October 28

What have I learnt about teaching?

You have been a teacher of English as a Foreign or Second Language for at least two years now.  What are some of the most important things you have learned about teaching?  What advice would you give to a colleague who had just completed his/her Certificate and was beginning to teach?

One thing I have developed since becoming a teacher is a bank of five-minute activities and games to use in class.  I think it’s great for new teachers to build up their own collection of games early on in their careers as there are always moments when you need a quick activity – either because you don’t have enough time to do something you had planned, or just an activity to review something done that lesson.  I started my blog as a way of storing the ideas I had picked up over the years and refer back to it when I feel like I’m stuck doing the same activity.

I’ve also learnt the value of conferences and would encourage new teachers to attend events whenever possible.  Throughout the year we all need a bit of a boost and workshops and conferences are an excellent way of picking up new ideas, but also reaffirming that wnat we’re already doing is useful and valid.

It’s also important to share your experiences with others as we often have similar problems with classes (dynamics, use of L1, behaviour).  A new teacher may worry that it’s only happening to them, but as you talk to colleagues you find that there are similar issues in most classes and I’ve found that although you may not be able to solve a problem, by talking it through with a colleague you can find different ways of dealing with it.

– Trinity DipTESOL Supervised Written Task, 2012

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Posted October 28, 2015 by Teresa Bestwick in category My thoughts

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