In class this week we listened to a presentation by Chris and Veronika and then we had a group exercise with the different methods of teaching.
I thought the presentation went really well and it was interesting to compare the advantages and disadvantages to having a native and non-native teacher of the targeted language in the classroom. I think each have their advantages. I think a non-native speaker of English can bring things into a classroom that native speakers cannot and vice versa.
The activity with the methods of teaching was very helpful. I realized which methods I knew by heart and other methods that had slipped my mind since I had read last. I realized that I kept confusing the Natural Approach and the Silent Way. Silent Way gets its name because the teacher assists the students but is not the main source of information. Students under the Silent Way method relied on each other for support in help. The Natural Approach was a learning process by which the student could speak the target language only when that language were to emerge.
Learning such important information will some day make it to my classroom. In other words, what I am learning right now is in direct correlation with what I will be teaching in the future. Right now, as a student I can experience and read about different methods that I think suit what kind of teacher I want to be in the future. I realize now that it is important to take mental notes of how my professors are teaching.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Excellent point right at the end of your entry! As a teacher educator, I try my best to demonstrate best practices with teaching methodology.
First, i also like the part of the presentation in which Chris and Veronika compared advantages and disadvatages that native and non-native teachers have when teaching a foreign language. I totally agree with you that each type of teacher has his/her own powers which will benefit the students in various ways.
Second, I really love the phrase "mental notes" that you used. Since i decided to set my heart on the career of teaching, i have also paid much more attention to the way i am taught by my teachers, because i think we student teachers are largely influenced by our teachers in the way we teach in the future whether we accept it or not.
I like your point about paying attention to how your own teachers are teaching. If you feel that someone is good at engaging his or her class, and is an effective instructor, then that person's methods might work for you too. Go ahead and try them out. On the flip side, you can learn just as much from ineffective instructors- like how not to present material! I know I've been thinking back to teachers I had through the years. When comparing them to what we're now learning, I'm realizing what made them good instructors and how they interacted with their students.
I strongly agree with you in the sense of we are learning something new each day and this will continue until we enter to class. We will have to handle the situation by using the things we have learned and I am sure one of them will fit our class properly if not as talented tailors we can use our scissors and even we can make our own techniques!
I think you are right. usually teachers use the those methods in which they were taught when they were students. they apply most of the approaches they learned from their own teachers.This is true especially with the teachers who do not have access to teaching methodology trainings and their majors are other than Education department.
Post a Comment