Going back and recalling about the type of teaching that was used in the academy I worked in, English for Specific Purposes (ESP) was one of the great absence in it.
Let me first tell you about how teaching was developed in that academy. There were some good points but other things could have improved, in my opinion. The good thing about teaching there was the amount of students they had. I had the opportunity of teaching a wide variety of students, from 3 years-old to 80 years-old.
There was a level tree, which was great for both teachers and students to follow and know where the students were at. Every level had its own progamme that had everything in it, objectives, teaching purposes, resources, methodology... Everyhting! I just needed to read the day I was at, gather the material and teach! The good thing was that I had eveything ready to be taught, the bad thing was that I couldn't develop my own strategies or change any issue that I thought could be improved by doing it any other how.
And talking about types of teaching, I remembered I had a one-to-one student that needed English for job purposes. Well, I was told she needed to improve her speaking and listening skills, and she did. But she needed to develop those skills in a much more attractive atmosphere, I mean, what we were following was a programme that was addressed to teenagers not to adults. And so, I found myself searching for new and catchy topics for her to talk and discuss about.
Since then, I have realized how important it is to think of every little detail when teaching and how different it is WHO we teach and WHAT, WHEN, WHY and HOW we teach it. Experience makes a difference, but for those who are unexperienced, don't panic! You guys will have this master done, I didn't when I was teaching then!
Cheers!
Andrea
Andrea, you are a well of widom!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sabela, you know you are one as well! ;-)
DeleteAndrea, I wish I had the experience you have! However, teaching in a high school could be quite different from teaching in an academy just because of the amount of students. That's what I'm most afraid of because being able to keep an eye on each of the students seems imposible to me! I find your post very interesting and I hope I'll be able to get your teaching confidence in a future ;) (by the way, I really enjoyed reading your post in English, keep doing it!)
ReplyDeleteAlejandra, thanks a lot for your comment! Most of the times we have all of the purposes in mind, but once you enter a class... it is impossible to keep track of every single detail.
DeleteOf course, teaching in a highschool is something else! But that's why we are preparing ourselves for the 'war'! Sure, we won't be able to keep all of them under our control, but we will do our best, won't we?
And let me tell you, that I might seem confident, sometimes I am, sometimes I am not, be prepared for making mistakes. I have made lots, and I still will, and from those you learn a lot.
Cheers!
I find this post really interesting. You're right, we have to pay attention to every detail. We work with people, all of them different, with their interests and peculiarities. I just hope I can gain exprience fast!
ReplyDeleteCristina, thanks for your comment! As I said to Alejandra, once you enter the classroom, it is very difficult to have control of everything. That is why it is so important to plan in advance and always have a plan B. At the academy, I was the one who had the B plan!
DeleteCheers!
Completely agree. Actually I try to invest some time in getting to know my students, so I would bring material into class that I know they find interesting, useful for them and so on. In terms of high school, I also defend that contents should be more engaged with the rest of the subjects. Haven't you ever had that feeling? that thing that you are studying in English class that seems so detached from everything? Or that you have to talk about situations that don't relate with you at all.... I still remember that text about the Queen's bureaucratic life.
ReplyDeleteAdriana, thank you for your comment! I am concerned how well you prepare your classes for your students, they are lucky you are their teacher!
DeleteAnd about the contents in class, I did have that feeling too, but I want to think that things have changed for the better!
Cheers!
Great post, Andrea! I also think things have changed for the better, and the best is yet to come (fingers crossed!). Topics and activities need to relate to the students´ realities, of course and the more memorable learning situations are, the more interested they´ll be in continuing to learn the language. :))
ReplyDelete