Any person has personal experience of language learning. It can be happen in any place : school, home, academic etc. Also we can feel variety feeling about teacher teaching them. I also have experience of learning English and I was felt each other feeling by each teacher. There are 4 concepts learned in the TESOL. First is characteristics of adult learners. Second is traditional vs. modern classrooms. Third is teacher types. And finally, it is effective teaching.

First, it is characteristics of adult learners. For example, I also had learned English when I was 20 even I had some knowledge about grammar and vocabulary in English. One day, I asked to teacher some question but she did not know about that. I thought she did not enough prepare about class. Here is more problems that have a difference of level of knowledge in English between adult and children. Many adults have some knowledge in English because they had been learning it since they got in elementary school. So, even though they enter an academic for learning English and getting more high level of English, they cannot concentrate in class because they could know about the class. So I think, if they already know about some class, they have to concentrate in any class and do their best in each class.

Second, it is traditional vs. modern classrooms. For example, when I was in middle school, a teacher did not share each student's feeling. She just had been talking for 40 minutes by herself in class. I think. almost school teachers had teaching skills in that day such as my teacher. However, recently, some teacher do some activity to contact with English easily and they try to do mutual feeling with their students. I think, many years ago people could not have experience to meet with English easily, but now we can contact to learn English in any place. So, teacher's knowledge standard can be more increase.

Third, it is teacher types. For example, there was one teacher who understood student's mind when I was in high school. She was my science teacher and really care about her class and students. One day, my friend had accident so, I tried to run away secretly from school even if few class was left. At that time, the teacher witnessed and came up to me. So, I felt scary. She said "Jina, where are you going? but her style of talking seemed worry about me. I wondered why she does not scold me. She just wanted to know why I go out and where and to hear my words. So, I talked my situation and she heard. After talking, she let me go out and said "Now I know your situation , but don't go before finish school after time, OK because some other teachers don't understand and hear student's words. They just scold student's bad behavior. Ok?" After I graduated school, I taught some student and I thought I have to understand students mind because I cannot know their situation and what they think.

Finally, it is effective teaching. For example, there was one teacher who did not allow to get dictionary for searching English vocabulary in class when I was in ELS course in USA. She wanted to students think what each vocabulary means by themselves without dictionary because if we can know definition of words once, we can forget about it sometimes. However, if we try to know about that with effort : ask to teacher exam, think and guess more what to means, we could not forget about the meaning. So I think, effective teaching is that teacher try to students know and guess by themselves.

In conclusion, there are lots of types and concepts in teaching language. I think we have to do training for improving our teaching skills. Also I try to study more and prepare my attitude to treat students.

Essay #1

TESOL

DATE : 3.12.2013

NAME : Jinhwa Lee