Online learning is great, you can do everything at your own pace, whenever and wherever you want. But there’s just one downside: when you get stuck. It’s not like in the classroom when you can just ask your tutor. But all is not lost; there are a few steps you can take to keep you on track to gain your TEFL certificate.
1) Don’t Panic
No one expects you to be an instant TEFL expert, so don’t panic if you’re not clear on something. You also get three attempts on any checkpoint, so there’s no harm in having a go then seeing what feedback your tutor comes back with. Fewer than 1% of i-to-i tutees eventually fail their courses. if you’re willing to listen to your tutors’ feedback and improve your answers accordingly, you’ll be fine.
2) Go Backwards to Get Forwards
Each learning module is designed to contain all the information you need to complete its checkpoint. So if you’re confused, go back a couple of steps, re-read the information and it all may just become clear.
3) Have A Go
As you get three tries at every module, there’s no harm in just having a go. Your tutor will give you detailed feedback on your answers and clarify any areas where you’re not totally clear. And, you never know, you might even pass.
4) Get Some Help From the Helpdesk
If you’re still totally adrift with your course, you can get in touch with a tutor directly via the TEFL Helpdesk. Just email [email protected] and they’ll be more than happy to help. Be aware though that the Helpdesk isn’t instant, they can take up to 48 working hours to respond to queries, so you’ll need to be patient.
5) Check Chalkboard
There’s a great group on Chalkboard called ‘Help I’m Stuck on My TEFL Course!’ where people post questions about their course to be answered by other members and our in-house team.
Make sure you take a look at past questions and answers, often people get stuck on the same questions, so you should be able to find some advice which applies to you. Alternatively, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, just post a new discussion post: https://www.i-to-i.com/tefl-chalkboard/groups/19-Help-I-m-Stuck-on-my-TEFL-Course-
What do you think? What did you do if you got stuck on your TEFL course?
