An Interesting Experience: Where We Belong in Teaching a Second Language

Savas Geylanioglu, Izmir, Turkey

Savas Geylanioglu is currently teaching at Gediz University and has been a teacher for 12 years. E-mail: savas.geylanioglu@gediz.edu.tr

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Introduction
The Pilgrims course
Kinaesthetic learning method
Conclusion

Introduction

As it is commonly accepted by all ELT teachers, teaching a new language to teenagers who are preparing for their departments in their universities is a highly big challenge once their English learner background is concerned. It takes a lot of energy and effort to give them the ideal level of English in a year and prepare them for their departments where they will study their majors in a new and a different language. The whole year in the prep classes are mostly comprised of grammar teaching and here in the department we are a group of mixed teachers as foreign teachers ( native speakers ) and Turkish teachers ( non-native speakers of English). Considering the fact that grammar teaching is the main goal or wholly believed to be the biggest challenge amongst students as down to my observations, and believed to be a quite boring class by its nature or how it is believed to be here in Turkey we may say, I have always wondered how a grammar lesson is to be conducted by native teachers of English, their applications, activities or the presentation of it and to what extend we, as non-native teachers could benefit from it or if we would apply any places of a native teachers’ lesson to our own.

All above is one of the greatest interested areas I am currently working on and this has been the reason why I chose the ‘How to be a teacher trainer’ course given by Adrian Tennant last August 2013. With the help of this course I could see the differences between non-native and a native teachers’ concept of applying an enjoyable lesson to the classrooms especially if there was a way going round the boring grammar activities and making them adaptable for the students’ needs and to their liking.

The Pilgrims course

In the beginning I was quite hesitant whether if it was the right course for me and this negative atmosphere of mine soon left its place to a great joy of adventure.

We started the course with the imaginary suitcases believing ourselves to be a member of a journey. This was what Mr Tennant asked us to do in the first moment of his arrival to the classroom by asking what we would put into our suitcases and what would we end up with towards the end and at the end of the journey. It was basically a message to engage us with what we are dealing with and giving us the responsibility for carrying what we would have wanted to carry with us as being the member of that specific journey. We were there to train and to get trained for two weeks. I myself am also interested in the critical thinking skills and trying to apply the tactics of this methodology in my classrooms. If we could get students to think and direct them for their goals I believe they will learn more concretely and it will have better memorial results. So with such an engaging start I was amazed to see that me and the mentor were in the same route and I wasn’t going to be on my own or would be dropped in the journey.

Kinaesthetic learning method

Having seen the type of methodology and training that we would receive I thought of myself as a lucky participant in the course. During those 2 weeks we saw many terms which were all heard before but not in this way. Some of the interesting areas were team work sessions, collaboration, critical thinking tactics and organizing a correct classroom atmosphere. Although these terms could be firstly a need for teachers in practice, we applied every one of them within activities and learned some of the critical ways as the normal students would also learn so that was amazing moment to find ourselves on the seats and being in the role of a student and learning the strategies via using them like in a lesson activity.

Receiving the feedbacks from our Peers at Pilgrims Course (Kinaesthetic method)

After such an exclusive 2 weeks course, I was more aware of interaction levels in the classrooms and more thoughtful in student’s needs, especially when teaching grammar.one of the fair examples of staring the lesson was using the starter question plenary. The good thing about this activity wasn’t the content but more the seating plan. The plan is applied in such a kinaesthetic way of teaching where the student would leave his or her actual place and come in a group in a circle and face all the other members in that group. Then the teacher starts up a topic and let the students raise their comment about that topic. This activity especially works well with a question that relates strongly to peoples practical experiences. It ıs such a way to gain an insight into each other’s opinions and help a better correspondence role. Once the lesson starts communicatively the students then would know that they carry a responsibility to the end of the lesson.

Conclusion

To recap, all what mentioned above I can increase the number of activities and strategies we learned during those weeks which I found very useful and handy to use during my career. And also it goes without saying that to be a good teacher is when you know a lot about your students’ characters and their needs. In that sense, I think that this course also emphasized the importance of it to us very well. To become a good teacher trainer we have to be so aware of what type of teachers we are and how we conduct our lessons and without knowing how to be a teacher we cannot be a teacher trainer at all.

Please check the How to be a Teacher Trainer course at Pilgrims website.