Steve's Blog - 16th March 2010

Learning or Teaching? Or both?

Can I really become a teacher in 4 weeks?

If you are looking into doing a TESOL course, there is no doubt that you are planning on becoming a teacher somewhere in the world. Have you heard people say silly things like “People who can, do, and people who can't, teach”? Well, I don't believe that. As conscientious teachers, we are concerned to teach well. And by doing a TESOL course, that is what you will hopefully help yourself to do!

In this TESOL course, you will learn to plan a lesson (well), present grammar and vocabulary to your students (well), encourage them to use English through engaging and interesting tasks and help them to deal with difficulties they may be experiencing as they learn. But what about after you have finished the course? Do we stop learning once we start teaching?

When I was 18 I did my driving license test. I lived in a small town in South Africa, and the instructor knew my family, but in spite of that (or because of that, perhaps), I passed. The tester told me I was a 'cowboy' and would soon have an accident that would teach me a lesson. In his view, I had passed my test, but was only just starting to learn to drive. Lucky for me I haven't had that accident he promised me. It's similar in the classroom. When you finish your TESOL, your real learning will only just be beginning, and a lot of the things we cover on the course will start to make much more sense once you have experienced them for yourself.

One of the good things about the Chichester College TESOL course is that we have excursions to schools, and in these excursions you'll get to see both good and not-so-good classrooms. That's great – sometimes the best way to learn is to just get in there and see it happening! I believe very strongly that as teachers we can never stop learning. There isn't a point at which we can say “I know” when it comes to teaching, and so once you start your job as a teacher, you'll continue to learn and grow.

In the end, it is the changes in our students and their knowledge that really decide if our lesson is a success or a failure. A 'good' lesson is where the students learn, not where the teacher performs well, and for us as teachers, it is super rewarding when we see our students learning and enjoying using the language. And the 'bad' lessons? Well, I think those are the best places for teachers to grow, because the students are teaching us something.

Teaching is a lot of fun, but if you are feeling nervous, or having those “will I be good enough” thoughts, then remember that all of us have 'bad' lessons, and you will too. But that's ok – those are the lessons where students teach us. The 'good' teachers are the ones who never stop learning!

5th May 2010

Things I have to have in my lesson

10th February 2010

What accent should a teacher have?

7th January 2010

How difficult is it really?

14th November 2009

Teaching English - in English!

16th October 2009

That ominous and inevitable question we all have to face