TEFL Dover North Carolina

I've been meaning to take this course for so long and I'm glad that I finally did it. Taking this course was definitely a good idea. I gained so many good things from it. This course helped me remember the importance of time management, not only in the classroom but also in my personal life. All of a sudden I had to fit assignments into my jam packed schedule. It made me realize that the more you do the more you are able to do and that nothing is impossible. I enjoyed this course because it is so relevant to my own life and career. It got me thinking and encouraged me to try new methods in my classroom. It also served as a motivator to be a better teacher and to try my best to give my students the learning experience that they deserve. One of the most valuable things that I gained from this course is the knowledge and the ability to recognize different levels of english and that I am now able to place students in suitable level groups. I am now also aware of the skills every level should be able of mastering in the process of learning english as a second language. However, it is still a challenge for me to accommodate various levels of english in one classroom. I am most definitely going to use all this information in the future. In fact I've already started using it. Being able to distinguish between the different levels of english that my students are on will help me to plan suitable lessons that will guarantee that all the needs of the students are met. The english grammar units were great to refresh my memory and to review. These units will come in handy to help answer questions my students/peers have as well as to plan better lessons for my students. It also enables me to answer questions that I couldn't before as well as give labels to different types of grammar. The knowledge I've gained from these units will help me to plan and prepare more fun and interesting grammar lessons and exercises for my students. This course has taught me so much about planning lessons. It made me realize that failing to plan is truly planning to fail. I use to just make a few notes before a lesson. After taking this course I realized that my lessons lacked structure and didn't always cover all the different stages of a lesson. After I familiarized myself with the different types of lessons like the ESA, ESA patchwork or boomerang lesson structures I was able to plan more structured lessons that gave students the opportunity to develop both their receptive and productive english language skills. I use to feel uncomfortable to just be present in the classroom and observe while students practiced the language they have learned through role plays, debates, interviews etc. This course taught me that when the lesson is in the active stage the teacher's role should be kept to the minimal. This is a time when the students should be given the opportunity to practice the language that was learned. The teacher shouldn't interfere with this. Although a teacher need to take note of problems that can be addressed in the next lesson. Seating arrangements are also an important aspect to consider when teaching. I've been experimenting with that the last couple of weeks. I found that changing the seats in the classroom every now and again add a bit of excitement to the classroom environment and keep the students on their toes. This especially works well with the younger students. Another reason for changing the seats is to accommodate pair and group work activities and to place students that work well together into groups. This course also provided me with handy resources to use in my own classroom. It motivated and inspired me to be the best teacher I can be and to try my very best every day. After watching the video about the two lessons in unit 10, I felt embarrassed for the teacher who was unprepared and disconnected from his students and an absolute bore. It made me realize what an important role a teacher plays in a student's life and how important it is to take the time to get to know your students and their culture better and to use that information and knowledge in a suitable manner to make sure that your students get the best learning experience you are able to offer them. In a nutshell this course was a positive experience for me. I gained new knowledge from it. It gave me things to think about. It made me experiment and try new methods in my classroom. It forced me to review grammar units. It motivated me and contributed to me being a better teacher. I now feel more confident as english teacher. My tutor gave me great feedback and support which was much appreciated. I'm pleased that I did this course at long last.