Month: February 2021 Page 1 of 2

The following reflections are based on the observations of Japanese students from Sapporo High School, Japan. There was 1 male teacher leading the class of approximately 10 students. I could relate this session to the Silent Way Method. Class setting was traditional, it was a teacher-fronted class. Teacher was particular about the starting & ending time of class, signifying the relevance of following a time schedule in a school.

Reflections

To begin with, teacher came to the class to give information about ‘Ways to improve English’. Interestingly, teacher wrote his name in English as well as in Japanese. He then cracked 2-3 jokes, I liked this act as it is helpful in creating a good & light environment.

Teacher gave a topic for discussion, students are seated in a group & he then silently observes the students. Students are relatively quiet and seemed confused. However, after a while they start talking & they write as well. This emphasized covering the LS skills here. I saw value in following the silent way method here, students learn to become self-reliant after a brief spell of confusion. All 4 skills were emphasized in the class.

Teacher then gives a story to read, students are relatively quiet but the teacher asks funny questions in between. I appreciate that as it makes students laugh.

Students are asked to read & underline the answers (ways to improve English), plus write a para in the end. Furthermore, there is complete silence in the class for approximately 5-7 minutes. During this period teacher is silently strolling in the class. Surprisingly, students do not notice that another person came and took the round of the class while teacher was at standing at the end of the class. Thereafter, teacher wrote something on the blackboard which students notice, they discuss what’s written and teacher guides how to attempt the last paragraph, then he is silent. Students work independently for some more time, they keep looking at the blackboard while writing. Meanwhile, the teacher is silently walking around the class. I liked that the teacher maintained physical presence even while he is silent, this is indirectly very important as from students’ perspective, it ensures in maintaining a supportive environment.

Teacher talk time is way more than student talk time. On the other hand, students are just listening, absorbing most of the time & raising a hand for answering. Teacher gives interesting real-life examples for the topic i.e. ‘Ways to improve English’ like, internet, facebook, school abroad, English language circle, speaking, etc. I like these examples from the perspective of a student and would like to use them in my teaching as well.

Teacher possesses the quality of ‘With-it-ness’, one of the 10 qualities of a highly effective ESL trainer. He is flexible and organized. He asks answers for questions students are working on, encourages students to speak, forms further questions based on the student answers & even uses 1-2 sentences in Japanese to ease students.

In regard to the Silent Way method, I see a great deal of value for students, it will definitely benefit them after many regular sessions as they will learn to work independently and be self-reliant. They will learn the language (vocabulary), make language, read frequently and learn to think as well as speak fluently in English as well. Since it is boring, having a teacher with a great sense of humor would be an invaluable asset, ensuring further effectiveness of this method.

Lastly, considering the critical times we are facing and the necessity for adopting online teaching, as an observer, I found this session boring as it lacks student interaction. I would not prefer using this in an online setting as it is very boring and monotonous. Hoping for better times ahead to use this method in classroom setting. 🙂

The following reflections are based on the observations of Korean ELF class with a strength of around 30 students. The session was headed by 2 teachers, male & female. They were all over the class. Lot of methods were adopted by them to have a very interactive session. All the approaches observed are mentioned below, also I see myself using them collectively as they created a lot of positive energy, relaxed environment leading to humungous interaction, student participation and responses.

Reflections

To begin with, the female teacher introduces the male teacher who asks students, how they are feeling. Various answers are taught. One answer is ‘feeling hungry’, female teacher points to her stomach while saying this. This highlights the use of Direct method wherein translation is missing, visual aids are used to clear concepts. Additionally, audiovisual clips are shown, students watched the clips to answer the questions. I really liked that teacher used help of body language to clarify certain words instead of explaining in the native language. I feel there is a great deal of value in this technique adopted by the female teacher, even I see myself using it in future in the practica. Another time during the session, teacher asked students the past tense for go camping, went camping; this highlighted that grammar is learnt inductively while playing a game.

Community language learning approach was also used. Teacher harnessed positive energy by periodically practicing clapping with the students. This activity created positive energy & curbed boredom. I look forward to trying this clapping technique in my practica as well. The syllabus was learner-generated, students were shown pictures for almost everything. This leads to creating an interesting learning environment, a student in class loudly said “wow “upon looking at the picture of a computer.

Furthermore, implementation of the Audio-lingual method was also seen during the session. Throughout the session many slides were shown, students repeated dialogues by teachers. Learners repeated patterns and instructors ensured correct responses. Students are made to hear a video, on listening the students are asked questions. Teachers were seen giving tickets as a reward for correct answers. Every time teachers showed a model of questions & answers expected, accordingly students created responses.

Later students are made to adjust their chairs to form groups. Class is divided in 6 groups, a time-bound, action word game is played. Every time 20 seconds were given to write answers before deciding a winner. Students loved it, when one team got the point, other students would become more quick & competitive, they loved this game. This shows use of the Total Physical Approach where learning is carried out in a fun way. Teachers provided various humorous variations in command.  Both teachers ensured students were writing correct responses, some students were taped writing in English & Korean also.

In an online setting also this could be used. Breakout rooms can be created, I see value in this approach as well & would use it in my practica.

Suggestopedia Method was also used by the teachers. First, the teachers did role-play of Superman & Kitty dialogues, then students repeated these dialogues. At a time, 2 students stand up & answer, they practice role-play using these dialogues. Teachers then play a song based on these dialogues. This would ensure fixation of learnt concepts as students also sing along. There is a lot of repetition, no stress & a relaxed environment. Teacher & students sing together, there is music in the class & L2 learning happens in a relaxed environment in a fun way. Looking at the student enthusiasm, I am looking forward to incorporating the song technique in my practica & teaching as well.

Final approach seen here was Communicative Approach, students were shown some pictures of authentic things, they identified these things. This lead to simplify L2 learning process. At the end of the session, students return the stationary to the teachers. In an online setting, we can use an Interactive whiteboard for this purpose.

Summing up, this session was very well planned, organized, interactive, fun & educational, all at the same time. This is one modal session that I would look forward to creating in my teaching journey as well.

The following reflections are based on the observations of an ESL class. The video showed was of a high & intermediate-level Chinese class. There was 1 female teacher leading the class of 12-13 students. I could relate this session to the Direct Method. No translation takes place and visual aids are used to teach concepts.

Reflections

What appealed me most as a language learner was that the teacher was very professional inspite of facing several behavioral issues from students. Discussion was on the topic ‘free time’. Students were seen creating disturbance & laughing disrespectfully. Surprisingly, teacher takes it sportingly. A point worth mentioning is that out of the 10 characteristics of highly effective ESL teachers, she definitely possessed quite a few, particularly highlighting the quality of ‘street smartness’. She had knowledge about the students & cultural environment, hence dealt very smartly. For instance, 1 student was constantly talking, upon her asking, he said he was singing; to which she replied politely that now is not the best time to sing & to sing in free time. She handled the situation very nicely, not getting upset or angry at the repeated disturbance.

All 4 skills of language development are covered. Teacher is seen using blackboard to explain the activity and guiding students to read for a few minutes, thereafter form sentences. This shows that grammar is being learnt inductively. Teacher is also seen showing a video on the projector covering the listening skill.  A significant aspect here is lighting of the room which is dimmed for this purpose. Teacher takes the students’ notes back from them, to check them and provide feedback, highlighting the need of correction and fixation concepts. After that, she talks about joint research as well, for covering the writing skill. Eventually, she focusses on the speaking activity. Timer is turned on and students converse in small groups for a few minutes, lighting is still dim in the class. When less than 1 minute is left, lights are turned on. Then the buzzer rings, class is over and speaking individually is postponed to next class which will be based on a new topic.

What I considered important here is a necessity of good lighting in a class irrespective of student age. This is due to the fact that lighting stimulates the mood & learning as well, especially in a class with no windows. A reason for lack of student attention can be attributed to the classroom setting as it seemed dull. Even the furniture setting was not right. The furniture was arranged in a U- shaped pattern. Class had a long table which seemed unorganized. Instead, individual sitting or pair sitting would be better, as if 3-4 students are sitting together, then there is bound to be distraction.

For me, there are 2 key takeaways from this session. First is the teacher’s patient, supportive & professional nature. Finally, the importance of lighting and physical setting in the classroom to create an environment conducive to L2 learning.

The following reflections are based on the observations of Chinese ELF class with a strength of around 25-30 students. The students are studying in 6^th grade. The session was headed by 1 female teacher. She remained in the front of the class. Lot of methods were adopted by her to have a very interactive session. All the approaches observed are mentioned below. What I loved about this session was the way scaffolding technique was used to create an entire session. The entire lesson was very well linked from simple words to sentences to questions and finally the answers.

Reflections

To begin with, the teacher extensively used PowerPoint presentations to show pictures to students. I liked the use of audio-visual aids as it leads to a better understanding of words. These pictures are like modals introduced in class, students speak what they see and teacher ensured correct responses. Teacher also used signs to explain certain words. There is a lot of repetition and correct responses are ensured by teacher. I can relate this to the Audio-lingual method.

Teacher also used the scaffolding technique in the entire session, she started by showing individual pictures of for example the beach, followed by its spelling, relating it to hot/cold weather, then to activities like swimming, further forming sentences & finally asking questions while showing these pictures collectively. I see great value in using this technique in warm-ups wherein it can be used to link it with the topic to be covered for that class.

Teacher kept showing pictures, working to build vocabulary.  Learners repeated the responses collectively which were learnt individually. I can link this to Debrief technique. This is a very valuable tool adopted by her to ensure fixation of the lesson learned. Students spoke individually as well.

Teacher was seen using Total physical approach as well. As the lesson progressed, ‘match the word’ games were played. This is a great way to make L2 learning happen in a fun way. Teacher was great fun, used humorous variations which students really enjoyed. My take is that it is imperative to create a stress-free environment as it leads to effective learning.

Furthermore, the native language was not at all used. To explain certain words teacher used body language and hand gestures instead of explaining in student’s native language. The entire class was very well structured, showing the use of the Grammar-translation method as well. Students repeated the structures & sentences after teacher. Though this method has some drawbacks but the good thing is that teacher used this method in conjunction with many other approaches & techniques of language learning, drawing maximum from each method.

Interestingly, for an Exit ticket, students had to work in pairs and speak 3 sentences (fill-ups) based on what they had learnt during the session. I see great value in this, I could use it in online setting for my practica as well. Breakout rooms could be created and students can work in pairs or in teams, could even do a role play of topic practiced.

Since the class is structured and having a teacher-controlled environment, it ensured collective student participation which sets out great energy in the class from the very beginning. Interaction happened towards the end of the class but the entire session was very organized, great fun & well planned.

On 3^rd February, 2021, I joined the LLC Conversation Club’s Social Room. The topic covered was ‘Food n Sauces’. As always her first slide was very engaging. I could relate this session to a mix of Communicative Approach & Suggestopedia*, as the instructor brought in authentic material to show students, this created lot of excitement in the class.

Reflections

1. There are a lot of things that appealed me as a language learner:-

• This topic was requested by a student in the previous session. Teacher took note of that and planned the session. It reflects on her consistent efforts to make sessions interesting for students.
• As always, students were engaged right from the very first slide. Students had to write the names of restaurants by identifying the icons. Interactive board was used from the very 1^st slide, creating student engagement.
• Authentic material was used by the teacher. She showed actual sauces and soups she uses at home and encouraged others to tell the same.
• Interactive circle was used in a good way that brought practical life to the classroom. Creamy soup container was shown by instructor and other students were told to share the names of the sauces they used.
• Few students kept their cameras on showing their interest in the class.
• Teacher encouraged few other students, who did not participate in any activity to speak or type answers in the chatbox.
• Flaws in the previous session were improvised here. Breakout rooms were created for a longer duration, as a consequence, it led to a good interaction among students.
• *Roleplay was done in the breakout rooms which students thoroughly enjoyed.
• In another activity, teacher asked questions to each and every student. This ensured equal and active participation.

2. Nevertheless, there are a few things I would do in a different way:-

• I would have told the students to type the names of sauces in the shared notes on Moodle instead of the public chat. This is because students could make notes easily using the former chat option.
• I feel few more slides would be good as focusing on the main activity on 1 slide for 15-20 minutes creates monotony.

3. My key take-aways from this observation are as follows:-

• The extent to which the instructor went and managed to make a presentation on a new topic based on student request is commendable. This reminds me of one of the characteristics of a highly effective ESL teacher i.e. ‘willingness to go the extra mile’.
• The session ended on a funny note. Students enjoyed the idea of telling jokes on food, as an exit ticket.
• Additionally, to maintain interest I would adopt the scaffolding technique, by giving little information to students and then gradually adding a little more. This would ensure an intriguing environment conducive of L2 learning.
• Lastly, I would like to do things little differently by adding more slides in my ppt’s as I feel it breaks the monotony and keeps students engaged all throughout the 1-hour class.

On 1^st February, 2021, I joined the LLC Conversation Club’s Social Room. The session started as the instructor introduced the first slide with vegetables and food items on it. A good topic (Food) was covered. I could relate this session to the Community Language Learning Method, as I felt the teacher harnessed positive energy and understood students’ fear as well.

Reflections

1. There are a lot of things that appealed to me as a language learner,
   • She engaged students right from the very start, that is from the very first slide. Students started coloring in the pictures like broccoli, peas, burgers etc. Clubbing the coloring plus learning activity is a fantastic idea.
   • Interestingly, cameras were on and students really enjoyed as they spoke about their favorite food. Additionally, interactive whiteboard was used numerous times.
   • One point worth mentioning is that the teacher formed questions based on students’ responses, highlighting the importance of spontaneity and adaptation strategies required in a classroom setting.
   • Teacher had a back-up computer ready, which is very organized of her. This preparation was helpful in regard to the problem* mention under point 2.
   • Students were actively responding, helping each other with words if someone got stuck somewhere. For example, a student fumbled with a vegetable name and another student wrote “cucumber” quickly in the chatbox. It is really good to see students developing social bonds, highlighting that better L2 learning takes place in a friendly & supportive environment.

2. Nevertheless, there were some problems as well

• *By mistake, a student ended the meeting instead of logging out of the classroom. It took 7-8 minutes to get started again. This created a break in the entire session.
• Breakout rooms were created for 4 minutes, time was insufficient for everyone to speak, however teacher continued discussion in the main room upon knowing this fact, she adapted well as per the sudden new situations arising in the classroom.
• I feel few more slides would be good as focusing on the main activity, on 1 slide, for 15-20 minutes creates monotony.

3. There are many take aways for me from this observation.

• Firstly, the excitement the teacher brings in the classroom, even in an online setting.
• Secondly, the teacher goes to & fro the slides, ensuring fixation of concepts.
• Thirdly, has backup lesson plus backup laptop ready.

I would love to incorporate the above-mentioned strategies adopted by the instructor today in my teaching, in addition to using all the features of Moodle like, breakout rooms, painting, typing in chatbox etc. Moreover, I would like to do things little differently by adding more slides in my PowerPoints as I feel it breaks the monotony and keeps students engaged throughout the 1-hour class.

On 27th January, 2021, I joined the LLC Conversation Club’s Social Room. Mara Audet was the instructor, and it was supervised by Karen Densky. The session started as she introduced the first slide showing pictures of different types of skating. I felt the session was a combination of Audio Lingual Method and Total Physical Response Method.

Reflections

1. I really liked that today Mara’s camera was working and we could see the instructor. Students draw on the first slide, it’s a very good way to keep students busy and make them familiar with the tools while everyone is joining the meeting. Additionally, it’s a good way to engage the students before moving on to the activation/study phase. Periodically, students were asked to switch tools which added variety and made the lesson fun. 2 games were played and I noticed that students were smiling, indicating that they were enjoying. I liked that the instructor corrected responses when required.
2. However, there was one slide containing 20 fill-ups. If I were to do this, I would have split these into 3 – 4 slides as I felt that it created monotony. The good thing is that while seeking answers for fill-ups, the instructor remembered the professional background(eg. chef) of few students and used this information to ask more questions relating to them(eg. cooking) in general.
3. What got me thinking was the exit ticket time, it took nearly 10 minutes. I am wondering if it is for this long in actual classroom settings also or it should be little quicker in virtual setting as well. I saw great value in engaging students from the first slide onwards and would definitely incorporate it in my sessions as well.

On 25th January 2021, I joined the LLC Conversation Club’s Social Room. Mara Audet was the instructor, and it was supervised by Karen Densky. The session started as she introduced the first slide with colorful balloons. I could relate this session to the Total Physical Response Method, my favorite approach to language learning & teaching as well.

Reflections

1. What appealed me most as a language learner was that she brought a fun element in the very beginning of the class. A good topic was covered. The students started drawing balloons on the first slide and the session started on a lighter and happy note. Later during the session, a funny video was shared and this led to a very interactive session. I vividly remember, at one point of time, 3-4 students were wanting to add their inputs and speak. Additionally, interactive whiteboard was used numerous times.

2. Nevertheless, a major drawback was that due to a technical glitch, the instructor’s camera was not working. This created a major missing element in the entire session. This setting might not be taken positively by few learners as the screen presence is an integral part for keeping the students motivated to learn. Furthermore, students took a lot of time to speak the exit tickets.

3. I like the fact that lot of attention was paid in involving the students’ participation. The class was designed to include lot of activities using the interactive board. As an instructor I saw value in this approach and would love to use it in future. Moreover, I would incorporate the fun element whenever possible. This helps to clear the concepts and accomplish L2 learning simultaneously. However, there are a few changes that could be done. For instance, making students type their favorite movies when they were asked to circle their favorite movie genre.