Jul 27

Teachers Should Always Be Learning- Here's Why!

my opinion

Why teachers should be learners

There's a LOT you can learn about your practice as a teacher... by being a learner. Here are THREE reasons I think you should keep putting yourself in that position.
If you'd like to learn how to make video like I do, and make MONEY from it, my Video Creation for Educators programme might be exactly what you're looking for!

Video transcript


Why is making pottery a useful teacher training lesson? Interested in finding out? Keep watching.

If this is the first time we’re meeting, I’m Jo Gakonga, I’m a teacher educator and I’ve been a CELTA trainer and assessor for over 20 years. I’ve also got a website at ELT-Training.com where I make video based support material for English language teachers at all stages of their careers. Check it out and if you like this, give it a thumbs up and subscribe, I make a new video every week.

In my very humble opinion, teachers should always be LEARNING something and preferably something that’s tricky for them. This was reinforced for me this week because I started learning to make pottery on a wheel – it’s MUCH harder than it looks- and it got me thinking. I think there are THREE good reasons to be a learner when you’re a teacher- so here they are…

Number 1- If you have got to a level of teaching a subject, you’re definitely skilled in that subject and you love it. It was probably something you had an innate talent for and something you found relatively easy to learn and you were motivated by your success to get better….

So it might not always be that easy to empathise with the learners you have who perhaps DON’T find the subject so easy. Learning something new helps with that!

Number 2- We don’t often see other teachers in action, especially not from the perspective of a learner and putting yourself back in that position really allows you to see and appreciate good teaching AND not so great teaching… BOTH of those things can be very enlightening and help you to reflect on your own practice.

And last but definitely not least…

Number 3- just because learning something is FUN and it keeps you interested in life!

So here are my first efforts at pottery. What new thing are YOU going to learn? If you think it might be making video, I run a great programme! Just saying!!


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