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The information covered in this course was extremely useful and has provided a solid foundation of knowledge in teaching English as a foreign language. With that said, between ensuring that I am fully prepared for each class and having to keep the coursework stimulating for the students, the thought getting up in front of a class for the first time seems a bit overwhelming. Through this course, however, I have learned that it is not necessary to remember all of this complex information all of the time and that it is best to keep it simple. Specifically, the best thing I have learned from my TEFL course is the Engage, Study, Activate (ESA) method. The ESA method offers a simple but effective approach for covering the necessary components of a successful course including elicitation techniques, structured exercises as well as fluency activities. Getting off to a smooth start by ‘Engaging’ the students in the lesson is a crucial first step and will set the tone for the remainder of the course. As such, it is important to start with a ‘warmer’ activity such as a fun game, pictures and stories with the aim of eliciting responses from the students. Instead of starting off with a teaching activity, the teacher should instead ask questions and allow the students to speak freely as much as possible. By focusing on ‘engaging’ the students in such a way, the teacher will not only increase the amount of student talking time, but also find out crucial information such as the students’ levels of English, what they hope to accomplish and the particular areas of strength and weakness. This approach will demonstrate to students that learning English can be fun and create a comfortable, more productive learning environment. The ‘Study’ phase typically focuses on the construction of a particular language point and learning new English concepts. During this part of the lesson the teacher should spend more time giving a structured lesson with plenty of board work while focusing on the student’s accuracy. This will then be followed by a series of structured exercises such as drilling or worksheets in order to solidify the students’ understanding. Examples of appropriate study phase exercises include language drills, crosswords, gap fills and analyzing texts. Furthermore, the study phase is the most appropriate time for the teacher to correct any mistakes and provide more detailed explanations on the subject matter. Although this section may require more teacher talking time, teachers should nevertheless try to elicit information from students as well as allow them the opportunity to correct themselves and each other. In the ‘Activate’ stage, the emphasis should be put on fluency and allowing the students to speak freely. This is the best time for the students to put what they learned into action and to practice speaking in a real-world context. The teacher should encourage group activities such as role-playing, communication games, or debates, and the students should demonstrate the language that was discussed in the lesson along with what they already know. Since the ‘Activate’ phase focuses on the flow of speech, the teacher should try not to interrupt the students and note down any mistakes to be reviewed during the following lesson. During this time, hopefully the students will see a direct and specific improvement in their English speaking abilities. Even if this is a small improvement, it should boost their sense of confidence and keep them motivated to learn more. While there is still some debate regarding which methodologies work best for most students, the ESA method mentioned about not only provides a thorough and balanced learning environment for the students, but also a step by step blueprint for the teacher to follow throughout each lesson. Regardless of what a teacher decides to do, the lessons should be focused on the students and the teacher should provide as much exposure to the English language as possible. This approach combined with the abundance of specific teaching ideas referenced in the course provides plenty of guidance and material for a successful experience in the classroom. When thinking back on my ideas regarding how to teach an English class prior to taking this course, I can honestly say that the ESA approach is the best thing I learned and that I will certainly use it.
