Scholarship / Essay for AAS (Australia Award Scholarship) Master Degree in TESOL [3]

Hi, can anyone help revise my essays? This is from last year's entry (unsuccessful) and I am planning to apply again this year. A thousand thank.

Australia Award Scholarship application

First choice: The University of Queensland
Second choice: The University of New South Wales
Program: TESOL

What are your plans when you finish your studies*?
I am eager to aim a higher position in an Education field so that I can influence many people to spread the English teaching principals that I will have learned from the study. In order to do that, I will apply a position of a lecturer in a university in Kediri to teach in English Language Teaching or Teacher Training program, and/or build my own English school in Kampung Inggris (English Village) Pare, Kediri.

How did you choose your proposed course and institution*?
I choose Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) in The University of Queensland which is aligned with my educational background that is English Education. I am interested in deepening my knowledge about second language acquisition and its contribution to English teaching. I am also eager to learn more about culture and curriculum and how to implement a good curriculum in a school.

My undergraduate education provided me plenty of knowledge and practice in English teaching. The subjects such as TEFL, second language acquistion, material development, phonology and psycholinguistics have broadened my mind to understand English teaching in a different perspective and they help me to implement them in my work. During my teaching experience, I have used the knowledge to plan and teach English in a way that the students find it easy to understand and I also have applied the linguistics aspects of English teaching and it results great. That helps me also to communicate with my students' parents and guide them to understand their child's behaviour and English development.

From my research about the universities that offer TESOL in Australia, I found that as I need to master language curriculum planning and practical skills in teaching, The University of Queensland offers what I need. It provides a wide range of courses such as TESOL curriculum, Language Testing and Assessment, Language and Technology and Teaching Languages in a Global Context that will support my skills development as an English educator.

How will the proposed study contribute to your career*?
With the knowledge and experience that I obtain from the future study, I will have the opportunity to gain more skills that I need to become a great and inspiring teacher. My future goal is to become an English educator for all ages with up-to-date knowledge and practical skills in English teaching issue. My bachelor degrees and working experience have provided me a strong foundation for both; this master program will provide me the skills in second language reading and writing, theory, research and practice in classroom second language acquisition and language in education planning principals in order to polish what I have got so far so that I can make a significant difference in English teaching. Furthermore, in Indonesia, students often complain about how boring an English classroom is. In addition, many people still think that English is scary and difficult. I want to change that perspective by giving different approaches in teaching English. Furthermore, living abroad in an English speaking country such as Australia gives me plethora of knowledge and experience that I can share to my students.

Please:- a) give up to three practical examples of how you intend to use the knowledge, skills and connections you will gain from your scholarship. Possible tasks can be personal and/or professional; and b) list any possible constraints you think may prevent you from achieving these tasks.*:

a) 1. One possible option is applying for a position of lecturer in a university in my hometown, Kediri. It is a small city where there are big rooms to improve. With the knowledge and skills that I obtain from the scholarship, I can help to improve the quality of the students who will become English teachers in the future. From what I will have mastered I want to encourage my students to get the same or higher path like me.

2. My dream has been building an English school in Kampung Inggris, Kediri. As an English educator, I feel that I have a responsibility to share my knowledge to the community to improve the quality of the English taught there. I am willing to implement up-to-date curriculum and methodology based on applied linguistic principals. I also plan to include a tutor training program that provides English tutors/teachers theoretical and practical skills in teaching English. In that way, I can spread the language concepts in a wider scope since they will go back to their hometown or institution either to pursue higher study, work or teach.

b) 1. Since I have been working at schools, I am used to teach as a teacher with all of its methodologies and approaches. I will find being a lecturer is quite challenging to adapt at the first time. However, I believe with my adequate experience in teaching and organization, I can keep up to follow the pace of the working environment.

2. Building a school along with its facilities such as computer lab and library to support the students' English is tough and requires a great amount of resource. Therefore I am willing to learn and work hard during my study and gradually build what I have been dreaming. I am also aware that people might find it hard to change, but I am positive that through time as they see the result of my methodologies, they will realize that English is taught by using principals that they need to understand, such as second language acquistion and communicative approach.

Scholarship / What are your plans when you finish your studies - essay for Master Degree in TESOL [10]

First Essay for AAS (Australia Award Scholarship) Master Degree in TESOL

Kediri - lecturer position in english

Hi, is this good enough to answer the questions? Thanks before.

1. What are your plans when you finish your studies*? (500 characters)
After I return from my study, I am going to apply for a lecturer position in English teaching in universities in Kediri. Kediri is a developing city which has some potentials in it. The quality of English taught in university there is not as good as the other bigger cities such as Malang or Surabaya. I am eager to become part of the people who devotedly spend their energy and time in increasing the quality of English teaching and help the students to become great teachers.

Scholarship / The things that I consider before choosing the university of my future study. Australia Scholarship [7]

How did you choose your proposed course and institution*? - Essay for Australia Awards Scholarship

My road to TESOL

I am planning on taking a master degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). It is suitable perfectly with my background which is English language teaching and English literature. There are some things that I did to find out the details of universities that I am going to choose. I collected the information about the universities mainly from visiting their website on the Internet and other websites such as scholarship and alumni blogs. Furthermore, I visited an education fair near my hometown to gain more information related to my study. I also gathered useful input from my friends and lecturers who are currently pursuing their study in Australia.

Here are the things that I consider before choosing the university of my future study. First, the duration should be at least one and a half years since I want to deepen my knowledge about the field that I am learning, and longer study period will help me sharpen my English. Second, the institution should provide the courses that I am willing to learn which are more practical rather than research based since that is not my specialty about English teaching practices. More specifically, I am looking for the courses such as second language acquisition, language curriculum design, teaching methodologies, grammar, writing and pronunciation teaching, technology in English learning and psycholinguistics. In addition, if the program provides courses related to psychology, teaching English for students who have special needs or autistic children and teaching internship will be a greater benefit.

After I listed the universities that participate in Australia Award Scholarship which provide TESOL program, I screened them with the criteria that I previously set. In the end, I found two most universities which are the closest to the criteria; Queensland University of Technology and Flinders University.

To @holt
My comment "I believe I didn't write that, are you sure you are referring the right thing?" on my last thread was actually addressed to someone else, not you, but it seemed that you didn't read the tag that I used. Don't misunderstand me, you've been a great help since I joined EF.

Scholarship / How have you contributed to solving a challenge and to implementing change or reform? - AAS [3]

How have you contributed to solving a challenge and to implementing change or reform? (Be specific and include: what aspect/s of your leadership knowledge, skills and practice you consider to be well established and effective; which people or organisations you worked with to solve the problem; and what creative methods were used.)

2000 characters
One of the essays for Australia Awards Scholarship

ineffective methods of teaching English

I have been struggling to spread the concept of second language acquisition in English language teaching. However, people find it hard to follow the idea since most of them believe, grammar is a must to master English. There is a place called Kampung Inggris in Kediri, where there are around a hundred and eighty three English courses and camps. That place was established forty years ago. The students come from all over Indonesia and some countries such as Thailand, Yemen and Sudan to deepen their English or study it from beginner level. Yet, the tutors still teach English the same way. They teach it in Indonesian, with lots of drilling, and by using grammar-focused method. Students would sit down and listen while the tutor does the lecturing. Then, they would practice in pairs or groups. Grammar rules are memorized and students are expected to be able to make perfectly grammatical sentences in the end of the program. They don't get much exposure such as English stories, articles, videos or listening materials.

I was a teacher there in an institution called Brilliant English course. I taught speaking program for beginner students. Instead of using grammar-drilling method, I conducted language acquisition principal where I used English most of the time to make the students used to it, even though they found it difficult at first in understanding my instructions. I also used tons of handouts to make them able to produce more language. They didn't just sit and listen and we did a lot of games as warmers and fillers. I encouraged my students to interact in English and I also played English videos and listening materials to help my students obtain as many exposures as possible. The grammar point was introduced for a few minutes; then we practiced the grammar in a lively way such as mingle, role play, running dictation or group work. The result was great. Although it was only a month-class, my students felt comfortable to speak to me in English all the time.

Scholarship / How will the suggested study benefit my future? - AAS Essay [5]

How will the proposed study contribute to your career? - AAS Essay

2000 characters

My proposed course is TESOL

(Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages)

I'm not satisfied with this essay, because mainly I talk about the academic benefits. Should I talk about the professional benefits too? Help me expand it. Thank you.

The program will shape my critical thinking and skills in teaching English to future teachers. The experience will provide me plenty of insights of how English teaching should be done and give me the skills in second language acquisition theory, research and practice as well as curriculum planning principals in order to polish what I have got so far so that I can make a significant difference in English teaching. I can also use my connection from the Australian university to support research , training and teaching project with my university in the future.

Scholarship / Practical examples to use the knowledge and possible constraints - AAS Essay [6]

Please:- a) give up to three practical examples of how you intend to use the knowledge, skills and connections you will gain from your scholarship. Possible tasks can be personal and/or professional; and

b) list any possible constraints you think may prevent you from achieving these tasks.

Program = TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages)
2000 characters

a) First example is adopting and implementing the way Australian lectures teach the students who will become English teachers in the future. Second, conducting researches related to English teaching practice that aims to overcome the issues of English teaching and learning practice in Indonesia. In addition, I can have collaborations with my connections such as the other AAS awardees, lecturers and friends in the university where I am accepted.

b) One possible challenge is the support from the government and the institution where I teach that might not be as I expect. Another is the fact that the curriculum in Indonesia which constantly changes every time we have a new Minister of Education. The last is the facilities in the institution such as laboratory, library, multimedia equipment and journals that might not be adequate enough to support the teaching and learning process as well as research conduct.

Scholarship / Checking different internet articles to get information about AAS [2]

Scholarship: Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS)
Program: Master TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages)

Please describe the efforts you have undertaken so far to obtain information on your study options in Australia.

sources of my info

I have known AAS from articles by AAS awardees on the Internet and my lecturer. From the articles, I was led to visit AAS official website to obtain the form and complete information related to AAS. AAS website is really helpful to me. It provides a completely detailed information about anything that I must prepare to consider my study options in Australia. Some lecturers of mine have been awarded AAS and through them I found useful information about it.

I managed to get a copy of AAS information CD from AAS website and I also joined scholarship seminars and social media forums to find more information about the study in Australia.

I visited the universities' website and read the handbooks to find specific information about TESOL program that they offer especially the courses in it. I also visited their alumni's blog to learn about how everything works in the university and the study environment. Early this year, I visited an education fair hosted by IDP Education to learn more about the TESOL program offered by the universities.

Scholarship / Master TESOL - special subjects or skills that you would like to include in your choice? - AAS Essay [3]

Additional Information Essay for AAS

Program: Master TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages)

I would like to enroll in a CELTA or ICELT program to support my future career which might include training English teachers. It can help me equip myself with the latest, practical cutting-edge techniques and knowledge in English teaching for young learners, teenagers and adults. Since they are quite prestigious and exclusive, not many teachers have the opportunity to study them while the courses are crucial to help them understand how language works and how it is best taught to students.

In addition, I am willing to join a program that allows me to experience how English teaching to immigrants take place in Australia. It will provide me a better picture of English teaching with different settings and backgrounds such as religions, races and language barriers compared to the one that we have in my country. I hope by experiencing that, I can implement the effective ways of teaching English where the conditions are also challenging here in Indonesia. Similar to it, I am also eager to have an opportunity to observe the practice of English teaching in Australian schools. Any good points that will emerge will provide a great impact in my dissemination of the knowledge and skills to the teachers and lecturers in my country who I will be working with.

Next, one of the subjects that I am going to take is Supporting Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, the delivery of teaching does not include direct observation of the teaching and learning process to the students with autism disorder. It would be great if I have the chance to do it to support my experience in teaching and observing the students with such condition.

The last, I am willing to learn about the skills of managing a language school. Even though it is not compulsory for an English teacher, I feel that teachers need to have the knowledge and skills on it in order to run their schools smoothly. This knowledge is also crucial for those who are eager to start their own school and I am willing to be part of the people who shares it.