People come to our teacher training courses for all sorts of reasons: a course during a gap year, a further qualification to add to their professional belt or as a way of earning extra income in semi-retirement. Whatever your reason, here are some things which we think help make a great teacher…
A love of learning
One of the great things about teaching is that you’re always learning new things. Whether it’s the intricacies of when to use the present perfect rather than the past simple, or exactly what sound you make when you say ‘tourist’, there’s always something new to learn. Also, ELT coursebooks are filled with weird and wonderful stories from around the globe.
Problem-solving
Things won’t always go to plan – both during the course and when you’re in your own classroom. Having the skills to deal with problems when they arise will make you a great teacher. It could be dealing with an odd number of students when you’ve planned the perfect pairwork activity or suddenly facing an afternoon of paper-free lessons when the photocopier breaks. And the best thing to do after any situation puts you on your toes is reflect: how did you deal with the issue? Could you have foreseen the issue and planned contingencies? What would you do differently next time?
Rapport
One of the great things about taking an accredited teacher training qualification is that you get to see different teachers in action. During the course, you’ll observe at least two tutors, as well as your colleagues in the Teaching Practice group. You’ll see that there’s not one type of teacher and you don’t have to be an energetic extrovert to be a great teacher. However, building rapport with your students is an important way of engaging them in your lessons and making them feel valued as individuals, so use their names, ask questions and help them get to know you a little better too.
During your CertTESOL course, we’ll give you the skills you need in the classroom to develop your own teaching style. If you’re still not sure if ELT is for you, drop us a line on our contact form and we can schedule a chat.
