Training teachers - How the Program Fits Your Education and Future Plans, FLTA Essay

This essay is to apply FLTA (Foreign Language Teaching Assistant)

ORIGINAL PROMPT
Write a clear and detailed description of your objectives.
Give reasons for wanting to participate in the program.
Explain how the FLTA Program fits with your previous education/training and your future objectives.
Describe your future plans.
THIS STATEMENT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR APPLICATION.

Reasons for wanting to participate in the program.
I always remember what Stephen Krashen, a professor emeritus at the University of Southern California usually says in his lectures. There are two groups of language learners. The one supporting grammar argues that to master a foreign language, one must master the grammar rule before they can speak it. The other group believes that language is mastered by the process of acquisition. I believe in the latter concept and have been doing it during my career as an English teacher for more than four years at company z. I believe I can improve my techniques of applying the concept by teaching my native language Indonesian through FLTA program.

Teaching Indonesian to foreigners is not a new experience for me. During my undergraduate study in xxx University, I joined a program called CLS (Critical Language Scholarship). It was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the hosting institution was xxx University through its Indonesian for Speakers of other Languages. I made friends with some American students which I could use my skills to implement the teaching techniques of Indonesian. During the program, I was assigned as a peer tutor where I accompanied my student to practice his Indonesian. We practiced conversing in Indonesian after he finished his regular class in places such as malls and shops. Prior to CLS I also joined a similar program called In Country, where I was also a peer tutor to teach Indonesian to a Thai student. Both programs lasted for two months.

Besides teaching Indonesian, my teaching experience includes training teachers. At the moment, I am an active committee of an NGO named WKGM (Wong Kito Galo Mengajar). I have been an advisor as well as the head of curriculum in WKGM for more than a year. It is an organization which members are the volunteers from the students and tutors in English Village, East Java. We teach English to elementary school students whose school is in the heart of English Village. My duty is mostly providing micro teaching training to the volunteers. Most of them are not from English pedagogy program. We do micro teaching activities regularly on Friday evening before we teach the students on the following day, Saturday afternoon. I also work together with the other committee to improve the quality of our volunteers' English by communicating in English for every occasion. It helps them improve their English through natural acquisition. They are really excited and try their best in communicating. It also helps them to gain confidence in teaching their students.

How the FLTA Program fits with your previous education/training and your future objectives.
Based on my observation as a teacher at company z as well as my experience as a student at company z, native teachers tend to emphasize communication over explaining grammar rule which works well. This raises my curiosity and encourages me to sharpen my skills in teaching English by joining FLTA program. Through this program I wish to improve my English by living and studying in the US. I need more perspective related to the culture of the people so that I will not only teach the language but also share the way people in the US live to my students. I also seek to gain more English pedagogy knowledge by auditing some courses such as Psychology in Language Teaching and Teaching Grammar.

If I am accepted, I will actively involve in cultural events run by my host university and Indonesian Students Association or PPI. I am going to introduce Indonesian food, traditional games, culture and Javanese writing system called aksara Jawa. I will also introduce them in my classes so that my students will not only learn Indonesian but also gain a first hand experience of Indonesian culture.

Describe your future plans.
Upon my return, I will use my credentials from attending FLTA program to apply scholarships for a master's degree in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) since I need it to be a lecturer. I have decided to be a lecturer to have a bigger influence in spreading English teaching techniques as well as promoting study in the US to recent and future English teachers. I am experienced in teaching but I have limited theories and research literature related to English teaching. Pursuing a master's degree in TESOL will help me to cover these issues.

In addition, I want to help my community through education. I will start with an English education center where I can help the children in the community to access affordable yet quality English teaching. I also will be capable of helping young talents who seek information for scholarship abroad, especially to the US based on my experience applying FLTA program. I can guide them to fulfill the requirements for the scholarships with programs such as essay coaching and English training.

Dany, your reasons are too shallow when referenced in your writing and too generic overall. You do not indicate a clear passion for your work and an explanation of your academic and professional goals that would convince the reviewer that you have strong reasons to join this program. The reference to attending other related conferences takes up too much of the reasoning section, when it should not be present in this discussion at all. Think about the meaning of the quote you used to open the essay. That paragraph is an excellent starting point. Use the reason that you presented, about language acquisition as the basis of your reasons to participate in the program. Drop the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs. Build the response around the acquisition reason alone.

Move the 2nd-rd paragraph down to the training and education. Build a stronger future objective around those reasons. The current presentation is so unimpressive, it is isn't going to make any sort of impression on the reviewer. You need something that will tell the reviewer that you are trying to open a new avenue for foreign language education in your country. That would be more impressive and memorable to the reviewer.

The future plans are too common among language teachers. Try to develop a stronger plan. One that will clearly set a unique language education center or turn you into a cutting edge professional as soon as you graduate from the course. This is a good start, but it is a plan that all language teachers aspire for. You need a future plan that will set you apart from the other applicants.