Probably, it is because of my enthusiasm for linguistics. But I will always remember the day when I realised that the way I was learning English was not the more appropriate.

 

It was a few years ago, during a conversation with a German boy. He started talking in English, and while I was listening to what he was saying, I thought: 'Oh, look, he has made a grammar mistake'. Then, it was my turn to talk. And this is the summary of my speech: I could not even say two sentences fluently.

 

It was then when I realised that something was going wrong. I had been studying English for many years, and I could not even say a few sentences fluently! In other words, I was not able to communicate! But, of course, I could identify grammar mistakes...

 

In that moment, the following question came up to my mind: how is it possible that I cannot communicate in English after all these years studying? Does it have something to do with the way I have learnt the language? Of course, it has.

 

A few years later, I decided that I wanted to be an English teacher. And I wanted to learn how to teach English in a different way than the one I had experienced. It did not seem to be easy, and it is not actually.

 

After having a look at the document the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages. A reflection tool for language teacher education (EPOSTL) and the personal checklist, I have realised, once again, about how complex it is to be a good teacher. I know that the teacher cannot forget the context in which he/she is teaching; I know that a good teacher has to support students' learning; I know that the teacher needs to know how to assess his/her students to make sure they are learning; and I know that 21st century teachers must integrate technology. But when I think about the practice, many doubts arise.

 

For this reason, I have selected the following points from the checklist to set my own learning goals:

 

• Integrate cognitive skills into lessons (problem-solving, communication skills, research skills, etc.).

• Adapt teaching design to contextual restraints.

• Plan activities to ensure the interdependence of listening, reading, writing and speaking.

• Use appropriate assessment procedure to chart and monitor a learner's progress

• Organise integrative interaction in order for students to engage with ‘distanced partners’ in collaborative problem- and project-based learning.

 

All in all, I hope that this subject helps me in my training to become a good English teacher. My expectations for the subject? Discovering how to apply a project based learning to the teaching of EFL (English as a Foreign Language); learning how to design appropriate activities for CLT (Communicative Language Learning); and getting to know technological resources that might be useful for language teaching and learning.

 

I really feel like starting this travel! So here we go!