Even though I had some knowledge about teaching English as a second language, this course was my first formal teaching course. It demonstrated that there were some aspects of teaching that I need to develop or become more skilled to be competent in this field. I knew that lesson planning would be one activity that I would find most difficult. When I tutored non-English speaking students in volunteer adult literacy program, I used a very structured formula. We were given a form that focused of different skills that correlated well with the textbook that we used. It was also what we used to write quarterly reports for funding of the program. But I really did not know the theory of developing a lesson plan from scratch. I mostly focused on what my students had the most difficulty on and then found exercise that would foster understanding. I don’t think it allowed much creativity within the lesson plan, something that I feel that I still need to work on and develop. This course showed how you can create a lesson plan that is more complete and not entirely dependent on certain requirements such as textbook or specific needs for quarterly reports. It is important to pay attention to the needs of the student and be receptive to feedback and make modifications as needed.

Another activity that was beneficial was the conversation exchange. It was a good opportunity to develop skills of teaching especially since this was asynchronous course. Although the purpose of the program was an exchange but for me it became more of teaching for my partner. I focused on her needs, such as difficulty understanding unfamiliar dialects. I sometimes found it challenging preparing for the meetings, trying to find the right materials that would not be boring yet engaging.  Some things were not appropriate because they seemed to be selling their specific product or not professional for this program. With the assistance of English Learning Center, I learned about linguistic program called Tidewater Voices and I researched different applications that one can use on mobile devices, some that I have used before, some that learned about for the first time.  This activity gave me opportunity to learn about different materials that I may use to further my language knowledge and use for teaching students in the future.