TEFL Cali

I have learned so much from this course. Everything I learned will be devoted to my upcoming roles with Navitas at Western Kentucky University as developmental english teacher and assistant to the executive director. The benefits of this course have already been tremendous as I invested several weeks in the spring semester, developing curriculum for language enrichment workshops for our graduate and undergraduate students to be taught this fall. Much of the material was inspired by this course. On a personal note, I retired from teaching four years ago due to illness, but now that I am well, I realized how much I wanted to be in the classroom again. This course provided me the bridge from 22 years of experience in the english and journalism classes to the esl classrooms I enjoy today. It was a pleasure to apply and adapt what I already knew to be true about teaching and learning. Regardless of the language, students need to have learning experiences adapted to their readiness and instruction that is meaningful to their experience. Not an easy task! The course also gave me a grammar refresher--with the additional tips and techniques on how to explain the mechanics of language to non-native speakers. Teaching is teaching, regardless of age and/or ability. Student needs should be determined, abilities assessed, goals made, measurable progress recorded which should inform instruction. Learning doesn't necessarily come from instruction but from the set of circumstances and opportunity that comes from education. After decades in the classroom on both sides of the desk, I am still and always will be a learner first and teacher second. I will always teach students to reach beyond their comfort zone and into the learning zone with confidence. With the techniques, resources, websites and methodologies learned in this course, my collegiate esl students will benefit from a teacher who can skip the trial and error and go straight to tried and true methods and content.