Did it have a live practicum aspect at all?
Posted by Erin Smith 8 years 7 months ago
From my research I have seen that the minimums most countries have are 100 hrs class time and 6-20 student teaching. Do they have student teaching?
Answers
None of ittt is live. All lessons are prerecorded teachers giving the lesson followed by a quiz for each chapter. For an extra $50 you have the option to have tutor assistance, which I highly recommend. What this means is that if you have a question you can email an ittt teacher and they will email you back typically within 24 hours (most of their tutors are in Thailand so there's a huge time difference ). However....there is no live aspects to this course. They do have a 1-800 number you can call, but normally nobody answers so you can leave a voicemail and someone will call you back within a day or so. I loved ittt because I just wanted to complete a basic course just to get the certification, which I never even had a company request to verify/see. The whole course is basic information followed by a multiple choice test. Then the final project is to create 1 lesson plan. If you feel you need live help and want practice creating and giving lesson plans then ittt is not the course for you. However, if you are on a low budget then ittt is a great choice. But after teaching for the first time and not having any practice coming up with lesson plans or actually teaching a class...I realized where paying the extra $1000+ for live classes comes in handy.
The full online course with online tutor does not have any live practice. There are great videos of how to apply a lesson plan in the classroom. I would watch these more than once. The greatest thing I gathered from the videos is the simplicity with which they demonstrate leading the class. After the first couple units, you are asked to follow a lesson plan template in order to develop your affinity in lesson planning on your own. I highly recommend doing this, even though no one will grade or review them. Doing so, and comparing your lesson plan to the videos, will be of the utmost help to you in determining how to adjust your lesson plans in order to lead a smooth and engaging class in the future.
Their "In-Class Courses" offer teaching practice with individuals and groups. Check their website for more information.