Transcript
So you've finished your CELTA course. You've got the basics under your belt. But it isn't over yet. Learning to teach is a lifelong job, I'm still learning after 30 years, and continuing to develop your practice will keep you interested, as well as obviously benefiting your learners. I'm Jo Gakonga, from ELT-training.com and here are a few ideas to start you off down your development journey. If you like them, then check out my site. And don't forget to like this video and to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Number one, learn from the internet. When I started teaching, it was much more difficult to get information. But now of course, things are very, very different. And there is so much wonderful material available online. Most of its for free. Here are some examples for you.
You could read blogs.
You could go to webinars.
You could follow teachers on YouTube.
You could use my site - no bias there then.
You could read research. A lot of this is behind paywalls. But not all of it by a longshot.
You could join groups, social media groups, Facebook groups, follow people on Twitter, Instagram. If you want some useful links to start you off with some ideas for this, then try my free resource, Ideas and Resources for Busy Teachers. There are lots of useful links there.
Number two, learn from your colleagues. Your colleagues are a great source of professional development, you're going to see them every day hopefully. Ask if you can observe their classes, especially if they're teaching a class that you don't have any experience of. This is super easy online, it doesn't have to be face to face either. Usually, in my experience, English teachers are a helpful group of people, and they're willing to share their expertise. If there's one locally, then join a Teachers Association, they'll often run workshops and they're also often a friendly group of people to learn from.
Number three, learn from your own classroom. Action research might sound a bit formal and a bit off-putting, but it doesn't have to be like this. The cycle of planning and action and reflection, and then re-planning for the next action, is a great way of focusing on a particular area of your practice that you want to improve, or just change. I always like Don Fanselow's thought which is to just do something different. Small changes, doesn't matter what it is. If it works, then great. If it doesn't, then you've learned something. Just keep trying different things and reflecting on the results. And you will learn and progress and develop.
Number four is learn from your work. For me, this is a really big one. Get as much experience as you can. Apply for different jobs, teach different levels, different ages, different nationalities, different contexts. Try writing materials, offer to give talks, this is definitely the best way to find out what you're good at and what you like and also what you don't like. And you might be quite surprised by what you do enjoy. For what it's worth, in life as well as in ELT, my advice would be just say yes, even if it's out of your comfort zone. If somebody has offered you a particular job or a particular class, and they obviously think you could do it, and you probably can, and you can always change if you don't like what you're doing. You never know what things will lead to. So I would say, be brave, try something new, and have fun.
I hope that your English teaching career brings you as much joy as mine brings me and has done for a long time. Thanks very much for watching. Bye bye
