Getting to know a student-teacher form northern Chile
Hello, my name is Pía
Ramírez. I’m
from Universidad de La Serena
Why do you want to become a teacher of
English as a foreign language?
I want to become an English teacher because I enjoy teaching, especially
to young learners. I like it because we need to be very creative with the
students in order to motivate them and also it is very rewarding to see how
they make progress on the language.
What is your story as an EFL learner?
I applied for the English program in 2013. Before this, I studied
Graphic Design at the same university, but after a few years, I realized that I
didn’t like it as much as I thought. For this reason, I decided to study
another program. My family encouraged me to study the English teaching program
because they believed that I have the necessary skills to be a good language
teacher because I have been keen on
English since a very young age.
What do you like the most about the programme
you are in? What opportunities does it offer?
I like it because is the most prestigious program in my region, and it
has very good teachers with an excellent level of English. The opportunities
that it offers are many, for example: We can apply for scholarships abroad and we
also have the opportunity to complete our assistantship course in good schools
because the students on our program are always welcome in the institutions of
our region.
If you were giving a talk about your programme
to fourth Medio students, what would you tell them?
I would like to tell them that if they study this program, they would
never feel disappointed because it offers lots of opportunities and the
teachers that we have are the best in their areas. Also, it is very important
to consider the skills that you have in learning a foreign language and the
passion that you have for teaching. If you believe you have these skills, this
program is for you.
What do you think are the challenges faced by
student teachers?
The most important challenge that we have to face is developing our
creativity in order to make our classes more motivating and engaging for our
students. Also, I believe that we need to learn how to incorporate technology
in our classes, or how to develop an engaging class without it because not all
the institutions have access to technology.
Describe how you see yourself as a
professional in the future.
I see myself as somebody who always wants to improve my knowledge not
only in English language but also in teaching methodologies. That is to say, I
would like to continue studying; one of my aims after finishing this program is
to study a Master in Neuroscience or something related to how our brain processes
information in order to learn something, especially how we learn a second
language and how we can apply this in the classroom for improving English
learning, especially in young learners.
Is there anything else that you would like to
add?
I would like to add that is very important for us to participate in more
activities related with English Learning. A few days ago, I participated in the
1st EFL Young Learners Conference organized by the British Council
and it was a very good experience, and also very motivating. If it is possible,
I would like to see some similar activities in our region because it helps to
strengthen the community of English teachers.
