Teaching

Practicum
Final Reflection Paper







Tony Abiera
Wheaton College Graduate School
INTR 613
Summer 2016

I. Introduction
As the summer comes to a close, I can hardly believe how much I have grown and
learned in just a few short months. Looking at myself now compared to the beginning of
summer, I am a completely different persona completely different teacher. Before my
practicum class and student teaching experience, I simply learned about teaching through
books, lectures and other assignments in the graduate school. However, now I have actually put
what I was learning in a controlled classroom environment to use in a real life situation.
As I entered this summer, I knew I would be challenged tremendously. I was quite
apprehensive about this practicum classwould I just be a horrible teacher? How would I
measure up to my classmates? Would I just hate teaching and regret all the time and money
spent over the course of the past year? All these big questions I was asking myself, which
revealed a bigger insecurity, pointed to one thingI wanted to know if this field of teaching
was really for me or not. You can learn everything perfectly from class, but its a whole other
thing to be an excellent practitioner in real life situations. As I entered this summer with
apprehensions, I also was filled with hope. I hoped that God would teach me many important
lesson about being rooted in him. I hoped that I would grow as a teacher. I even hoped that I
would be reaffirmed that this was the right direction for me. As you will read in this final
reflection paper, God did use this summer in many ways. And although it felt like I was being
thrown in the fire, sometimes thats the best way to learn.
After the week-long INTR 613 intensive on campus, I was assigned to work with Mary
Perley at College of DuPage for my student teaching. I was thankful to be matched up with
Mary since I had previously worked with her on a curriculum development project for the Pui

Tak center in Chicago. I was also thrilled to be assigned to College of DuPage as my internship
site. Overall, COD, has a great reputation (even for a community college), but I had also heard
great things about their adult education ESL program.
The first week and a half, I simply observed Marys class. The context was a level 6 adult
ESL class (level 6 is the intermediate level). On an average night, about 20 students showed up
for class. This group of students were very diverse: the majority were from Mexico, but others
were from India, Oman, Estonia, Vietnam, etc. COD uses the Ventures textbook series for their
adult ESL program, so their program goals and scope and sequence for their courses were
mostly based off of these textbooks. Mary and her sister had both taught this level before at
COD, so Mary was very helpful in giving me hints about using the textbook and effectively
teaching this set of students in her summer class. She also reminded me that the summer
semester is significantly shorted than the Fall and Spring.
II. Planning Dimension
After observing the class to get a feel for everyone, it was my turn to start preparing
lessons. This summer, I had already gotten extra practice writing lessons plans and doing
teaching simulations in front of my peers (I had also already written sample lesson plans for
other INTR courses as well). However, I found that there is a huge difference between creating
lesson plans for a hypothetical class and creating lesson plans for a real group of individuals. I
actually felt more comfortable and confident creating these lesson plans for these COD
students.
Student teachers (or even substitute teachers for that matter), have the difficult job of
establishing legitimacy among students. I knew I needed to establish some rapport and

relationship with my students from the beginning. Unfortunately, I knew that I wouldnt have
time to get to know all my students in-depth, so I thought I would flip it around. I chose to
spend the first 20 minutes of my first class time playing a fun ice breaker game. The students
were broken into two teams and each team had to decide whether a statement about me was
true of false. The students loved this game and I feel like it effectively accomplished the
purpose of building rapport and establishing legitimacy with my students.
In the planning dimension of writing lesson plans, I was actually surprised about how
much I stuck to the textbook. In past INTR classes, when I would write a lesson plan, I would
usually not base it off a textbook at all, but rather creatively come up with my own content. I
found that in the real world, it takes a lot of time and brain power to come up with creative and
new content apart from the textbook. Its not impossible, but it does take extra time. I also
learned that large ESL programs in the US are usually based heavily on textbook series, so it
actually would be a huge disadvantage to not use the textbook at all. Its also hard to know
exactly what activities work well with a specific class and which activities dont work well. I
hope to strike a better balance of using the textbook while at the same integrating new and
creative content to better meet the goals and objectives of the curriculum.
After a few nights of teaching, Mary made the comment that my lesson plans were
pretty spot-on in terms of timing. Although I was guessing an estimated time for each of the
activities in the lesson plan, most nights I was on schedule and able to do everything I wanted.
Also in regards to lesson plans, I still need to find a format that works well for me. As I
was in the classroom, I would often get lost on the page or forget what was next. My lesson
plans were very content heavy with a word-for-word script in some places. I hope that in the

future, when Im more confident with the content and a more seasoned teacher, I will not need
to include all the scripts and cumbersome descriptions in my lesson plan. Hopefully having a
purer and stripped down lesson plan in the future will help guide me more seamless through a
night of teaching.
III. Interactive Dimension
I absolutely enjoyed this class. It was a perfect first class to have as a student teacher in
my opinion. They were very friendly and engaging students. They seemed to enjoy the content
each night. They seemed committed and motivated to learn (which sometime can be a problem
in evening classes that are offered for free). I felt very natural in interacting with these
students, even though I was a new face and only around for a few weeks.
At the final conference, Mary made a point to encourage me in the area of student
interaction. She noticed that I really valued my students. Because I am a very personable
person, it was very natural for me to get to know these students quickly. I tried to be as
authentic and warm to my students, so that they would reciprocate that back to me. I was very
encouraged to hear this from MaryI always want to strive to value each and every one of my
students.
In the INTR 613 course, we talked a lot about learner-centered classrooms. Especially in
situations of being observed, it is hard to focus on being learner-centered. I often felt like I was
performing at times, especially when someone was observing me. I would forget that my main
focus should be on my students and on their learningnot a perfectly executed lesson.
After this short teaching experience, I am even more of a believer of a blend of formfocused instruction and communicative language instruction. Often, I would start with more

closed form-focused activities then end with more free and communicative activities to close.
Although interaction was much more apparent in the communicative activities, the formfocused activities were also necessary as a foundation for my students to successfully use the
language. Often, I would notice my students interacting less during the form-focused times.
However, they were just taking in the info to learn it for future use, which I think is just fine.
To be honest, it was challenging to interact with the class equally. There were some
students who were super eager to participate (and actually sometimes needed to be asked to
speak up less). There were also some students who didnt say a single word (or instead
communicate in his/her L1 with a neighbor). Since there was such a large range of proficiency
levels within my single class, it was difficult to really assess whether my students were
understanding the content to be able to move on. Sometimes, I would find myself really
doubting whether most of the students understood what I was teachingeven though the
more talkative and higher level students expressed that they were understanding. In the future,
I will need to fight this urge to neglect the few students who might be falling behind. Because if
I do that, to be frank, they will keep on getting further behind everyone else. I need to more
intentionally focus on those students to meet their needs. I can also use the more advanced
students to help me in this endeavor as well through group or pair work.
IV. Management Dimension
I learned a lot about classroom management in my student teaching. Even from my two
microteaching videos, I became more aware of small things I needed to change to be a more
effective and professional teacher in the future. When writing on the board, I need think about
how to effectively use the space so that students have no problem understanding what Im

trying to teach. I also need to make sure I dont speak into the white board, but rather engage
the class and keep eye contact with them. I also learned that I need at least 10 minutes (even
more is possible) to get myself settled in before the class begins. To better manage the
classroom, I like to have everything setup and ready to go before my students arrive. There
were a few nights when I felt rushed or unprepared, which led to less orderly classroom
management.
There were a few traumatizing circumstances with classroom management (that might
be too strong of a word to use here, but I wont forget these lessons for years to come). There
were a few communicative activities that really worked wellalmost too well! Although the
students were talking with each other and practicing what they had learned, it was a challenge
to get the students to stop communicating with each other. In these situations, I felt
completely out of control. I couldnt gather the class back together, people continued to talk
over my voice. Honestly, I bet they could have gone on talking all night. Since these students
werent children but adults, I couldnt use any juvenile techniques to get the class to stop
talking. For the future, a more authoritative tone is necessary for situations like this. As the
teacher, I have the authority to end an activity and gain everyones attentionI just need to
use that authority more effectively. Also, looking back, its not surprising that the loudest and
most talkative students were the ones causing this problem. In the future, I will need to call out
specific students names and ask them to finish up their last sentence. Also, I could have some
kind of clock or timer visible to everyone, so they know how much time is left. Something as
simple as that could probably solve this problem in the future.

This next point is kind of related to the interactive note above. But often, I would find
myself gravitating to certain students and not to others when moving around the classroom. In
managing the class as a whole, I need to remember to give equal attention and opportunities to
every student. Moving around the classroom periodically is important for me as a teacherit
helps me really view and see how well (or not well) my students are learning the content. In the
future, I need to remember to not stay in the front of the class all the time, which is in a sense
separates me from my students physically. I need to be connected with my students by
continually bridging the teacher-student gap. I hope this will make me look more approachable
to my studentsI dont want my students to hesitate to come to me.
I also learned a lot about managing errors from students. I was surprised by
encouragements in this area of my teaching. Sometimes I feel like its hard for me to be
gracious in correction. But my lead teacher said that my error correction was appropriate and
helpful in building up my students. I also regularly implemented self-repair or involved the rest
of the class in helping with correcting an error. This method of error correction is especially
helpful when there are sharp students who are able to offer the help readily.
Lastly, I gave one homework assignment for the weekend during my student teaching
days. Mary doesnt usually give homework to these students because they work full-time or
have families to care for outside of class. However, I assigned them a writing assignment
because that exact content was going to be on the final exam. I felt like I could have been more
authoritative in giving this assignment and reminding students that doing this homework is for
their benefit. On that next Monday, only about 60% of the class actually did the writing
assignment. In the future, I need to give clearer expectations for my students.

V. Classroom Climate Dimension

After observing my teaching for several days, Mary was very impressed by how engaged
students were throughout the whole class time. She noticed that students were really seeking
to learn through every activity. I think this high-level of student engagement led to a very ideal
learning climate. If a student wasnt engaged, he or she would be the odd one out. I tried to
make room for more pair work and group work, so the climate would be more collaborative
rather than individualistic. I also made it a point to get the students on their feet interacting
with people they didnt normally interact with. I felt like the class really got to know each other
better, which resulted in an environment where they were comfortable with each other.
Even though this was the case in general, I felt like at times, I could have exuded a more
energetic presence. Towards the end of the night, some students would get tired and lose high
energy levels. To fight this, I might need to implement activities that are more active and
engaging at strategic times of the night to keep energy levels up. I also could try to spread out
denser content and intersperse it with more digestible content. I also need to remember the
lives of my students outside of class. Many of these students work full-time and take these
night classes in addition. Some students even work the third-shift and are functioning on a
completely different day/night schedule. Either way, I need to be sensitive to not overload my
students, so that the climate of the classroom remains enjoyable and ideal for learning.
VI. Conclusion
In this paper, I have just begun to put into words all that I have learned through this
summer teaching practicum in INTR 613 and at College of DuPage in their adult ESL program.
There are so many other lessons that have been stored away in my journal and/or my brain for

further implementation when I teach again. As I walk away from this teaching experience, I am
feeling encouraged that I am on the right path. I enjoyed teaching more than I thought I would.
I loved engaging with and helping out my students, even though it was only for a few weeks.
And lastly, the thing I loved the most was the class picture we took at the end and then directly
afterwards, all the sincere thank yous and words of appreciation from my students. Really,
thats what its all abouthelping others.
I have learned so much about myselfeven things I would never be able to see myself,
but things that others see in me. In this class, my mentality has been this: its only up from
here! Since I am brand-new to this field of teaching, I know there will be many lessons to learn
and improvements to make along the way. But the more I am in the classroom and the more I
practice teaching in different contexts and with different levels, the more I will grow as an
ESL/EFL teacher. Excellent teachers are not made overnight, but rather developed over time. I
am so thankful for all that Ive learned this summer and I hope that I will take all these things to
heart and apply them for future teaching context, wherever that may be.

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