Teach English in WuchuAnjinsAnjiao KAifAqu - Huhehaote Shi — Hohhot

“We are not beginners forever, but we never stop learning” (Scofield, 2007, p.8). In the previous sentence, Sara Scofield accurately represents how I feel after having completed this course. In spite of being a teacher with seven years of experience, there are many details I learned in this course that have helped me become a better English teacher. Many of us have already obtained one or several college degrees, and we are now building our career. It’s true that we learn from our students and job experiences every day, but there are some details that we only learn by taking courses such as the TELF/TESOL courses. Sometimes regular teaching courses give us too general information about aspects such as classroom management and lesson planning. In addition, we are usually told that the most effective method is not one specific method, but a combination of the most important principles of each existing method. For that reason, the most relevant aspects that I have learned in this course deal with classroom management, lesson planning, and the ESA (engage-study-activate) method. The information and recommendations given in this course provided me with more confidence in my everyday teaching practice, and below I will explain how each one helped me become a better and more prepared English teacher. Our ability to manage our class effectively affects the overall development of the lesson because good classroom management depends on aspects such as rapport, verbal and non-verbal communication, and our students’ attitudes towards the lesson and the teacher. From the seating arrangements, gestures and eye contact to the teacher’s attitude towards the topics, even the smallest element can affect the way we manage our class; those are the variables that teachers have to take into account when planning and carrying out their lessons. One of the most important aspects is that I learned to promote after taking this course is the importance of building rapport. To do this, the teachers’ attitude towards the class will determine our students’ interest and willingness to participate, and this depends almost entirely on the teacher. Another essential detail that I learned is that there should be a balance between teacher talking time and student talking time. Sometimes we tend to speak more than we should because we have our student’s attention, as we are a figure of authority. Moreover, I would like to address some mistakes that I used to make before taking this course. Regarding giving instructions, I used to explain them several times, and sometimes not all of the students understood what to do, while I now as well demonstrate the activity rather than just explain and provide handouts. Likewise, I now use my student’s name at the end of the question (not before asking the question), and when a student has provided an answer, I do not restate the answers that my students have just said. Finally, I try not to be predictable when checking exercises and avoid calling students by row or in a certain order to give more dynamism to my class. Now that I have discussed the way I have improved my classroom management skills, I’ll describe the way I plan lessons and apply the ESA method. Planning lessons and using the ESA method provide teachers with enough flexibility to be ready for all variables and issues we might encounter during the lesson. What I liked most about the ESA method was the flexibility of its different stages. Being able to go back and forth (as in the Boomerang or Arrow lesson types) generates more interest in the students. In regular teaching courses, instructors usually tell us that we need to integrate a variety of principles from each method into our lesson, but the ESA method gives us the opportunity to carry out a more personalized lesson according to our own teaching style, the course contents, the type of activities, and type of learners we have. The activities always focus on the learner and engage them in the lesson, so they become interested, practice and get ready to produce the language, taking into account that there should always be a balance between the theory and production stages. In regards to lesson plans, what I found most valuable from the course was the fact that we can incorporate a section in our lesson plan that will give us the opportunity to gather feedback from the students after carrying out the activities in our plan. The best way to improve our teaching practice is by receiving feedback from our own audience. Additionally, having a section for self-assessment and predicting possible outcomes and issues is vital in order to always have a plan B and not to waste too much time on minor issues. In conclusion, my takeaway from this course is that we should pay attention to those little details that make our lessons flow smoothly. The topics that I found most useful are classroom management, the ESA method and self-assessment and feedback from our students after carrying out the activities in our lesson plan. For someone who has been a teacher for seven years, I still need a lot more work experience and professional development, but after taking this course I can say that I increased my knowledge of details that we don’t tend to pay much attention to. Therefore, even though I’m not a beginner nor a brand-new teacher, I’ll never stop learning to improve the way I teach, and I’m committed to applying what I learned in this course to become a better English teacher every day. References Scofield, S. (2007). The scene book: A primer for the fiction writer. New York: Penguin Books.