The course provided invaluable breath to my training as a foreign language
teacher. Foundationally, the course gave me insight into my strengths and weaknesses as a native
english speaker. I now understand the areas that I will have to improve upon in order to become an effective
teacher of the language. Learning a language is not easy; learning a language without everyday interaction with native speakers is quite difficult. However, even native speakers are often oblivious to the intricacies of their own language. Talk of matching helping verbs and main verbs is not fodder for good water cooler conversation. This is where teaching instruction comes into play. The course certainly did not cover every aspect of the
english language, it didn't come close, but it did provide the basics that every
esl instructor should have.
Practically, the course has taught me the basics of the
tesol field. Some of the information presented served to confirm my suspicions about different aspects of teaching and were quite straightforward. Other bits and pieces were less conspicuous and served to stimulate my interest in wanting to learn more. Obviously, teaching conditions and situations are different.
france is drastically different from its former colony of
vietnam (where a few of the classroom tools mentioned in unit 17 might not be available). Potential
teachers will have to adapt and learn by themselves. Hence, much of the onus is on
teachers themselves. How each
teacher learns, prepares, and executes will determine how well he does on the job.
I plan to use what I have learned as a foundation for both teaching and more learning. The course taught me just how much more I need to learn. In addition, the course taught me how to maneuver in a teaching environment. These two go hand in hand. Knowledge increases teaching ability and teaching experience increases general knowledge. Hopefully, the cycle will start soon and continue for a long time to come.