TEFL Armstrong Delaware

Success and confidence go hand in hand – I want both. The reason that I chose this article was because I want to have confidence before I teach, while I am teaching, and after I have finished teaching. Sometimes confidence can be based on mood. But this type is not stable and can change quickly. This is not for me. I want confidence before the class that prompts me to look forward to teaching. I want confidence during the class that makes it fun and exciting. I want confidence after the class that gives me a satisfaction in a job well done. How can a teacher have a consistent attitude of confidence? From my research I notice different areas that contribute to confidence in teaching. Confidence comes from the sum of activities in the philosophical, physical, and emotional realms. Also lesson preparation, presentation practice, and reworking failed plans are necessary to having a consistent attitude of confidence. I happened to read an article on confidence in teaching yoga, which mentioned several interesting concepts. When our focus is on ourselves then we are not focused on our target, which is presenting material to our students. So, the point is to stop thinking about self. Next, to be confident it is necessary to forget past failures, as well as, fearing future results. In other words, think about the task at hand. The last point was to remove fear and doubt. The idea here is that fear and doubt focuses us on failure. Although I am not a believer in Yoga I think that these are legitimate issues in possessing confidence. The following physical actions and activities can help accomplish the philosophical issues resulting in confidence. I read an article, The Confident teacher, where the author said that a teacher should, “be confident, or at least, act confident.” The author said that a teacher should keep their head up, speak clearly, and control their eyes. Good posture means standing up straight with your head up. Slouching communicates failure. teachers should speak clearly and at a measured pace. This shows that the teacher believes that what he/she is saying is correct. One should not stutter and hem haw around. Silence also shows confidence. Sometimes the teacher should not say anything to emphasize a point or to get the students' attention. In this article, The Confident teacher, the author said that the teacher's attention is a reward for good students. So the teacher should look confidently at students who are performing correctly. The teacher should not reward bad behavior with a disproportionate amount of eye attention. Also, the teacher's gaze will show that he/she is in charge of the class. It will let students know that the teacher is in control. Emotions show confidence. The teacher needs to maintain a certain professional distance from the student. When the teacher visibly becomes distressed or angry he/she does not appear confident. The teacher needs to remain calm and strong. I believe that one of the more important things is the effort and preparation that go into making a lesson. I read that teachers should be thorough in their preparation. My answer to preparation lies within this very tesol course that I am taking now. The Engage-Study-Activate method of teaching has given me an effective and reliable way to approach a lesson, do it, evaluate it, and bask in the good results of a successful lesson. When I follow this method I find that students are interested. Now I look forward to planning and teaching my classes because I am expecting success. I find that I am confident before, during, and after the lesson. Lastly, practice is needed to improve and perfect the actual application of these methods. As I think back over the years I can remember teachers who I thought were confident and those who were not. I liked the confident teachers. Confidence is the sum of a variety of factors such as: philosophical, physical, emotional, hard work, and practice. But I think that perhaps the most important of these is to have an orderly and understandable method of teaching with a variety of learning activities such as the Engage-Study-Activate method. References: How to Become a Confident teacher by Trevor Johnson The Confident teacher, changingminds.org/disciplines/teaching/classroom_rv Creativeeducation.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/06 How to become a confident yoga teacher, mengfronglai.blogspot.com/