A Combined Course Viewpoint

The first part my class was completed online back in the States, where I studied teaching theory and methodology. I then came out to Thailand to do my ‘practicum’— the six classes of observed teaching practices—in real classrooms with real Thai students.

The online part of my “Combined Class” allowed me to learn to my schedule. This part of the course is pretty extensive and covers a lot of theories on language teaching. The videos of experienced teachers was also done in this part of the class.

Having said that, studying online didn’t give me the real confidence I need to stand in front of a class and teach. I arrived in Bangkok still anxious about doing the real teaching. Vantage invited me to join the current In-Class course, not just for review the book material, but to participate in the peer teaching activities of the class. They use peer teaching as a first step before stepping into a live classroom. And this part isn’t just teaching, I also had to observe and take detailed notes on my co-trainees performance. I learn quite a bit from doing this.

The practicum itself was a fantastic experience. Thai students are great to teach as they are both very attentive and polite. The feedback I got from the Vantage trainers and insights from my co-trainees were invaluable in the development of me as a professional teacher.