Lessons_from_the_Classroom

Maurycy Lyczko, Assignment 4a Strenghts: 1. I have good communication skills (presentation, public speaking, class management, rapport etc.) I feel very comfortable speaking to the groups of people. Especially at the CELTA course I think that is a big trait, since some people tend to struggle with managing their stage fear, and therefore find it difficult to focus on their lesson and stage aims, they lose control of the class etc. As an example we can use my first two lessons, when I was able to control the class, give rather clear instructions and create a good rapport with the students. That does not mean that I think that the two lessons were perfect. I think however, that I have some solid basis for conducting the lessons smoothly. 2. I make use of the different teaching techniques effectively Whenever the tutors introduce one of the many teaching techniques, I try to implement them and use effectively in the classroom. It is clear that my effectiveness needs to be perfected by years of teaching practice, but I think that I have a good sense of what can be engaging to students, and what can convey meaning in a good way. In the lesson number two I had a big vocabulary focus slot at the beginning. The number of words and expressions was ten, so bigger than the proposed maximum (which, according to Dean Russel is 8). It made it important to keep the students interested and engaged in the process of presentation/eliciting/CCQs etc. I have used a wide variety of techniques, like association games, pictures, symbols, role-playing etc. that I believe was quite effective. I risked by opening the lesson with the role-play that was “unorthodox”, and I am glad I did, since I believe it was very effective, and I was able to see how my own ideas can be implemented in the classroom. I enjoy inventing methods that are original, since there is a small chance that the students have already encountered them in the past, thus making them more engaging. 3. My planning is logical, usually well-structured and timed My planning for the lessons was generally well graded, and described as logical and effective. The tutors gave me generally positive feedback on that point. I felt comfortable with my planning, and the associated time slots were rather accurate. I need to point out that the planning I made for lesson two was graded not to standard. Although it seems not to prove my previous point, I need to stress, that I made my plan lacking some knowledge and without some crucial information that was not given to me at the time. In other words, I would have made the plan to standard without any problem (since only some of the parts were missing or were not detailed enough), if I would have been conscious, that what I do is not to standard. I can hope that the rest of my planning will be at least to standard. Areas to work on 1. Extensive teacher talk In all feedbacks I have been instructed not to deviate from the core topic, and keep my instructions to minimum. 2. Poor understanding of grammar Although I use English effectively, I am often unaware of the rules that underline different forms. That make it a big handicap when it comes to teaching grammar (although by now I did not have a chance to try it in practice in a grammar focused lesson.) I cannot give a proper example from my lesson, but I have identified this problem during peer lessons. 3. Problem with phonetics I find it difficult to deal with problems with pronunciation, especially phonetics. Although I have very good pronunciation, I have troubles with phonetic alphabet, and occasionally I cannot explain the proper pronunciation. The first problem I have observed during the input. The latter, during one of my lessons, where I was unsure of the word “minority”. Techniques: 1. Extensive teacher talk. Idea 1: I will script my instructions to make sure I keep them to minimum Idea 2: I will observe other teachers, that tackle this problems better, and will observe my own performance, trying to control my teacher talk. Experience will be vital in correcting this mistake. 2. Poor understanding of grammar Idea 1: I will have to profoundly prepare any grammar lesson, to make sure that I will be able to understand it well enough to be able to teach it. I will have to make a good use of teacher aid books, like “Teaching English”, or “How English Works'”. Idea 2: I will use the proposed teaching techniques and aids presented at the CELTA course to design activities that will help the students understand and practice the grammar questions. With more practice as a teacher I believe that I will gain more confidence in this matter. 3. Problems with phonetics Idea 1: I will need to do some profound research and self-study to familiarize myself with the phonetic alphabet. Working with dictionary, phonemic chart and webpages that use the voice processors and recorded sounds connected to the symbols will be a big help. Idea 2: Observing peers and other teachers will help me understand how the phonetics work. More experience in teaching will give me confidence that I need to tackle students’ problems.