Egeland, North Dakota TESOL Online & Teaching English Jobs

Though the general and popular consensus is that ESA is the best method. I am glad to have learned about the prior methods, and how those prior methods have led into the commonly used ESA method. I think patchwork and boomerang structures in conjunction with ESA can prove to be very useful. The class can eb and flow, and changes can be made on the spot to best fit the needs of the students and the teachers. I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement is a much better teacher than criticism and constant corrections. I appreciate seeing those same ideals being taught in the course work here. I think it’s important to clarify that mistakes and errors are not the same. It is common for native speakers to flub even on their own language. It would be discouraging even to native speakers if every mistake was pointed out, and this is emphasized when someone is in a vulnerable state trying a new and unfamiliar language. The video was very useful in plainly stating the pros and cons of each of the methods and how it has led into the modern method used today. The section about suggestopedia brought something new to my attention. The notion that it is important to note the attitude of your students, their backgrounds, comfort levels, etc. If students are apprehensive about a method, even though it may work in other classrooms, may not work for them simply because they’re resistant to the idea of the method. Teaching is a balancing act, and this unit provided a lot of the tools necessary in order to perform that balancing act.