Written Assignment 4 - Lessons from the Classroom

This assignment is intended to assess your ability to identify the strengths and areas for
improvement in your own teaching and to draw implications for your development as a
teacher from observing others. Refer to your teaching practice, feedback from tutors and
peers, your own lesson evaluations, observations of peers and experienced teachers carried
out on the CELTA course and the Friday week 3 input session on professional development.

Simply type your reflections and action plans in continuous prose into the boxes below

Section A Your Teaching Strengths

Put yourself in the place of one of the students in your TP lessons. Try to see yourself as a teacher
from that students point of view, and write (in the third person) a description/evaluation of your
teaching, focusing both on specific aspects of your lessons (e.g. atmosphere, your personality, your
reactions to different students) and on the techniques that you have used which are used by many
teachers (e.g. pairwork). (50-70 words)

RC is a funny, friendly and helpful teacher. He makes students feel comfortable, tries hard to present
a lot of information really well in an easy way; but at times speaks quickly. His energy during
instruction can sometimes be challenging and theres a lot work to be done and thought about. Hes
great at making class flow quickly, clarifying occasionally and trying to get us to talk with different
speaking activities or pair work, and encouraging students to communicate in complete sentences
when elicited.

What do you feel are (or will be) the strengths of your own teaching? Refer to feedback from
your tutors, peers and students.

I believe that in this course training, above all, my greatest strength shown was
having great rapport with learners. In each class so far, I have been able to
Strength 1
interact in a constructive, engaging, and communicative way with students
encouraging them to speak better.
Examples Prove of this strength was my student interaction before/during/after class, fellow
from your teacher peer commentary, and meeting standard TPs 1-6 evaluations so far.
teaching
This strength is very important because students need to be modelled positive and
Why this is a constructive communication for their understanding of how language should be
strength and expressed. Many times learners will get into a habit of just giving answers to
why it is class participation thereby avoiding the importance of fluency and appropriacy
important in communication.

Strength 2 My second strength shown was planning/reaching stage/lesson aims and ordering
activities.
Throughout each lesson, I have managed organizational flow from one stage to
Examples
another with easily understood transitional phrasing informing students on what
from your
would happen next and often summarizing the class lesson. Evidence of this are in
teaching
TPs 1 to 5 evaluations and by peer observations.
 This strength is important for learners as well as a priority for teachers (Sokal,
Smith, & Mowat, 2003) because through classroom organization, lesson staging,
Why this is a
and instructional management; everyone will understand the progression and
strength and
their place in the cycle of interaction, learning, and responding. Students and
why it is
teachers need to clearly know the place/time for an evolving productive learning
important
class. Should there be no overarching class organization or pacing, then the class
experience would seem unstructured or unplanned failing everyone.

The third strength shown was awareness of the student needs, learners styles,
Strength 3 background, and oral abilities.

Despite students fitting into general level groups, Ive noticed student differences
Examples
and managed to apply diverse communication approaches to students trying to
from your
enable them to communicate better. Evidence of this can be noted on my TPs 1-5
teaching
evaluations.
One often overlooked critical factor in the learning process is truly understanding
Why this is a the learner. Instructors need to know what the student capabilities are and what
strength and they should learn for their interest. This is important because teachers should
why it is provide the right solution to the situation, otherwise a lesson and the time will
important seem pointless for all. Instruction needs be measured to student ability and above,
for effective learning according to Stephen Krashens input hypothesis or i+1.

Section B Areas of Continued Development

What do you feel are the areas for improvement at the moment and how do you think they can
be overcome? Refer to feedback from your tutors, peers and students.

Area 1 Presenting an effective analysis of the MFP

Examples In TP 4 and 5 evaluations, my tutor noted a below standard mark for not
from your adequately analysing the MFP in those lessons. In addition, being a native
teaching speaker, I dont feel that it is my strongest ability is remembering grammar well.

Why this is It is important to help learners with meaning, foundational, pronunciation

an area for language understanding in which my elementary group level needed, yet also
development helpful to higher levels as well. If I develop my analysis of MFP better, then
and how can students would benefit by increasing their understanding of language formation
developing ie. Sentence structure, along with meaning/pronunciation.
benefit the
learners?
I will continue to develop in this area in two ways. First, I will continue to put more
Specific ways effort in understanding grammar by reading further the Practical English Usage
you can book by Michael Swan since it outlines grammar structures easily. Second, I will
develop this adopt the guided discovery approach to continue to build my understanding of
area critical aspects of teaching the MFP.

Area 2 Giving more specific instructions for task/activities

 Examples In 3 out of 6 teacher practice lessons, my tutor and peers commented in the post
from your TP observation discussion period, and I also felt that my instructions were
teaching repetitive, imprecise, and rushed.

Why this is This is an important area for development because it can avoid confusion,
an area for ambiguity, and lost time as students do a task or activity. By working on this,
development students will benefit by increasing their opportunity to focus on learning and
and how can minimizing the teacher talking time.
developing
benefit the
learners?
There are two ways to improving my instructional message. First, I will take the
Specific ways tutor advice of pre-scripting wording within the lesson planning materials. Second,
you can I will need to do added revising/practicing to reduce wordiness and finding the
develop this most succinct form of communicating an instruction.
area

Area 3 Reducing the teacher talking time

Examples A personal challenge for me stemming from my previous teacher experience has
from your been to reduce my teacher talking time and it has been streamline but I could do
teaching better.

Why this is This is an important area for development because the classroom needs to be
an area for student-centred providing an environment for students to talk more than the
development teacher. By reducing teacher talking time, students will have a greater
and how can opportunity to speak and be more engaged than just passively listening to a
developing teacher.
benefit the
learners?
I will continue to reduce teacher talking time by being aware of and minimizing my
Specific ways communication in general comments, giving directions, eliciting more responses
you can from students, and involving more pair work for feedback.
develop this
area

Section C Peer Observations and Application to your own Teaching

What strengths have you noticed in your peers teaching that you would like to emulate? What
things do you remember from the observations of your trainers or other experienced teachers
that you would like to incorporate into your own teaching? Refer to specific peers and lessons.

Teacher 1 and
Sini was highly effective at clarifying the MFP in a grammar class
strength
Sini successfully clarified the MFP in TP#3 where she was precise in her
Specific
explanation, giving clear instructions, and demonstrating tasks which I believe
techniques
made it easy for students to understand logically, follow her tasks, and learn the
employed
subject matter.
 Why you
would like to I would like to incorporate the above techniques because they are areas for my
incorporate development as I need to improve handling the MFP better and reducing my
this into your teacher talking time.
teaching

Teacher 2 and
Kamila was great with the instructional cycle before tasks or activities
strength

Specific Kamila showed efficiently communicated instructions for different tasks and
techniques activities so students understand exactly what they should do and how to do it.
employed She outlined information and then gave a time limit, then doing feedback with
pairs and finally eliciting to get student responses.
Why you
would like to I would like to incorporate these abilities into my teaching because it would help
incorporate to reduce my teacher talking time and have a more student-centred class
this into your providing more students the opportunity to talk, understand, and avoid wasteful
teaching of repeating teacher instruction.

Tutor or
Experienced Tutors strength were demonstrating class instruction.
Teacher
strength
Gary and Zozo both have demonstrated meticulous completion of CELTA class
Specific format and practices by using the following techniques, student-centred
techniques teaching, appropriate use of the gist, clarifying, instructional cycle, guided
employed discovery task, controlled practice, notice task, lesson planning, along with
various frameworks for receptive and productive teaching.
I would like to incorporate many of the techniques demonstrated by Gary and
Why you
Zozo for two reasons. First, for the benefit of the student, they would allow for a
would like to
better class instruction focused on a student-centred approach to teaching and
incorporate
making the class instruction more communicative. Secondly, as a teacher by
this into your
adopting those techniques, it would it enhance my teaching skills enabling a
teaching
better performance as an professional educator.

Section D Post-
Post-CELTA Professional Development Action Plan

Create an action plan for your overall professional development after the course. Say what youd
Iike to achieve and how you intend to develop your knowledge, skills, and career after the course.
Be specific here and do not repeat point points from Section B.

I would like to increase my knowledge of phonology because it is important to

Area for the future population of English learners that I will be teaching. Since I will
development 1 be working in China and they have a strong need to get help with
and why pronunciation issues because of their L1 interference, I believe knowing more
about phonology can make me more successful to helping this language issue.
 In order to develop in this area in the short term, I will review my past notes of
phonology covered in class and in the book Learning Teaching by Jim
Scrivener chapter 11 to get a working understanding of phonology aspects.
How you will
While on the long term, I will read the Book of Pronunciation by Jonathan
develop this area
Marks and Tim Bowen because it appears to provide practical usage methods
in the classroom benefiting my background knowledge and direct help to
learners.

Area for I would like to improve my knowledge of grammar errors because it is

development 2 important for my understanding of and how I can deal with or explain
and why grammar issues to students.

In order to develop in this area, I will need to take the time to periodically
review online sources from Cambridge, review the Practical English Usage
How you will
book by Michael Swann and purchase the ABC of Common Grammatical
develop this area
Errors book by Nigel Turton. Perhaps in the long term, I could take a grammar
refresher course IH.

Area for I would like to improve my knowledge of classroom management issues

development 3 because it is important for me as educator in the classroom to help me be a
and why better facilitator and organizer of class instruction.

In order to develop in this area, I will purchase the book Classroom

How you will Management Techniques by Jim Scrivener because as a beginner teacher
develop this area knowing a standard of classroom management practices would be highly
beneficial.

Bibliography

Jonathan Marks and Tim Bowen. (2012) The Book of Pronunciation. DTDS
Jim Scrivener (2011). Learning Teaching. Macmillan.
Jim Scrivener (2011). Classroom Management Techniques. Macmillan.
Michael Swan (2005). Practical English Usage. Oxford.
Nigel Turton (1995). ABC of Common Grammatical Errors. Macmillan.