More than anything, this class has continued to increase my motivation and excitement for teaching abroad. The more we watch videos in class the more I get excited about teaching as well as learning a new language myself. I see how beneficial it is to these kids and how they seem to be excited about learning and interacting with people who are different than them and nothing makes me happier. I truly believe that this is a fundamental skill to have in order to be not only successful in one's career, but also in one's social life. With this belief, I am becoming even more excited to teach in my future classroom, wherever that may be. One activity that got me really excited for this was the Discussion Leader Activity.
Teaching lessons is a major part of being a teacher and something that I have always been most worried about. The assignment, however, showed me how much fun lesson planning can be when you are excited about the material you are teaching. It does not always have to be a powerpoint or lecture; activities and things that you find fun and engaging are also a great way to get your students motivated and engaged in learning the material as well! It is my goal to teach material in fun and new ways so as to keep the students' attention and open them up to different perspectives on how to view the world, each other, and themselves. I think that the SIOP models have demonstrated this view and shown how to teach materials in fun and interactive ways. I hope to one day include these standards and objectives in my future classroom.
Zoe, you definitely did a great job with leading the discussion on Larsen-Freeman's chapter on grammar instruction. Your enthusiasm definitely came through in the way the lesson was delivered and I felt I learned a lot from it too. I hope the next time you get to teach abroad again, you'll see a difference for yourself in terms of how much you've developed as a teacher!
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