Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified in North Carolina? Are you interested in teaching English in Varnamtown, North Carolina? Check out our opportunities in Varnamtown, Become certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language and start teaching English in your community or abroad! Teflonline.net offers a wide variety of Online TESOL Courses and a great number of opportunities for English Teachers and for Teachers of English as a Second Language. Here Below you can check out the feedback (for one of our units) of one of the 16.000 students that last year took an online course with ITTT!
As an already established English Professor, I have often taken the time to think about what it means to be a good teacher and what attributes I should have that facilitate the best learning environment. This module made me think about what it also means to be a good student, which I admit I had not considered before. By taking the time to recognize both what it means to be a "good student," and in reflecting on some of the reasons why a particular student might pursue mastery of the English language, it has made me realize that I can do better by taking these things into account. In particular, I was struck by the idea of "motivation" and how that can either elevate the learning environment, or completely collapse it, depending on how it is managed.
I mostly teach adult learners so I recognize the difference in adults' levels of motivation and attention span versus that of children or teenagers, but it had not occurred to be that while adults might be more motivated to be in a classroom, they also might be more concerned about their potential to fail or embarrass themselves. The idea of failing or embarrassment are their own form of negative motivation -- or demotivation.
Adults learners are different than teenagers who might not fear failing as much (as their motivation might not have been as high to begin with) however they might also have that same fear of embarrassment. Lastly, children might be eager to participate (which is its own form of motivation), but might completely lack the general fear or need to "save face" in front of their peers. In short, what works for one environment simply might not work for another.
Each of these differences have to be considered when executing a lesson to ensure my students get the most out of the content. I have always considered myself fairly adept at judging when my students "get" the coursework and when they are just not understanding it, but this unit has given me more to think about when it comes to the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in place than can serve as either a barrier or boon to learning.
I realize now that knowing what has motivated the individual to be there in the first place and making sure the lessons and interactions reinforce those positive motivations are a great way to ensure success in the classroom.
