I am happy to report that I have recently received a TEFL (Teaching English as Foreign Language) certification. I completed online coursework at i-to-i related to areas such as how to teach grammar, speaking, writing,…..the list goes on. The course material taught me many new and interesting teaching techniques, opened my eyes to some issues related to teaching, and has made me an overall more focused and thoughtful teacher with a bigger toolbox (of teaching materials/methods).
Although the online course provided no classroom experience, I was lucky enough to have had previous experience teaching English and continuing students for the duration of the course. I actually tried different techniques with my students as I learned them. Those students who have been with me for the past few months probably noticed at least minor changes in the way I’ve been conducting lessons. To those students, thank you for your patience and sorry you were used as guinea pigs, but you can rest assured that I and my lessons have become better at teaching English for it.
For people teaching English, I highly recommend any type of TEFL training to those of you who lack it. You probably think you teach well and give your students good value–I did. To put it nicely, I didn’t realize how much better I could become until I learned some basic techniques and philosophies. To put it plainly, I though I was pretty good at teaching, but in reality I was not. The first time I saw a video of an example lesson in the online course I realized how unfocused and sloppy my lessons were. After doing the coursework, I feel that I have gained the tools necessary to shore up my weak areas and push forward to new highs.
For students learning English, as you can tell from my comments above, TEFL training makes a big difference in your teacher’s ability to give good lessons. I will say the following…..If all you want out of your lesson is a conversation, then any English speaker is good enough. You can probably befriend a native speaker and get free conversations. But, if you want more than just a conversation–if you really want to learn some new English and not just use the same old words and grammar you already know, if you want well prepared and thoughtful lessons–then you should consider finding a teacher with some TEFL training and experience teaching.
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IHCWAY クチコミで評判のマンツーマン英会話
