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online tefl vs Onsite TEFLI chose the topic of teaching english as a foreign language online versus on site courses because it is something which I seem to be finding myself involved in discussions about, and something which before doing this course that I had to consider. I won't go into the merits of courses offered by particular institutions; rather I will use my experience of doing the ITTT correspondence course as a reference point. The other primary situation for learning to teach english as a foreign language is the four-week ?pressure cooker? course offered at various institutions. First of all we need to establish that there is a near equivalence of content between the two situations, that is that they cover at an acceptable standard (Cambridge University- CELTA, or Trinity College-Cert TESOL), and cover the following: -essay type questions requiring reading, thought, and integration. -Grammar study -various teaching activities such as discussions, group work et cetera -lesson planning -use of teaching materials (gap fill questions, study sheets, course books) - Teaching- aids e.g. blackboard, overhead projectors, computers etc One of the obvious advantages of doing an online course is that as long as the student is able to organize their time well outside of their job, they will be able to maintain normal life and income. Students will be able to work effectively at their own pace. Whilst this has its own stresses (derived from procrastination, and isolation), it does allow time for the committed student to reflect on the content of assignments whilst involved in other parts of their lives. Alongside of this correspondence the student has the ability to pick up work at any available time. The online course student is therefore never left behind (he can get behind, but that is another story!), something which would easily happen in a four-week pressure cooker course. The online student has the advantage of direct contact with the tutor by e-mail, and I would suggest that this improves the quality of one to one contact. An online student can submit work or a question without competition from other students for time. The tutor in turn is able to read that online without distraction from interactions which would be going on in a physical classroom. Because of the availability of time I believe that an online student in the course such as the one which I am doing has the opportunity to cover more work in depth than would be the case in a pressure cooker course. There is also more space to locate online ESL resources. In doing an online course costs are also somewhat cheaper. At around about $1500 dollars for a four-week course, travel and accommodation at least $1000 plus the resultant loss of earning time, the pressure cooker course student needs to find around $6-7000, and will need a holiday afterwards! Doing the equivalent course online including air travel and accommodation is something closer to 2 to 2 1/2 thousand dollars. This amount is more than covered (for me) by holiday- pay. It could be done without having to resign from a job. The advantages for a student considering a four-week pressure cooker course: - There is the obvious one of having for the whole of the course other students to talk with. Knowing that other students are having (perhaps) similar difficulties can be relaxing. -The classroom situation is obviously more dynamic. All through the course there is the ability to have group work, guinea pigs, and therefore over a slightly extended period of time to begin to learn classroom management. -There is the potential to work together on some out of class study with other students and this may be a help for some people. The primary difficulty for the student undertaking the four-week course is pressure. All time in the course would be contact time and I would expect that information overload would happen for some people relatively quickly. Combined with this, they need to spend another two hours or more each day outside of the classroom on assignments would be an intense and likely exhausting experience. In conclusion I believe that there is reason to suggest that whilst the four-week course offers a longer period of classroom interactions and observations, that it would be less effective for most if not all students. Taking time to digest material, especially for a returning older student, is a powerful advantage for somebody undertaking an online course with a two week practical component at the end. The ability for the individual working online to move at their own pace is significant. Lastly, the comparison of cost and less disruption to one's life, makes the online training a more attractive proposition. References: I used information published on a number of TEFL websites as well a personal experience and that of a number of friends and acquaintances who have done teaching english courses in the past.
