Republic of the Philippines

University of Northern Philippines

College of Teacher Education
Graduate School

A
REFLECTION
PAPER

Student: CZARINA A. CASTILLO Course: TESL

Program: MAT-Eng Instructor: JENNY LOU R. TAAN
 In the course, Teaching English as Second Language, I’ve become
more knowledgeable when it comes to the language. I realized that
English doesn’t stop at one focus point. Hence, it’s universal and our
learning is never ending.
As we go through the course, we went through different theories
and ideas about English as a second language through individual
reporting.
What I liked most is the topic “Teaching English in the Context of
World Englishes.” My knowledge became broader about the varieties of
the English language in the world. There are distinct varieties of English
that have arisen in different countries. I was very much interested when
my classmate presented examples of expressions from the different
countries around the globe.
I also reported with the topic “Developing Engaged Second
Language Readers.” I was very excited to discuss this because my recent
job as an ESL teacher to Chinese students helped me gain a lot of new
experiences and ideas that I can contribute and share on my report. I
tackled of course, the different characteristics of an engaged second
language reader, the purposes of reading, fluent reading, automaticity,
and recognizing reading comprehension. I ended up my report with a
quotation saying “developing engaged reader is not simply a matter of
applying one of the five characteristics in isolation but rather integrating
them into our teaching so that all are present. There is a synergy resulting
from integrating all these characteristics that makes for a truly engaged
reader.” This quote says it all for it is telling us teachers to actively engage
our readers in different reading activities for them to learn well.

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 Apart from what I discussed, I was also hooked with the topic
“Grammar in Second Language Writing.” In learning a second language,
speaking fluently is not the only important factor to consider and learn.
Having a good grammar in writing a second language is also vital for us
to communicate also effectively and for us to deliver our message
effectively through written forms.
Indeed, this course taught me a lot of things I can use not only in
my teaching career, but also in my everyday life for I will forever carry
my major English even I go to other places around the world. It is
important that I will always be equipped with enough knowledge and
skills regarding English as a Second Language for me to become more
globally competitive. We cannot deny the fact that learning English alone
isn’t really enough. We have to go out of the box, and make countless
effort for us to learn and acquire more ideas regarding English in other
countries. This may not only help us as a teacher, but also as a person.
I would sincerely like to extend my greatest thanks to my Teaching
as Second Language Teacher, Dr. Jenny Lou R Taan, for helping and
enlightening us MAT-Eng students with the course.
To my MAT-Eng classmates, who I shared ideas, happiness, sadness
and most especially strong bond, deepest thanks also from the bottom
of my heart.
I will surely treasure and keep everything I learned from the course
inside my heart and mind forever.