Important things I have learned from my students & about ESOL
students.
Taking a trip
to memory lane, I would say that I have learnt so many things from ESOL
students here in Centro Espiral Maná, Costa Rica. Each day was something new
and sometimes unexpected. After a few lessons, I would say I learnt to keep in
mind as much as possible the steps on the ECRIF framework. One thing I will
always remember to use for my future students is: “Connect before you direct”. Knowing how to connect with your
learners is very important. Only that
way will we know and understand how to approach them in order for them to
produce the language in a more comfortable environment.
Sometimes we
tend to forget to assess or CCQ our students before a task and
expect them to do it correctly. I have learnt to always do that with my learners
in class. Afterwards, I make sure to have my students think, pair and then
share (T.P.S) their opinions regarding the topic in class. I consider
that T.P.S is essential in class due to the option on interaction students
have. Giving learners as many opportunities as possible to describe, talk about
something they have thought about will motivate them to speak more, increase
their self- confidence.
Something I
noticed about myself was how aware I am in terms of students’ learning styles.
Knowing if my activities will be for my Visual,
Auditory, Kinesthetic or Tactile learners (VAKT) is really effective to acknowledge in advance.
Learning how
to create a DAPA based on my
students was not at all easy, however, it was very useful for its specific
information on what happened , why it might have happened and plans of action I
can use to avoid future incidents. I am very confident using the PDP framework in my class because using
my learners background knowledge, I can deduce on how to perform each stage of
my PDP lesson plan effectively. One thing I would say I need to improve during
my classes is my CCQ. As I mentioned before, I tend to forget to assess my student
before performing the classroom activity.
That is why I need to practice as much as possible CCQ to create it as
habit in my teaching.
When I got
the phone call to inform me that I was accepted to be part of this absolutely amazing
SIT TESOL Certificate Course, I was so happy, since it has been a dream come
true!!! That was part one, part two was when Amanda explained to me how
demanding the course is and all I had to do to fulfill in order to reach my
objectives. I said yes to all, as long as I had the opportunity of reinventing
myself as an ESOL teacher. I have been teaching for 10 years now and I have
realized how important it is to unwind what one knows, in other words, it was
my time to unlearn in order for me to relearn. I have also been humble enough
to accept my puzzles and challenges to overcome. This has helped me very much
during this course. Originally I wanted to obtain this international certificate
so I can have the honor of teaching anywhere in the world. However, after this
incredible experience here ate Centro Espiral Maná, I have actually considered
becoming a certified teacher trainer within 2- 5 years. I have observed how
everything is taught here and how they make us reflect and apply it immediately
in our class. I consider I have reached at least 90% of my goals during this
course. At the same time, this reminds me that I still need to practice more
CCQ due to the fact that in occasions I tend to forget them and my beloved
students might not get the idea on what it is that they have to do in the
tasks.
The question
I have for myself is:
When and how am I going to share this
knowledge with in El Salvador?
As well as what
kind of projects can I create to make a shift in the education in my country
throughout this course.
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