Who I am as a teacher

     I believe that a good teacher has to look for the students feel comfortable and fond of the English classes, especially when the students didn’t know the dynamic because the sessions were online.

     I sincerely consider that rules are so important for the sessions goals achievement due to the students can figure out that virtual session can be lack of activities or formality.

     I also like to make the students feel motivated because if they are so, they are involved in the topics, they can come to the session in a good mood, with disposition and enthusiasm to participate and learn.

     It is important for me to know the students’ different rhythms and styles to learn, so I can focus on each one in a specific way.

     

     I learnt that teaching speaking skills requires so much patient by the tutor’s part and a lot of discipline by the students’ part because they have to prepare the material about the different topics and speak during the sessions in a correct way using intonation, accent, vocabulary and grammar properly.

     

Without a doubt, teaching in online environments was a challenge for me because I´d never taught in this way, I mean, the use of internet was the resource by which all the participants, maximum 6 per group gathered in a meeting at a specific time in order to develop the sessions. So, I had to prepare myself the classes, so the students felt they were worth it, they didn’t get bored and all the topics were useful for them; besides, I had to be sure about my performance as a student teacher because the idea was to guide them, so I had to be able to clarify any doubt by the students’ part or correct them.  I felt this activity demanded a lot from me and I think that was I loved most.

     I share with you my principles about teaching speaking online:

Practice Proactive activities

     The teacher should bring to the online sessions useful activities that can create a successful learning experience for students by practicing them during the class.

Establish Patterns of Course Activities

     Indicating students the agenda and objective for each session, can make the session activities and pace clear, so confusion is avoided because the participation of each role, teacher and students is defined.

Plan for the Unplanned

     Online sessions are full of unplanned situations, so the tutor should be prepared for some of them, anticipation and planning is a good strategy to face them. For instance, the tutor can prepare web links instead of sharing the screen, just in case, so the session can continue.

Response Requested

     I consider that on time feedback is essential for the online learners because they need to know as soon as possible what their mistakes were in order to work on them and improve them.

Help Maintain Forward Progress

     Students need to check their progress, so grades are a good motivation for their learning process. I consider they can improve if they realize there’s a clear objective and process for achieving it.