JOHN Cotton Dana once said, “Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” Yes, we should not stop learning. If we do, how can we teach?
What is even more worthwhile than being productive this summer is to keep oneself busy than remain stagnant and idle. This is more exciting when one is engaged into learning.
Mine is different. I moved away from traditional way of learning this time. I have kept myself active by enrolling in two online courses. Take note, this is free. So, I do not need to spend money for my professional development. After all, embracing the digital world opens a door to new ideas, opportunities, discoveries, and innovations. It offers an exciting journey for me.
First, I have enrolled in Teaching Struggling Readers around the World. The online course is designed to talk about reading across cultures. It also discusses learning more about how children learn to read and how better to teach children reading across cultures.
Second, I registered to Teaching English to Young Learners. This course teaches about the different characteristics of young learners, how children learn, and how children learn language. It also examines our own English teaching context and reflects on our classroom environment and teaching materials.
Honestly, these two courses are amazing. I have learned great things to share. I am excited to apply what I have discovered. As a teacher, I have lots of realizations and learning insights especially on techniques in catering the needs of struggling readers so that they can be able to read successfully. Moreover, I have learned the theory and practice on how to teach English as a language effectively.
Now that I have enjoyed enrolling in online courses, I will not get tired equipping myself with new knowledge. Technology has so much to offer so with my digital journey. The travel continues. (Janice D. Montalvo, DepEd-Matina District)