Why Taking a TEFL training Course is Important
Have you ever considered living and experiencing a different culture? If the answer is yes, teaching is a good way to achieve your goal. Teaching can be hard and challenging but also very rewarding to watch your students improve. This is why taking a TEFL course is important for several reasons including the following: methods for teaching younger students, methods for teaching students who require different approaches to learning, and methods for keeping students under control in the classroom during an English lesson.
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Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Taylor E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT.
Personal Needs
First, I learned that teaching 5th graders English in Hainan, China can be a hard task if you are not sure how to go about teaching. I did not have any prior teaching experience, was not completely prepared, and did not know what to expect. After being given a crash course by several experienced English teachers for one day, I prepared myself for the opportunity of helping my students. I learned that during the summer workshop, there was more to teaching that I was missing. My inexperience, along with limited training, helped me during some of the tough situations but did not prepare me for every situation.
Also Read: The Most Common Learning Techniques As Observed By An ESL Teacher
Working With Younger Students
The younger students needed repetition to help them learn words that they were unfamiliar with. Taking a TEFL course is important because the course gives me techniques to better understand the needs of my students by covering areas that are important for them to learn. Second, I learned that students learn differently through different methods of learning. For example, a student who is at the top of his or her class and understands English at a faster speed is easier to teach.
Student's Learning Experience
Additionally, if a student is learning English for the first time, they might not grasp the language the same way that the top student would. However, every student is different and should be treated as individuals who may learn at different speeds. When I taught in China for a summer, I learned first-hand what this meant. Some of the students would raise their hands quickly to answer questions while others would either be too shy to answer or were confused by the question. To aid in helping the students understand through other methods, games, and fill in the blank exercises were used to help the students learn.
Also Read: 4 Reasons Why You Should Complete a TEFL Course
Games in the Classroom
These games were used by more experienced teachers who knew that the cup game was a favorite game to play. The cup game was played using a tower of cups stacked in a pyramid. When the student guessed the right answer, he or she would throw a ball to knock over the tower. After finishing my first day, I learned that maybe there are different methods and techniques for helping my students that I could not come up with by myself. Taking a TEFL training course showed me many methods that would have been helpful for me to learn as I taught my students. These included showing me how to help weaker students with games and activities to keep each student interested in learning the material. Each student wanted to learn, but it was important for me to sharpen my skills as a teacher by taking a TEFL course.
Also Read: What's it Like Teaching EFL in a Kindergarten in Vietnam?
Classroom Management
Lastly, when I was teaching English, keeping order in the classroom was important. Sometimes the students would get out of control and would be hard to teach during class. After trying to calm down the students, I tried to rely on my limited training and lack of materials to help the situation, but to no avail. The students were screaming and running everywhere playing tag. Eventually, the game helped direct them by burning off their excess energy a little. It was a fun learning experience for me because the game of tag helped them settle down. After playing tag, the students were ready to resume their English lessons. The chaos could have been reduced if I had taken a TEFL training course. Taking the course would have given me the knowledge of how to adequately keep order in the classroom.
Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course!
In conclusion, is it important to take a TEFL course for teaching overseas? The answer is yes because having a teaching training course aids in providing more ways to better teach and train your students effectively. Additionally, it provides a background for teachers who want to be better improved at what they do.
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