27/07/2026
Thanks to Mr. Ahmad Tawfeek and all the amazing group of teachers in round 27
I have been teaching English since *2002*, and throughout my career I have taken numerous professional development courses, including many highly reputable programs focused on teaching adults and upper-level learners. However, when I decided to deepen my knowledge of teaching young learners, I chose *Ms. Wafaa Muhammad's TEFL for Young Learners (YL)* course—and it was one of the best professional decisions I have made.
Every session has been incredibly valuable, consistently meeting—and often exceeding—my expectations. One session that particularly stood out was *Teaching Phonics*. It introduced me to the *Jolly Phonics* approach, which completely changed my perspective on teaching reading.
I was genuinely amazed when I applied what I had learned with a few private students. To my surprise, they began reading during the very first lesson—something I would never have expected using the traditional methods I had relied on in the past, even after ten lessons.
The phonics session was comparable to a university-level lecture in terms of its depth and quality, yet it remained highly practical and classroom-oriented. It equipped us with effective, ready-to-use strategies such as segmenting, blending, sound isolation, encoding, and decoding, all of which can be implemented immediately with young learners.
Thank you, Ms. Wafaa, for designing such an outstanding course. Your expertise, practical approach, and dedication have had a real impact on my teaching, and I highly recommend this course to any English teacher who wants to build a strong foundation in teaching young learners.
