Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

I was on the lookout for a university that focuses on hands-on learning that will prepare me to attain a superior level of expertise and acquire depth of knowledge in the field of TESOL, and this is offered by Flinders University. Furthermore, it offers flexible mode of study which allows students to either study online, face-to-face or a combination of the two. Moreover, its objectives to empower its students to achieve their maximum potential and make a difference in the field of education mirrors my own goal, thus Flinders University was my top choice.

I chose to study TESOL at Flinders after knowing that it is one of the best universities offering TESOL courses, not just within Australia but also in the whole world.

The best thing about studying TESOL at Flinders was the kindness and professionalism of the lecturers. Not only are they experienced in the TESOL field, but they are also approachable and helpful. They shared many meaningful stories about their own English teaching practices and provided us with professional knowledge, suggestions and encouragements for our better teaching practices in the future. After my graduation, I was recruited as one of the lecturers in a public university in my region, and I also have been invited as a guest speaker in several events to talk about English teaching practices.

My biggest impression from the TESOL program at Flinders is that I became aware that TESOL is multidisciplinary, embracing education, psychology and linguistics. I encountered countless eye-opening SLA theories and savoured every ‘aha moment’ when reading those theories, some of which completely converted my beliefs on English language teaching and learning. In a nutshell, the TESOL program at Flinders transformed my understanding of English language teaching and learning and equipped me with the ability to teach in different contexts.

I learnt many interesting theories and techniques in teaching and learning of language, various approaches to researching and made lots of international friends. It was a great experience to share our personal and professional experiences. Here I would like to highlight my great lecturers. Their dedication in teaching and teaching styles was impressive and inspiring. They were the best examples of being academic lecturers and personally supportive teachers to me. I always appreciate the opportunity of studying at Flinders and the entire experience influenced me personally and professionally as to what I could achieve in my teaching life.

I started my job right after graduation as a lecturer and staff member at the Language Center of Syiah Kuala University in Aceh, Indonesia. After a couple of months of working, COVID-19 forced the university to shut down its operations. As a result, all of the teaching and learning had to be done in online mode. I was fortunate that I chose online learning as the topic for my research project in a TESOL self-directed research project topic in which I researched the challenges facing teachers who run online language classes. I also learned about technologies in language learning in my third semester. So, I was well-equipped with the information that I learned from these two topics, which helped me and my colleagues in running the classes successfully.

Adelaide is one of the best cities in Australia where I could find a homely environment with affordable living costs. Besides, I was attracted by the elegant university infrastructure, library facilities and flexible mode of learning, either face-to-face or online, along with practical activities guided by the experienced and highly qualified lecturers at Flinders University.