TESL 130 - Unit 3 Reflection

This unit was interesting to me as much of it I have learned before in other education related classes.  However, there are a couple sections that were completely new to me and I found very interesting.

First and foremost, I have never heard about the SQ3R sequence before.  I have heard of similar sequences and orders like SQ3R but this is the first time I have heard an acronym associated with it.  I use this sequence, or my original interpretation of it, on a daily basis in my own classrooms while teaching English and French, but knowing the acronym and using the terms associated with that acronym will help me better remember all of the steps in the sequence while I am considering the effectiveness of particular activities I do with my students.  

I have also heard about approaches to balancing authenticity and readability, however the use of words like suitability, exploitability, and readability makes it easier to consider the material that I am using in my classroom.  I have never considered the “exploitability” of the materials in such a way, however I do consistently review how different materials fit into the class and how I can “use” texts and other written materials. In many ways, I follow these three concepts regularly but have never thought of them in this way.  

Learning these different, yet in many ways similar, terms to what I learned in my education courses helps me to think about these steps and concepts in different ways.  Reading this unit has helped me to think more critically about how I think about my own review of my teaching methods.

Brown, D. & Lee H. (2015). Teaching by Principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.