Language Learning and Teaching Autobiography

Teaching and learning process is one of the most important aspects that educators usually talk about. It’s crucial that students learn and attend schools in order to keep up with a better education. I would like to talk about my learning process while I was at school. Let me give you a picture about my school, classroom and the way I was taught. I will talk about the preparatory stage because English was introduced in this stage. My school has about 20 classes; each class contains 80 students and sometimes 100 students. The class is crowded and it’s hard for the teacher to manage the class. The teacher used the grammar translation method and he used Arabic most of the time. He used to translate almost all the words into Arabic and sometimes sentences. I felt also that there was absence of the communicative approach. I don’t want to blame the teacher; I have to blame the educational system in my country. There were no tools, flash cards, and other materials that facilitate teaching. Group work, pair work and many other activities were missing. Again I don’t want to be harsh by mentioning the negative points about the way I was taught but this was the fact. I wasn’t given the chance to demonstrate what I learnt or to practice and apply what I learnt. I used to have a lot of homework. My teacher tried his best to teach but he faced a lot of problems, like the number of students, the absence of the tools and the setting of the classroom. Now I am going to talk about the way I taught. I tried my best to use different methods and techniques to teach my students acquire the language. I tried first to understand my students’ needs and know the importance of English for them. I did my best to figure out the weaknesses and strength on each student and try to plan my lessons according the students needs. I believe that understanding the learners and making them feel comfortable while learning is the key to success. Another point was I tried to make communication in class easy and applicable. I tried to make them feel free while talking and I made them talk in English in and out of the class. I loved the idea of making the students work in groups out the class and make projects and do extracurricular activities. I encouraged my students to keep reading, listening, speaking and wiring at home. I love this quote: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ― William Arthur Ward It is obvious that the teacher is the key for the students’ success. The last important point I would like to mention is a teacher must love teaching and love the students, the environment. Satisfaction is the key, when you are satisfied with your work you will do your best to be the best. Your success is your students’ success. The last point I would like to mention is this quote: “True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own.” ― Nikos Kazantzakis