Experienced teachers and trainers from all over the state of Mexico gathered at the Escuela Normal de Atlacomulco for an academic skills course "Topics in TESOL" in order to prepare themselves for next year's M.A. TESOL course in San Diego, California.
The participants met over the course of four Saturdays (16 hours) in February and March to analyze and reflect upon academic articles in Second Language Acquisition, Methodology, Curriculum Development and Issues in Assessment. The goals of the course were to simulate the skills, topics and tasks implemented in American graduate TESOL programs.
The participants, as a whole, were extremely well-prepared and motivated as they actively discussed, presented and wrote about these very theoretical topics. Also impressive, was the way in which the participants applied their teaching experience to the theories they read about. 
Feedback from the course evaluations indicates that they enjoyed the group discussion and presentation activities the most. Many of them were most surprised by the enthusiasm and knowledge of their peers. Their favorite topic was far and away "Assessment" (when they evaluated their own tests for reliability, validity and practicality). "Methodology" and "Curriculum Development" were also quite popular. Their suggestions for improving the course are to include more listening and note-taking tasks and feedback on their work.
Despite the heavy reading load (including articles by Larsen-Freeman,Brown and Graves among others), the participants cite that the readings and the group discussions, which allowed them to share their insights, were the most helpful part of the course. 
Some notable participant products were their "Methodology" group presentations", the group mind maps of curriculums for imagined courses and their test evaluations and suggestions for alternative assessments.
The facilitator was extremely impressed with both their enthusiasm and professionalism.
The course ended with reflective essays on the learning experience and tacos to help digest all that reflection!
Good luck on the GRE and the rest of your preparation courses!
