{"id":4276,"date":"2022-07-01T09:44:42","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T08:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.alison.com\/?p=4276"},"modified":"2023-05-03T12:02:30","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T11:02:30","slug":"alison-learner-spotlight-judy-griffiths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/alison-learner-spotlight-judy-griffiths","title":{"rendered":"Alison Learner Spotlight: Judy Griffiths"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We have often heard how education is the key that can unlock your future and change the world. Teachers can open the door for you, but it is up to you as a learner to enter by yourself. To do this, you need a teacher that will not only instruct them on the material, but draw out their potential, ignite their fire to learn and make learning interesting.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This month, we\u2019re shining our Alison Learner Spotlight on Judy Griffiths, a passionate and invested online English teacher. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She spoke of her desire to continue learning and impart her knowledge on her students and how her learnings have enriched her teaching methods. This is her story.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What is your current role?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I work as an ESL teacher &#8211; teaching English to foreign learners. I also run a small tutoring company. I primarily teach and tutor children between grade 1 and grade 7.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How did you find out about Alison?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have always had a great love for academics and was searching online for courses that would enhance my skills and qualifications. A Google search on online courses led me to Alison.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What made you choose to study with Alison?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I read that there are online courses and certificates available and I could join millions of graduates. Those who know me, know that I love studying short courses and of course, especially for free. I was drawn to the portal and the structure, the way Alison has set out its modules &#8211; each with a preview of what the course is about and it also has assessments. All of this for free.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What courses did you do?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am doing a total of seven (7) courses at the moment and have completed two. I have a Diploma in Basic English Grammar and I have a certificate in Grammar and Vocabulary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How much time per week did you spend studying?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I came across Alison at the beginning of the pandemic and being at home, I found I had a lot of time on my hands. I approached my studying like proper school, so everyday, Monday to Friday. Now however, I dedicate 2 hours daily, 3 times a week.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How did the courses you completed prepare and help you in your career?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For me, \u2018help\u2019 is a soft word. \u201cEnabling\u201d is a great one because Alison enabled me to have confidence. Alison carries a philosophy in that they don\u2019t just teach you theory. You have interactive videos that put into practicality. You have assessments and comprehension check questions that monitor how much of the content you comprehend and thus building your confidence. This all enabled me to start my own tutoring company because the course equipped me and ensured I was fully competent for my career.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What skills or knowledge did you learn throughout the programme that you found most useful in your career?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because Alison doesn\u2019t just teach theory, but gives you practical examples you can apply to your everyday life, I remembered one such illustration of behaviourism of a child in class and the reinforcements that come with other kids&#8217; reactions. I am able to understand and apply my knowledge in my teaching, understanding my kids and also how to help them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Did you experience any challenges while completing the course?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first challenge was time management. The second was data -it\u2019s a bit expensive in South Africa, but it\u2019s manageable now and I have dedicated set times and specific amounts to my studies. Apart from these, no other challenges because Alison courses are simplified and for the lay-man like myself- it\u2019s not difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Are there any other courses you\u2019d like to study through Alison?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many courses I want to do. There\u2019s a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/english-for-business-and-entrepreneurship\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">business English course<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> focused on entrepreneurship, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/diploma-in-educational-psychology-revised-2017\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diploma in Educational Psychology<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and one that is really close to my heart is the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/course\/diploma-in-special-needs\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diploma in Special Needs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What advice can you give to prospective Alison learners?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First and foremost, take your courses seriously, as if you are walking into Harvard or another recognised institution. Alison is no exception. Plan your time well. Take your courses and assessments seriously and just because it\u2019s free, it doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn\u2019t put in the effort. Alison is there to teach and empower you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How do you stay motivated during studying?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the core of it, I had to remind myself why I am studying and what am I studying for. I am doing it to enhance my skills. When I remembered that, l was good to go. Whatever fell into my lap, I was able to do it because I knew the reason I was doing it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we ended our enlightening conversation, she reiterated that we don\u2019t get a lot of things for free, things that are good and will help you. \u201cMake use of Alison. It\u2019s there for you and it\u2019s for free. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judy\u2019s passion for teaching and learning is contagious. She is the type of teacher every student dreams of. One who sees them and wants them to learn, grow, improve and enjoy the process. Alison is great. It\u2019s professional and is like a tertiary institution that is renowned\u00a0 and well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re interested in pursuing an online teaching career like Judy and don\u2019t know where to start, you can begin by taking our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/alison.com\/hubs\/english-test\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">English test<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to assess your level, and then explore our various TEFL courses and guide <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.alison.com\/your-tefl-guide-to-the-world\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and bring the world to your classroom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if you\u2019d like to share your Alison success story with other students, comment below and who knows, we could shine our learner spotlight on you next.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We have often heard how education is the key that can unlock your future and change the world. Teachers can open the door for you, but it is up to you as a learner to enter by yourself. To do this, you need a teacher that will not only instruct them on the material, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":4277,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[168],"class_list":["post-4276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate","tag-graduate","match-height"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Judy-Carol-Griffiths-blog_header.png","featured_category":"Unlock Your Potential: Learner Success Stories","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4276"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4911,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4276\/revisions\/4911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alison.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}