To be honest, I have taken the online version of the TEFL/TESOL course and also the offline version of the TESOL course. There are many differences between having a physical teacher conducting actual lessons in class, rather than just doing it online.
Since I have actually done both, I can give my fair share of experience from learning the basics of English teaching with the TEFL/TESOL course. First of all, English is a universal language and we ought to know that it is the language that could give us the gateway to many opportunities in the world. It will give us a different worldview, help us experience life in a different way, and make us a better person.
Not only that, the online TEFL/TESOL course especially from ITTT is very comprehensive and detailed. It covers all the basics including grammar, vocabulary, classroom management, and conversational English. There are much deeper areas to focus on as well, as children look up to TEFL/TESOL lecturers mostly in speech, attitude. TEFL/TESOL teachers will impact the personal growth of the children and form a solid foundation in their lives be it from a teaching perspective or a life growth.
I have also been a teacher in Brazil and China previously, two places with very contrasting cultures. In Brazil, they live life on the brink of poverty, yet with such a cheerful and appreciation of life in front of them. It is indeed a value that most of us can take heart when facing our perceived hardship in life. The fact is there’s someone out there hustling every single day all in the name of survival. With my TEFL/TESOL course, I think I would be better prepared to tackle the issues that non-native speakers face in learning a language.
Being an English teacher in China is a different experience for me. It gave me a different outlook on some things, as the goal of learning English for some of these children or young adults is to achieve high scores or distinctions in school. The level of competition in China is really high, with parents sending their children to learn a new language from as young as two years old. When we do the drilling of a new language for children at such a young age, it opens up parts of the brain that has not been explored before.
In most cases, Teaching English to children is a very rewarding experience and very different from teaching a young adult. For kids, it is important to learn in a fun and interactive way, through teaching tools, flashcards, or even dancing videos. Most of the time, we can see that young learners are willing to participate and not afraid of making mistakes, they are never shy about pronouncing new words or look silly when something goes wrong.
The value of the TEFL/TESOL course is the fact that it gives the teacher an idea to do lesson planning, class interaction skills, and how to handle unruly students. These are English teaching techniques that we can use to help to make the class-flow better, also making sure that the materials and class delivery sticks to the core and essence of TEFL and TESOL.
At the end of the day, the goal is the reach out to anyone willing to learn the English language and improve their language skills with it. With TEFL and TESOL, this gives us a head start and also a chance to learn how to be a better tutor and learner. We were once learners and students of the English language as well, you shall live in the shoes of your students and understand the essence and core value of being a teacher yourself, this will only happen when you start teaching! Never take the role of being a TEFL/TESOL teacher lightly, we never know when what we do today will affect someone’s life tomorrow.
