Taking My English Speaking Skills to the Next Level

Ever since I decided to leave my previous position as full-time advisor of the English Advisory Group and go back to KMJH to be a homeroom teacher again, I've turned down many offers to share my English teaching at workshops because I can't just take official leave that often as I used to. However, as soon as I got the invitation to do "Teaching English in a Big Class with Mixed Abilities" with native-speaking English teachers, I immediately said yes because I got to speak lots of English.

Not to my surprise at all, only two of the NETs attended the workshop, and I felt quite relaxed as if having a casual chat in English. Based on their feedback, I think I did quite well in terms of showcasing a variety of teaching activities aiming at getting my students to use the language in a meaningful context, mainly including reading strategy activities, Skype exchange projects and English camps. Lesson plans, reflection, pictures and videos in my blog were shown during my presentation, leaving a strong impression that I've been a teacher who loves to try out new ideas in my own class.

Six years ago, I would actually make a word-for-word script for my presentation when I began giving speeches in English at workshops. It usually took me about three weeks to fully prepare for one. After two years, I learned to only make cue cards with headlines of main ideas. I would rehearse my presentations with the one-on-one online English teacher in advance by elaborating on the PPT slides one by one and encouraging my partner to ask questions and give me advice accordingly. However, I've taken my speaking skills to the next level by training myself to be able to think in English and organize my thoughts simultaneously at the workshop with exercise like summarizing a vlog on Youtube and then responding in English all by myself in the car on my way to the school every morning.

As I usually introduced myself at the beginning of a workshop, I AM a CRAZY English learner. Absolutely no doubt about it, even after all these years.