Teach English in Cumberland - TEFL Courses

I have gained several things from this course. I think before this course I had a lot of ideas, but no real idea of how to organize them. I would come up with prop ideas, ideas that were great for small increments of time but this course has taught me to condense some of those notions, solidify them, edit them, and brainstorm on the spot any possible ideas that come into my head for any given situation. As well as asking me to think of any number of scenarios in terms of technological advantages. What will the school have available and what can I do to add to that, make the best use out of, and utilize best in lessons? I think it has broadened my concept of this issue. Another thing I have learned is to expect anything in terms of class behavior, and modify it as much as possible so that the class learns and uses english as much as possible. Before this course I was planning on using Korean as much as possible while in the classroom, as I learn it. But that concept has now been rescinded. I remember various spanish and french courses and I think maybe I could have learned a lot more if the teaching styles had been radically changed to reflect the conditions and situations that I have been adapting into what will become my own teaching style. Linguistic adaptation is a wonderful thing, but I am learning Korean on my own as it is, and I think it would be a lot more fun and as I picture the different ways it could be taught to me, I also picture the way I want to teach english as I would like to be taught a language. Interestingly, with good voice, but a saturated, immersion style overview as opposed to dictating only outdated dialogue from a 1970s textbook where every page mentions disco. Probably the most dramatic response from my end came during the video portion of lesson 10. I was literally angry as I watched the first lesson. It was awkward and just frustrating to watch, and slightly appalling. This is the total point of it; to exhibit the opposite of what should be done in class. But it also got a lot of gears moving. I had never considered doing any of those things per se, and though it was overdramatized I can see how teachers might fall into some of those patterns without realizing it. I now have a very concerted predisposition to avoid any of those behaviors. I remember having a few teachers in high school that really were there just to collect a paycheck and I resent that now. I could never just sit there and babysit. It's not putting anything good out into the world. But, this reminder serves an important purpose for me and that is to make me all the more aware to prevent any bad teaching elements to slip in while concentrating on making the course a place that students feel good being in. The looks of confusion on the students as the instructor in the video explained an activity, very badly, was painful to watch. I had considered the possibility of such a thing happening, but after watching both examples, I got a lot out of how to explain and not explain in pretty clear detail. Mimicry and pointing, using sign language that anyone can understand, has a lot of potential, and I'm thinking about it more than I used to. Acting things out as you go along. It's something that I'm more centered on than I was before. Grammatically, I took courses in college that covered almost everything that I have covered here but it's been about a decade, so I am very glad I covered them with ITTT in detail before heading out. It is also incredibly helpful to have already practiced the form for lesson plans that I have as many times as I have now. Though the lesson plans here are probably more detailed than is necessary in common practice, I have gotten a lot out of them and am now confident in my ability to write them, which will be invaluable in the field. All in all, I am really glad I took this course. It has given me some idea of what to expect. I have two friends in Korea that are now back in the states that have encouraged me over the past year and through their experiences I feel I have a taste of what to expect. But this course has given me the chance to really go through my ideas and turn them into something that could really be beneficial, working, viable plans for a classroom.