I have learned so much from this course. To be honest, I just thought it would be an easy, boring course where I wouldn't be able to learn anything. I have been teaching
english in Korea for about five years now, and I didn't think a course like this would help me, as I had the practical experience under my belt. I just wanted the
tefl certificate to earn more money. However, just after the first unit, I realized that I was going to learn some very useful and interesting things about teaching
esl. Now I realize that a course like this is more than just earning a higher paycheck, but about actually being a better
teacher.
As I luckily discovered, I love teaching, especially
english! I have learned so many things from just being thrown into a classroom on my first day to five years later having a pretty good grasp on why things are the way they are in the
english language. However, before starting this
tefl course, I was unaware that there were different phases of teaching. I knew
teachers used icebreakers or introductory materials/language. I also knew that
teachers taught what the new material was. Moreover, I knew that they did some sort of practice with the newly taught materials. However, I didn't realize that they had official names and that there was a rhyme and reason for these phases. I have become much more aware during my classes now of the different phases of teaching
esl. I have also been able to use these to my full ability and produce a better lesson.
In addition, I have learned a lot more unique and interesting activities/games for the Activate stage. After I am finished with this course, I plan on compiling a document with all of the activate stage ideas and use it as a reference to look to many times a week! I have learned a lot of NEW ways to teach the same old information. I am excited to put some of those activate ideas into practice!