TEFL Donnellson Iowa

This is my third year teaching in Korea. My first two years were in a private kindergarten and this year I am teaching in a private elementary school. I started teaching here with no experience or training. My boss's orientation consisted of watching other teachers for a class or two. I winged a lot that first week of teaching!! I had no previous tefl experience and was frequently worried that I wasn't doing a good job. Overtime I learned how to consult other teachers, websites and ask the students themselves about their course. This tefl course has been the best thing I have done since I started teaching. It has given me guidelines that make sense, has taught me many new things and has equipped me with the tools I need to be a better teacher. I realized as I was studying the different units some mistakes I had made in the past and some things that I got right. I feel empowered by this course. I know it has already made me a better teacher. Some units in particular struck home with me were unit five, Classroom Management, unit seven, Teaching new language- vocabulary, grammar and functions, and unit 14, Course books and lesson materials. For me, those were the units that really changed how I teach. Unit five taught me there is more to teaching than standing up at the top of the class speaking to the students. Now I mix it up, move around, let the students have more control etc. Unit seven taught me not just about vocabulary but in general how to introduce topics to the students and how to prepare them in a logical way for new topics. It helped make me more organized in that sense. Unit 14 made me realize I was placing too much emphasis on following the course book. Since then I have made more worksheets, found some on sites such as bogglesworld and Dave's Café. I have also gotten more creative in class and used the internet and video clips more. This course has taught me how to make lesson plans. I never knew that each class could have stages such as engage, study activate. My school always encouraged just the study phase. I've started incorporating games and review stages also. It breaks up the class and the students really love the break. I am grateful for this course and have told my friends when they ask how I am getting on that it is the best thing I have done in a while. It has opened my eyes to how teaching should be. I also love that I have learned more about the english language itself. My grammar has always been a weak spot. Learning about the different tenses was really challenging for me but so rewarding at the same time. Overall, I feel this course has not only taught me, it has changed me as a teacher. Thank you.