The IH Certificate in Online Tutoring (IH COLT) focuses on training teachers in the techniques and approaches to online tutoring. The course has four modules covering everything you need to know and is delivered 100% online by our expert IH Online Teacher Training Institute tutors.
Tiago Abreu, a freelance EFL Tutor, took the course recently. Here, he tells us more about how the IH COLT helped him develop strategies to get the most out of the online learning environment.
Why did you decide to take the IH Certificate in Online Tutoring course with International House’s OTTI?
As a lot of learning has moved online, I joined the IH Online Teacher Training Institute for two reasons. One, I wanted to become more comfortable with teaching online – not only understanding the ‘hows’ but also the ‘whys’. This way I could get a better grasp of how to deliver an online class (synchronously or not), but also why certain strategies are used and others are not.
Two, I wanted to show prospective employers that I invested in my CPD, especially in a area which is now the mainstream of teaching.
How did you find the IH Certificate in Online Tutoring course content?
I went in thinking that it would be more tool focused. Sort of a ‘here’s this tool and how you can use it’, but that wasn’t really what the course was about. Which, really, turned out to be a good thing. Yes, it involved tools and how to use them, but the main thing about the course was developing strategies and getting you to think about how to best set up and execute classes in order to get the most out of an online environment.
All in all, it was excellent in terms of understanding the rationale behind setting up and running a class, with the added bonus that you did get to experiment with different tools.
What is the most valuable aspect of the IH Certificate in Online Tutoring course?
I think for me it was the chance to ask all the questions I wanted, experiment new things and get a lot of new ideas in a really welcoming and helpful environment.
I have to say, none of this would have been possible without the tutors, Emma Cresswell and Jen Dobson. They couldn’t have done a better job.
Would you recommend taking the IH Certificate in Online Tutoring course? If so, why?
Yes, definitely. It’s a good way to share ideas and strategies, try them out, try them out again, improve, get feedback on them from tutors and colleagues - all at a reasonable pace.
The next IH COLT course starts on Saturday 3rd July 2021 More information here.
