Assessed Assignment 3
Lessons from the classroom
Honestly taking this course was one of the best things I have done in my life. It helped me to gain more knowledge about teaching English than I expected. In the previous four months I have been learning techniques and theories on how to teach English by observing other experienced teachers at school or via videos and doing teaching practice which helped me to identify my strengths and weaknesses.
The experience and knowledge I have acquired could be summarized in the following :
What I have learnt from observing:
The peer observations and the video observations helped me to see the theories and techniques that I have learnt from the core components in a real teaching practice.
Here are some of the useful points I have learnt from these observations:
• The activities, the classroom materials and the teacher personality which have a huge effect on the learners, so by using a variety of activities , smiling and setting a friendly atmosphere could improve the learners ability to learn.
• How to increase STT and decrease TTT.
• The importance of motivation to increase learners confidence.
• How to use CCQ to learners understanding.
• The important role of classroom management as giving clear instructions, the physical position of the teacher, seats and Maintaining discipline (especially with younger learners)
• The advantages and disadvantages of using authentic materials.
• How to use different approaches to teach a language item.
• How to convey the meaning of a language by using the deductive approach and the inductive approach.
• How to use different types of oral drills.
• The use of controlled practice activities to revise a language.
• How to deal with different learni...
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...Here are some of my strengths:
• I am able to make a good lesson plan with clear, organized and detailed cover page and procedures page.
• I can establish a good rapport with any new class quickly.
• I can manage groups effectively.
• I can motivate learners and respond to their questions well.
• I can show awareness of students as individuals as well as a group.
And here are the things that I need to work on:
• To be careful with timing by using less materials for my lesson and a timer to watch the time.
• To improve my error correction by writing the wrong sentences with some correct sentences and putting learners pairs to correct the wrong ones at the end of the lesson.
• To improve my delivery of instructions by saying the instructions before giving worksheets.
• To improve my pre-teaching of new vocabulary by using dictionaries and word building games.
As a teacher in training, I have very limited in-classroom experience and depend heavily on the expertise of professors as well as a variety of books and articles published on education. I am convinced that a learner centered approach to instruction is of fundamental importance and that it will inform most teaching decisions I will need to make to become an effective educator. Knowing as much about the students before school even begins will help structure the content material and guide the instruction methods. Along with this, knowing what the school provides in terms of environment and materials will help formulate a plan to give students every possible opportunity for achievement and success. Wong (2005) defines classroom management as “all of the things that a teacher does to organize students, space, time and materials so that student learning can take place” (p. 84).
My philosophy of classroom management is that the management of elementary classrooms require several things. Among patience, determination and motivation are: flexibility, careful planning and consistency. A well-managed classroom did not get well-managed without a teacher who planned, had a flexible vision and was determined. Any new teacher, who is asked, will say they want a classroom with as few behavioral problems as possible as well as one that is easily manageable. But any experienced teacher, who is asked, will tell those new teachers that classrooms do not come "well managed". They have to be made into well-managed classrooms. These experienced teachers would also encourage by saying that it is not easy, but that it is not impossible to have a manageable classrooms. On the other hand, they would be quick to add that all classrooms will have behavioral problems at some point or another. This is proven to be true to anyone who has been in an elementary classroom, whether they were a teacher, observer or a student themselves. But what teachers can take to comfort is that they can prepare themselves. The first thing that is needed is flexibility. Being able to evolve with changing needs is something teachers need to acquire quickly. Adaptability can make or break classroom climate. A teacher who is not flexible and wants things one way, will find themselves in a power struggle that will be hard to reverse. Also, the negativity will build up and make teaching unpleasant for the teacher and learning unpleasant for the students. Being able to "go with the flow" will help teachers tremendously. The second thing needed for classroom management is careful planning. Now this d...
Classroom management has the largest effect on student achievement, so students cannot learn in poorly managed classroom. Additionally, research has pointed out that the quality of teacher-student relationships is the main aspect of classroom management.(…2). Furthermore, when teachers set classroom management plan, the plan will give structure to everything from seating to lessons to grading to the relationship between students. Teachers should incorporate strategies for addressing student behavior into classroom
I believe Classroom Management is the main component in the educational setting. I believe if students are in a safe environment, then learning can take place. This doesn’t mean punishing behavior problems but rather a combination of setting the tone in a class, preventing behavior problems with interesting and engaging curriculums and effectively including all students in the classroom so that their needs are met. Having the right environment for all students to learn is my major goal of implementing good classroom management--without it the students would not be able to learn.
Likewise, the use of this peer observation will allow students to have an insight the techniques they are displaying that are improper and offer advice on how to correct these errors. The use of these learning theories and research based instructional strategies increases the probability of successful student learning within this instructional unit.
Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to children.
Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, Sinclair, C., Nanlohy, P. (2010). Learning for teaching: Teaching for learning. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning
This I Believe Philosophy statement will include my thoughts and beliefs about classroom management with comparison to other theorists’ models. The major theorists that will be mentioned are Barbara Coloroso, Linda Albert, and Lee & Marlene Canter. I highly agree with the Canter’s and Coloroso’s models of classroom management because it best fits my personality as an individual teacher. I believe that an affective classroom management plan is first practiced and then modeled for improvements. My ultimate goal for my Classroom Management Plan is to model self-discipline by teaching it through my daily actions so that students may be able to self-manage themselves accordingly.
For lesson planning purposes, what information do you need to know to help give you the greatest impact on instruction?
Predominant goal is having a classroom management and creating a safe learning environment. Learning how to manage a classroom successfully is a difficult task for teachers. The everyday concern of beginner teachers is classroom management. Beginners teachers report the weak classroom management skills and disruptive students are the most significance barriers to being a good teacher (Fideler & Haskelhorn, 1999). Teachers have blamed their lesson plans, preparation in their first years of teaching (Ladd, 2000; Monroe, Blackwell, & Pepper 2010). As a teacher, it is my desire to have my students to have a safe learning environment.
All in all, I felt that this lesson implementation was a good experience for me, I learned a lot from last semesters practicum, and feel more comfortable teaching the children while being observed and am able to manage the class much better, although I am still quite nervous, which is something that I will continue to work on.
In the process of completing this coursework, I have realised that every teacher should be all-rounded and equipped with adequate skills of educating others as well as self-learning. As a future educator, we need make sure that our knowledge is always up-to-date and applicable in the process of teaching and learning from time to time. With these skills, we will be able to improvise and improve the lesson and therefore boost the competency of pupils in the process of learning. In the process of planning a lesson, I have changed my perception on lesson planning from the student’s desk to the teacher’s desk. I have taken the responsibility as a teacher to plan a whole 60-minutes lesson with my group members. This coursework has given me an opportunity
Classroom management is the foundation of education at all levels. Optimal teaching and learning require an environment conducive to learning through structure, support, organization and guidelines. Classroom layout, routines and procedures as well as a carefully thought out discipline system are the core elements of my classroom management strategies. Lesson planning is also vitally important to ensuring engaged, motivated and on-task students, but even the most imaginative lesson plans can be ineffective in an unmanaged classroom. In my opinion, younger learners need more support and structure than the older students do, especially in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom where communication between the teacher and the students can be very
My time observing was not only educational for me on how to become the teacher I desire to be, but as well as how to better myself as a student and improve my own learning. I observed some wonderful learning tools that I have since implemented into my own education to develop my own learning.
Through classroom observation I was exposed to the different methods of teaching a lesson. The methods of teaching depends on how will the teacher execute the lesson well. I learned that modern learners today needs both modern and traditional way of teaching as for them to fully learned the lesson in a meaningful way.