Thailand
Workshop Title: SWBAT (student will be able to..)
(471 words)
After the workshop, please take a few minutes to jot down any ideas, teaching tips or techniques, etc that were covered, and which you felt were useful to you. How was the content of the workshop relevant to the courses that you teach? What did you gain from attending this session?
The main point I got from this workshop was about having objectives in my lessons. If I do not have objectives, and objectives that I want the students to achieve the lesson does not really have a flow and a definite conclusion. Sometimes a teacher can go through the exercise book and feel they have achieved their quota of the language learning book but has not really focused on the students achieving a goal for that lesson which is to be using the vocabulary, grammar and language speaking associated with that lesson.
I think what I got from this workshop was to be more focused on the students’ needs, their use of English language and achieving goals. The workshop made me think more about the book I use. I recognized more how the Interchange book is structured into cycles. This is that the students have a snapshot, conversation, grammar focus, and listening to assist them with their learning and thus at the end of the cycle, it should give them a freer practice to make sure they can use their newly acquired English language.
For myself, I try to get as much as I can out of each English language lesson I teach. With the information I have been given by the workshop host, I see our team of teachers are finding their way to the end of a cycle. However, there may be a question about objectives being reached for each student. I think from what the workshop talked about is that teachers should try to focus more on students’ objectives. This is the acronym SWBATs. The crux of the workshop was Students Will Be Able To’.
I think SWBAT is a focal point for me. I should be able at the end of the cycle in the book as well as the end of each lesson be able to see and hear the students using the grammar and vocabulary which I have been teaching them, hopefully without major problems. I need to know that each student knew their objectives at the start, worked through the class and hopefully achieved them by the end.
To conclude, what I took from the workshop was that teachers should remember to focus on their objectives while giving students objectives, so in the end there is a purpose to the lesson and a feeling of achievement. Thus, all students will achieve their goal of ‘students will be able to’. and teacher will be asking each other, ‘what are your SWBATs for today’s class?
Reflection on a Lesson
New Interchange Student Book Activity: Imagining a different past
1. What specific class were you teaching?
I was teaching a level 8 class. The specific grammar point that I was teaching was ‘imagining a different past’. This was done by using the verb structure ‘I would have + past participle’ and ‘you should have + past participle’. There were 10 students in the class and their English was good. They were mostly older students with two young boys about 16 years old. Two or three of the students were a bit talkative.
2. What exactly was being taught?
(What was your teaching goal or objective?)
My teaching goal was to have the students talking about various situations and then imagining these situations from another perspective. This meant they had to imagine a different past. The objectives were to use certain grammar which showed they were imagining or trying to change the past.
3. Describe the environment and setting you were in.
(When and where did the event occur? To what extent did the setting contribute to the success or less successful lesson?)
This class was on a Tuesday evening in a rectangle shaped room with windows on the shorter walls. There was a long whiteboard along one longer wall and the students sat along the other wall. The classrooms are a bit of a funny shape and there was not much to see from the windows, a car park one side and toilets from the other. I would say it is not the most relaxing situation/place. To add to this the air conditioning was broken so the students were very hot. I think the students were not so bothered about the classroom but were annoyed with the air conditioning. For myself, I was aware that the students kept talking about the temperature and this kept taking their minds off the lesson.
4. How was the material actually presented?
(What was actually done, how was it done, and why is it interpreted as successful?)
The material was presented in a more grammar based lesson. The students had to understand the structure and also understand that they were imagining different past. This was a past that did not happen. For this, I had to do a lot of concept checking questions. I gave them a lot of examples and made them give me a lot also. This made way for a lot time to help them with their grammar. I gave them a few sheets where they had to fill in the gaps. I certainly gave them enough information to formulate an idea on changing the past. At the end, I gave them a story about a shipwrecked man and they had to explain what he did wrong. This gave them a freer practice. At this time I recognized how well they had demonstrated their knowledge of the lesson.
5. How did you, the instructor, know whether students had learned the material to the expected level of performance? How did the students know?
(How was achievement tested/evaluated/ assessed and measured against the goal?)
I did an exercise at the end of the class and got them to figure out a problem that I set. It was about a man who had got lost at sea and found himself on a desert island. A group of students starting writing in the present and I said to them that we were imagining a different past. Once I said this they understood and started writing as they were supposed to. I did not need to tell them more. I looked at their sentences and apart from some little grammar points it was fine. They also asked me for some clarification which was only to say that is fine. I went around each group and highlighted the points are noticed were not easy to understand. The students gave me some bright answers.
6. What did you learn as a teaching instructor from this experience?
(Why does this particular example stand out in your memory?)
I learnt that students can appreciate grammar if it is done correctly. I feel this was a grammar lesson and they were asking a lot of question for clarification. I was pleased I asked a lot of concept checking questions. This I felt gave the students the idea to ask me for clarification. There was also the case of the students being able to say the words together for example ‘you shouldn’t have done that’. For English speaking people, this can roll off the tongue but for my students it was hard. I was pleased I helped them in this respect.
7. Is there a “big lesson” here or a general principle about effective teaching and learning that your example illustrates? Can you summarize it?
(How would you explain this insight to a new instructor who is not in your discipline?)
I would say that students need to be tested. They also need lots of examples for clarification. They also need to be heard, not only speaking but also speaking the target language.
8. What did you like about he lesson (and WHY?)
I like the way that I got the objective of the lesson over. I did a lot of concept checking questions that nearly all the students answered correctly. This made me move on with the lesson at a certain pace. I felt I kept them busy.
9. How would you change the lesson (and WHY?)
There were two students in the class who loved to talk. Even though it is good to talk English in class, these students were taking valuable time of my lesson and handing the other students less time to understand fully what the lesson was about.
I have to agree with one of the points Barry raised in our meeting which was asking students randomly for answers. I asked them in a line at times, this made some switch off and not listen. I have since tried asking random students other lessons and seen the benefit of doing it this way. I must agree that it keeps the students on their toes and lets the students realize that it could be them next which means they should be prepared.
10. What I would do differently next time?
I would change the final use stage as I felt it only made them create sentences not actually talking. The students got up and said their sentences which were fine as they were but this did not lead onto to any further discussion. I feel as though the use stage should allow the students to comment on other students’ work which can lead to the other students commenting further. I would have liked to have them comment on the other group’s ideas. I could have written up a form for them to write the other group’s ideas. I think also a role-play where you have an agony aunt ‘phone in’ that people discuss their problems could have been better. I mean everyone has something to say about people’s problems.
SIT TESOL Certificate Course
Lesson from the Classroom
Essay #3
(1193 words)
I would first like to say that I have enjoyed this last month immensely while learning a great deal of new material. I feel as though I have further recognized, with the help of the SIT course, what the teacher’s role is in the class, as much as the student’s role. I have learned not only about the teaching side, but also the manner/presence of the teacher in the classroom.
I have taught four-practice lessons so far since starting the course, and I have been trying to become more student-centered while challenging them also. I am more aware now that in the class everyone is equal. I am also aware that the teacher is there to help the students and to facilitate their learning and not lecture. This is why I have tried to focus on each student and recognize the weaker ones. There are various levels of students in the class and also different characters. I realize after doing this course to value every one of them.
I have also valued constructed criticism. One issue in mind was my voice and my delivery of speech during class. During some practice lessons, I have modeled some stories in the class and they have become a bit disjointed, by this I mean incomplete sentences. I am glad the instructors recognized this in me and I think I have tried dealing with it but I would still like to continue to work on it. Likewise, I am pleased that there were a lot of positive points from the instructors, namely my strengths in eliciting questions, answers, and information from the students as well as getting a more student-centered class. I feel as though my fourth practice teaching gave me this experience to adapt to what I had been taught. One case in point is, I had the students in two groups, then four groups, and then pairs all the time monitoring and eliciting. I think this made for a great lesson as long as there was a purpose to do this.
I also watched some of my peers from the course that gave me a great insight into what it is like to be a new ESL teacher. Some of the teachers, because they were absolute beginners, showed some telltale signs of teaching infancy, which was interesting and fascinating to watch. The best example would be talking too much during the class. I guess even more experienced teachers can still fall into that habit. But all the same, it makes a new teacher think that they may do it without thinking.
I think this course has made me see both sides of the classroom from the teachers’ and the students’ perspectives. I have definitely become more aware of how much effort and time the students need to put into a class to get any benefit out. I would like to use my German class as an example. I was an absolute beginner and found the lesson a little challenging. It made me think about how the students in my English class must feel. We have had many practice lessons like the German class where we (SIT Students) had lessons given to us (sometimes as imaginary students). One thing, I took from these was that they were interesting and kept me attentive. It made me feel that if the teacher loses the students’ interest the lesson is so much harder. I think that keeping the students’ interests includes recognizing their learning styles as well. For example, I am the sort of student who likes learning by doing. I cannot sit for long periods. I think Thai students are a bit like this as I have found if there is a game in the lesson, they love moving about. I remember one of Anna’s lessons. She had some slips of paper on her desk at the front. Two groups had to come up to the desk one from each group at a time and take a slip of paper. They then had to take it back to their group and read it out and try and guess the movie. This kinesthetic activity got the students excited and maybe more prone to learning. I think it worked well and showed how some students prefer learning. This is why it was interesting having these practice lessons because we could find out about students’ learning. The classes for the practice session I found were very mixed. We had students from many backgrounds. There were people from Korea, Japan, and Mexico. All of them had their reasons for studying English. It made for a range of styles and backgrounds to work on which I think is very helpful, especially for new teachers.
I have found over the course that I have come to focus more on being a facilitator to the students. I have started concentrating more on my lessons and what the students will get out of my teaching. I feel as though I want every lesson for the students to leave with knowing that bit more than they did before. I have also come to believe that the students need challenges. I think the students like that and anything less would not be just. I saw one lesson by another peer in our group whose delivery was excellent with added humor. I felt he had prepared and wanted to teach us (students for his lesson). It made me realize that if the students recognize that you are serious they will be as well.
I think also the ESL instructors have shown that they can make a hard job look easy. One trainer actually gave a lesson on how to give instructions. After the lesson, I realized that some teachers make their jobs so much harder by talking too much. Furthermore, I have come to realize that the teacher must do their job, but it is the students who need the practice in speaking not you, the teacher. I believe clear instructions that are based on an interesting lesson that challenges the students will work. I also have liked the feedback session. There have been times when I thought things did not go very well but the instructors always remained very positive. I think it made me think that there are always more positives than negatives and if anything you should just be constructive. Most of the practice lessons I saw, mine included, needed some work on but the feedback was always positive and constructive. Even things that didn’t go well can be positive as long as the teacher learns from the experience.
The question I am left with is where do I find more information to continue where I left off. This course has sent me on the right path. It has given more a lot of information that has expanded my teaching knowledge. It is now my goal to continue this. First of all, I would like to keep everything fresh in my mind so this means continuing to read books and articles because I am sure I can refer back to this course. I would also like in the future to be more fully qualified in teaching.
SIT TESOL Course – Reflection on an Article
Giving and Receiving Feedback – It Will Never Be Easy But It Can Be Better By Larry Potter
(612 words)
This is a commendable article for me as I think at times I recognise that it is hard to receive and give feedback. It could be said that most people’s feedback skills could be said to need a little practice. I think this is important because as a teacher you will need feedback from your students to tell you if they enjoyed and comprehended your teaching. Also, the students will want feedback on their learning. Each will need a positive, constructive base.
After reading the article, my first reaction is to think of myself who usually goes on the defensive when given feedback. The defensive, I mean that you are not really listening to the person giving the feedback. Larry Potter alludes to this point; he defines feedback as ‘information that can be heard by the receiver as evidence by the fact that he/she does not go on the defensive’. I agree with Larry Potter that feedback has ‘great value’ but only ‘to us if we can let the feedback in and effectively use the information’. I do like this sort of article because I can identify with points in the article that coincide with myself. An example would be when Larry describes Ineffective feedback as ‘judgmental statements’. I think I can give judgmental statements and upset people. I recently said a teacher was talking too much in class but forgot to look at the students who were okay with his talking. Other people said this is only level 2, the students do not talk much. I felt a bit bad for talking about the teacher. I think maybe I was too opinionated. Also, I think I get feedback a lot but may not use the experience, as I should. Maybe I think they are just making a comment and I don’t really ask them such questions as ‘Why’? ‘What do you think is better?’ I think after reading this article on feedback for future actions I should take time to realize that I could be wrong and that I should take in the information (feedback) that has been given. I think I should ask for clarification and realize that it is not a battle and the comment is to help and I should reply with what I think. Thus hopefully getting a discussion going.
The information that is given in the feedback can be ‘shut out’ as Larry Potter says. We ‘lack the skills to send and receive feedback’. I agree with this point as I had a situation the other day. I thought of a lesson plan and mentioned it to a teacher and basically, I was told that it was wrong because the lesson wasn’t student-centered thus in the lesson plan the teacher would speak more which he or she is not supposed to do. The problem with me was I had thought about this lesson for a long time and had it planned. Now my first reaction when I was told it was wrong was to get a little angry, I felt as though it was an attack against me. Maybe I felt as though I was not good enough, my ideas were not good enough. So I felt a bit sorry for myself. I think the best idea would be to say ‘shall I forget about that lesson plan’, and if she said ‘yes’, say to her ‘what do you think then? I could have asked her why she thought is wrong and what ideas I should think of. I think I should have got to the bottom of my thinking as I might think up another lesson plan like this and have the same trouble again.
