My Personal Critical Incident

  More than ten years ago, I was called to deliver some lessons to a group of adults attending primary school. The Head of the school thought it would be a good idea to let them approach the foreign language, at least in an extracurricular way. With that purpose, she contacted the TEFL College with the aim of getting some help in order to put her idea into practice. Thus, I was asked whether I wanted to undergo such an experience, and of course, I accepted the challenge.

  There were 20 students in the groups whose ages ranged from 16 to 65 years old and none of them had had any contact with the target language before. Their reasons for learning varied a lot, some of them were there because they were obliged to, some others – mainly the eldest ones – because they wanted to learn to read and write. Hence, many behaved quite badly and inappropriately while a few were actually interested and motivated.

  Given that scenario, I decided that my main goal would be to let them enjoy the language by having fun and spending a good moment together. So that in time, they would have a positive attitude towards English. With that idea in mind, I developed games, quizzes, and activities to develop some basic vocabulary and structures in a motivating and involving way. I remember preparing lots of materials and thinking over every single moment of the lesson. I must admit that although I was actually doubtful as regards students’ behaviour, the lessons resulted interesting and the learners got really motivated.

  When I finished delivering the lessons the Head wrote an acknowledging letter for the TEFL College and another for me. I felt really proud and from that moment on, I have always beard in mind that everything is possible and, above all, I felt I am capable of overcoming difficulties. All in all, this experience may be food for thought for teachers who are likely to experience similar situations. The way we face problems may vary, but it has proved to be useful to consider the learners’ environment, needs and likes to address enriching teaching and learning experiences.