I observed
a lesson in an English class of eleven to twelve-year-olds and it was very
interesting to see the differences in teaching style than what I am accustomed
to. The teacher began the lesson explaining what they were going to go over
during the class. Then, the kids completed two grammar activities in their
workbooks individually. Collaboration was not encouraged because the classroom is
set up with desks in single file lines with space in between each of them and
because she asked them to work individually. This method makes sure that all
students are attempting the exercises and not just copying from other students,
but it also prevents struggling students from receiving help from others.
Once the
students had finished the exercises, the teacher called on students down the
line to give their answers. After each response, the teacher either explained
the reasoning behind the answer, asked a follow-up question about vocabulary
related or discussed other grammatical aspects related to the question. This
method of calling on students in a line is good to ensure that everyone has an
opportunity to participate, including the struggling students, so that the
teacher can monitor understanding better. However, it can also put students on
the spot and make them feel uncomfortable.
From what I
saw, the teaching methods were much more teacher and book-oriented with little
collaboration. The teacher taught directly out of the book and while she did
elaborate a little it was still very book-centered. This combined with the lack
of collaboration may contribute to one of the largest challenges I saw in the
classroom: difficulty keeping the attention of the students. There were a few
students who were often whispering amongst themselves or not doing the
activities when they should have been.
While my
CT’s teaching methods are somewhat different from what I have seen I have
learned a lot and have had the opportunity to consider the benefits of teaching
methods that I have never really considered before.
Sarah, it was very interesting to read about your experience with this English lesson. I agree that it sounds different from the lessons I have experienced in America and from what we are taught in our methods classes. I actually ran into a similar style of teaching when observing English lessons in Austria. What I found to be the reason for this style of teaching was that the teacher was not very confident or comfortable with English. Because the teacher themselves did not have much experience with English, they did not feel comfortable deviating from the book or creating creative lesson plans. Do you think this could have been a factor in your classroom? This is why I think we, as native English speakers, are so valuable to our schools. Having a native speaker teach English makes such a big difference in the classroom, especially when the teacher is not to confident with English themselves.
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