Are you a trainee teacher?

You are on a journey as a teacher of English. But where do you want to go? What do you need to do to get there? What's the best pathway for you?

 

Trainee teacher involved in initial training

At this stage you will have some of these characteristics:

1. Studying for an initial teaching qualification

2. Intending to become a teacher of English, at primary, general secondary, vocational, higher school or in the private language school sector

3.With limited teaching experience so far – most of your experience of teaching has been as a learner of English

These are typical needs:

Help with course assignments

    Help with observing teachers

        Help with teaching practice

             Examples of good teaching

                 Help with confidence in your English as a teacher

                    Contact with peers

Where you start at this stage:

You have made a decision to begin a teacher training course to become a teacher of English as a foreign or second language.

You will have studied English to a successful level in secondary school and have qualified for further study.

You may have had some teaching experience on an unqualified basis.

How you progress at this stage

Typically, you progress by learning about the principles of effective teaching of English, about effective techniques for teaching particular aspects of the subject, by observing other teachers and by putting what you have learned into practice in the classroom on organised teaching practice.

You will be learning about principles and practice in these aspects of English language teaching:

planning lessons and courses

understanding learners

managing the lesson

evaluating and assessing learning

knowing the subject

managing professional development

Training available at this stage

Search for reliable websites with resources, training, forums and support for teachers of English worldwide.

Register with the website and subscribe to the newsletter to access its full range of resources.Send in your own questions to forums.

Some things you might find particularly useful:

Watch videos of teachers of English from round the world teaching real classes

Read Jeremy Harmer’s books “Practice of English Language Teaching” & “How to Teach English” as introductions to ELT.

Networking with other teachers of English at this stage

Check with your local English teachers’ association to see what activities they have for trainee teachers.

Observe and talk to experienced teachers of English.

Moving on to the next stage

You will pass your initial qualification successfully and begin work as practising teacher in an institution. You may then be required to complete a probationary period.

Planning your next steps

You will be starting a teaching job and facing the challenges of putting what you have learned on your course into practice with real learners. You will learn a lot about the realities of teaching in a school.

Keep a record of your impressions and learning points. This will help you identify areas where you would like to learn more and help you find workshops, training courses, articles and other resources and opportunities to help you progress as a teacher of English.

Also take a longer view – where do you see yourself as a teacher in a number of years. What experience will help you get there? What do you need to do?

You may want to keep all this information in a professional development portfolio that will help you track your progress in  your career.