Page 28 - ELG2304 Apr Issue 484

REAL LIFE .

A classicist’s take

on the Trinity Cert

Language learner and teacher Zoë Parrish

took a four-week online Trinity CertTESOL

course with EBC. Here’s what it was like

may not be your typical British EL teacher the trainees. In my case, this language was
– as someone who took Spanish and Latin Polish. During the first two weeks of the
at school, and an intensive ancient Greek course, we attended four hours of language
Iimmersion course at university, I have lessons which were conducted entirely in
attended my fair share of language lessons. Polish. It was nothing like GCSE French,
I’ve also taught many language lessons myself where instructions are given in English and
since I tutored Greek and Latin to fund myself the most you’ll say in a lesson is “As tu un
when I was a student. animal? Quel âge as-tu?” At EBC this was
So, when I began my online Trinity proper, true immersion.
CertTESOL training with EBC, I already As Polish ‘students’, we were encouraged to
had my own ideas of how languages should speak almost exclusively in Polish throughout
be taught and learnt – or the ‘dead’ ones, at the lesson. I remember the stress I felt as my
least. Only a day or two into the course, which face screwed up and instinctively drew closer to
is fast-paced and not for the weak-hearted my computer screen, as if that would help me
(you start teaching on day four!), I came to to understand the instructions I was receiving.
two realisations about teaching languages. I remember how, attempting to complete a
First, that the most memorable parts of speaking exercise, my voice shook, my cheeks
my own experience learning Greek and turned Polish-flag red, and a sense of giddiness whiteboard editing and screensharing, which
Latin are the result of teaching techniques. and self-doubt took over as I stumbled to the we were encouraged to incorporate into
As it turns out, my languages professor at end of each sentence. our own teaching. I was surprised to see the
university had not lost the plot when he This was one of the most valuable lessons many different modes available to me so I
spoke to us exclusively in Latin and expected the course taught me, because it made me could engage my students and offer them an
us to do the same, but he was employing a appreciate the immense mental effort it takes interactive, inclusive learning experience
well-established teaching method, making to engage in a lesson wholly conducted in a despite the fact that the attendants of most
his students active participants in their own foreign language. It made me realise how lessons were in at least four different time
learning process. difficult it is to learn a modern language, and zones. I am soon to test how transferable these
At EBC they are all about student how necessary it is for teachers to create a fun means of delivery will be into the physical
engagement and generally favour Harmer’s and nurturing environment where students classroom, but I feel well prepared with the
immersive ‘Engage, Study, Activate’ lesson feel comfortable enough to make mistakes skills I fostered during this course to thrive in a
structure, because it allows students to and learn from them. Because of this, I always face-to-face context too.
practise the target language within a thank students for their contributions, In fact, in some ways, the technology used to
functional context that is relevant to them encourage equal participation and generally complete the course was hands down superior
and therefore motivating. The trainers also cultivate a friendly learning environment as to a face-to-face environment. When it came
drilled phrases such as Teacher Talking Time much as possible. to the ‘Learner Profile’ unit of the course, I
(TTT) and Student Talking Time (STT), Having empathy and an appreciation had to test the speaking, writing, reading and
and endeavoured for us to recognise the for the brain strain your students may be listening skills of my designated learner. One
appropriate proportions of each within a experiencing is all the more important in task required me to analyse pronunciation
lesson. In theory, limiting TTT maximises STT an online environment, in which the course mistakes the student made in the speaking
and therefore the students’ learning time, and was set. Until relatively recently, online task. To do this, I recorded the interview
minimises time used ineffectively by teachers teaching was still in a fairly primitive state. which took place on Zoom, which allowed me
speaking unnecessarily. However, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, to refer to the spoken mistakes time after time,
The second conclusion I reached is speedy evolution was necessary and the replaying each little mispronounced sound.
that, to be a really decent teacher, you Zoom whiteboard was born, bringing joy and No matter how smart you are, I highly doubt
need to understand what your students are anguish in equal measure to teachers and you can retain the intricacies of the errors
experiencing when they attend your English students alike. in pronunciation of a language learner like a
lesson. This is why I think that the ‘Unknown Our CertTESOL training was delivered computer can.
Foreign Language’ unit of the Trinity course using Zoom, the same platform we used While I am here, I may as well mention
is genius. Before the course begins, a for teaching practice sessions. Our EBC that phonology, unanticipated by me and my
background check of the incoming cohort trainer, Iza, showcased a multitude of Zoom course mates, features prominently on the
is completed to make sure that the language classroom functions during our input sessions, Trinity course. Not only were we encouraged
they plan to teach is truly unknown by all of including breakout rooms, collaborative to drill correct pronunciation when our
28 April 2023