum and use my own materials. I also intend to be more strategic about my role as a teacher and see every aspect of the classroom, from the students’ placement, group formation, to the classroom resources, as tools to help students’ learn.