I went through the TEFL/TESL Seminar at the American Language Institute at San Diego State University. You can read my post “American Language Institute at SDSU” in the Good Learning Experiences forum.
After graduating from the ALI program, I volunteered for about 6 months as an assistant and was fortunate to work with Rob Shaffer in his Oral Communications and Pronunciation classes. The skills learned from Rob and the other teachers proved to be invaluable when I went back to Japan to teach a couple of years later.
I was also given the opportunity to facilitate a business English class. The students were from all over the world, resulting in a rewarding but challenging teaching experience. The behavior and attitude of each student reflected their backgrounds and culture, which they brought with them to class everyday. It made teaching a bit difficult. The Asian students were generally quiet, while the South American and European students had little trouble expressing themselves. It was difficult finding a style of teaching somewhere in the middle which would appeal to all the students. Teaching these classes gave me the skills necessary for going abroad to teach.
If you are looking for a really good teaching experience, consider going though one of the TEFL programs at the American Language Institute. Again, I cannot say enough about these programs. For additional information contact Rob Shaffer, ALI teacher training coordinator, good friend, and really cool dude who will be happy to answer all of your questions.
Contact Rob Shaffer
shaffer@mail.sdsu.edu
