{"id":601,"date":"2017-05-24T22:27:04","date_gmt":"2017-05-24T22:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-teflonline.bridge.edu\/bridgetefl\/blog\/?p=601"},"modified":"2025-12-26T09:20:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T16:20:26","slug":"bridge-idelt-online-cross-section-current-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/bridge-idelt-online-cross-section-current-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Bridge IDELTOnline Right for Me? A Cross-Section of Current Students"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you are you considering an academically rigorous online TEFL<\/a> certificate course, read on! This blog series, \u201cIs the Bridge\u00a0IDELTOnline\u2122<\/strong> Course Right for Me?\u201d, written by IDELTOnline instructor, Ann Leonard, gives you the opportunity to deeply examine the Bridge IDELTOnline course (International Diploma in English Language Teaching\u2122<\/a>). In this post, you\u2019ll get to know a cross-section of graduates who recently completed 12-week IDELTOnline training.<\/em><\/p>\n

In order to confidently commit to an online course, it would be great to get a feel for the coursework first, right? This 2nd<\/sup> post in my IDELTOnline<\/em> series introduces three recent IDELT graduates. They share their backgrounds, reflections\u00a0of the course, and summaries of the research they submitted as final projects. Hopefully, you find this information useful as you consider the best TEFL certification<\/a> course for you.<\/p>\n

IDELTOnline<\/em> student: Rose Mary<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Country of citizenship and residence:<\/strong> Chile
\nEducational Background:<\/strong> Physical Anthropology Major (studies unfinished)
\nCurrent profession:<\/strong> Work-at-home mom, English Teacher, Tutor and Translator
\nReasons for taking IDELTOnline<\/em>:<\/strong> I realized that I wanted to become a teacher and that I love teaching language specifically. I felt that apart from improving my prospects in the job market in Chile and giving me a competitive edge, that it would also give me a better foothold into teaching, help me improve upon my knowledge and build upon my experience as well as give me new tools to apply with my students; all the while fitting into my very busy schedule.<\/p>\n

Rose Mary\u2019s Research Summary: <\/strong>The Importance of Using Task-Based Learning with Adult Learners<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cBefore making any consideration about using a certain methodology with adult learners, we must first take into account what teaching adults entails\u2026While some of the debate focuses on pedagogy and how children learn language, it is no less of an important issue in andragogy. Finding methodologies that best assist adult learners in acquiring a language \u2026by understanding what it is that adult learners, in particular, bring into a classroom in terms of strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n

The first and most difficult issue of teaching adults is that class time is extremely precious and must be used to the fullest extent. In a Task-based approach, \u201cthe teacher doesn\u2019t pre-determine what language will be studied, the lesson is based around the completion of a central task and the language studied is determined by what happens as the students complete it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instructor\u2019s Note<\/em><\/strong>: Rose Mary applied this research to develop a lesson plan in which all activities were based on a task-based approach. <\/em><\/p>\n

Rose Mary\u2019s reflections on the IDELTOnline<\/em> course<\/strong>:<\/h2>\n

The course met all of my expectations and more. I did not anticipate how challenging the course would be, however since it was imparted in such a supportive manner (despite the online medium) it became a growth experience and led me to some interesting questions and observations about myself as an educator and about what I wish to impart, as well as what my educational and professional goals are. Furthermore, it was lovely connecting with people from different backgrounds and getting their opinions, expertise and help, as well as being able to provide my own. Overall, it was a wonderful and affirming learning experience.<\/p>\n

IDELTOnline<\/em> student: Michelle\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Country of citizenship:<\/strong> Jamaica
\nCountry of residence:<\/strong> Qatar
\nEducational background
\n<\/strong>-Master of Science in Technical and Professional Communication from Florida Institute of Technology,\u00a0Florida, USA
\n-Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language
\nCurrent profession:<\/strong> English Teacher in Qatar
\nReason for taking the IDELTOnline<\/em>:<\/strong> To gain additional knowledge and expertise in teaching.<\/p>\n

Michelle\u2019s Research Summary: Using a Lexical Approach<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThis research explores the use of\u00a0\u2018pre-fabricated\u2019 word units, or lexical chunks, to aid second language acquisition. It briefly considers what lexical chunks are, why a focus on this approach can be applied to language learning, \u2026 and what studies have revealed about using such an approach.<\/p>\n

\u2026How can this approach be executed in the classroom?\u00a0 \u2026Students can be trained in how to use these corpora to become autonomous learners; becoming responsible for their own learning.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Instructor\u2019s Note:<\/em><\/strong> Michelle\u2019s project allowed her to explore multiple interests of incorporating a lexical approach to teaching and developing learner autonomy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Michelle\u2019s\u00a0reflections on the\u00a0<\/strong>IDELTOnline\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>course:
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The course introduced teaching techniques and methods that were new to me. The course got progressively more challenging which kept me engaged and focused. The course instructor and the course itself prepared us well for embarking on new teaching adventures. The instructor was patient, kind, and well informed. The course book explained concepts in a straightforward manner, which made us able to manage the course successfully.<\/p>\n

IDELTOnline<\/em> student: Dalal<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"IDELT<\/h2>\n

Country of citizenship:<\/strong> Kuwait
\nCountry of residence:\u00a0<\/strong>Kuwait
\nEducational background:\u00a0<\/strong>British School of Kuwait, K-12; Undergraduate degree in Interior Design, American University, Sharjah
\nCurrent profession:\u00a0<\/strong>Art & Design Teacher, Middle School
\nReason for taking the IDELTOnline<\/em>: <\/strong>To attain credibility to teach English, which is the perfect subject to combine with Art, as both are forms of language that complement each other practically, especially when connecting the two in-class activities.<\/p>\n

Dalal\u2019s Research Summary: <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cArab students face difficulty in learning English due to the fundamental and sociocultural differences between the Arabic language and English\u2026. As Arabic is a Semitic language, its morphology is extremely different from English, where not even the alphabetical characters are shared between the two languages. \u2026Therefore, Teaching Bedouin students poses complications, as the instructor must have background knowledge in their culture, values, and inter-social codes in order to be able to lower students\u2019 affective filter\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Instructor\u2019s Note<\/em><\/strong>: Dalal chose to use her project to research theories of language acquisition related to her current teaching context; satisfying course requirements while preparing to better serve her current students.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dalal\u2019s\u00a0reflections on the IDELTOnline<\/em> course:
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The IDELTOnline<\/em>\u00a0course exceeded my expectations, as the material covered initiated a self-awareness and consciousness of the impact and effectiveness of the style in which I learnt and acquired the English language, ultimately contributing immensely to improving my current teaching style, which has become more humanistic. Exposure to fellow students with diverse backgrounds was a delightful source of information and education as well. I couldn\u2019t have asked for better peers.<\/p>\n

Parting advice from an IDELT Instructor: Don\u2019t Fear the Required Research Project<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The final projects students shared here consist of a short, independent research paper on a topic of interest and a lesson plan that demonstrates the application of that research. We start discussing the final project weeks in advance at live, online sessions that happen 4 times per course, so students are generally eager and excited to begin when the time rolls around. Prior teaching experience is not mandatory in the IDELT, as everyone is encouraged to incorporate unique life experience into the course conversation.<\/p>\n

Students exit the IDELTOnline<\/em> as teacher researchers with the confidence to articulate teaching philosophies on-the-job or for job interviews. As an IDELT instructor, I have witnessed the beautiful growth in confidence and skill that my students experience. Isn\u2019t that alone worth the time and energy? I hope that and more for you in your educational journey!<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

Additional IDELTOnline<\/a> posts in this series by Ann Leonard\u00a0include: Is the Bridge IDELTOnline Right for Me? A Seasoned Instructor Helps You Decide!<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and IDELTOnline Instructors \u2013 TESOL Experts Guiding You to Success.<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you are you considering an academically rigorous online TEFL certificate course, read on! This blog series, \u201cIs the Bridge IDELT – Online Course Right for Me?\u201d, written by IDELT Online instructor, Ann Leonard, gives you the opportunity to deeply examine the Bridge IDELT Online course (International Diploma in English Language Teaching). \u00a0In this post, you\u2019ll get to know a cross-section of graduates who recently completed 12-week IDELT Online training.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[33],"post-language":[],"popular_posts":[],"class_list":["post-601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bridge-voices","category-professional-development","tag-bridge-idelt-online"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/woman_at_computer.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Bridge","author_link":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/author\/bridgetefl\/"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41172,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601\/revisions\/41172"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601"},{"taxonomy":"post-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-language?post=601"},{"taxonomy":"popular_posts","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridge.edu\/tefl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/popular_posts?post=601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}