More and more educators are finding the importance of TEFL accreditation as they continue to take training courses as part of their personal continuous improvement programs. Some are being asked to take TEFL training in order to meet the standards required in their school districts. Many found a particular emphasis put onto TEFL training during the “No Child Left Behind” program.
TEFL accreditation involves a moderate amount of work and expense. This can be a burden on many teachers who are otherwise involved during their time away from actual teaching. English teachers in particular spend a lot of their personal time because the nature of their classes doesn’t always lend itself to the multiple choice test format. Students need to practice writing to effectively learn composition and expression, and this means that the teachers must spend many extra hours grading essays and term papers. These are much more difficult and time consuming to grade than multiple choice tests. Some teachers are also pursuing their degrees or taking other training and aren’t left with a lot of time. Still others have parental duties at home that take a lot of their attention. The bottom line is that the requirement or even just the opportunity to receive TEFL training is sometimes seen as an intrusion and an arduous task. In spite of these perceptions, teachers who receive their accreditation find many effective teaching techniques that help them with their students that have not been raised in an English speaking country, or even in a home where English is regularly spoken.
The importance of TEFL accreditation becomes clear when one starts to survey the different ways that English is taught as a second language. There are several effective strategies and generally a teacher focuses on one of these. The most direct may be to teach English from a structural point of view, analyzing syntax, structure and vocabulary, just as English speakers are often taught a foreign language. Others start with a cultural background, reading simple English films or listening to English children’s programs. Still others focus on key phrases to maximize the utility of the courses, as if they were teaching a tourist to an English speaking nation. These methods each have their pros and cons, and often they are chosen to match the style of the teacher. Hopefully, they also match the style of the target students. However, if a teacher wants to be on a structured program for improvement, then he will want to follow a standard teaching style with metrics and a proven track record. Then he can receive feedback to help improve his teaching efficiency. This is the power of a TEFL accreditation.
Robert Had is offering intensive TEFL Accreditation and World TEFL Accrediting Commission is an accrediting body of TEFL/TESOL courses and course providers.