Our July 2024 TEFL course just graduated, and before they departed for the last time, we asked them what advice they would give to the new course attendees.
Here’s some of what they said:
- Get ready to meet fabulous people.
- Don’t panic when something doesn’t go as planned in the lesson. Just regroup yourself and carry on as best you can.
- Listen to the trainers when they tell you to make some changes. They usually know more than you and learned from their mistakes and want you to do good.
- Prioritize self-care, as the course is intensive.
- Be open-minded and willing to try new approaches.
- Learn from both your successes and failures.
- Embrace the experience with an open mind and a blank slate for new and interesting possibilities.
- Engage All Students: Ensure that every student is actively involved in the lessons. Use a variety of activities and methods to keep the classes engaging and inclusive.
- Be Patient and Enthusiastic: Patience is key in teaching, especially when students struggle with new concepts.
- Focus on Lesson Planning: Invest time in learning how to write detailed and flexible lesson plans.
- Be patient, put in the work, and trust the process.
- Embrace Feedback: Use it to refine your teaching practice continuously and do not take it personally or get offended (trainers are just trying to help).
- Stay Organized: Effective lesson planning and time management are crucial. Prepare thoroughly but remain flexible to adapt as needed.
- Build Rapport: Establishing a good relationship with your students creates a conducive learning environment.
- Be approachable, patient, and empathetic.
- Be Flexible: Teaching often requires you to think on your feet and adapt your plans to meet the needs of your students. Sometimes on the spot you will have to adjust your lesson plan or delivery method.
- This is not your podcast or your ted talk !! Engage your students. Focus on askingquestions and encouraging discussion rather than just delivering information.
- Create a Supportive Environment: Make sure your classroom is a place where students feel safe to try, fail, and try again. This kind of environment is key to learning.
- Not to give up when it gets difficult.
- Write yourself notes on your lesson plan clearly so you have something to quickly glance at during your lesson.
- When possible have others look over the materials you create & do the activities yourself. Make sure nothing is overly difficult and there are no mistakes.
- Be calm in the classroom.
- Pay attention to what you do so that you can improve.
- Try to put things in the lesson that you think are interesting, as this will make it more enjoyable for everyone.
- Take the time to really listen to the feedback from yourobserver. Use it as a chance to learn and improve, rather than viewing it as an opportunity to argue or defend yourself. Embrace the feedback positively, even when it’s negative. The trainers are just trying tohelp you.
- Stick it out, even when it’s tough. By the end we’re all pretty exhausted and overwhelmed but it will be worth it! You’ll walk out with a TEFL certificate and so much confidence and knowledge that you’ll take into your own classroom.”
In just 4 weeks you can be teaching English abroad. TEFL Worldwide was awarded as the Top TEFL Certification Course of 2018 and 2019! Courses offered monthly.
