November 19, 2024, by brzha1
Nottingham Advantage Award – A priceless and most memorable experience
By Jingyi He, MA TESOL student
When I first saw the announcement about the Nottingham Advantage Award on Moodle page and the opportunity to teach International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for refugees and immigrants in the Nottingham area last semester, I knew it was something that I should give a shot.
About the module
With a background in teaching IELTS speaking in China, I was excited to seize this opportunity of teaching IELTS overseas alongside a group of talented people from various background who shared a passion for education and social welfare, by taking the English Language Support for Refugees and Migrants in the Nottingham Area module.
This experience proved to be priceless and one of the most memorable of my postgraduate year. With only a few days to prepare, our team quickly formed under the guidance of the program convenor, Renata. We then had an online meeting with Yvette from the British Red Cross, where we reviewed general guidelines and suggestions for program preparation. Following this, the four of us teachers held offline meetings to discuss work distribution, teaching content, and class activities to keep students informed and engaged.
The first week
Initially, the first week of teaching felt daunting. It was my first time instructing an IELTS preparation class overseas, and we had to deliver the first two sessions within four days. However, through collaborative efforts within our group and support from the program convenor and the Red Cross staff, we successfully organised our first teaching sessions. I delivered the first Speaking session effectively, receiving generous compliments from Yvette and positive feedback from students, which boosted my confidence for the following classes.
I vividly remember our discussions before the first teaching session about the best activities to engage students. We decided to use Microsoft Forms for interaction, a method frequently used by our teacher in MA TESOL. We then designed all the Microsoft Forms questions together, demonstrating how we applied our master’s course knowledge to real practice and solving problems as a team.
What I learned
Observing my colleagues’ sessions was equally rewarding. Some of them uses a straightforward and fun approach, some of them provided detailed feedback and extensive materials. From them, I gained more insights about how to balance teaching content and activities, manage teacher-student relationships, and the importance of continually developing my professional skills.
Working with the Red Cross was also an honourable experience. I’ve witnessed how they treat teachers and students coming as their family. They are living examples of prioritising the wellbeing of people and they’ve demonstrated true social responsibility and humanitarianism.
How it helped my job prospects
While carrying out the teaching, I shared this experience on a Chinese social media platform, which received a lot of likes and comments. I also received a lot of job offers after posting about this experience, which shows how this experience provide validation of my professional skills as a teacher.
My final thoughts
As I reflect on this journey, I am deeply grateful to our program convenor and the Red Cross staff for their guidance and support. Working in an inclusive and collaborative team with such talented and professional teachers was a fulfilling and enriching experience. This program has significantly enhanced my teaching skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork abilities, and sense of inclusiveness and social welfare. I highly recommend this module through the Nottingham Advantage Award to anyone qualified who seeks more teaching experience or wishes to help people affected by global issues.
If you’d like to discover more about the Nottingham Advantage Award and the different modules on offer, take a look at our module catalogue to search and apply.
If you have any questions, get in touch with the Nottingham Advantage Award team and we’ll be happy to help!
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