Do you want to be TEFL or TESOL-certified in Wisconsin? Are you interested in teaching English in Long Lake, Wisconsin? Check out our opportunities in Long Lake, 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!
This unit opened with the several different "methodologies" when it comes to effective teaching. Terms such as the following were defined:
1. Grammer- translation (a method that gives direct translation from L2 to L1)
2. Audio- lingialism (learning through repetitive audio)
3. PPP (Presentation, Practice, and Production)
4. Task-based Learning (when students are instructed in English of a task to complete)
and 5. Communicative Language Learning (CLL- when students decide what topic to discuss as the teacher monitors from nearby)
These are only a few of the many other different approaches to teaching English, each with its own set of pros and cons. I feel the key is to avoid getting locked onto just one method, but to be flexible enough to know when to use the right technique for your particular classroom.
Todays unit spent the remainder of its lesson talking in depth about the "Engage, Study and Activate" (ESA) method, which has proven to be incredibly effective over the course of time, especially when applied by newer teachers.
Engage- this phase of the class time is all about "breaking the ice" through fun activities aimed to drawing-out students. It's a time to activate and prepare the mind for the day's lesson in a fun, and even strategical way.
Study- the study time consists of activities that pay closer attention to rules and correct usages, such as pronunciation and spelling, introducing new concepts, going through worksheets, and finally leaving some time for student's feedback, questions, and concerns.
Activate- the part of the lesson that puts what was just learned into real-life situations through role-play, more group discussions, communicative games, sharing stories, writing stories, and (for the more advanced learners) a friendly debate on any topic. Worksheets and feedback may be given at the end of this phase as well.
This unit has helped solidify the importance of "student-centered time" vs the notorious "teacher talk time," and knowing the proper amounts of either during any class period. This unit gave clear guidance of how to approach and properly create your own lesson plan that is catered towards your particular students. However, even with all of this gentle direction, maintaining a certain level of flexibility for those moments you were not quite ready for is also something to be expected. Learning how to "role with the punches" and adjust in a care-free and natural way, not becoming too bound to any exact set of rules should also be implemented.
The bottom line: Have fun with it! The students will be excited if they see it in their teacher. By putting time and thought into each day's activity and lesson, coupling that with some clear guidance and organization, they may really learn something- and enjoy doing it!
