Cristina Santos
My name is Cristina Santos and I am a full-time teacher in a private academy in Córdoba, Spain. I have more than 7 years’ experience in the field. My learners range from very young learners aged 6-7 years old, to adults - with ability levels between CEFR levels A1 to C1.
Having taken the Trinity CertTESOL qualification, I was eager to continue my professional development in a more independent way, but with the same great guidance provided by the same tutors who taught me for my CertTESOL.
I believe professional development opportunities should always be welcomed, because as teachers, we must have an open mind when it comes to learning and revisiting our knowledge and our approaches to learning and teaching.
I liked that the new Trinity CertPT allows for autonomous participation, which is essential for working teachers, especially if we are already in full-time teaching roles. It allows for a more flexible working schedule with plenty of time for reflection and self-study. The planning of the training sessions by my course provider was excellent, with the appropriate amount of theoretical background to help us understand strategies and practices. The schedule also provided participants with the necessary amount of reflection time to develop assignments and was backed up by several synchronous group meetings (via videocall) where the training sessions were reviewed. This approach also gave us time to raise any questions we had from the sessions with the tutors. It also provided a great opportunity to share ideas and thoughts that came out from our personal study.
The timing for study is quite flexible, but there are also deadlines. So, I’d recommend planning your time with your working week, so that the online units and content doesn’t pile up. That way you can make the most of the course and have time to ‘digest’ the content.
