Teaching Practice Handbook for Pre-Service English Teacher Education Priročnik za izvedbo pedagoške prakse v programu začetnega izobraževanja učiteljev angleščine Lara Burazer & Janez Skela Ljubljana 2024 Teaching Practice Handbook for Pre-Service English Teacher Education Avtorja: Lara Burazer in Janez Skela Lektorica za angleški jezik: Kirsten Margaret Hempkin Ilustrator: Sašo Vrabič Oblikovanje in prelom: Metka Žerovnik Založila: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani Za založbo: Gregor Majdič, rektor Univerze v Ljubljani Izdala: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani Za izdajatelja: Mojca Schlamberger Brezar, dekanja Filozofske fakultete Ljubljana, 2024 Prva izdaja. Tisk: Birografika Bori, d. o. o. Naklada: 50 izvodov Publikacija je brezplačna. To delo je ponujeno pod licenco Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva-Deljenje pod enakimi pogoji 4.0 Mednarodna licenca (izjema so fotografije). / This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (except photographs). Priročnik je nastal v okviru projekta Prenova pedagoških študijskih programov – Posodobitev PŠP NOO (NextGenerationEU). Prva e-izdaja. Publikacija je v digitalni obliki prosto dostopna na https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/zalozbaul/ DOI: 10.4312/ 9789612974565 Kataložna zapisa o publikaciji (CIP) pripravili v Narodni in univerzitetni knjižnici v Ljubljani Tiskana knjiga COBISS.SI-ID 215031811 ISBN 978-961-297-458-9 E-knjiga COBISS.SI-ID 214928131 ISBN 978-961-297-456-5 (PDF) Teacher Practice Handbook Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Initial English Teacher Preparation Program Design and Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Teaching Practice Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Mentor’s sign-up form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 TP timetable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Lesson observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Specific lesson observation – Lesson Observation Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The observation tasks bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 General or holistic lesson observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Independent and individual teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Lesson Planning Background Information Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The shape of a detailed formal lesson plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Guidelines for lesson planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Sample Lesson Plan 1: listening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Sample Lesson Plan 2: reading & writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Sample Lesson Plan 3: reading & grammar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Sample Lesson Plan 4: speaking & grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Sample Lesson Plan 5: grammar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Teaching assessment & feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Teaching assessment sheet (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Teaching assessment sheet (2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Teaching assessment sheet (2) – an amplified sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Teaching assessment sheet (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Teaching assessment sheet (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Self-evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Self-evaluation sheet – Option 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Self-evaluation sheet – Option 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 School environment and documented samples of school-life material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 A reflection task: summative TP essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Certificate of completion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Questionnaire for mentors and for trainees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The Teaching Practice Portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 General guidelines for developing your TP portfolio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 The portfolio contents: what should be included in the portfolio and in what order? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 TP Portfolio Cover Page Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 TP assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 References and further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 3 Teacher Practice Handbook 4 Teacher Practice Handbook “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” (African proverb) Introduction Before you is the Teaching Practice Handbook, an essential training guide for use during your teaching practice placement, one of the requirements for students en-rolled in the pedagogical track at the English Department, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana. The main purpose of a teaching practicum is to give students experience in teaching. As student-teachers, you will practise planning and delivering content, engaging students in the learning process, and reflecting on your teaching experi-ence. Accordingly, the teaching practicum design is largely set in the principles of the teacher as a ‘reflective practitioner’ – someone who reflects on the practice of their profession as a way of developing their expertise in it. As such, this approach can pro-vide a coherent framework that links theory and practice. It is hoped it will help our teacher trainees gain confidence in establishing sound working practices and help them develop and fine-tune what they do in the classroom. The Teaching Practice Handbook aims to be a comprehensive, readable and prac-tical ‘how to teach’ guide, explaining everything student-teachers need to know to carry out their teaching practicum well and to benefit from it as much as possible. For ease of use, it is divided into the stages of the teaching practicum in chronological order, covering planning TP, lesson observations, lesson planning, giving feedback on teaching, etc. It is comprised of the documents and forms that help student-teachers and their mentors organise and navigate the process of teaching practice. With the additional information and suggestions for completion of the documents provided in each section of the portfolio documents, it provides guidance for student-teachers, setting out details of the roles and responsibilities they will assume and procedures they will encounter, so as to ensure that all trainees undergo a relatively similar expe-rience. Its application will mark the beginning of the long process of becoming an ef-fective and successful teacher and offer assistance and support to those surging along the path towards professional excellence. Outstanding teachers are not born; they have simply learned how to use outstanding teaching methods well. These methods will reduce stress , and ensure you enjoy your teaching and your students more. A handbook of this size can’t cover all the different ways in which lessons can be planned and delivered. As we know, there are no right answers in pedagogy, and questions arise even with the most basic issues of teaching. Consequently, there are probably as many teaching techniques as there are EFL teachers, so we have chosen to present the tried and tested path to solid courses. If you do come across other ef-fective ways to help students, don’t discard them because they are not included here. This handbook is not strictly applicable to teaching in language schools which may have their own trademark methodology and materials. In such cases, the schools will expect you to teach in very defined ways with little room for other techniques. Lara Burazer and Janez Skela 5 Teacher Practice Handbook Initial English Teacher Preparation Program Design and Methodology The Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, provides initial teacher training within its various foreign language departments: English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian, Croatian, and Slovenian (both as a first and a second/foreign language). The context framing this Teaching Practice Handbook is therefore the official route into teaching established by the Bologna Reform in Higher Education in Slovenia. The Faculty of Arts adopted the so-called two-cycle degree structure, i.e. a 3-year Bachelor/Undergraduate Level, plus a 2-year Master/Graduate Level. In this two-cy- cle degree structure, the first three years of undergraduate studies are, in the case of future teachers of English, devoted entirely to subject-specific courses relating to linguistics and literature. The whole teacher preparation program is placed within the second cycle, i.e. at Master Level, and within what we refer to as the Pedagogical Module. Students at MA level can opt to follow either the non-pedagogical (i.e. omit- ting all teacher-training courses) or pedagogical route, the latter being the only route into teaching. There are, generally speaking, two main types of initial teacher training programs – a consecutive model and a concurrent or simultaneous model. In the consecu- tive model, the professional training in pedagogy and teaching is undertaken after students have completed a first degree in a discipline related to subjects taught in schools. In the concurrent model, the academic subjects are taught alongside the educational and pedagogical studies throughout the preparation period. The current teacher preparation program at the Faculty of Arts is a mixture of con- secutive and concurrent models. Trainees enrol into the MA program with a BA (i.e. subject-specialist) degree, but continue to study, during the two MA Level years, both the academic subjects and the educational and pedagogical studies in a 1:1 ratio. The scope of the Master’s degree curriculum is 120 ECTS credits – 60 credit points of academic subjects, and 60 credit points of the educational and pedagogical studies. Quantitatively, the pre-service teacher training program is in fact a one-year post- graduate program spread over two years of MA Level. The pedagogical module consists of two parts: (a) general educational and peda- gogical studies and (b) subject-specific teacher training courses. The scope of general educational and pedagogical studies is the same for all departments at the Faculty of Arts that provide a pedagogical study program. Among the subject-specific teacher training courses being offered within the cur- rent teacher preparation program at the Department of English is, of course, a teach- ing practicum as well. A teaching practicum is a pivotal phase for pre-service teachers where they acquire instructional skills and develop professionally through practical teaching experiences in schools, supported by cooperating teachers and university supervisors. According to the program requirements, single-subject students are required to do a 1-week teaching practice at a primary or a secondary school and a 2-week teach- ing practice at a primary or a secondary school. If the Year 1 practicum was done in a primary school, then the Year 2 practicum has to be done in a secondary school, and vice versa. Double-subject students have to do a 2-week school placement in Year 2, and they can choose freely between a primary or a secondary school. The question all teacher educators have to address is how teachers learn most effectively and how this learning can be integrated into a formal course of study. Various models of teacher learning have been suggested so far. The three main ones, as described in Wallace (1991), are as follows: (1) the craft model, (2) the applied sci- ence model, and (3) the reflective model. 6 Teacher Practice Handbook In the case of the current teacher preparation program provided by the Department of English, the designers of the program, both being pre-service teacher educators, have chosen to base the initial teacher education program, including the teaching practicum, to a large extent on the ‘reflective model’. We believe that recognizing the legitimacy of teacher-learners’ implicit personal theories and the role of prior (expe-riential) knowledge calls for the kind of teacher education pedagogy/methodology that emphasizes exploration and experimentation, risk taking and cooperation, bal-ancing input and reflection, using what trainees bring and know, and increasing their autonomy (Freeman and Cornwell 1993: xiii–xiv). This reflective teaching methodol-ogy resists the assumption that people will learn to teach just by being told what to do or how to do it. Instead, it is based on the educational philosophy of constructiv-ism which claims that knowledge is actively constructed and not passively received. Being trainee-centred, the reflective model, assigns great importance to teacher cognition (i. e., what teachers think, know, and believe; Borg 2006, 2009) and seeks to establish solid connections between theory and classroom practices. It includes two kinds of knowledge development: (a) received knowledge (i.e. external input coming from scholarly sources, the collective theoretical knowledge of the pro-fession or the capital T Theory), and (b) experiential knowledge. The trainee de-velops experiential knowledge by teaching or observing lessons, or recalling past experience; they then reflect, alone or in discussion with others, in order to work out theories about teaching; they then try these out again in practice. Such a ‘re-flective cycle’ aims for continuous improvement and development of personal theories in action (Ur 1996: 5). No pre-service model, however good, can produce fully competent teachers. But what it can, and probably should do is “to lay the seeds of further development” (Ur 1996: 8) by providing trainees with opportunities to develop reasoning and reflec-tive skills, tools and processes for continuing their own learning of teaching. As such, a pre-service course should be seen “as the beginning of a process, not a complete process in itself: participants should be encouraged to develop habits of learning that will carry through into later practice and continue for their entire professional lives” (Ur 1996: 8). 7 Teacher Practice Handbook Teaching Practice Requirements Teaching practice is organised and executed on the principle of reflective practice and the step-by-step introduction of student-teachers to teaching and pedagogical work. During your TP you will develop basic knowledge and skills related to teach- ing, classroom communication and management. You will practise different teaching methods and techniques and develop an awareness of factors which influence teach- ing and learning, as well as an awareness of the principles of reflective teaching, and of the need to cooperate with others in pedagogical work. Teaching practice comprises the following requirements: Requirements of Year 1 practicum (a 1-week TP) Amount specific lesson observations 4 microteaching / team-teaching Negotiable individual & independent teaching (i.e. entire lessons taught by the trainee) 4 self-evaluation 2 holistic observation of lessons (i.e. prior to the formally assessed lesson) 2 formally assessed lesson 1 Requirements of Year 2 practicum (a 2-week TP) Amount specific lesson observations 8 microteaching / team-teaching Negotiable individual & independent teaching (i.e. entire lessons taught by the trainee) 8 self-evaluation 3 holistic lesson observations (i.e. prior to the formally assessed lesson) 2 formally assessed lesson 1 Please note that the terms one-week TP and two-week TP are used somewhat cas- ually/informally and do not necessarily refer to the actual length of TP, but to the num- ber of requirements to be met within each school placement (i.e. school placement in Year 1 and school placement in Year 2, respectively). TP can start on any weekday (i.e. it need not start on a Monday). If for any reason (e.g. mentor’s lower teaching load, tests, sports days, school festivals, etc.) TP cannot be accomplished within a one-week period, it can stretch out to two weeks or more, but not more than a month. Please note, too, that not all but only some requirements are doubled in Year 2 practicum (a 2-week TP). The trainee’s role is that of an ‘apprentice’ attached to an experienced teacher (i.e. mentor). It is clear from the TP activities that TP is organised progressively. By progres- sively we mean that trainees are led in a step-by-step fashion from observing lessons to teaching entire lessons, and finally to a formally assessed lesson. Shared teaching, i.e. micro-teaching and team-teaching, requires close co-operation and precise prep- aration of the lesson by both the mentor and the trainee. Both micro-teaching and team-teaching help trainees psychologically in their transition from the social role of a student to the role of a teacher. The number of lessons taught as micro-teaching or team-teaching should be mutually negotiated with mentors and trainees, allowing trainees to start individual teaching when they feel confident enough to teach an entire lesson. In this way we try to present some kind of progression to trainees who would otherwise feel they have been thrown in at the deep end. 8 Teacher Practice Handbook All in all, TP comprises the following fundamental activities: • Observation of teaching (either specific or holistic lesson observations). • Classroom teaching can consist of microteaching (i.e. teaching first only short segments of the lesson or individual activities), which can progressively turn into team-teaching (i. e a lesson team-taught with your mentor), and finally individual teaching of the whole lesson independently in the total amount of 5 indepen- dently taught lessons in Year 1 practicum, and 9 independently taught lessons in Year 2 practicum. • Monitoring and (self)evaluating your teaching practice, which includes carry- ing out various practice-related tasks, analyzing teaching/learning activities, and keeping a reflective journal. After some of the lessons that you taught, or during which you were doing some teaching-related work, you will be required to reflect on and self-evaluate your activity. At the end of the TP period, you will try to criti- cally evaluate your progress in your TP report. In the following pages, there is a chronologically arranged collection of all the documents and forms that you will be required to fill in and submit as part of your TP portfolio, neatly organized and arranged in order. To provide you with a feel for the required documents for your TP portfolio, there are two checklists below, one from the one-week and one from the two-week Teaching Practice Portfolio Assessment Sheet used by faculty teacher educators to assess your TP portfolio (for a more detailed list of what should be included in the TP portfolio, and in what order, see section The Portfolio Contents on p 103). CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS (one-week TP) 1 Teaching practice timetable 8 Formally assessed lesson (1x) 2 Specific task observations (4x) 9 Mentor’s written feedback to FAL (1x) 3 Individual teaching (4x) 10 Self-evaluation for FAL (1x) 4 Lesson plans for individual teaching (4x) 11 Documented school life (min. 3) 5 Self-evaluation for individual/micro teaching (1-2x) 12 Summative reflection essay 6 Mentor’s written feedback (4x) 13 Questionnaire 7 General observations prior to FAL (2x) CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS (two-week TP) 1 Teaching practice timetable 8 Formally assessed lesson (1x) 2 Specific task observations (8x) 9 Mentor’s written feedback to FAL (1x) 3 Individual teaching (8x) 10 Self-evaluation for FAL (1x) 4 Lesson plans for individual teaching (8x) 11 Documented school life (min. 3) 5 Self-evaluation for individual/micro teaching (2-4x) 12 Summative reflection essay 6 Mentor’s written feedback (8x) 13 Questionnaire 7 General observations prior to FAL (2x) 9 Teacher Practice Handbook In continuation of the handbook, each document or form is preceded by a short introductory text on the task requirements, including practical suggestions on how to best complete the task. In most cases, additional theoretical background is provided for easier preparation, processing and reflective testimony of the task. Some tasks re- quire extensive preparation, such as lesson planning, for instance, or holistic observa- tion. Others are mere records of the tasks, where the mentors are expected to validate your attendance, participation in or execution of the tasks. All of the documents are indispensable components of your portfolio and are subject to assessment. Mentor’s sign-up form The first step in your Teaching Practice is finding a mentor. In most cases, stu- dents find a mentor on their own, often at a school that they themselves attended. Sometimes they end up doing their teaching practice with the teacher that taught them in elementary or high school, which might add another dimension to the whole experience. Once you find a mentor, usually through correspondence with them and the school principal (samples of both letters are available in the Teaching Practice e-class- room), you fill in the mentor’s sign-up form (PRISTOPNA IZJAVA MENTORJA) which is then delivered to the faculty teacher educators or inserted in your TP portfolio. NB: Please fill in the form legibly and with care, especially the name and address of the school, including the postal code. The latter is important in the case of schools that have multiple locations (i.e. schools that also have satellite or branch schools – podružnične šole). 10 Teacher Practice Handbook MENTOR’S SIGN-UP FORM Pristopna izjava mentorja/-ice I, the undersigned, hereby declare that I am willing to participate in mentoring pre-service English language teachers. Spodaj podpisani/-a izjavljam, da sem pripravljen/-a sodelovati pri usposabljanju bodočih učiteljev/-ic angleščine kot mentor/-ica. Please use capital letters to fill in this form. Prosimo, da izpolnite s tiskanimi črkami. Mentor’s name & surname Ime in priimek mentorja/-ice Name and Address of School Ime in naslov šole School Phone Number Službena tel. št. Principal’s name & surname Ime in priimek ravnatelja/-ice Your email address Vaš e-naslov Trainee’s name & surname Ime in priimek študenta/-ke Duration of Teaching Practice Placement 1 week 2 weeks Dolžina pedagoške prakse Thank you! / Hvala! Date / Datum: Signature / Podpis: ____________________________________ ____________________________________ 11 Teacher Practice Handbook TP timetable Prior to observations, it is important to familiarize yourself with your mentor’s timetable, the school atmosphere, your obligations and any additionally scheduled activities. Below is a sample of a timetable which is one of the requirements for the Teaching Practice Portfolio. TEACHING PRACTICE TIMETABLE Lesson MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY 0 Class Activity 1 Class Activity 2 Class Activity 3 Class Activity 4 Class Activity 5 Class Activity 6 Class Activity 7 Class Activity KEY TO ACTIVITIES: STO – observation (based on a specific task) HO – holistic observation (prior to formally assessed lesson) FS – feedback session on observation MT – microteaching PT/TT (pair-teaching, team-teaching) IT – individual teaching (teaching an entire lesson) PA – participating activity (specify) FAL – formally assessed lesson CH – correcting HW Feel free to add anything not specified. 12 Teacher Practice Handbook Lesson observation Classroom observation is an omnipresent learning tool that permeates the work-ing lives of educators throughout their careers. For many, their first experience often comes as student teachers undertaking teaching practice during an initial teacher education program. Upon qualification and entry to the profession, their future in-volvement with observation typically occurs in the contexts of performance manage-ment/appraisal, external inspections and pedagogic/curriculum development. Purpose and types of lesson observation In teacher training, the purpose of observation is similar to the ‘silent phase’ of a beginning language learner who listens, observes, considers, analyses, reflects, but is not required to produce (Kukovec 2012: 18). During a pre-service teacher training course, student teachers observe, absorb and reflect and thus become familiar with the culture and customs of the classroom before they take on the active role of teach-er. During your TP you will have the opportunity to observe your mentor or possibly other teachers at your school. Observing other teachers can provide you with a gentle introduction to teaching. The main purposes of classroom observation are: 1. To learn to teach (i.e. observation for learning). Here, the trainee is the one doing the observing in order to learn from the observation of classroom processes. This gives you the opportunity to visit experienced teachers’ classrooms to ‘pick up the tricks of the trade’. 2. To learn to observe. This means visiting classrooms to learn to collect, analyse, and interpret descriptions of teaching in unobtrusive and non-judgmental ways. It takes a skilled and trained eye to perceive, understand and benefit from observ- ing the proceedings of learning/teaching. Learning to observe well takes time, effort, and practice. 3. To collect data for research purposes (e.g. studying students and tracking their behaviour, ability to work in pairs/groups, etc.). 4. To observe to become more self-aware (i.e. teachers’ professional growth and development). For example, two teachers observe each other (known as peer ob- servation) as a part of a mutual self-development venture or project. The goal of observation is for teachers to see teaching differently. The more we observe and develop our teaching, the freer we become to make our own informed teaching decisions. 5. To develop self-evaluation skills. If you develop the habit and techniques of observing others’ lessons, it is more likely that you will evaluate your own teach- ing more carefully and as a result improve your teaching. Taking responsibility for your own professional development is an essential feature of the philosophy of teaching practice. 6. To evaluate teaching. A mentor, for example, observes the trainee to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching behaviour. The goal is to help the trainee to improve and to become a more effective teacher. 7. To judge/evaluate a teacher’s professional competence (i.e. observation for assessment). Known as supervisory or formal observation, this is the ‘classic’ type of observation. The observer, usually a person who is in a position of authority (often a principal) goes into the class to assess the standard of teaching. In spite of its usefulness (regarding standards), this type of observation is known to be the most threatening for teachers, particularly if they have little other contact with the observer otherwise. 13 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation for assessment also takes place in pre-service teacher training cours- es, where mentors or teacher trainers assesses trainees’ teaching, or during probation periods, when principals assess probationary teachers. During your TP period, two main goals (i.e. learning to teach and evaluating teach- ing) will be pursued. By observing trained teachers, you can become (more) aware of certain aspects of the teaching/learning process; you begin to understand foreign language teaching and learning better; you see some techniques and approaches ‘in action’ that you can later use yourself; it helps you to connect theory and practice; you can imagine that you are in the teacher’s shoes and begin to develop your profes- sional identity; you begin learning to ‘read’ a class (a crucial skill for teachers; identify the learners’ reactions, needs, etc.). Lesson observation is a compulsory part of TP. During your TP, you will be performing two types of observation: • specific lesson observation, i.e. observing lessons on the basis of specific lesson observation tasks which you will be choosing from among 30 tasks in the Observation Tasks Bank (see below), using the Specific Observation of the Lesson sheet • general/holistic lesson observation, using the General Observation of the Lesson sheet Specific lesson observation is actually some sort of ‘microscopic’ observation. Microscopic observation means observing one single element of a lesson, for example, elicitation techniques used by a particular teacher. General/holistic lesson observa- tion, which you will perform in the class in which your formally assessed lesson will take place, can be termed as ‘telescopic’ observation. Telescopic observation means observing more elements of a lesson in a more holistic way. In a language lesson, many things happen simultaneously and there is a lot to observe, for example: seating arrangement, patterns of interaction, the teacher’s use of various teaching skills and techniques (e.g. warming up the class, presenting/prac- tising new language, eliciting, giving instructions, using gestures and body language, etc.); in what way the work is appropriate to the age, ability and level of the class; how the lesson is arranged around the main objective; how much time is devoted to different skills or activities; how vocabulary or grammar are taught; how errors are corrected, etc. It is impossible for the observer to focus attention on the many different things that happen during a single lesson. If observation is to be effective, it needs to limit its focus to one or two observation activities or tasks. Therefore, rather than trying to observe everything, it is better to select one aspect of teaching and learning and focus on it. And this is exactly where specific observations tasks will be very helpful. A specific observation task helps the observer in two important ways: it limits the scope of what you are observing and allows you to focus on one or two particular aspects, and secondly, it provides a convenient means of collecting data that frees you as the observer from forming an opinion or making an on-the-spot evaluation during the lesson. If you have no guidance in observation, you tend to only see the things that you have already thought about. However, there could be other aspects of teaching and learning that you are not familiar with, and you need your attention to be drawn or directed to them. 14 Teacher Practice Handbook Lesson Observation Sheet (based on a specific observation task or tasks) Date of observation: _______________________ Class: _________ Observation Task(s) No: __________ Classroom layout: _________________________ Coursebook / Unit: _____________________________ Teaching aim(s): ___________________________________________________________________________ Comments on the observation Try to be descriptive, not evaluative! What made you decide on this/these observation task(s)? 15 Teacher Practice Handbook The observation tasks bank The tasks in the Observation Tasks Bank have been grouped into four areas of focus: AREA OF FOCUS Tasks No 1 8 (Lexis and Learning); Lesson content 14 (Handling a listening and/or reading text); 22 (Skills required or practised: integrating the skills); 23 (Grammar as lesson content); 25 (Different kinds of content); 28 (The Literature Lesson); 29 (Teaching Literature: the interpretation of the text); 30 (The Literature Lesson) 2 9 (Execution of the lesson); Methodology of 10 (I. Openings and closures; II. Execution of didactic principles); the lesson procedure 13 (The use of teaching aids); (i.e. execution of 16 (I. Teaching aim(s)/objective(s); II. Teaching and learning); the lesson) 20 (Introducing/presenting new language); 24 (The structure of a language lesson: basic lesson types); 26 (Deducing the lesson plan) 3 6 (I. Learner level; II. Checking learning); The Learner and 11 (Managing interactive patterns); the Learning 12 (The teacher’s rapport with the students); Environment 17 (The Learner as Doer); 18 (I. The learning environment: external factors; II. The learning environment: internal factors); 19 (Types of activities; Teaching and learning roles); 21 (Classroom discipline); 27 (Teaching as promotion of positive human values) 4 1 (I. Student talking time vs. teacher talking time; II. Classroom Performance language); 2 (Asking questions: I. Purpose of questions; II. The nature and effect of questioning); 3 (Asking questions: I. The skill of eliciting; II. Questioning strategies); 4 (Question types); 5 (Dealing with errors: correction and encouragement); 7 (Dealing with errors); 15 (I. Use of mother tongue; II. Stolen goods) From the sets/clusters of observation tasks provided, make sure you select a dif- ferent set each time you observe. From each set choose as many observation tasks as you think you can handle at a time (of course, it is also possible to choose only one). While observing, you will record your observation on one of the observation sheets included (see below). So, when the lesson has finished, the observation has not: it continues with your collecting evidence from your observation sheet and your reflec- tion based on an analysis of the lesson. It is, however, wise to include any feedback that you get from the observed teacher in a post-lesson discussion. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask questions or make comments on relevant issues. The following pages contain 30 Observation Task Sheets to choose from. 16 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 1 I. STUDENT TALKING TIME (STT) vs. TEACHER TALKING TIME (TTT) • Was it high/low? • What was the proportion of each? • Did STT depend on the proficiency level of the students? • Did STT depend on the type or part of the lesson? • Were all types of TTT the same and equally (un)desirable (giving instructions, telling a story, etc.)? • What did the teacher do while the students talked? II. CLASSROOM LANGUAGE Teacher talk in the EFL classroom has two main functions: 1. it provides language input and models speech for the students 2. it is a tool for executing a lesson and managing classroom dynamics Observe the second function of teacher talk. Try to jot down what the teacher said to do the following: establish rapport / create a pleasant atmosphere: announce lesson aim / content/ activity: request a homework check: give instructions on how to carry out an activity: give feedback to students on how they performed a task: call on students: set homework: elicit / encourage students to contribute to class discussion: finish the lesson: • Did the teacher use the phrases: ‘Please.’, ‘Thank you.’ or ‘I’m sorry.’? If so, when and why? • Did any of the phrases you noted above seem to be common stock with this teacher and to function as very clear signals for the students? • Think of at least two adjectives to describe this teacher’s classroom language on the whole (e.g. polite, sparse, inefficient, choppy, friendly, respectful). 17 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 2 ASKING QUESTIONS I. Purpose of questions Why did the teacher ask questions in class? • Language questions (e.g. What’s the Past Tense of ‘to sing’?) • Comprehension questions → to check that students understand (checking vocabulary (e.g. What is Mrs Lane doing in picture 1?) / learning; post-listening or reading) • Lesson progress questions (e.g. Has everybody got a book?) • Opinion / preference questions → to find out what students really think or know (seeking (e.g. What did you think of the song?) opinion) • Factual / personal questions → socialising (e.g. How are you today, Mark?, What is the → scene setting date today?) → to give students practice II. The nature and effect of questioning • Was the teacher’s questioning appropriate, clear, unclear, keeping the lesson moving forward, random, natural, irrelevant, monotonous? • Was there sufficient variation in questioning? – grading questions (from easy to difficult; global/specific questions) – question types (e.g. Yes/No questions; Wh-questions) • Was the distribution of questions equal for each student? • Was there a category of students that was attended to more or less than the others? • Did weaker or stronger students tend to ‘disappear’? 18 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 3 ASKING QUESTIONS I. The skill of eliciting • Why did the teacher elicit? – to set students thinking in a certain direction – to attract and focus attention – to steer them towards a certain pre-planned topic – to increase student talking time – to create a context – to allow the teacher to assess what is already – to warm the class up known about a particular topic / structure / – to generate peer interaction/correction area of vocabulary – to lead into an activity – to draw out passive knowledge • What did the teacher say in order to elicit a response? Was there any pattern in the language the teacher used? (e.g. open questions: What do you think of ...?; closed questions: What’s the word for ...?; imperative prompts: Tell me what you know about ...; directed questions: Peggy, what can you tell me about ...?) • What did you notice about wait time? II. Questioning strategies • asking each student in turn round the class • letting any student call out the answer • the teacher asks a question, then pauses and then chooses a student to answer (dotting about) • the teacher first chooses a student, and then asks the student a question • the teacher asks a question and lets students raise their hands if they think they know the answer; the teacher chooses one of the students • getting the class to answer in chorus What is this made of? Anyone? What’s this made of? ... Peter? Wood. Wood. Wood. It’s made of wood. Andreja ... What’s this made of? What’s this made of? ... Yes, Alenka? It’s made of wood. It’s made of wood. 19 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 4 QUESTION TYPES What types of questions did the teacher ask? Was there sufficient variation? • Yes/No or Polar/closed questions • ‘Or’ questions (i.e. alternative questions; e.g. Are you hungry or thirsty?) • Wh-questions / Open-ended questions (i.e. information questions) • Display questions (e.g. What colour is this pen?) • Multiple-choice questions • Right or wrong? (True or false?) • Real classroom questions • Eliciting long answers • Guiding questions (for students to think about as they read or listen to) • Global questions (‘gist’ questions) • Anticipation questions (e.g. What do you think the story is about?) • Specific questions (‘detail’ questions) • Reference questions (questions of literal comprehension) • Inference questions (interpretative questions) • Questions of evaluation Have you had a job before? How old are you? Where did you go to school? Have you got a car? What exams did you take? Can you drive? Do you like animals? Do you want the job? Are you willing to work on Saturdays? What do you know about animals? 20 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 5 DEALING WITH ERRORS: CORRECTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT • Did the teacher have a positive/negative attitude towards their students’ errors (motivational aspects)? • Was the feedback generally positive and encouraging or negative and discouraging? • What kinds of errors did the students make (lexical, grammatical, etc.)? How did the teacher deal with these errors? • When did the teacher correct errors? Note Give me a sentence beginning whether there was a particular focus at that with ‘I’. point of the lesson, for example, on accuracy I is the ... or fluency. • What was the amount of error correction? No, John. You must say ‘I am’ not ‘I is’ • Did the teacher’s correction of errors hinder All right. I am the ninth letter or help the learning process? of the alphabet. • Did the teacher differentiate between errors that require immediate attention and errors that are better ignored or treated in another way or at another time? • How were errors corrected? Did the teacher correct in a non-obtrusive way? • Consider the four-utterance paradigm: teacher question + student response + teacher feedback + student response to feedback. kidding?’ or ‘Whom are we kidding?’ Which is correct, ‘Who are we Well, I suppose What do you ‘whom’ is correct think our although most people chances are of would say ‘who’. winning today? Oh, I’d say about fifty-fifty ... Whom are we kidding? 21 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 6 I. LEARNER LEVEL • Did the students expose different learning strategies? (accuracy-oriented students, risk-taking fluency or communication-oriented students who are less perturbed by a display of error) • Did the teacher accommodate learner level? How? (varying speed of language; varying length of wait time; calling on stronger students for ‘model’ answers; pairing and grouping arrangements) • Did you notice any indicators of challenge and/or ease? Indicators of challenge: – non-comprehension in facial expression – student wait time (= silence) before response – first respondent does not offer the correct answer – a learner looks sideways at a neighbour before starting writing Indicators of ease: – student gets started quickly – plethora of responses to teacher’s questions – expected time needed for tasks over-calculated II. CHECKING LEARNING • What techniques (written and oral) did the teacher use to check the students’ comprehension (e.g. concept questions or concept checking)? • Can you identify the trigger that prompted the teacher to check (e.g. a student appearing confused; a necessary logical step in the lesson; repeated and similar errors by a number of students)? • How did the student(s) respond to the check? • Try also to be aware of times in the lesson when the teacher did not check for learning, but you would have; or where the teacher did, but you would not have. 22 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 7 DEALING WITH ERRORS • How did the teacher show incorrectness? – repeating – echoing self-correction – denial – questioning – reformulation – expression or gesture – feigning incomprehension until the error is auto-corrected – using tact & humour • What correction techniques did the teacher use? small group – student corrects himself/herself (self-correction) – student corrects student (peer correction) – teacher corrects student(s) (teacher correction) – lets the student repeat it – the teacher accepts the answer – it is nearly correct – the teacher asks another student if necessary • Strategies for correcting errors: later (delayed) vs immediate student-student (instant) correction, and public vs. private correction. Types of correction can be plotted on to axes. Provide one example for each space between the intersecting clines, i.e. x-A, x-B, x-C, x-D. ‘Hot’ or instant correction all class x-A Public Private correction correction teacher-student x-B ‘Cold’ or delayed correction coursebook / reference book 23 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 8 LEXIS AND LEARNING How were new vocabulary items presented? A) Ostensive means (i.e. by showing) – realia (real objects) – pictures – mime, action and gesture real objects mime, action and gesture B) Verbal definition – antonyms (e.g. full/empty) – enumeration/word sets (e.g. clothes: pullover, shirt ...) – (dictionary) definition / explanation – translation – asking questions using the new word – illustrative sentences (i.e. giving an English example to show how the word is used) – scales (e.g. never-sometimes-often-always) Were the students using C) Audio presentation dictionaries? • Was the presentation meaningful/motivational/contextualised? • Were the new words grouped together in a memorable way? • Was all new vocabulary pre-taught? • Using discovery techniques (i.e. word-attack skills). Using context (e.g. structural clues, morphological information, inference from context). How useful are they at beginner level? • Did the teacher try to elicit the meaning of new words? • Active, passive & throw-away vocabulary. • Were the students using dictionaries? • How did the teacher check that students had understood the words? audio presentation 24 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 9 EXECUTION OF THE LESSON Progress through the stages of the lesson: • Starting the lesson (checking attendance – calling roll; homework correction, ice-breakers, a topical issue, etc.) • Can you group the lesson into broad lesson stages? Which teaching steps (presentation-practice- production-(use)) were used in the lesson? • Was the presentation meaningful/motivational/contextualised/appropriately staged? • Were the stages well linked? (smoothness of flow & sequencing) • Were the transitional periods between one activity and another smooth/clear? Were the instructions clear? • What was the point of each stage? • Timing & pacing (too fast; about right; too slow) • Ending the lesson (e.g. finishing ‘clearly’; observing the bell, cleaning the blackboard, summarising and evaluating, setting homework, etc.) 1. ESA Straight Arrows sequence Presentation Practice ESA Engage Study Activate (controlled, guided) Production 2. EAS(A) Boomerang sequence 1 Use EAS(A) Engage Study Activate A “three Ps” triangle 2 3 TA ICE 1 → P TION → 3. EAASASEA (etc.) Patchwork sequence PRACT EN 6 RO 4 ES PR → N TIO EAASASEA Engage Study Activate DUC (etc.) 3 2 The deep-end approach 5 7 Presentation Practice Production teaching ... Variations on teaching steps PRE IN POST learning ... 25 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 10 I. OPENINGS AND CLOSURES • Were there certain predictable conventions or routines that accompanied the entrance and exit stages of the lesson? (punctuality; dealing with late arrivals; socializing; giving back homework, tests; announcing what the lesson was going to be about) • Was the starting point of the lesson made clear? How? (e.g. tapping chalk or a pen on the desk audibly; clapping your hands loud and clear; closing the door; saying Right, OK or something similar; etc.) • Were the students told what the coming lesson was going to be about or were they supposed to induce that through discovery? What advantages/drawbacks accompany each strategy? • Is it important to link the coming lesson to other lessons, previous or forthcoming? • Were the lesson’s aims and content reviewed at the end of the lesson? • Did the last activity suffer as to the timing? • How did the lesson finish? (summarising and evaluating the lesson; setting homework; making announcements; farewells and socialising) • How did the students feel as they were leaving the classroom? II. EXECUTION OF DIDACTIC PRINCIPLES • Gradation: – from the simple to the difficult – from the familiar/known to the new/unknown • Clear and systematic presentation • Suitability of materials and methods for level and type of class The jug and mug model. The stuffed goose model. We’re getting ahead of ourselves. The deep-end model. 26 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 11 MANAGING INTERACTIVE PATTERNS • lockstep (a teacher-controlled session; teacher-fronted tasks) • group work (teams) • cross-grouping (i.e. after an initial small group work activity, the participants are re-grouped, forming new small groups) • melee (i.e. ‘market place’, ‘mingle’, ‘moving pairs’; participants move at will around the room forming and re-forming pairs or groups) • pair work (e.g. ‘open’ or ‘public’ pairwork vs. ‘closed’ pairs; flexible pairs) • individual work • choral/individual • How and when did the teacher form various student groupings? • How did the teacher get the students in, through and out of activities? • How did the teacher organise the groups and seating? • How did the teacher monitor the students’ work? • How did the teacher wind pairs/groups down? • How did the teacher organise and monitor the report-back phase? public meeting panel ‘wheels’ face to face (the outer wheel can move (or back to back) around, changing pairings) ‘buzz groups’ opposing teams pairs ‘enemy corners’ (people change groups occasionally) 27 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 12 THE TEACHER’S RAPPORT WITH THE STUDENTS • Comment on the teacher’s ability to establish rapport (using students’ names; eye contact; touch; facial expression, etc.). • How did the teacher attend to individuals (by names, gesture, stance, facing them or not, eye contact, verbal prompts, smile, nod, reprimanding look, etc.)? • How would you describe the learning environment/atmosphere (supportive; cosy; challenging; frightening, relaxed)? • Teacher’s personal qualities (they were (in)audible; lively; boring; (dis)organised; (un)friendly; (un)demanding) • How would you describe the teacher’s teaching style (positive; irritating; boring)? • Was the teacher successful in promoting and maintaining learner interest (motivation, participation)? • Did the teacher equally involve all the students? Did weaker or stronger students tend to ‘disappear’? Was the sex of the student(s) relevant to the distribution of teacher attention? • Were there any ‘affective’ activities involved in the lesson? Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. 28 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 13 THE USE OF TEACHING AIDS • the teacher himself/herself • flashcards/cue cards • slides • the (black)board • wall charts/pictures • tape recorder (audio recordings) • real objects (i.e. realia) • posters • video • puppets • maps • television • textbook • pictures • radio • handouts/worksheets • projector • computer Comment on the amount and appropriateness of their application: • Were any of the teaching aids under-exploited or over-exploited? • Would you have used any of them differently? • What comment can you make on the board’s contents and layout? Would you have used the board differently? Who wrote on the board? What happened in the lesson while the teacher (or someone else) was using the board? Were the items on the board legible and comprehensible? • How were pictures used (e.g. to elicit conversation on a topic)? Were they culture-bound? etc. 29 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 14 HANDLING A LISTENING AND/OR READING TEXT • What ways did the teacher use to introduce a text? What preparation (i.e. pre-listening / pre-reading activity) were the students given before they listened to /read the passage? – using a motivating introduction – asking the students to make guesses about the text (e.g. predicting vocabulary; predicting facts, etc.) – presenting new vocabulary PRE-READING – summarising the text IN-READING – using picture or word cues THINK & DO CONSOLIDATE – asking pre-questions (guiding questions) – drawing a mind map WAKE UP POST-READING COMPENSATE – using a topic sentence – leading a class discussion of a general topic • Did the learners experience a while-listening / • What were the aims of the while-listening / while-reading activity? PRE IN POST while-reading activity? listening techniques / aims reading techniques / aims listening for the main ideas / gist; listening for skimming; scanning; contextual guessing; specific information; listening to check if your cloze exercise; outlining; paraphrasing; answers are right or not; listening to check for scrambled stories; information transfer; mistakes; listening to reorder a jumbled dialogue; making inferences (i.e. ‘reading between the listening to take notes; listening to complete lines’); intensive reading; passage completion, a picture; listening to match pictures with etc. descriptions, etc. • Did the learners experience a post-listening / post-reading activity? • How many times did the learners listen? • Did the learners hear the whole text at once? If so, was that helpful? • What was the purpose for which the text was used? – developing reading/listening comprehension skills – a way of presenting new words & structures – a basis for language practice Doing Checking Getting the actual comprehension people reading/ in different interested listening ways 30 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 15 I. USE OF MOTHER TONGUE Try to estimate the ratio (approximate time) of the use (in speaking) of English vs. the use of Slovenian for both teacher and students, and mark it in the table: ENGLISH SLOVENIAN teacher students • How is the amount of using Slovenian related to the age and level of the students you observed? • When / why did the teacher revert to Slovenian? • When / why did the students revert to Slovenian? • How did the teacher react to students speaking Slovenian? II. STOLEN GOODS As you observe the lesson, note down several things that you would like to ‘steal’ from this teacher and the lesson in order to make them part of your own teaching. This may include personal qualities, teaching skills and techniques, activities, classroom atmosphere, etc. Include notes to help you remember any important details. You may also want to record why you felt good about the stolen goods. Finally, choose something you feel you would like to give this teacher in return for your many thefts. Stolen items: I’d like to give this teacher: 31 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 16 I. TEACHING AIM(S) / OBJECTIVE(S) • What was/were the overall aim(s) of the lesson? • Can you rank them on a scale of importance? • Were they achieved? How do you know? • Were the teacher’s aims made explicit to the learners? If not, do you think learners became aware of the aims of the lesson? • Did the learning checks in any way seem to propel the lesson onwards towards its objective(s)? getting to the objective II. TEACHING AND LEARNING It has long been known that teaching does not equal learning. We have to bear in mind that a large part of what is cogent to our understanding happens invisibly, that is, is internal to the learner (i.e. learn-ing itself is not directly visible). Another related danger is that of setting up a one-to-one correspondence between teaching aims and learning outcomes. With these reservations in mind, try to comment on the following: • If you were able to ask the students at the end of the lesson what they thought they had learned, what do you think some of the responses might be? • Can the learners benefit from being aware of the lesson’s aims? Is this level-dependent? • If each lesson is a different lesson for every student, how can a teacher plan to accommodate and cater for a class of students? • What are the implications for the mismatch between teaching/learning for: – teacher preparation of lessons? – teacher decision-making in the classroom? 32 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 17 THE LEARNER AS DOER ‘Learning by doing’ embraces a large range of activities that can be analyzed as being cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling) and physical. For example, tasks may involve: – thinking – feeling – acting – moving about – prioritising, ranking, making judgements – negotiating, interacting with others – consulting other sources of information • Consider the balance of cognitive, affective and physical activities involved in the lesson. • Which activities in the lesson do you consider were the most valuable for the learners? Why were they valuable? • To what degree should a teacher compromise their preferred teaching methodology so as to cater for a learner’s own preferred learning methodology? 1 2 3 4 5 6 33 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 18 I. THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: external factors During the lesson watch and listen for anything that you think contributed to making the learning environment one in which students learned well. First consider factors that are external to the student (e.g. temperature of the room, the comfort of the seating, etc.). • How was the class physically organised (furniture arrangements)? • Seating arrangement: – Did the seating arrangement lend itself to a particular spread of teacher attention? – Was there a category of students that was attended to more or less than the others? – Did weaker or stronger students tend to ‘disappear’? • Was the room (un)pleasant, well/badly lit, visually attractive, etc.? • the size of the classroom • aids and materials available • number of students • level of class; number of years of study of English (students’ language proficiency) • (average) age II. THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: internal factors Enthusiasm / motivation Internal and external factors are relevant here, but because internal factors are unobservable, you will be gauging concentration through external evidence alone (e.g. doodling on paper; gazing around room, copying notes from board, etc.). • Mark in on the graph below how involved or enthusiastic or inter ested the students felt about the lesson at ten-minute intervals. • Above your rating make a note of any factors (e.g. temperature; hunger; fatigue; type of exercise; mode of working – groups, pairs, whole class; topic under discussion, etc.) that you feel may be responsible for the students’ degree of enthusi asm. • Comment on anything you observed that: – surprised you – puzzled you – concerned you – inspired you 100 90 80 (%) 70 60 50 40 30 ENTHUSIASM 20 10 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 LESSON TIME (minutes) 34 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 19 TYPES OF ACTIVITIES TEACHING AND LEARNING ROLES • Observe classroom activities on a continuum measuring accuracy-fluency, and on a continuum measuring the degree of teacher control or learner self-direction. • What was the amount of teacher-controlled activities (areas A and C) and learner-directed activities (areas B and D)? • What was the amount of fluency vs. accuracy activities? • What was the proportion of ‘communicative’ and ‘non-communicative’ activities? • Did the students get a balanced ‘diet’? • What were the major roles of the teacher and learners in this lesson? TEACHER CONTROLLED WHOLE CLASS ACTIVITIES A C Drills Conversation Games Discussion Controlled conversation Simulation Listening Games Writing Story-telling Listening Y Y Writing AC R CU UENC B DFL AC Exercises Discussion Controlled conversation Games Role play Role-play Games Project work Questionnaries Listening Listening Reading Writing Writing PAIR WORK GROUP WORK LEARNER DIRECTED Communication Input Output The communication continuum 35 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 20 INTRODUCING/PRESENTING NEW LANGUAGE • Did the teacher follow the five-component model: 1. lead-in 2. elicitation → 1. PRESENTATION 3. explanation 4. accurate reproduction → 2. PRACTICE 5. immediate creativity → 3. PRODUCTION • The skill of presenting: observe the presentation phase of the lesson. What were the key components of the presentation? • Did the teacher use eliciting techniques? If yes, which? [face (i.e. a questioning look); words (e.g. question words); body language; intonation; questions; other] • Was the language presented aurally (via an audio recording) or visually (in written form)? • Application of discovery techniques. • Which techniques for presenting new vocabulary were used? [realia and visuals; word-building; matching; guessing from context; demonstrating; synonyms; examples; pictograms; translating; dictionaries). • Was the presentation clear/slow/too quick /(too) long or short? • Explanations (un/clear? meaningful? contextualised?) • Using the students’ mother tongue (How much? When? Why?). Should or could it have been used or not? • What was the physical position of the teacher during the presentation? Students perform well Lead-in Accurate Immediate Elicitation Explanation reproduction creativity Students perform badly 36 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 21 CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE • How disciplined was the class in your opinion on a scale from 1 (no discipline at all) to 10 (perfectly disciplined)? • Which student behaviours that you saw would you describe as lack of discipline or even discipline problems? (Note that a high noise level does not necessarily mean indiscipline.) • Why do you think the discipline problems occurred? – Why were particular student(s) involved and not others? – Why did the problem occur at a specific stage of the lesson and not at some other moment? • How did the teacher respond to these behaviours? (Note that ignoring is also a way of reacting.) [e.g. restraining touch, pausing, quiet private word, pointing, sarcasm, smile, hostility or glee, looking, class punishment, removal from room, detention, extra work, letter home, sent to headmaster, specific prohibition with unnamed sanction, naming, public telling off/putting down, shouting] • What alternative ways of reacting to the situations you saw can you think of? • Why do you think the teacher reacted the way they did? • Was the response effective in re-establishing discipline? • Think about how undisciplined behaviour can be prevented (rather than ‘cured’). Did the teacher in your opinion use any such preventative approaches? • To what an extent, if at all, do you think discipline problems affected the achievement of lesson aims? 37 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 22 SKILLS REQUIRED OR PRACTISED: INTEGRATING THE SKILLS • reading (skimming, scanning, for detailed understanding, for gist, jigsaw reading, for general understanding, etc.) • listening (listening for perception; listening for comprehension: listening and making no response; listening and making short/longer responses; listening as a basis for study and discussion) • speaking (controlled activities; accuracy activities, fluency activities) • writing (making mind maps, brainstorming, free writing, making a class magazine, writing letters, reformulating a paragraph, correcting your own work, etc.) • grammar • vocabulary • If not all language areas – the four skills, grammar and vocabulary – were practised in this lesson, which area was not taught? What was the effect of omitting it? • What do you think of the balance of the skills in this lesson? • What might be a logical follow-on to this lesson? • Which of the language areas do you most like practising in a foreign language and why? • Which of the language areas do you think you will most enjoy teaching? Why? listening speaking writing reading 38 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 23 GRAMMAR AS LESSON CONTENT • Did the teacher follow the five-component model: 1. lead-in 2. elicitation → 1. PRESENTATION 3. explanation 4. accurate reproduction → 2. PRACTICE 5. immediate creativity → 3. PRODUCTION • What were the lesson’s aims in terms of its grammatical focus? [face (i.e. a questioning look); • Which eliciting techniques did the teacher use? words (e.g. question words); • How were language structures presented to students? body language; intonation; • Think of one other presentation technique which could have questions; other] been used in this presentation. • Deductive approach (grammatical rules are taught explicitly) Presentation techniques: explicitly) line; reading; using a picture; using realia; personalising; vs. inductive approach (grammatical rules are not taught using a song text; using a time • Were the students consciously involved in thinking about explaining directly; practising grammar? and presenting; discovering; • Have you any comments on the language used by the teacher comparing L1 and L2; in context; through a situation; model to talk about language (their metalanguage)? • What was said about grammar? using a chart; eliciting; sentences; a short text. • What was the place of grammar in the lesson? The auxiliary verb, which normally appears after the subject, must move to sentence initial position ... What’s a verb? 39 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 24 THE STRUCTURE OF A LANGUAGE LESSON: BASIC LESSON TYPES Here is a description of four basic lesson types: 1. LOGICAL LINE In this lesson there is a clear attempt to follow a ‘logical’ path from one activity to the next. Activity A leads to activity B, activity B leads to activity C. Activity C builds on what has been done in activity B, which itself builds on what has been done in activity A. A Used in work on grammar or language skills (e.g. from a general understanding B C of a reading text to detailed comprehension). There is probably one clear overall objective to the whole lesson. The teacher is hoping to lead the learners step by step through a clearly programmed sequence of activities in the hope of them all reaching a specific, pre- determined end point. 2. TOPIC In this kind of lesson, a topic (e.g. rain forest) provides the main focal point for A B UMBRELLA student work. The teacher might include a variety of separate activities (e.g. on vocabulary, speaking, listening, grammar, etc.) linked only by the fact that E the umbrella topic remains the same. C The activities can often be done in a variety of orders without changing the D overall success of the lesson. There may be a number of related or disparate aims in this lesson, rather than a single main objective. 3. JUNGLE PATH An alternative approach would be not to predict and prepare so much but to create the lesson moment by moment in class, the teacher and learners working with whatever is happening in the room, responding to questions, problems and options as they come up and finding new activities, materials and tasks in response to particular situations. The starting point might be an activity or a piece of material, but what comes out of it will remain unknown until it happens. The teacher is working more with the people in the room than with her material or her plan. The main pre-planning for a lesson of this kind would involve the teacher using her knowledge of the learners and of the available resources to choose some activities and materials that are likely to prove challenging. She would have an intuitive sense of various potential links between activities based on experience. The ‘jungle path’ lesson can look artless to an observer, yet to do it successfully requires experience. 4. RAG-BAG This lesson is made up of a number of unconnected activities. For example: a chat at the start of the lesson, followed by a vocabulary game, a pairwork E speaking activity and a song. The variety in the lesson of this kind may often A B be appealing to students and teacher. There can, however, be a ‘bittiness’ D C There will be no overall language objective for the lesson. Each separate about this approach that makes it unsatisfactory for long-term usage. activity might have its own aim(s). (Adapted from: Scrivener 1994: 32–37) • Of the four lesson types, which one comes closest to the one you have just observed? • What format did the lesson follow? – What does the format consist of? – Why does it have the format it does? – What principles or beliefs account for this format? • Is there a fifth lesson type that you are aware of? • Do you think that the teacher has developed a personalized format for lessons they teach? • What are the dis/advantages for learners/teachers of using established lesson formats? 40 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 25 DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONTENT In ELT lessons, we usually differentiate between the linguistic content (e.g. grammar, functions, skills, lexis, phonology, etc.), and the topic content (i.e. topics that texts are about, or that tasks relate to). • In your observation, pay attention to the kinds of content the lesson included. • Did it include the kinds of content you think it should? • Did it have too much of some other kinds which you consider inappropriate? TYPES OF NON-LINGUISTIC CONTENT 1. Zero or trivial content Bland, fairly neutral characters and events, or superficially interesting topics with no cultural or other information or engagement with real-world issues. For example: sentences about fictional ‘John and Mary’ doing everyday activities; stereotype family stories; many pop songs, trivial anecdotes, ‘soap-opera’ style narrative or video. 2. The language Aspects of the target language treated as topics of study in themselves: its history, for example, etymology or morphology. 3. Another subject of study Other subjects on the school or university curriculum, such as science or history, taught through the medium of the foreign language. 4. Home culture Discussion of institutions, people, places, events, writing, etc. pertaining to the learners’ own culture. For example, Greek learners might discuss places they would recommend that tourists should visit in Greece. 5. Culture associated with the target language Discussion of institutions, etc. pertaining to the culture of the target language. Materials for learners of English might take as topics the American Civil War, or British social customs. 6. Literature of the target language In a sense a part of (5) above, but important enough to warrant a separate heading: stories, novels, plays, poetry written in the target language. 7. World of general knowledge Culture or literature that is known in many countries, such as some folk tales, the Bible; geographical, historical or political information about any part of the world; general scientific or philosophical topics. 8. Moral, educational, political or social problems Content that presents, or requires participants to take, a stance on some issue: for example, a dilemma to which learners suggest a solution. 9. The learners themselves Exploration of learners’ own experiences, knowledge, opinions and feelings: for example, activities that ask learners to write about someone they know, or compare tastes in food and drink. (Adapted from: Ur 1996: 197–198) 41 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 26 DEDUCING THE LESSON PLAN As you observe, try to deduce the lesson plan by listing all the activities that appeared in the lesson. Use the three ARC components to describe and categorize each activity, i.e. make a decision about which box it best fits. (The decision as to how to categorize an activity may not be clear cut; there is a certain degree of overlap and integration in every activity, and different people will interpret the relative im-portance of features in different ways. So don’t worry too much if you can’t definitely decide on an ARC component; choose the one that seems to you to fit best.) In your observation, pay attention to how the teacher made transitions between one point in the lesson and the next task or activity which was different (e.g. with a word, such as OK, Now, or a phrase or sentence, as in I’m going to ask you some questions, or And for my next point, Now let’s do some reading, etc.). ARC descriptive model seen from the learner’s perspective A – Authentic R – Restricted C – Clarification (PRODUCTION) (PRACTICE) (PRESENTATION) A R C I can use all the language There is a deliberate limitation As if using a magnifying I have at my disposal. on the language that I use. glass, I zoom in and look I’m using only a part of what closely at some specific For: meaning, I know. pieces of language. These communication, pieces may be ‘new’ to me fluency For: form, practice, or they may be language accuracy that I already use. Overall aims of the lesson: 42 Teacher Practice Handbook Transitions (markers) (how the teacher linked Activity A-R-C different stages together) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 43 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 27 TEACHING AS PROMOTION OF POSITIVE HUMAN VALUES ‘formative’ or ‘personal-growth’ aspects of teaching (VZGOJNI VIDIKI POUKA) Explicitly or implicitly, every instruction promotes certain values. The values in focus can be very dif- ferent: individuality or cooperation, respect and tolerance or aggressive self-assertiveness, integrity or cleverness, intellectual knowledge or personal qualities, creating a sense of security, encouraging stu-dents’ self-esteem, etc. • Which values would you say were promoted in the lesson observed? • Were they present implicitly? (e.g. in the text the class worked with that was primarily meant to illustrate the use of a grammatical structure, in the way the teacher set up pairwork, in the type of activity used, in the lesson aims, in the type of language the teacher used, etc.) or explicitly? (e.g. the teacher discussed some values with the students) • Can you think of any ways in which this same lesson could provide more opportunity and encouragement for students to develop positive values and positive personal qualities? 44 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 28 THE LITERATURE LESSON • What text was chosen to use with students? Do you know the reason? • What approach was chosen to exploit the text? Did the teacher go through a process containing any of the following stages: 1. encounter and impact to get learners to perceive the basic form and meaning of the text, and for it to make some kind of real impact on them, both intellectually and emotionally 2. understanding and familiarization to get learners to interact with the text thoroughly so that they become familiar with the words and ideas, are confident they know the sequence of events and characters; and to help them to understand and appreciate the text in more depth and detail 3. analysis and interpretation to go more deeply into the interpretation of a text; a deeper probing into the meanings and im- plications of a text; an attempt to discover new levels of meaning or perspectives, or to deepen appreciation of style or structure. The main tool for such probing is the class discussion (i.e. teacher leading interpretative discussion). • Note down any evidence that the tasks and activities for exploiting the text seemed relevant and challenging to the student. • Was the chosen text suitable/unsuitable for the students? • Did the students have any linguistic problems with the chosen text? If yes, what type of linguistic problems were that (meaning of a word or phrase, textual ambiguities, figurative meanings, rhetorical devices, unusual language use, etc.)? • How did the teacher help to overcome those linguistic problems? – by encouraging students to use dictionaries and glossaries – by encouraging students to infer the meaning from the context – by explanation – by translation – by providing exercises and activities which explore the language – other (specify) • What background information, if any, did the teacher present and how did they present it? • Was there any evidence that the background information presented was relevant/irrelevant to students and helped them in their own interpretation? • What do you think the students learned in this lesson? How useful do you think this would be for them? 45 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 29 TEACHING LITERATURE: THE INTERPRETATION OF THE TEXT »The meaning of a literary text can never be fixed, but is manufactured by the reader. Individual readers make sense of the texts in very different ways, depending on the society they live in and their personal psychology.« • Did the teacher give way to the students’ own interpretations of the text? • What evidence was there in the lesson that students were helped and encouraged to reach their own interpretation of the text? • What techniques or activities seemed helpful for encouraging student participation and involvement into the interpretation of the text: – the teacher guided the students towards a basic comprehension of the text – the teacher encouraged the students to draw on their own knowledge and experiences when making sense of the text – the teacher encouraged the students to infer unstated meanings and »read between the lines« where necessary – the teacher encouraged the students to reach their own interpretation of the text rather than relying on a »correct« or standard one – the teacher encouraged the students to provide reasoned arguments for their interpretation – other (specify) • What were the students’ responses to the teacher’s interpretation of the text? • Did the teacher accept students’ interpretations or trying to impose the »standard« one? • Were there any students unwilling to respond or being involved into the interpretation? Why? • Did any of the interpretations encourage students to deepen the thoughts and become a major topic of discussion? If yes, was that the »standard« interpretation or one of the students’? 46 Teacher Practice Handbook Observation Task(s) No 30 THE LITERATURE LESSON Literature is the Mount Everest of every language, and one should not try to scale Mount Everest before having accumulated extensive experience climbing lesser mountains. [Carl Dodson 1967] • Did the teacher do any ‘warm-up’ activities? If so, what? • Did the teacher do any pre-text teaching of language or content? If so, what? [e.g. pre-teaching new words; doing some preparatory work on content or atmosphere; providing some information about the author or the cultural or historic background; etc.] • Were glosses provided (on the margin; at the bottom of the page)? • Did the teacher provide a bilingual text in two columns? • Was a simplified (abbreviated, shortened; abridged; adapted) version of the text used? • Did the students read the text silently on their own? Did they read it aloud round the class? Did the teacher himself/herself read it aloud? Did the teacher play a recording? • How did the teacher check initial understanding? • Was the text used as a basis for vocabulary expansion? • Did the text supply a jump-off point for discussion or writing? • Was the text used as a basis for language teaching? Was the language teaching aspect over-emphasized? • What activities or tasks did the teacher use to encourage interaction and engagement with the text? • How was the text personalized? • What sorts of questions or tasks did the teacher use to get the students to probe and explore more subtle meanings, aspects of style or structure? • Literature usually involves emotions as well intellect. Did the text add to motivation and contribute to personal development and the learners’ general education? • How did the teacher ‘round off’ the study of the text? • standard interpretation • students’ interpretation • personal growth • style / structure • deeper meaning • education • language teaching • vocabulary • discussion • writing 47 Teacher Practice Handbook General or holistic lesson observations Before your formally assessed lesson (FAL), you need to carry out two general ob- servations of the class in which this lesson will be conducted. General observation means observing more elements of a lesson in a more holistic way. LESSON OBSERVATION SHEET: General observation of the lesson Observer: ______________________________________ Date of observation: _______________________ School: ________________________________________ Class (or level): ____________________________ Teacher observed: _______________________________ Classroom layout: _________________________ The aim of this observation task is to provide you with some general information and data about the lesson, especially how successful the teacher was in achieving the lesson aims and in creating an environ-ment that contributes to learning. INSTRUCTIONS: Answer the questions below. Try to be descriptive, not evaluative. Your answers should be brief and to the point. 1. What were, in your opinion, the main/overall aims of the lesson? Were they achieved? How do you know? 2. Briefly describe the general atmosphere of the class. In what ways did the teacher’s personal qualities and behaviour contribute to that atmosphere? 3. Briefly describe the learners’ general behaviour/attitude and their involvement in activities and tasks. What, in your opinion, contributed most to their behaviour/attitude and their involvement? 4. List all materials and teaching aids used in this lesson (e.g. coursebook, board, audio-visual aids, handouts, etc.). 48 Teacher Practice Handbook 5. Estimate, in percentage, the amount of teacher talking time (TTT) compared to student talking time (STT). TTT: ________________ STT: ________________ 6. Deduce the lesson plan. As you observe, try to deduce the lesson plan by listing all the activities that appeared in the lesson. Pay attention to how the teacher made transitions between one point in the lesson and the next task or activity which was different. From the obtained skeleton lesson outline (i.e. chronological list of activities that appeared in the lesson), try to deduce the teaching model(s) used. Activity Teaching model(s) used 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 7. General impressions. Add comments about anything else you think was worth noticing about the lesson. One thing I really enjoyed was ____________________________________________________________ There was a lot of _______________________________________________________________________ There wasn’t much _____________________________________________________________________ If I taught this lesson, I might _____________________________________________________________ As a result of this lesson I now realise _______________________________________________________ Mentor’s signature: ____________________________ 49 Teacher Practice Handbook Independent and individual teaching Independent and individual teaching refers to a time when the trainee teaches a whole lesson. According to the TP requirements, you will have to teach 5 entire les- sons in Year 1 practicum (4 individually taught lessons plus 1 formally assessed lesson) or 9 entire lessons in Year 2 practicum (8 individually taught lessons plus 1 formally as- sessed lesson). The number of lessons taught individually can be negotiated between mentors and trainees, allowing trainees to start individual teaching when they feel ready to do so. The required number of individually/independently taught lessons (i.e. 5 or 9) suffices, but you can teach more if you choose to. All individually/independently taught lessons (i.e. 5 or 9), including the formally assessed lesson, have to be documented in two ways: a. The trainee has to produce lesson plans for all individually/independently taught lessons. The trainee should hand the plan to the mentor, so that s/he is able to better follow, observe and/or assess the trainee’s teaching. All lesson plans need to be included in the TP portfolio. b. Mentor’s written feedback on all individually/independently taught lessons, in- cluding the formally assessed lesson. The shape of a formal lesson plan On your teacher training course, you will be required to produce a written lesson plan for each lesson taught. The formal lesson plan should contain two distinct sec- tions: 1. a background information page (DNEVNA PRIPRAVA – Lesson Planning Back ground Information Sheet), which provides background information about the class, the teacher, the materials and the overall aims of the lesson; 2. a detailed lesson plan in the form of a chronological list of stages in the lesson, with a description of activities, their aims and estimated timing. Lesson Planning Background Information Sheet DNEVNA PRIPRAVA This is an ‘introduction’ page with facts about the class and the aims of the les- son before going into more detailed planning. The following information is required: Date, Trainee’s name, Teacher’s/Mentor’s name, School name, Class name, Materials and resources to be used (coursebook or self-produced materials), Student groupings (e.g. pair work, group work), Teaching aids needed, and Overall lesson aim(s). Both – the background information page form (Lesson Planning Background Information Sheet – DNEVNA PRIPRAVA) and the detailed lesson plan – can be written either in English or in Slovenian. Officially, lesson plans in our schools must be in Slovenian, and that is what will be required for your teacher licensing/certification examination (i.e. strokovni izpit), but feel free to use English. Make sure you don’t mix the languages. Please remember that you plan the lesson for your students and yourself, but the lesson plan you hand in is for the assessor, so that they will be able to better follow, observe and assess your teaching (the quality of the lesson plan is part of your grade). Make sure the plan is neat, clear, organized and easy to follow. 50 Teacher Practice Handbook Overall lesson aim(s) A lesson should have a main, primary, overall, broad or global aim (usually one, up to three is realistic). Look at the range of possibilities (Tanner and Green 1998a:102): type of global aim example topic aims learners learn some facts about dinosaurs grammar aims learners understand the difference between direct and indirect speech communication aims learners learn to reply to a personal letter vocabulary aims learners recognise words denoting types of fruit function aims learners learn how to complain in a shop skills aims learners listen for specific information pronunciation aims learners can hear the difference between the long and short /i/ sound group dynamics aims learners solve a problem in groups reviewing aims learners revise the vocabulary from the previous unit cultural aims learners find out how the British celebrate Christmas organisational aims learners are given their end of year reports We can phrase the aims from the teacher’s perspective (e.g. ‘to provide practice in scan reading skills’), others from the students’ perspective (e.g. ‘for students to have practice in scan reading skills’). As teachers it is more beneficial if we think of what we are doing from the learners’ perspective whenever possible. That’s why we should bear in mind that lesson aims have to be student-oriented. What will they know/un-derstand/be able to do after the activity or lesson? Therefore, if you express your les-son aim as, for example, ‘to practise reading’ or ‘to present and practise the present continuous for future arrangements’, such aims give no indication of learning objec-tives and of the role of the learners. These statements are more like summaries of the content of the lessons than statements of aims. Wording your aim as, for example, ‘to help students to refuse invitations by referring to their arrangements using the present continuous’, or ‘for students to have practice in listening for gist’, looks more at what the students are going to achieve through the lesson. Aims are the ‘Why?’, stages are the ‘What?’. 51 Teacher Practice Handbook Lesson Planning Background Information Sheet Dnevna priprava Date: Datum: Trainee’s name & surname: Ime in priimek študenta/-ke: Mentor’s name & surname: Ime in priimek mentorja/-ice: Name of School: Šola: Class: Razred: Teaching materials (course book) and unit number: Učna gradiva (učbenik) in št. učne enote: Interaction pattern(s): Učna oblika/Učne oblike: Teaching aids: Učni pripomočki: OVERALL LESSON AIM(S): SPLOŠNI UČNI CILJ(I): 52 Teacher Practice Handbook The shape of a detailed formal lesson plan If planning is “a thinking skill and imagining the lesson before it happens” (Scrivener 2005: 109), then a written lesson plan is evidence that you have done that thinking. A carefully worked-out plan is the end result of thinking logically through the content of the lesson before the lesson. It can also serve as a useful in-lesson reminder to you of your pre-lesson thoughts. Beyond that, however, it is not set in stone. Prepare thoroughly, but in class, teach the learners, not the plan. There is no ‘correct’ format for a lesson plan. Practising teachers should experi-ment with plan formats until they find one that is most useful for them. However, as student-teachers in training, you will be required to use a ‘prescribed’ and ‘traditional’ lesson plan format as described below. You lesson plan is a statement of the intended procedure of the lesson. This is done as a list of separate stages, with indications of what you will do, what the stu-dents will do, how long you expect it to last, what kind of interaction there will be, and what the aims of the stage are. Thus, a skeleton six-column outline plan might look like this: STAGE STAGE AIM TIME (ET) ESTIMATED INTERACTION TEACHER STUDENT PATTERN (IP) ACTIVITY ACTIVITY As a reminder, stages are the ‘What?’ (i.e. the teaching point) while the aims are the ‘Why?’ Make sure that you give a name to each stage. The word ‘stage’ refers to the procedure, i.e. what you will do and what the students will do – it’s a kind of ‘title’ for the part of the lesson. Lesson stages are, therefore, major lesson ‘chunks’ or phases. Breaking down a lesson into stages gets you thinking about sequences of activi-ties rather than about individual activities. Some examples of lesson stage names would be ‘reading’, ‘practice’, ‘board work’, etc. The aim will then clarify the reason for this. Each lesson stage can, of course, have separate sub-stages (and sub-aims), but these will be documented in the lesson plan under the headings of ‘teacher activity’ and ‘student activity’. Examples of lesson stage names: Board work Oral practice Checking answers Performance Comprehension check Practice Controlled grammar practice Presentation practice Exploitation of text Production Feedback Reading (pre-, while-, post-reading) Fluency practice Reserve activity Focus on form Review Focus on language Vocabulary practice Freer oral practice Warmer / Lead-in Gist and close reading practice Written practice Introduction Written production Listening (pre-, while-, post-listening) 53 Teacher Practice Handbook Guidelines for lesson planning AIM: What is to be taught? 1. Decide on the main teaching point. This may be a new grammatical structure. If so, isolate the use (or uses) to be focused on. Or it may be a particular func-tion expressed by more than one form. In either case, list the forms that are to be included. Alternatively, you might decide to make your main teaching point the teaching of a particular skill (reading, writing, listening, or some other activity). In this case, there may not be any major new language items to be included but remember that the lesson should still have some focal points or main aim, and that there should be an attempt to balance the different types of activity included in the lesson. 2. Which stage of practice is to be attempted (controlled, freer, completely free)? This will determine the types of activity to be included. 3. Choose a suitable situation or situations for the activities you have in mind. If the situation is already determined by your textbook, think of ways of setting or intro-ducing this situation. 4. What new lexical items (or lexical sets) fit in with this (these) situation(s)? 5. What phonological problems or teaching points should be included? ACTIVITIES: What are you going to do in the lesson? 1. Plan the stages to be followed in introducing and practising your main teaching point(s), bearing in mind what you have decided in ‘Aims’. 2. Calculate the timing of these stages. Is there too much for your lesson? Is there time left over? 3. If the former, simplify your aims – make them less ambitious. If the latter, what ex- tra activity could be fitted in? Do you need a warm-up activity at the beginning? Could you add a brief activity at the end – a song or a game, for example? 4. At this stage consider: Has your rough plan got a reasonable balance of activities? Different skills (reading, writing, speaking, etc. in the right proportion)? Variations of pace to suit the students’ levels of concentration or tiredness at each stage of the lesson? If not, make suitable changes. 5. Finalize your rough plan and the timing of each stage. Write this out. AIDS: What aids are you going to use? 1. Which are likely to be most effective? 2. Are they varied or attractive enough? 3. Are you making full use of them? 4. Do not forget that the blackboard is an aid. Plan your blackboard work in detail. 5. List the aids beside each stage planned so far. ANTICIPATED DIFFICULTIES: What could go wrong? 1. Try to guess which errors are most likely to occur. Why will these occur? Work out alternative strategies to sort these out. 2. If you have a ‘difficult’ class, you should plan a special lesson for your group. 3. If there are likely to be serious phonological difficulties, work out some strategies for dealing with these briefly or include a suitable phonological practice activity. 4. Bear in mind that no lesson, however carefully prepared, works out exactly as planned. Flexibility in carrying out a plan is one of the signs of a good teacher. There is a danger in overplanning your lesson. To some extent you must rely on your experience and instincts to do the right thing when the unexpected occurs. 54 Teacher Practice Handbook GENERAL VIEW: Is the lesson going to be a success? Finally, consider these general questions before committing yourself to teaching the lesson: 1. Are the students going to learn something in this lesson? (One hopes that this coincides with the stated aims above!) 2. Are they going to enjoy the lesson? Is it likely to be fun, varied and satisfying? 3. Does the lesson as a whole have a sense of coherence and purpose? 4. Does the lesson connect up with what went before? Is it building on previous learning? 5. Does the lesson lead the way to useful activities in later lessons? Is it opening up new areas of knowledge and practice? Ways of varying lesson components 1. Tempo. Activities may be brisk and fast-moving (such as guessing games) or slow and reflective (such as reading literature and responding in writing). 2. Organization. The learners may work on their own at individualized tasks; or in pairs or groups; or as a full class in interaction with the teacher. 3. Mode and skill. Activities may be based on the written or the spoken language; and within these, they may vary as to whether the learners are asked to produce (speak, write) or receive (listen, read). 4. Difficulty. Activities may be seen as easy and non-demanding; or difficult, requir- ing concentration and effort. 5. Topic. Both the language teaching point and the (non-linguistic) topic may change from one activity to another. 6. Mood. Activities vary also in mood: light and fun-based versus serious and pro- found; happy versus sad; tense versus relaxed. 7. Stir – settle. Some activities enliven and excite learners (such as controversial discussions, or activities that involve physical movement); others, like dictations, have the effect of calming them down. 8. Active – passive. Learners may be activated in a way that encourages their own initiative; or they may only be required to do as they are told. (Adapted from: Ur 1996: 217) Guidelines for ordering components of a lesson • Put the harder tasks earlier. On the whole, students are fresher and more ener- getic earlier in the lesson, getting progressively less so as it goes on, particularly if the lesson is a long one. So, it makes sense to put the tasks that demand more effort and concentration earlier on (learning new material, or tackling a difficult text, for example) and the lighter ones later. Similarly, tasks that need a lot of stu- dent initiative work better earlier in the lesson, with the more structured and con- trolled ones later. • Have quieter activities before lively ones. It can be quite difficult to calm down a class – particularly of children or adolescents – who have been participating in a lively, exciting activity. So, if one of your central lesson components is quiet and reflective, it is better on the whole to put it before a lively one, not after. The exception to this is when you have a rather lethargic or tired class of adults; here ‘stirring’ activities early on can actually refresh and help students get into the right frame of mind for learning. • Think about transitions. If you have a sharp transition from, say, a reading-writ- ing activity to an oral one, or from a fast- moving one to a slow one, devote some 55 Teacher Practice Handbook thought to the transition stage. It may be enough to ‘frame’ by summing up one component in a few words and introducing the next; or it may help to have a very brief transition activity which makes the move smoother. • Pull the class together at the beginning and the end. If you bring the class together at the beginning for general greetings, organization and introduction of the day’s programme, and then do a similar full- class ‘rounding-off’ at the end, this contributes to a sense of structure. On the whole, group or individual work is more smoothly organized if it takes place in the middle of the lesson, with clear beginning and ending points. • End on a positive note. This does not necessarily mean ending with a joke or a fun activity – though of course it may. For some classes it may mean something quite serious, like a summary of what we have achieved today, or a positive evalu-ation of something the class has done. Another possibility is to give a task which the class is very likely to succeed in and which will generate feelings of satisfac-tion. The point is to have students leave the classroom feeling good. (Adapted from: Ur 1996: 217–18) Hints for lesson management 1. Prepare more than you need: it is advisable to have an easily presented, light ‘re- serve’ activity ready in case of extra time. 2. Similarly, note in advance which component(s) of the lesson you will sacrifice if you find yourself with too little time for everything! 3. Keep a watch or clock easily visible. Make sure you are aware throughout how time is going relative to your programme. It is difficult to judge intuitively how time is going when you are busy, and the smooth running of your lesson depends to some extent on proper timing. 4. Do not leave the giving of homework to the last minute! At the end of the lesson, learners’ attention is at a low ebb, and you may run out of time before you finish explaining. Explain it earlier on and then give a quick reminder at the end. 5. If you have papers to distribute and a large class, do not try to give every paper yourself to every student! Give a number of papers to people at different points in the class. Ask them to take one and pass the rest on. 6. If you are doing group work, give instructions and make sure these are under- stood before dividing into groups or even, if practicable, handing out materials; if you do it the other way round, students will be looking at each other and at the materials, and they are less likely to attend to what you have to say. (Adapted from: Ur 1996: 223) On the following pages, there are five completed sample lesson plans – for a lis- tening lesson, for a reading & writing lesson, for a reading & grammar lesson, for a speaking & grammar lesson, and for a grammar lesson. These examples are not pre- sented as perfect models but as typical plans produced by a successful candidate on a course. 56 Teacher Practice Handbook Sample Lesson Plan 1: listening e) st t y wn ex ening opic GE AIM t t ea (passiv opic y about e in list ely) k om T . ar o t ehension of 1fr tise v opic tiv iosit A e e t t. m & pur or key poinac . o Ss . ers / pose of ocabular ening t no ts & elop ST e subjec ted t ing ocab -S help & dev ex or ompr ist) onfidenc ela e fe S ehension oduc evise (ac . r ’ clear voke cur ecall language of t ening f e tak y eak up long list evise v ersonaliz ro es tion oast c ntr ening t ead (g ea. omot 1. I 2. R 1. P 2. Ss r vocab 1. P list 2. Ss r ar 1. Ensur ‘not 2. Check c sec 3. Br 1. List thr 2. Not 3. B abilit Pr independenc Enable Ss check answcompr Consider / pr Y o . c. t e of es . en t ake e , et . T ts wn es es e notocab tions , not d. CTIVIT essing or o ess wha ov er te & list emen y f ist) ra xpr xpr ov e & discuss e hy think see ghost o instruc ehension & pac e ing: e tions y ite on boar . Wtic en t es ar en & take not en & take not ompar en (detail) – v STUDENT A ening (g m impr edic tivitac list expl List discuss/nar each other Speak pr Consider/e not List Suggest answ for List responsibilit compr ac Ss c Ss wr Consider/impr Listpr Y , y. . ) t ell ou e). . od e y). d. e . essar wic t & (b . ook a , blo eliev y t ou/has essarts hat do y or Ss heading t ask Q ten y.: L ou b e y st W . an on , dead o pla onit o y es tivit es on boaremen or 1 CTIVIT er seen one? T D M e if nec .ov y mother seeing es f e (a) c . & help if nec c.) w ev wic ’. Elicit meaning & tion ac op me (tape) if need , if time t , et no es CHER A ghost, die hy not? Hav y of m d not . yle of not o put not .: ompar-S disc or een ou k out it if so . + headings). ‘not redic . iting time or w TEA tion 1 (t . Voc o c . Elicit impr . Discussion: or S . P ou might hear on the tap or tion e wr ond time e 3 Ss t od od pose yone y out these things? y sec m. ell Ss st tr onit tr en ec onit vit I t ghost ( chain, scr In in ghosts? W an others ab M In p. 33 (pic think y ab M pur Pla Elicit – boar Focus on st Suggest Ss st mor (S Tell Ss t for M In DiscussExplain task IP -S T-S d. d. d. Ss T-SS T-SS S T-SS S T-SS In S-T In S-S InSs- T-Ss pairs/3 ET 5’ 7’ 3’ 5’ 2’ 5’+ 5’+ 10’ tion ) ) y (A (B) k (A (B) or wtivit GE ’ / ening ehension Ave ST y y oduc-list ening e home armer re ompr iv ntr tivit tivit 1. I 2. W 3. P ac 4. List ac 5. C check 6. G7. ‘Reser additional ac (written by Sue Heeley) ET = estimated time; IP = interaction pattern (i.e. pair work, group work, lockstep, individual work) 57 Teacher Practice Handbook Sample Lesson Plan 2: reading & writing JI ne ne etnosti vor i i vor etnosti APNI CIL vensk i i, vensk etnosti etnosti anja, ET personalizacija teme urjenje spr br urjenje go spr širjenje besedišča o slo kultur širjenje besedišča o slo kultur urjenje gospr urjenje spr pisanja A esa . edijo vi e č vodila. . tek . Č . aj si ne ra . ijo ijo azumeli, anem. , k edo ejo članek varjajo na vor ebr ultur vorevijo upinah nar ašanja. vedo eber . VNOST UČENC u niso r no abec i odgo i poslušajo na i pr i odgo i po i poimenujejo i v sk i odgo i napišejo k JA azmislijo o njego ašajo za pojasnilo venske k DE Dijak moja vpr Dijak Dijak in r vsebini. Dijak v člank vpr Dijak mislijo o pr Dijak slo simbole Dijak kultur Dijak Dijakčlanek za r JA e bili na letalu i i v/ tko . , k tko e, raalo ašam azmisli, te . ra er ali se ane evijo Vpr ko ultur em jim, da vodila, da edo za emo eno in , naj r ali r vljen v tak ih vidnih ali na k ti k en). ovrajev/lok eč . P zadje eba, pojasnim to pa izbr v in ga na k rešer e so ž o.) no abec venci r e P in-flight magazine no o e v angleščini. i je bil obja . e je tr e so kdaj br ultur eč ultur , k . Č ranc ultur injajo z napisanim t vo k er da bodo mor . em r venščini, na ašam jih, č ano u. vijo k to dam dijakom na a, kjer Slo azmislijo še o drug pr em jim bolj vidne elemen varvijo ebr u omenjeni elemen esti v angleščino . V ašam jih, č , na až , da pišejo za ali članek imer , potica, F ev ok t magazine). , ali se str em st anem simboluedsta Vpr ebr vijo v slo orju . P VNOST UČITEL upinah r e in sesta aj so zapisali za posamezno čr v list vt ej omenjenih simbolo . , k JA om. usijo pr aj so zapisali, t azumeli pr ultur . lipo a o izbr ako se t DE aj o a azmislijo očke s člankom. adi potujejo akšnega pr .g ili, k vedo eljajo tudi za njego er e r vi pogled om (in-fligh e so r aj si mislijo o člank er k Če ima kdo drugačno k a v e (e te posk i t ev edo naj sestaveniji in jih pr . ( eli med let venske k , da po delim izr vem, da bodo pr vem, da so bili v člank em, da naj v sk vek ali dv očim, da si zamislijo ultur bec . Lahko napišejo tudi seznam najljubših k ašam, č az ašam, č ašam, k em jim nek eč em pr . A e pišem na tablov v Slo i iz člank tih slo ti sta vijo ov . ejo članek in r ne elemen vor aj so poč var aj je na slik ejo naj si enega od pr em dijake venske k venijo veda eber edsta dgo Dijake vpr ter k jo dobijo med let Dijakom po reviji. P pr lahko spomnijo še k mislimo drugo ali st Dijakom r Dijake vpr besede Dijake vpr Dijakom po ki niso vidni na pr slo jih, k Dijakom r elemen Slo kultur bomo pot po Klič O Dijakom nar Izber prdogodko A upinah talna talna, talna talna, UČNA OBLIK on on on on fr fr individualno delo frfr delo sk individualno delo ČAS 2’ 2’ 6’ 10’ 25’ AK ev va OR a od alna vnost ede dela azširit emo ec UČNI K 1. uv v t 2. br deja 3. r teme 4. iz kulturne ab 5. pisanje člank 58 Teacher Practice Handbook Sample Lesson Plan 3: reading & grammar AIDS d d CHING boar boar e of paper ebook ebook ebook TEA piec coursebook black coursebook coursebook coursebook coursebook not black coursebook not not coursebook ) y o AIMS est in the esen or the t , r tinuous f e (lockst cur essions) GE ter tion ) k) e k)on e A age Ss & w xpr e in e them f ep or or ehension of the e the use of t c ST e te positiv opic tise time essions tic oduc our ning new v ocus and understand tinuous f tr ea epar ac ac esen in e ake ring t t y er ocabular or the ac ef ep or cr atmospher make Ss familiar with the t enc them up lear (time e achiev topic pr reading par (lockst to f the messages (pair w pr expr the futur (pair w focus on ac focus and understand the use of pr con futur compr usage pr pr the futur conclusion Y wn TIVIT reeting ite do es ts ebook es y C ers ers tenctenc A xamples in the y o the g efully wr eplies ocabular rangemen efully wn in the notve an en car ead it e the HW er the questions ite the sen ovide answ ing ar STUDENT espond t tch the r ead the sen en car ite do en and ask questions if Ss r Ss make name tags Ss pr Ss list the new v Ss fill in the time line read the messages ma mak read the messages check the answ answ read in pairs list wr discuss the e book Ss wr Ss r come up with a dialogue and then r Ss not list they ha e eplies tenc der ds they or the or their Y or essions) ite the other ical or our w essions ite each sen tinuous f xpr CHER o make name tags ead the messages and tise r tenc xplana esen opic o r ac b) - (gap ite a shor , and then r x. 5 and 6 ead the messages er w ough the list and wr ocabular tions/suggestions with the r o r ers o pr t v ro o wr TEA w the e x.1 in the book (wr opic vita.103: e rec ome up with thr or ead the sen omor: p ollo es on the black e and ask Ss t e new v t the t C tion in the book ee/f eading the messages es A y (time e t c boar TIVIT onolog ead it xpr d t dialogue f-filling) on eeting Ss oduc o c te with the t o look thr , ask Ss t , ask Ss t o f o do e o r or t eplies e n HW -up the lesson essions on the line in chr oduc tch the in ite notap tr esen tr gr in pr ask Ss t associa in explain the timeline in the book ask Ss t expr tell Ss individually t ma in pairs check the answ ask Ss questions with time e in pairs and r explain the use of pr futur wr ask Ss t ask Ss t with the c ask Ss t ask Ss in pairs t plans f assigwr ET 2’ 3’ 5’ 4’ 4’ 3’ 5’ 5’ 6’ 2’ GE tion y k & orw tion e eading A eading ta e y y y tic oduc abular-r STome -up arm-up tic oc re ost-r rammar rammar rac ntr tivit tivit tivit esen acap 1. I 2. W 3. V 4. P ac 5. Reading ac 6. P ac 7. G pr 8. G pr 9. P writing 10. Hwr 59 Teacher Practice Handbook Sample Lesson Plan 4: speaking & grammar AIDS d d ’ ts or the boar boar es of paper es of ebooks tuden awings Piec for name tags Black Piec paper f dr – Handout – Black – Snot / opic/ ts ts or en en ing bs) easons f AIMS er tion e speak ing: oduc tising past simple oducing the t rea ms (r tr tr ac egular v in tiv ing about aliens egular and essing past ev iving r In revision of past ev – C – Speak expr Pr for irr Speak and g their opinions k IP ep ep or ep ep T rk rk lockst Ss- Individual wo lockst Individual wo pair w lockst lockst Y t and t ” y o orbs t opic awing om tians re/ bs and er awing t wha awing ar t fr er ys using ex ast Simple). “M xample of ense used is t individually d and check if epor CTIVIT ast Simple or believing or ew bizar ex andom dr o P t t t ve the v med the v t titled tly ite the t tivities they did t the t ts in the dr ex t is used in the st or .S.) e a r person, P ex eads an e rec eiv st ewr t the boareasons f ansf or , obser , r ew ac ve tha ec y one they r e a t STUDENT A ys and choose one of their ite or funniest momen t Simple t e tr eiv y elemen m pairs ense tha e their opinion on the t ’v ing summer holida ec ead the shor or ake name tags vour aw it n pairs n pairs They include a f They r esen M – List a f dur Past Simple – Obser in the past (P – Ss think about their summer holida fa dr – funn – – One b they did based on the dr they got (1 – R – R – F – I the t – I Pr – Each pair r the changed t – Ss look a they the past c – Givand their r not believing in aliens Y t they or y and ina tians tinuous) ts f awings hich t or y o include al po aransf W on bs in the or ene fr t Simple and oom, check e in aliens tur er t C m pairs and look d (5’) CTIVIT ing o ers ense tion. med w or esen om their , ts CHER A yself o make name tags ers on the m of a mind map na bs (“ awing), using the or or ts ys but ter y elemen resen ite the st ymous dr en, help if needed awing and pr resen boar en t about M : P itt ead the tr t they did dur c. (5’) ys xplaining wha tion and imag ite the v ense they used t ead the st ewr , super ex er hey can also include then f ast Simple o r aw a fun sc ts t t t , e , et eta o r lined v o r . T e wr re/funn e m nsw d in the f pr ’v o dr ound the classr TEA A t the anon ter y (not) e some answ oduc boar ibe past ev xample of P t they sk studen sk them wha rit sk them t sk them t alk ar y, while I wr sk Ss t ollec sk them if they believ ntr o the class hen ask Ss t W W or – I – A – A summer holida – black – Check wha descr – A last summer holida some bizar example UFOs wild animals – C and mix them up – Each S gets 1 dr it t did (based on the dr Past Simple their in – Hand out a t – A (individually), at the under is used?” one e – A put it in the P – wha –T st past on the black – Aand wh ET 3’ 5’ 25’ 7’+5’ bonus GE tion e ing: tiv ticing A ing eak arm-up ST oduc rea rac tr awing and eak ammar 1. In 2. W (discussion) 3. C dr sp 4. P gr(5. sp discussion) 60 Teacher Practice Handbook Sample Lesson Plan 5: grammar AIDS or d d d ’ ’ ’ ’ ts ts tsts tor boar boar boar ts es of ebooks ebooks ojec ebooks ebooks piec paper f name tags – black – studen not – bag of objec – studen not – black – pr – black – studen not – studen not – handout AIMS tion o ve b ’ ibing er o got ve ha ’ and its iption e ‘ tion ing the ha ve eaker ehension tising tur iption of ha oduc w the w the v etting t ’ ebr etting t ve got rac b ‘’ in descr ough a game sing ‘ tr U In – G kno struc got – Ic – G kno ‘ha conjuga – P descr people and the ver – Check compr of a descr thr – got people k k ep ep or or IP T T lockst Ss- lockst Ss- pair w pair w t d . o ’, body . ibe CTIVIT ds in their b in ch plac tenc . er ‘ha tner is or es on the boar . b , the title and eribing es in their not wn w . tenc . ead their descr . no Y to their e in their . ve got y t es ts tha ebooks iptions STUDENT A t’s in the bag and tr iting the sen xamples tion of the v e descr . T is lying or not . t changes with the tenc . R . . . olours ound the class and descr . ibe the people on the , wr . ibing ve whaes ar ibe the people m pairs ts he/she/it o guess some other objec y the unk y the e mine if e the sen k in pairs or ibing then they swit onjuga ead it and guess who the er y t op ebooks op ebooks escr rit or ts and c ebooktenc ay who the sen ake name tags Tr e in the bag W W e descr M – Guess wha det – ar – C not – C the c not – Obser subjec – D – – of people – S ar – Ss f – Ss descr handout using the v par – Ss guess who their par descr – Ss look ar someone not – Ss rsen CTIVIT y objec ts . our tur .* tenc ho game yda nets ve got ’ on the boar elling the truth or if I . Enc W om the w er ts about wha y bag es again. Sho ha ’, the other studen hen Ss swit t ‘ . T ebooks ’m t tur , mag ds on the black . , a pen, tissues or b (only the positiv ibes a person on the handout CHER A . e (he/she/it) and e ’. Help with the first t temen ve got er ibing the people in the iptions on the boar w wha o decipher which person is being o make name tags ing some objec o finish the other 2 e tion. e got – imeti enc ‘ha TEA xamples fr ’s aboutead their sen yself ts (fruit er ve got in m wn w no es of people y t m pairs t descr b er ts t ve got ts to r . ov no or er tur e m . Ss guess if I ansla o hav te the v . ‘ha . es descr o f o choose a person in class and wr ‘T e t the same pic . Ss tr , a pencil case e unk e some e w pic es ibe the people in the pic e the descr oduc tur ibed . tenc e handouts of Guess iption in their not . y bag er disc t else I ha d. ing a bag of some ev sk studen ft rit rit vene tr sk if they k sk studen rit onjuga ook a tur sk Ss t sk Ss tall on Ss t ntr Y ts (key , a brush, o d. orw oles w them e f c.) and some t I ha xplain the boar m-up on the xamples in . kers d.ch r . , et ar age Ss t ’ means . , I ask Ss t es using the es out loud and , mar s, a rit . ve got t o guess m), ite their d with o . W ’m e – I allet ess the diff c.) and make sta W W W – A – Br w random objec et in m lying – A wha – Slo – boar – A the title – C str usage/rules – Sho descr struc examples – A pairs– – L 4 sen pic descr – Giv – A – One studen (using the v guesses who it – A descr – C the other Ss guess who it is about ET 3’ 5’ 10’ 12’ 15’ GE tion ’) tion tion ta e ve I got ho A tic oduc ve got duc t ha ST arm-up y bag?) resen rac ro ntr ha o ha 1. I 2. W (W in m 3. P (‘t 4. P 5. P(Guess W game) * There was some time left so I decided to add an activity the Ss liked a lot on the spot. 61 Teacher Practice Handbook Teaching assessment & feedback Mentors can have their own way of giving written feedback on the lessons taught by the trainee. Below are some suggestions. They should not be viewed as totally different approaches: different methods may be best suited to certain situations or stages of TP. 1. Select any of the Teaching Assessment Sheets 1–4, which are used for formally as- sessed lessons. 2. Use the General Observation of the Lesson Sheet, which trainees use for their ho- listic observations of the class in which they will conduct their formally assessed lesson. 3. Running commentary. Mentors typically start taking notes as soon as the trainee begins teaching, writing down a running commentary as the lesson goes on. They can also stage the comments according to the stages of the lesson, perhaps with the help of a copy of the trainee’s lesson plan. 4. Focus on certain areas. Mentors can tell the trainee that the session is only going to concentrate on certain areas. This helps to focus attention, to remedy problems, and saves trainees from seeing reams of comments on every aspect of their les-son. 5. Two columns. The page can be divided into two columns: one stating what was good, the other making suggestions for improvement, and at the bottom an over-all comment. It is better to wait a few minutes for a few examples of a problem to occur before committing it to writing. Additional comments in the form of rough notes may, of course, be kept on a separate sheet. 6. Questions. Instead (or in addition to) writing comments, mentors can write a num- ber of questions for the trainee. These questions form the basis for the oral feed-back session and replies are added at this time. These questions may be given to the trainee for consideration before the oral feedback session. 7. Alternatives. For each activity, lists of a number of alternative activities to accom- plish the same aims may be provided, rather than comments, followed by giving an overall comment. This helps the trainees to be more flexible and creative in their approach but can be rather discouraging if the trainees feel that their choice of activity was inferior. 8. A mind map/A web. A web may be created, using Lesson (or a certain area of teach- ing) as its node. During observation, the branches of the web can be created. Gradually, a web begins to emerge, using some of the observations/ideas. In the process of trying to make connections, new branches continue to sprout. Giving oral feedback on lessons taught by trainees: some suggestions Every mentor develops their own style of giving feedback. Mentors may like to consider the following suggestions and think about how they fit in with their ap- proach (Gower et al. 1995: 198–205). As a mentor, • regard yourself as a developer of the trainee’s teaching skills rather than just a critic and evaluator of lessons. • don’t show off your knowledge. Simplify what you have to say in direct relation to how experienced the trainees are. • give advice and ideas but be careful not to overload trainees with more than they can handle. 62 Teacher Practice Handbook • try to see things from their point of view. They lack the knowledge and experi- ence you have. • blame yourself first if things go wrong – not the trainee. • try to avoid doing or saying anything which undermines the trainee’s confi- dence. • be aware of the damaging effect of negative criticism. Most adults are not ac- customed to being criticised. On the other hand, be honest – even if it is some- times necessary to say difficult things. • conduct feedback in privacy and comfort. The trainees can’t listen happily about their own lessons in a public place. • leave yourself enough time. A rushed feedback session can be a waste of time. • consider the best time to give feedback. Feedback usually takes place immedi- ately after teaching, before anything is forgotten. However, there are disadvan- tages in launching straight in: often the trainees are tired and tense; they can feel very raw and vulnerable. Often, TP feedback conducted after a time interval can be much more productive and efficient when tackled with fresh minds. • focus on the aims of the lesson and whether they were achieved or not before looking at individual techniques and how well they were done. • consider the planning of the lesson separately from the execution. • be constructive and encouraging, concentrating on good things first. Also re- member to include them in any final summary. • focus on a few things rather than try and cover everything. • ask the trainees why they chose to do particular things and look at why things have succeeded or failed. • describe rather than criticise. • elicit rather than tell. By asking real (not just rhetorical) questions you can usu- ally get the trainees to reach a realistic assessment of the lesson by themselves. • give the trainees time to contribute to the discussion and be prepared to listen. • don’t write your overall comments until you have discussed the lesson with the trainee as points may seem to be more or less important as a result of the dis- cussion. • give the trainees a clear and honest idea as to their overall development after each observation. 63 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING ASSESSMENT SHEET (1) Student-teacher: ____________________________________ Class: _________ Date: ________________ General Competence -2 -1 0 +1 +2 Personality/Style (e.g. dynamic, enthusiastic about teaching, students, subject matter) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Level of Confidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Control of Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Management Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ability to Deal with Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ability to Involve All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use of Blackboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use of Audiovisual Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interpersonal Relations (e.g. creates a positive/secure atmosphere; courtesy to learners; attentive to all students). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cultural/Intercultural Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Language and Linguistic Knowledge Clarity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Accuracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fluency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pronunciation/Stress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use of the Mother Tongue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson Structure Plans/Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warm-up Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Presentation Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exploitation of Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Review Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other (song, game, homework) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Performance/Creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timing/Pacing/Flow/Transitions/Progression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Question Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Treatment of Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flexibility (i.e. adjusting plan appropriately based on how things are going) . . Moving Around Room/Using Gestures, as appropriate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Student Involvement/Participation/Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Proper Balance between Accuracy and Fluency Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use/Adaptation of Textbook Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Achievement of Aims/Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Code: the centre slot (i.e. 0) represents an ‘average’ performance; a tick to the left shows dull/poor performance, while one to the right indicates skilled/excellent performance. Use reverse for notes, remarks, and other observations. 64 Teacher Practice Handbook Further comments, notes, remarks and observations: Strong points: Areas for further exploration/development: Observer’s name: _____________________________ Final assessment: Observer’s signature: __________________________ 65 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING ASSESSMENT SHEET (2) Student teacher: ________________________________ School & class: ____________________________ Teacher-mentor: ________________________________ Date: ____________________________________ Other relevant information: __________________________________________________________________ CATEGORIES TEACHER’S COMMENTS 1. RELATIONSHIP WITH STUDENTS 2. SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE 3. PLANNING 4. CLASS MANAGEMENT 5. COMMUNICATION 66 Teacher Practice Handbook 6. ASSESSMENT 7. REFLECTING ON PRACTICE 8. PROFESSIONALISM 9. PERSONAL QUALITIES Synthesis & recommendations / Further comments from the mentor: Observer’s name: _____________________________ Final assessment: Observer’s signature: __________________________ 67 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING ASSESSMENT SHEET (2) – an amplified sample Student teacher: ________________________________ School & class: ____________________________ Teacher-mentor: ________________________________ Date: ____________________________________ Other relevant information: __________________________________________________________________ CATEGORIES TEACHER’S COMMENTS 1. RELATIONSHIP Good. Has established good discipline and a strong WITH STUDENTS but relaxed presence in the classroom. She is calm and comfortable. She is positive and gives praise. Pupils respond well to her. 2. SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE Good. Makes a few errors in accuracy, but her overall subject knowledge and its application is good. She conveys a sense of enthusiasm for the language. She always familiarises herself with materials and procedures. 3. PLANNING Good. Her planning is thorough, careful and effective. Timing is good. Now that she is well established, she could show a little more adventure and imagination in her planning. She is becoming more aware of the appropriateness of tasks and materials to different ability levels. 4. CLASS MANAGEMENT Good. She has good, effective control, and a good pace to lessons. Materials and activities are used appropriately. She is learning the routine of being a group tutor and managing the group well. She deals well with problems when they arise. 5. COMMUNICATION Good. Communicates well. She has a strong clear voice, and she generally maintains attention. She tends to be rather static where non-verbal communication is needed. 68 Teacher Practice Handbook 6. ASSESSMENT Good. She is conscientious with marking, record keeping and assessing according to school policy. She could use pair work for listening comprehension assessment. 7. REFLECTING ON Good. She is realistic and critical in evaluating her PRACTICE teaching. She is developing in her planning and she has begun to show the ability to think on her feet. She is willing to try to put into practice ideas and suggestions offered to her. 8. PROFESSIONALISM Good. She behaves in a highly professional manner towards pupils and colleagues alike. Attendance, dress and punctuality are excellent. She has taken additional voluntary activities, to assist members of staff. She is willing to become involved in all aspects of school life. 9. PERSONAL QUALITIES Good. She has the qualities necessary to become a competent teacher. She is becoming less reserved. She is very aware of the needs of individuals, and interested in the pupils and their progress. Synthesis & recommendations / Further comments from the mentor: Has worked hard during her TP and made good progress. She has made effective use of the support and advice offered to her by her mentor. I feel that she will become a valued member of the profession. Shows every sign of becoming a teacher we would be pleased to have on our staff. She would benefit from teaching some more classes to increase her confidence and further develop her range of classroom approaches, before beginning her career as a newly qualified teacher. Observer’s name: _____________________________ Final assessment: Observer’s signature: __________________________ 69 Teacher Practice Handbook (Notes for the Evaluation of Teaching with the help of Teaching Assessment Sheet 2) Note: These comments are quite general and do not (necessarily) refer to one lesson only but rather to the whole week’s practice CATEGORIES GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR 1. RELATIONSHIP Shows good ability to Shows reasonable ability Lacks ability to secure WITH STUDENTS secure attention from to secure attention from attention from the class the class. Is responsive the class as a whole and as a whole and withdraws to individuals as well as works satisfactorily with from informal contact with to the class as a whole. groups and individuals. the children. Considerable Seeks to exercise control difficulties in class control. by encouragement and Ignores children’s progress. reception of ideas rather than by criticism and coercion. 2. SUBJECT Outstanding competence Adequate competence Inadequate competence KNOWLEDGE in subject contributing to in subject for effective in subject for effective highly effective teaching. teaching. teaching. 3. PLANNING Schemes and lessons Schemes and lessons Inadequate. Plans set- carefully matched to generally well-planned piece schemes unrelated children’s abilities and with attention given to the children’s own interests. Flexible in to objectives, content, experiences and approach and adapts method and materials capabilities. Lack of plans to meet changing required. Does not clarity, coherence and needs. Having a clear aim always foresee differing progression in schemes with respect to skills and possibilities and set and lessons. concepts being developed suitable tasks and has Material selected is usually and how these fit into the occasional difficulty in unsuitable. Work set is logical structure of the modifying preparation usually too easy or too subject. to meet changing difficult or inappropriate. Shows initiative, circumstances. Aids seldom used, or not inventiveness and skill Materials selected are clear used effectively. in employing a variety of and appropriate but safe methods, including the rather than imaginative. use of teaching aids. 4. CLASS Changes class organisation Lessons for the most part Lessons poorly organised MANAGEMENT smoothly to suit new satisfactorily organised with insufficient attention activities. Employs varying from the beginning to end. paid to beginning teaching styles and Effective management of and ends of lessons, strategies, and is willing individuals, small groups organisations of groups, to experiment. Paces and class. transitions from one activities effectively. activity to another and the availability and appropriateness of materials and equipment. 70 Teacher Practice Handbook CATEGORIES GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR 5. COMMUNICATION Employs a variety of Speech firm and clear. Poor speech articulation, verbal and non-verbal Vocabulary appropriate for inappropriate vocabulary. techniques which provoke children. Little variation in Absence of modulation. enthusiastic and fruitful tone or voice or in the use Communication lacks responses from the of gestures. Questioning expression. children. technique clear but Children inattentive and Discussion of work often often unimaginative. lacking interest, generally initiated by children’s Tends to give away apathetic. questions. information rather than leading children to it with appropriate questions and suggestions. 6. ASSESSMENT Gives much thought Tries to keep abreast of Poor and irrelevant to children’s behaviour marking and to keep observation of children’s and responses and appropriate records. behaviour. Work frequently carefully monitors their Student’s assessment carelessly marked or nor progress. Conscientious of children’s progress marked. over marking and record is sporadic and short Student seems unaware keeping. term rather than with an of children’s lack of Children take a pride in extended perception. involvement or progress. their work realising much of their potential with a consistently high quality of performance. 7. REFLECTING ON Through preparation Acceptably presented Poorly presented with PRACTICE reflected in a well- records providing a inadequate thought given presented and carefully documented record of to content, method, or arranged records. Schemes work done. Some though material. Few or superficial adapted to meet children’s given to method as well lesson appraisal. reposes and needs. as content and additional Evidence of failure to act Lesson appraisals show material added where on advice. considerable awareness appropriate. Lesson Little self-evaluation. and insight. Clear evidence appraisals restricted in of willingness and ability their perception but to respond to advice. conscientious. Very perceptive in Some evidence of evaluating own teaching. response to advice. Reflects on own teaching and makes adjustments. 8. PROFESSIONALISM Good working Adequate working Poor working relationships with relationships and extra- relationships. staff; volunteers to curricular involvement. Reluctance to take up contribute outside the Contributes when asked opportunities for extra-classroom (meetings, – less willing to take the curricular activities. etc.). Contributes well initiative. to pastoral and extra- curricular activities. 9. PERSONAL This category covers all those personal characteristics which influence the quality of QUALITIES relationships in the classroom and staffroom, and include: Social rapport, Courtesy, Sensitivity, Reliability, Enthusiasm, Confidence, Open-mindedness, Sense of humour, and Appearance. Source: University of Cambridge PGCE (i.e. Postgraduate Certificate in Education) 71 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING ASSESSMENT SHEET (3) Student teacher: ________________________________ School & class: ____________________________ Teacher-mentor: ________________________________ Date: ____________________________________ Other relevant information: __________________________________________________________________ ASSESSMENT CHECK LIST & GRADES (Tick as appropriate. If not applicable, leave blank.) Code: outstanding (10); very good (9); good (8); satisfactory (7); weak (6); inadequate (5) COMMENTS LESSON PLANNING AND PREPARATION EXECUTION OF THE LESSON 72 Teacher Practice Handbook PROFESSIONAL AWARENESS PERSONAL QUALITIES TRAINEE’S USE OF ENGLISH SUMMARISING COMMENTS Observer’s name: _____________________________ Final assessment: Observer’s signature: __________________________ 73 Teacher Practice Handbook Sample comments for individual headings of Assessment Sheet 3 (can be used in other versions of the Assessment Sheet as well). Lesson planning and preparation • Clarity of aims and staging • Ability to analyse language to be introduced or practised • Relevance of learning activities • Suitability of materials and aids • Layout and style • Effectiveness and correctness of language use • Effectiveness and usefulness of supplementary pages Execution of the lesson • Ability to introduce the lesson (warm-up, revision of language previously learnt) • Ability to present new language or teaching point • Variety and use of procedures/techniques for practising new language (controlled and freer practice) • Providing opportunities for productive use of language (free practice or use) • Ability to provide appropriate round-off of the lesson • Motivating learners and adopting appropriate teacher roles within lesson • Achieving appropriate balance between accuracy and fluency aimed activities • Managing classroom interaction (lockstep, pairwork, groupwork) • Use of teaching aids and equipment • Timing of the lesson • Pace of the lesson • Teacher’s personality (use of eye-contact, gesture and facial expressions, voice, position and movement) • Teacher’s rapport with students • Teacher’s use of English (the amount of teacher talk) • Awareness & treatment of error Professional awareness • A professional approach to planning and teaching • Self-evaluation of teaching, identifying strengths & weaknesses and developing • Willingness to respond constructively to evaluation from others Personal qualities • Personality; presence; general style • Ability to establish rapport (relationship) • Voice: audibility, appropriacy to purpose • Body language: gestures, movement, eye contact Trainee’s use of English • Correctness of language use; • register and fluency; • appropriacy to teaching purpose; • sensitivity to the level of students; • metalanguage 74 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING ASSESSMENT SHEET (4) Student teacher: ________________________________ School & class: ____________________________ Teacher-mentor: ________________________________ Date: ____________________________________ Other relevant information: __________________________________________________________________ Code: A – outstanding (10); B – very good (9); C – good (8); D – satisfactory (7); E – weak (6); F – unsatisfactory (5) CODE COMMENTS (Use codes as appropriate. If not applicable, leave blank.) LESSON PLANNING AND PREPARATION A professional approach to planning Clarity of aims and staging Relevance and variety of learning activities Suitability of materials and aids Lesson plan – layout, style, language used PERSONAL QUALITIES Personality; presence; general style Ability to establish rapport (relationship) Voice: audibility, appropriacy to purpose Body language: gestures, movement, eye contact CLASS MANAGEMENT Inducting climate that stimulates learning Managing classroom interaction (lockstep, pairwork, groupwork) Organisation and execution of activities Dealing with problems and difficulties Giving of instruction Questioning techniques 75 Teacher Practice Handbook EXECUTION OF THE LESSON Starting the lesson: introduction and warm-up. Presentation of new language or teaching point (giving of explanation & clarification) Sufficient variety of activities (e.g. achieving appropriate balance between accuracy and fluency activities) Checking of learning Treatment of errors and encouragement Motivating learners and maintaining interest Use of teaching aids (suitability) Lesson staging / sequencing: smoothness of flow; progress through the stages and linkage / transition Timing and pace of the lesson Ending the lesson Achievement of aims Differences between the lesson and the plan TRAINEE’S USE OF ENGLISH Correctness of language use; register and fluency; appropriacy to teaching purpose; sensitivity to the level of students; metalanguage SUMMARISING COMMENTS Observer’s name: _____________________________ Final assessment: Observer’s signature: __________________________ 76 Teacher Practice Handbook Sample comments for individual headings of Assessment Sheet 4 (can be used in other versions of the Assessment Sheet as well). LESSON PLANNING AND PREPARATION A professional approach to planning a meticulous lesson plan / trainee’s plan shows awareness of student level and follows a clear methodological principle / not enough effort was put into planning Clarity of aims and staging stages of the lesson meaningfully sequenced but lacking articulation of aims/ clear stage aims coherent with a clear overall aim / weak staging and weak awareness of aims / too many main aims Relevance and variety of learning the reading activity not relevant to stage aim / all activities activities relevant to aims but insufficient variety (3 activities involving pairwork) Suitability of materials and aids appropriate to aims / too much visual material / use of blackboard doesn’t need to be planned? Lesson plan – layout, style, language used very neat, excellent language / unnecessarily detailed / neat and user-friendly but several minor language mistakes PERSONAL QUALITIES Personality; presence; general style confident, relaxed, lively, energetic / low-key but calm and determined / a bit nervous and overbearing Ability to establish rapport (relationship) had excellent rapport with students from the first minute/ rapport improved visibly as the lesson progressed / the trainee kept the students ‘at arms’ length’ Voice: audibility, appropriacy to purpose on the quiet side / good / too loud in places Body language: gestures, movement, Relaxed and lively / not enough all-around eye contact / eye contact choppy gestures / very friendly and encouraging, smiles a lot CLASS MANAGEMENT Inducting climate that stimulates learning Very good / motivates all the students / doesn’t allow students enough time for ‘processing’ Managing classroom interaction (lockstep, Organizes groupwork efficiently / in lockstep talks to left-pairwork, groupwork) hand side of the classroom instead of to all / was at a loss when had to call students back from pairwork Organisation and execution of activities Smooth, no problems / used up too much time Dealing with problems and difficulties Timing problem; handled very well / didn’t let the tardies throw her off track / accepted a joke students made very well / OHP didn’t work; trainee had to put examples on board instead – seemed stressed because of that Giving of instruction Clear, effective / unnecessarily repeated instructions up to three times / effective but too wordy / didn’t know how to check if students knew what to do Questioning techniques trainee used various questioning strategies (e.g. asking each student in turn round the class, let any student call out the answer, dotting about, etc.); questions were of different types (Yes /No or Polar /closed question; Wh-questions / open-ended questions; real classroom questions; eliciting long answers; guiding questions; global questions (‘gist’ questions); anticipation questions; inference questions; questions of evaluation) 77 Teacher Practice Handbook EXECUTION OF THE LESSON Starting the lesson: introduction and Very effective / went on for too long, students almost lost warm-up. interest in the topic / is checking homework a warm-up? Presentation of new language or teaching clear and effective / used imaginative ways of illustrating point (giving of explanation & clarification) lexical meanings/ inductive – very good / not very effective; not enough examples for students to see the differences between the two tenses Sufficient variety of activities (e.g. achieving several interesting practice activities / very teacher- appropriate balance between accuracy controlled throughout/ not enough variety (all matching and fluency activities). Variety and use of activities); insufficient fluency activities / there were techniques for practising new language opportunities for students to express their opinions (controlled and freer practice) freely throughout the lesson / the main activity of the lesson was a fairly free writing activity; too much stress on accuracy / good; there were some activities to foster both accuracy & fluency Checking of learning effective; trainee asked the right questions to see if the students are following / insufficient Treatment of errors and encouragement trainee didn’t seem to notice several of the students’ errors / good correction; immediate and public but very kind and unobtrusive / too much correction during fluency activity Motivating learners and maintaining interest the learners’ motivation was fairly high through the whole lesson / learners lost interest because the listening activity went on for too long Use of teaching aids (suitability) use of blackboard random (messy) / very clear blackboard layout / trouble using the CD player / print on slides too small / excellent use of pictures Lesson staging / sequencing: smoothness smooth transitions between phases of the lesson / it of flow; progress through the stages and wasn’t clear what the first part of the lesson had to do linkage / transition with the second Timing and pace of the lesson the pace was a bit too fast, weak students did not follow at all / pace too slow, students were underchallenged / good pace and timing / a major timing problem (ran out of prepared material 15 minutes early) Ending the lesson ‘Saved by the bell.’ / trainee rounded off the lesson effectively / ran out of time to summarize points, rushed the feedback activity Achievement of aims good – all activities were successful / questionable / aims unclear Differences between the lesson and the plan trainee followed their plan too tightly; trainee very successfully adjusted to unexpected lesson plan deviations; trainee was flexible and responsive to the classroom atmosphere, and took advantage of teachable moments TRAINEE’S USE OF ENGLISH Correctness of language use; register Excellent correctness, register and fluency, intonation and fluency; appropriacy to teaching tends to be flat, / not adapted to learner level purpose; sensitivity to the level of students; (too sophisticated for 6th grade, too much metalanguage) metalanguage / misuses reported questions/ repeatedly omits articles before countable nouns / occasionally lacking fluency! / should not use slang words/ very good intonation patterns but overuses ‘OK’ as a filler / good fluency and sensitivity to learner level but pronunciation difficulties (confusing vowels) and failure to stress keywords 78 Teacher Practice Handbook SUMMARISING COMMENTS Sample overall comments for Assessment Sheets (any type) • A dynamic lesson plan but a rather ineffective lesson because the trainee wasn’t able to adapt well to the level of the students. • This was Saša’s very first lesson, but she gives the impression of a trained teacher. Some weakness in how the phrasal verbs were explained. • The trainee has a very nice approach to students – lively and self-confident. Lesson preparation shows a very high degree of professional awareness and independence. The trainee managed to catch the attention of the class despite the fact that this was their last lesson of the day when they tend to be absent-minded, thus carrying out the lesson as planned and fully achieving her aims. • Adept classroom management, good rapport. Apart from a few minor snags, the only fault of the lesson was that it was a bit rushed because the lesson plan was too packed. • Kandidatka je izbrala temo, zanimivo za ucˇence, in jih je znala primerno motivirati. Vzdušje je bilo delovno in ucˇenci so lepo sodelovali v vrsti zanimivih aktivnosti za razvijanje bralnih spretnosti/ zmožnosti. (The trainee selected a topic of high interest to the students, and she knew how to suitably engage them. The atmosphere was lively and the students participated in a series of activities aimed at developing their reading skills/competences.) • Conceptually a well thought-out plan, but weak and underchallenging classroom atmosphere because of low fluency level and consequently weak classroom management. And here are some useful adjectives to describe the trainee’s classroom presence and performance (to be used either under some of the specific headings or in the final summarizing assessment): authoritative, patient, systematic, cooperative, serious, sensitive, flexible, creative, intuitive, relaxed, resourceful, innovative, space-giving, well-informed, attentive, caring, hard-working, well-prepared, clear, dynamic, enthusiastic, accurate, effective, reflective, analytic, (dis)organised, (un)friendly, (in)audible, lively, boring, demanding, supportive, relaxed, optimistic, pessimistic 79 Teacher Practice Handbook Self-evaluation Reflective practice leads to effective teaching. In order to become a ‘better’ teach- er, you need to constantly demonstrate the willingness to assess and question your skills. If you are willing to reflect upon your teaching, you are motivated to experiment and more prepared to change. During your TP, you are to evaluate yourself by means of the Self-evaluation sheets provided (Self-Evaluation Sheet – Option 1 & Option 2). You are required to evaluate yourself at least 2–3 times during your TP (after microteaching, after an individually taught lesson and after the formally assessed lesson). If you haven’t carried out any microteaching, you will evaluate yourself only after one of the individually taught les- sons and after the formally assessed lesson. 80 Teacher Practice Handbook SELF-EVALUATION SHEET – Option 1 Date of teaching: _________________________________ Class: ____________________________________ Aim of teaching: ____________________________________________________________________________ Material used: ______________________________________________________________________________ Spend some time reflecting on each lesson or part of the lesson that you taught, and evaluate it with regard to your teaching aims. Then answer the questions below. You should be brief, illustrative, and to the point. Be critical towards yourself, but give credit where due. 1. To what extent did you achieve your teaching aims? How do you know you have/haven’t been successful? 2. How satisfied are you with the atmosphere in the class and rapport you established with the students? If satisfied, explain what, in your opinion, contributed to it. If unsatisfied, suggest actions you would need to adopt if you taught the same class again. 3. Which language points or skills do you feel the students had at the end of your teaching that they did not have before (structures, functions, vocabulary, phonology, any improvements in any of the four skills, awareness of communicative appropriacy, etc.)? • _________________________________________________________________________________________ • _________________________________________________________________________________________ • _________________________________________________________________________________________ • _________________________________________________________________________________________ • _________________________________________________________________________________________ 81 Teacher Practice Handbook 4. What aspects of lesson are you especially happy or unhappy with and why? 5. What things have become clearer to you during and after the lesson? What have you learnt? 6. What things are you still unclear about? What would you like to discuss? IF YOU TAUGHT ONLY A PART OF A LESSON, NOT THE WHOLE LESSON, THINK ABOUT THE FOLLOWING AS WELL. 1. Identify the transitions between the mentor’s part of the lesson and yours. How were they linked together? What were the transitional markers (e.g. sentence, a gesture, a silence…)? How disciplined was the class in your opinion when you/the mentor took over? 2. What were, in your opinion, the (dis)advantages of your teaching a part of the lesson? 3. To what extent, if at all, do you think your microteaching affected the overall achievement of the lesson aim(s)? 82 Teacher Practice Handbook SELF-EVALUATION SHEET – Option 2 Date of teaching: _________________________________ Class: ____________________________________ Aim of teaching: ____________________________________________________________________________ Material used: ______________________________________________________________________________ Take some time to recall what actually happened during the lesson. How do you feel? • What did you dis/like about this lesson or part of the lesson? • Did you do what was in your plan? – In what ways was your lesson different from the plan? Why? – Did the students respond in (un)expected ways? – Did you experience any difficulties or problems? How did you deal with them? – Do you think you achieved the aim(s) outlined in your lesson plan? • If you were to have the opportunity to teach this lesson or part of lesson again, what would you do the same? What would you do differently? • What will the students take away from today’s lesson? • What about today’s lesson will be most difficult for the students? • Which activities did the students enjoy most? Why? • What did you learn from the experience of teaching this lesson or part of lesson? IF YOU TAUGHT ONLY A PART OF A LESSON, NOT THE WHOLE LESSON, THINK ABOUT THE FOLLOWING AS WELL. 1. How did the part that you taught fit into the whole lesson? Were your part and the mentor’s part smoothly connected? 2. How, in your opinion, was this lesson different than it would have been if the mentor had taught the whole of it? Use reverse for comments or use a separate sheet. 83 Teacher Practice Handbook School environment and documented samples of school-life material During TP, the trainee for the first time becomes a member of the school teaching staff and part of the school community for some period of time. The objective of TP is not only to improve trainees’ teaching methods and techniques, but also to get them acquainted with the work of the whole school, with the syllabuses, with the system of student evaluation and assessment, with various after-school activities in English, etc., that is, the work of a teacher in its complexity. The mentor has to make the trainee aware of the pedagogic administration, of the whole system of school life and work. This means that the mentor can put the trainee to ‘maximum use’, i.e. engaging him/ her in all sorts of activities: invigilating a test, photocopying, attending conferences and parent-teacher meetings, excursions, projects, celebrations, competitions, sports days, remedial classes, prep-courses for Matura, etc. As one of the course requirements, the trainee is also to enclose in his/her Teaching Practice Portfolio a minimum of 3 items which document school life (e.g. an absence note, a page from the teacher’s register, a letter of reprimand, a pupil’s composition, etc.). Each sample of school-life material should come with a short comment in which you explain your choice (why you selected that document, which experience or in- sight from your TP it illustrates, etc.). A reflection task: summative TP essay Once the teaching practice is over, you will want to go back over the evidence collected in your portfolio, reflect on it and write an essay or an evaluation of how you think you have grown and developed as a student and as a teacher. In this section of your portfolio, include an essay which will show us that you reflected on your experi- ences and learned from them. Note that it will be much easier for you to write this essay if you start thinking about it before you even start your practice week. • Start making notes a few days prior to your first day at the school. Jot down how you feel about the teaching practice that you are about to start, your expecta-tions, questions, predictions, insecurities, and similar. • During the practice week, you will be required to document your guided obser- vations and teaching separately but try to make some extra notes each day. That way you will have the raw material for your essay ready by Friday evening. • Over the weekend, process the notes you have generated and write out the essay. Guidelines for content, structure and layout of your essay: • Do not attempt to just list all your activities or impressions. Select those that you found the most interesting or meaningful. • You can use chronological order, order of importance or some other organizing principle to structure your essay. 84 Teacher Practice Handbook • Your essay has to be clearly paragraphed (each paragraph discusses one aspect of your experience), and it has to have a clear message or main point. • Think of a title for your essay that expresses its content in a nutshell (e.g. ‘A valu- able learning experience’, ‘Overwhelmed’, etc.) • The length of the essay should be min. 500 and max. 1000 words (appr. 2 pages). It should be typed with single spacing between lines and wide margins. Topics you can write about in your essay (Richards 1998: 159): Theories of teaching • a belief or conviction (e.g. what constitutes good (theories and beliefs about language teaching) teaching and learning) • an expert’s view (e.g. referring to Krashen’s views about language) • a justification for something (e.g. describing a theory to justify something the teacher did) • a personal opinion (e.g. expressing an opinion about the value of classroom observation) • how a theory was applied • contradictions between theory and practice (e.g. describing why a classroom incident does not support a theory) • how theories changed (e.g. how classroom experience changes the teacher’s theories) Approaches and methods • an approach or a procedure (e.g. the teacher’s approach to the teaching of reading skills) • the content of a lesson • the teacher’s knowledge (e.g. pedagogical knowledge) • the learner’s background information • the school context (e.g. how administrative constraints or school policies affect teaching) Evaluating teaching • evaluating lessons (i.e. positive and negative evaluations) • diagnosing problems (e.g. students’ problems, classroom interaction, discipline, teacher’s problems, marking the students’ homework) • solutions to problems (e.g. alternative ways of presenting a lesson, deciding on a plan of action, seeking solutions from the tutor) Self-awareness • perceptions of yourself as a teacher (your teaching style, comments on your language proficiency) • recognition of personal growth (e.g. how your confidence has developed) • setting personal goals (e.g. self-development, identifying aspects of your teaching to work on in the future) Below is a sample reflection essay by one of our former students. 85 Teacher Practice Handbook REFLECTION ESSAY– a sample My Teaching Practice Experience Essay Blood, Sweat, and Tears If anybody approached my teenage self and asked me what I wanted to become when I grow up, I would always reply with no hesitation: “The president of Slovenia!” Years passed and soon I realized that doing nothing of particular importance to soci- ety was certainly not a way to go for a boy of revolutionary ambition such as myself. I wanted to make a difference and being the diligent learner that I was at least in my early scholastic journey, I deduced early on that one needs to pluck the weeds at their source – the way to change is in education. Becoming a teacher has turned out to be no ordinary undertaking. In my long and laborious journey, I have so far managed to pinpoint three basic components of what a truly good educator should be. It all starts with blood. I do not mean this in the bygone dynastic ways of the past, but rather that the incentive for becoming a civil servant of the educative kind must always come from within. During my time as a student and now a trainee in the field of education, I have too often had the impression that some of the people be- hind the lecterns do not want to be there. Some are tired, some unhappy, and others completely indifferent to the gravity of their position in time and space. The fact that many individuals become teachers only to make above-average ends meet, shakes me to the bones. To me, the only true relationship between a teacher and their stu- dents is the one I once again experienced in the security of my mentor, that of sincere pedagogical eros. She and many other educators at my old primary school were vis- ibly in love with their profession and returned to their classes every morning with smiles on their faces; and I must admit I, too, have developed a similar crush on the business we call teaching during my stay there. If the university student’s nightmare of waking up at 6 AM haunted me on the first day of my practice, the next morning, the dread quickly dissipated into a minutest of morning nuisances. Each crossing of the school’s doorstep seemed to replenish my will and energy as if a magical spell had been administered upon me. I discussed this with the staff and the conclusion predictably zeroed in on the primordial nature vs. nurture debate. Most are educated into becoming educationists, whilst others have education seemingly running in their very veins. “It’s not a proper exercise if you don’t break a swea” my P. E. teacher kept telling me during our classes at the school gymnasium. Little did I know at the time that this goes for the teachers and students alike. Not that anybody has ever told us that becoming a teacher will be easy, I do think it is imperative that the process be deliberately convoluted. If the notoriously lengthy daily teaching plans and educa- tive proceedings made little sense to me and even enraged me during my pedagogi- cal studies, I have now become somewhat of a red tape idealist. One can go about teaching their students quite successfully without following the prescribed order of instruction, but this usually leads to students receiving different treatment in different settings. Because of an ill-rehearsed instructor, whole generations of young learners may be served a dish resembling the one from the picture on the menu, but lack- ing the enticing aroma one develops from a detailed recipe. Some poor students in a different class or school may be left with an underdeveloped taste palette for the rest of their lives. To avoid missing a key ingredient, a lesson plan must be kept handy at all times and photocopied (for educational purposes only) to all teachers of the same field. If it were up to me, I would make sure every English teacher in the nation is given the same copy of this diligently peer-reviewed cookery book. It is easier to sweat together. To continue with the gourmet metaphor, the same goes for the stu- dents. The kitchen scales of input effort must always be kept evened out close to zero. 86 Teacher Practice Handbook What I have noticed during my practice is that the students tend to think that they are the only ones doing the work in the class, when this could not be further from the truth. It does not hurt explaining how a teacher prepares themselves for the benefit of the student on a daily basis. Children do listen and are more than willing to give the attention back. While some of the teacher co-workers I had the chance to meet during my stay at the primary school opted for a more lenient approach of not giving any homework at all, my mentor and I maintained that a healthy diet of in-class and after-school activity is the key to success. My logic dictates that the better grades our classes received in the end, even when peer reviewed for accuracy, must be at least partially attributed to the sweatiness of our regime. It was during a test revision session that I debunked one of the last stereotypes of the olden days I once held so dear–- boys don’t cry. A large quantity of tears was pro-duced on every such occasion and their rightful owners have somehow always turned out to be boys. It did not matter if the grade was a complete and utter failure or simply below one’s expectations, rivers if not paring oceans of disappointment have broken on many of the boys’ cheeks. I was reminded at that point that the salty droplets of un-ruly emotions are often present with the young disciples and it is the teacher’s duty as an educator to offer a metaphorical tissue in such an hour of need. Besides transmit-ting knowledge as a sort of an underpaid thespian for the young, it became very clear that the teacher is also the source of supreme moral and emotional authority in the classroom. Of course, this seldom manifests itself in the biblical extent I have just put in words, but I believe it to be the truth. The easiest way to mitigate such nuisances is to show the students how far their path has already taken them and that a minor inconvenience such as a bad grade is only the proverbial drop in the ocean. The quest for true greatness is therefore complete only when the teacher learns to turn tears of despair into tears of joy, a lesson learned that has just caused another boy’s eyes to water ever so slightly. I said it once and I’ll say it again – I want to become a full-time teacher. Without trying to portray myself as overly optimistic of my position in the cosmos, I sense that the decisions I had so far opted for were the right ones. A mere two-week visit to my old primary school has extinguished my old angst of teaching the youngest of stu-dents and finally given me a real-life goal I have always yearned for – I might as well apply for a primary school position in the near future. The road ahead of me will be riddled with obstacles, of that I’m sure, but I hope that a man who is willing to offer all of his ‘blood, toil, tears and sweat’ might just make it in the end. by Lev Pavlovski 87 Teacher Practice Handbook Certificate of completion The original of the Certificate of Completion of teaching practice and performance assessment (Potrdilo mentorja/-ice in ocena uspešnosti študenta/-ke na pedagoški prak- si) document (signed and stamped) should be obtained at the end of you Teaching Practice. It doesn’t have to be sent by post. It can be included in the portfolio or sent in an email separately, as an attachment. Questionnaire for mentors and for trainees VPRAŠALNIK ZA UČITELJE MENTORJE/-ICE in za ŠTUDENTE/-KE In the final stages of your teaching practice, you are required to collect some ad- ditional information on the organization and implementation of your TP, including identification of strong areas and suggestions for improvement. Please, politely ask your mentor for participation in this closing section of the portfolio project and administer the questionnaire for the mentors. Your experience and feedback on your Teaching Practice experience is also valuable and it constitutes an indispensable component of your portfolio; therefore, please, fill in the question- naire for students. Both questionnaires, for mentors and for students, in both English and Slovenian, can be found on pages 90-101. 88 Teacher Practice Handbook Certificate of completion of teaching practice and performance assessment Potrdilo mentorja/-ice in ocena uspešnosti študenta/-ke na pedagoški praksi I, the undersigned, __________________________________________________________________________________ Podpisani/-a hereby declare that, during the period between _______________________ and ________________________, izjavljam, da je v času od do the trainee, _________________________________________________________________________________________ študent/-tka a student at the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Univeristy of Ljubljana, completed their teaching placement under my supervision. / z Oddelka za anglistiko in amerikanistiko Filozofske fakultete v Ljubljani pri meni opravljal/-a pedagoško prakso. Please provide a brief performance assessment of the trainee’s teaching practice, and their overall commitment: / Prosimo za kratko opisno oceno študentove/-kine uspešnosti in prizadevnosti v času PP: In / V/Na: Signature / Podpis: _________________________________ _________________________________ official school stamp / žig šole NB Please, hand the original certification to the trainee, who will hand it over to their mentor at the Faculty. There is also the option of inserting a scanned document into the portfolio. Opomba: Prosimo, da izvirnik tega potrdila izročite študentu/-ki, ki ga naj preda mentorju/-ici na Filozofski fakulteti, ali pa skenirano obliko tega potrdila vstavi v svoj Teaching Practice Portfolio. 89 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING PRACTICE Questionnaire for mentors Mentor’s name & surname: ___________________________________________________________________ Name of school: ____________________________________________________________________________ Trainee’s name & surname: ___________________________________________________________________ TP Time period: ____________________________________________________________________________ The teaching practice (TP) mentorship is behind you now. Your impressions, insights and opinions would serve as an incentive for improving the content and organization of TP in the future. We therefore kindly invite you to fill in the questionnaire. 1. Do you think there should be an introductory training course for mentors to trainees on their TP? a. YES b. NO c. YES, but only for ‘novice mentors’ 2. If you attended an introductory course for mentors to trainees, which aspects of TP would you want to discuss? (list/name a few topics) 3. Did you find the TP instructions in the Teaching Practice Resource Book clear and detailed enough? a. YES b. NO (please, provide clarification) 4. What is your opinion on the duration of TP? a. much too short b. too short c. suitable length d. a bit too long e. much too long 90 Teacher Practice Handbook 5. How effective do you find TP as a form of pre-service teacher training? a. very effective and indispensable b. necessary and useful c. useful but not necessary d. ineffective and unnecessary 6. How did you fit mentoring activities into your regular schoolwork schedule? a. It didn’t create any issues for me. b. It created some issues, but nothing major. c. I only managed the additional workload in my free time. 7. Which extra-curricular activities did you include in your mentorship? a. remedial classes b. additional/high achievers classes c. PTA meetings d. office hours e. _______________________________________________________ f. _______________________________________________________ g. _______________________________________________________ 8. How did you help/advise the trainee in preparation for independent teaching? a. I assigned a topic. b. I assigned a topic and provided course materials. c. I allowed the trainee to choose the topic freely. d. I provided incentives for lesson planning. e. I helped compose the lesson plans for independent teaching. f. I helped compose the lesson plan for the finally assessed lesson. 9. On average, how much time was dedicated to consultations? a. before the trainee’s independent teaching: ___________________________________________________ b. after the trainee’s independent teaching: _____________________________________________________ 10. How would you assess the trainee’s level of interest or engagement? a. highly interested and engaged in school activities b. only interested and engaged in their own obligations/duties c. showed insufficient level of interest or engagement d. other: _______________________________________________________________________________________ 11. How would you assess your rapport with the trainee? a. very good b. good c. poor 12. How would you assess the trainee’s teaching/pedagogical competence? a. has the necessary knowledge, competence and practices b. has the necessary knowledge but the practical aspects are deficient and inept c. lacks knowledge and teaching skills d. other: _______________________________________________________________________________________ 91 Teacher Practice Handbook 13. In your opinion, which aspect of teaching is the trainee’s weakest spot? a. content b. lesson planning c. pedagogical / psychological aspects d. classroom communication and interaction e. other: _______________________________________________________________________________________ 14. How successful do you think the trainee’s TP was? a. very successful b. successful c. somewhat/partly successful 15. How well was TP organized? a. very well b. well enough c. needs improvement d. other: _______________________________________________________________________________________ 16. Would you be willing to take on another trainee for TP next year? a. YES b. NO 17. Did the TP mentoring experience impact you in any way? a. YES (How?) b. NO 18. What do you see as the biggest impediment in carrying out mentoring activities? 19. Please, share your comments and suggestions for improving the TP. Thank you for your investment and invaluable support! 92 Teacher Practice Handbook Slovene version of the questionnaire for mentors PEDAGOŠKA PRAKSA Vprašalnik za učitelje mentorje/-ice Ime in priimek učitelja mentorja/-ice: __________________________________________________________ Šola: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Ime in priimek študenta/-ke na praksi: _________________________________________________________ Čas opravljanja prakse (od-do): _______________________________________________________________ Pedagoška praksa (PP) je za vami. Vaša mnenja in vtisi nam bodo spodbuda za vsebinsko in organi-zacijsko izboljšanje PP v prihodnosti, zato prosimo, če lahko odgovorite na naslednja vprašanja. 1. Menite, da bi bil potreben pripravljalni/uvajalni seminar za mentorje/-ice študentom/-kam na PP? a. DA b. NE c. DA, vendar samo za ‘novince’ 2. Če bi se udeležili pripravljalnega/uvajalnega seminarja za mentorje/-ice, o katerih vidikih PP bi želeli na takšnem seminarju razpravljati? (navedite vsebine) 3. Ali so bila navodila za izvajanje PP, ki ste jih dobili v priročniku Teaching Practice Resource Book, jasna in dovolj natančna? a. DA b. NE (prosimo, da pojasnite, kaj je bilo nejasno) 4. Kaj menite o trajanju PP? a. veliko prekratka b. prekratka c. primerna d. nekoliko predolga e. veliko predolga 93 Teacher Practice Handbook 5. Kaj menite o PP kot obliki usposabljanja za bodoče učitelje/-ice? a. zelo koristna in nenadomestljiva b. potrebna in koristna c. koristna, a ne nujna d. neučinkovita in nepotrebna 6. Kako ste uskladili vsakodnevne obveznosti na šoli z delom s študentom/-ko? a. brez težav b. z nekaj težavami, vendar ne velikimi c. z veliko dodatnega dela v prostem času 7. Katere dejavnosti izven pouka je vključevalo vaše mentorstvo? a. dopolnilni pouk b. dodatni pouk c. roditeljski sestanek d. govorilne ure e. _______________________________________________________ f. _______________________________________________________ g. _______________________________________________________ 8. Kako ste študentu/-ki svetovali pri pripravi na samostojno/individualno poučevanje? a. določil/-a sem temo b. določil/-a sem temo in mu/ji dal/-a gradivo c. omogočil/-a sem mu/ji prosto izbiro teme d. dal/-a sem vzpodbude za pripravo e. pomagal/-a sem mu/ji pri načrtovanju priprav na ure, ki jih je samostojno poučeval/-a f. pomagal/-a sem mu/ji pri načrtovanju priprave na končni ocenjen nastop 9. Koliko časa ste povprečno namenili svetovalnemu pogovoru? a. pred nastopom: ______________________________________________________________________________ b. po nastopu: _________________________________________________________________________________ 10. Kako ocenjujete zanimanje oz. zavzetost študenta/-ke? a. zelo se je zanimal/-a za vse dejavnosti na šoli b. zanimal/-a se je samo za svoje neposredne obveznosti c. ni pokazal/-a dovolj zanimanja d. drugo: ______________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Kako bi ocenili svoj odnos s študentom/-ko na praksi? a. zelo dober b. dober c. slab 12. Kako ocenjujete usposobljenost študenta/-ke za pedagoško delo? a. ima potrebno znanje, sposobnosti in navade b. ima potrebno znanje, a praktično delo je pomanjkljivo in nevešče/nerodno c. ima pomanjkljivo znanje in slabo razvite spretnosti poučevanja d. drugo: ______________________________________________________________________________________ 94 Teacher Practice Handbook 13. Za katere sestavine pouka je študent/-ka najmanj usposobljen/-a? a. za vsebino b. za didaktično zasnovo učne ure (učna priprava) c. za pedagoško-psihološko področje d. za razredno komunikacijo in interakcijo e. drugo: ______________________________________________________________________________________ 14. Kako ocenjujete napredovanje študenta/-ke na praksi? a. zelo uspešno b. uspešno c. manj uspešno 15. Kako ocenjujete organizacijo PP? a. dobra b. zadovoljiva c. pomanjkljiva d. drugo: ______________________________________________________________________________________ 16. Ste prihodnje leto pripravljeni ponovno sprejeti študenta/-ko na PP? a. DA b. NE 17. Ali je mentorstvo študentu/-ki na PP vplivalo tudi na vas? a. DA (Kako?) b. NE 18. Kaj vas najbolj ovira pri mentorskem delu? 19. Napišite, prosim, še svoje pripombe in predloge za izboljšanje PP. Hvala za vaš trud in sodelovanje! 95 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING PRACTICE Questionnaire for trainees Trainee’s name & surname: ___________________________________________________________________ Mentor’s name & surname: ___________________________________________________________________ Name of School: ____________________________________________________________________________ TP Time period: _____________________________________________________________________________ The teaching practice (TP) is behind you now. We would appreciate it if you shared your impressions, opinions and insights, which would serve as an incentive for improving the content, overall structure and organization of TP in the future. We therefore kindly invite you to fill in the questionnaire. 1. In your opinion, the duration of TP is: a. too short b. too long c. of appropriate length 2. To what extent were you able to gain insight into schoolwork during TP? a. completely b. partly c. insufficiently 3. How well did you fit the TP activities into your regular academic schedule? a. It didn’t create any issues for me. b. It created some issues. c. It created major issues. 4. How did the TP impact your choice of profession? a. It inspired me. b. I am experiencing dilemmas/reconsidering my decision. c. I am disappointed. 5. How content were you with your mentor? a. very b. partially c. not at all 6. How would you assess your rapport with your mentor? a. My mentor provided encouragement and guidance. b. My mentor helped me when necessary, but did not impede my independence. c. I was left to my own devices, I expected more help and advice. d. other: _______________________________________________________________________________________ 96 Teacher Practice Handbook 7. Did the TP meet your expectations? a. completely b. partially c. not at all 8. Did you experience any issues during your TP? a. none b. minor (elaborate / explain) c. major (elaborate / explain) 9. If this wasn’t your first TP, would you say it was impacted by the previous TP at elementary or high school level?? a. YES, very much (how?): _______________________________________________________________________________________________ b. YES, partially. c. NO. 10. How challenging was the workload for you? a. It was extremely challenging. b. It was hard, but within reasonable boundaries. c. It was suitably challenging. d. It was not challenging enough. 11. Which tasks presented the biggest difficulty for you? Rank them according to the level of difficulty. Number 1 marks the area with most difficulties. ____ a. class observations ____ b. writing reports on class observations (based on observation tasks) ____ c. preparing lesson plans ____ d. (independent) teaching ____ e. classroom management and implementing disciplinary measures ____ f. composing the TP portfolio g. other: __________________________________________________________________________________ 97 Teacher Practice Handbook 12. Which course books and other course materials did you use? 13. Which aspects of school life did you get acquainted with? a. planning/organizing classes g. streamed/differentiated classes (timetable, syllabus, school rules) h. subject teacher expert groups b. library work i. special days (sports, science, open days, c. extended/supervised school day field trips and similar) d. counseling j. PTA meetings e. handling pedagogical paperwork k. school staff meetings f. managing duties and responsibilities of l. other _____________________________________ being a class teacher 14. What kind of improvements would you suggest for TP: a. There should be more _________________________________________________________________________ b. There should be less/fewer ____________________________________________________________________ 15. Did you find the TP instructions in the Teaching Practice Resource Book clear and detailed enough? a. YES b. NO 16. Which instruction did you miss the most during TP? 17. Which aspects of TP were you not prepared for at all? 18. Please, share your comments and suggestions for improving the TP. Thank you for your time and effort. Best wishes for successful completion of your studies! 98 Teacher Practice Handbook Slovene version of the questionnaire for trainees PEDAGOŠKA PRAKSA Vprašalnik za študente/-ke Ime in priimek študenta/-ke: __________________________________________________________________ Ime in priimek učitelja mentorja: ______________________________________________________________ Šola: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Čas opravljanja prakse (od-do): _______________________________________________________________ Pedagoška praksa (PP) je za vami. Vaša mnenja in vtisi nam bodo spodbuda za vsebinsko in organi-zacijsko izboljšanje PP v prihodnosti, zato prosimo, če lahko odgovorite na naslednja vprašanja. 1. Kaj menite o trajanju PP? a. premalo b. preveč c. dovolj 2. Ali ste med PP dobili vpogled v šolsko delo? a. v celoti b. deloma c. pomanjkljivo 3. Ali ste PP lahko uskladili z ostalimi študijskimi obveznostmi? a. DA b. NE 4. Kako je PP vplivala na vašo poklicno odločitev? a. navdušila me je za poklic b. v sebi doživljam dileme c. razočaran/-a sem 5. Kako ste bili zadovoljni z učiteljem/-ico mentorjem/-ico? a. zelo sem bil/-a zadovoljen/zadovoljna b. deloma sem bil/-a zadovoljen/zadovoljna c. nisem bil/-a zadovoljen/zadovoljna 6. Kako ocenjujete pomoč in sodelovanje z mentorjem/-ico? a. Mentor/-ica me je spodbujal/-a in usmerjal/-a b. Mentor/-ica mi je pomagal/-a, kolikor je bilo potrebno, vendar me ni omejeval/-a v samostojnosti c. bil/-a sem prepuščen/-a sam/-a sebi, pogrešal/-a sem pomoč in nasvete d. drugo: _______________________________________________________________________________________ 99 Teacher Practice Handbook 7. Ali je PP zadovoljila vaša pričakovanja? a. popolnoma b. deloma c. NE 8. Ali ste na praksi imeli težave? a. nobenih b. manjše (pojasnite) c. večje (pojasnite) 9. Če to ni bila vaša prva PP, ali je predhodna praksa na OŠ ali SŠ vplivala na opravljanje sedanje PP? a. DA, zelo (kako?): _____________________________________________________________________________ b. DA, deloma c. NE 10. Kako ste bili obremenjeni z delom? a. preveč obremenjen/-a; bilo je zelo naporno b. bilo je naporno, a v mejah zmogljivosti c. primerno obremenjen/-a d. premalo obremenjen/-a 11. Pri katerih nalogah ste imeli največ težav? Razvrstite jih po težavnosti. S številko 1 označite tisto področje, kjer ste imeli največ težav. ____ a. opazovanje pouka ____ b. pisanje poročil z opazovanj (na podlagi opazovalnih nalog) ____ c. pisanje priprav na pouk ____ d. (samostojno) poučevanje ____ e. vzdrževanje discipline in vzgojno ukrepanje ____ f. izdelava Portfolija s PP g. drugo: ___________________________________________________________________________________ 100 Teacher Practice Handbook 12. Katere učbenike in učna gradiva ste uporabljali pri pouku? 13. Katere značilnosti na šoli ste spoznali? a. organizacija pouka (urnik, učni načrt, g. nivojski pouk šolski režim) h. aktivi b. delo knjižnice i. posebni dnevi (športni, naravoslovni, c. podaljšano bivanje informativni, …) d. svetovalno delo j. roditeljski sestanki e. vodenje pedagoške administracije k. konference f. razredništvo l. drugo: ___________________________________ 14. Česa je bilo po vašem mnenju na praksi preveč oz. premalo? a. Preveč je bilo: _________________________________________________________________________________ b. Premalo je bilo: _______________________________________________________________________________ 15. So bila navodila za opravljanje PP jasna in natančna? a. DA b. NE 16. Katera navodila ste na PP najbolj pogrešali? 17. Na katere stvari, ki ste jih srečali na PP, sploh niste bili pripravljeni? 18. Napišite, prosim, še svoje pripombe in predloge za izboljšanje PP. Hvala za vaš trud in veliko uspeha pri nadaljnjem študiju. 101 Teacher Practice Handbook The Teaching Practice Portfolio Your experience during the teaching practice will surely have some impact on your attitudes and beliefs about being/becoming a teacher. The experience may con- firm, but also challenge, the ideas you have about teaching. To document your school experience, you will be asked to develop a Teaching Practice Portfolio. It will be a col- lection of your work on placement and will highlight and demonstrate your develop- ing competence in teaching and charting progress. A portfolio also provides a means for reflection; it offers the opportunity for critiquing one’s work and evaluating the effectiveness of lessons or interpersonal interactions with students or peers. The aims of your portfolio will be: • to provide an authentic collection of evidence to illustrate your performance throughout your TP; • to enable you to self-assess and reflect on your performance and improve your learning; • to evaluate your growth and professional development; • to create a link between theory and practice and between the university and schools. General guidelines for developing your TP portfolio Composing the TP portfolio • All documentation belonging to each individually taught lesson (including the formally assessed lesson) should be clearly organised in separate sub-chapters (i.e. lesson plan, mentor’s written feedback, self-evaluation sheet, re-cord of prior holistic observations, etc.). • You should use English throughout the portfolio, the only exception being the lesson plans that can be either in English or Slovenian. • While the sole ownership belongs to the student and items within the portfolio are confidential, trainees can be asked to present their portfolios by mentors or by school heads during teaching practice. No items within the portfolio can be used by anyone without the permission of the trainee. Submitting the TP portfolio • Submission guidelines: The portfolio should be submitted in digital form (Word or Pdf) (an A4 ring folder is only used as a last resort in case all digital resources fail). NB: You should make sure the quality of scanned or otherwise digitalised documents is appropriate (clarity of pictures and scans, visibility of written content) and easy to process by the assessor. The file and the selected digital form should allow changes such as comments and corrections. • Submission deadlines: The portfolio must be submitted no later than a month after your last day of teaching practice. Portfolios may, of course, be submitted earlier and are welcome. When the portfolio has been assessed, you will receive the revised copy and the assessment sheet via email. • Penalties for late submission: Late submissions (i.e. later than a month) will, un- fortunately, have to be penalized, depending on the length of delay. Your grade will be reduced by one grade point for each week the submission is late. A four-week delay means a negative grade, and you will have to do your teaching practice again. • Deadline extension: If you cannot submit the portfolio in the allotted time, you can ask for an extension provided you have good reasons for not meeting the deadline. 102 Teacher Practice Handbook The portfolio contents: what should be included in the portfolio and in what order? • Cover page of the portfolio should include the following elements (see the TP Portfolio Cover Page Template on p 104): institutional affiliation (University/Faculty/ Department Name), Trainee’s Name, Course Title, Course Year, Trainee’s study track and year of school placement, Name of the School, Mentor’s Name (i.e. your men- tor at school), Date/Time of TP, and Duration of TP (i.e. one-week or two-week TP). • Teaching Practice Timetable. • Records of performed specific observation tasks (optional: you can add scans of the observation tasks used). NB: You should select a task from a different set/ cluster each time you observe. A minimum of 4 specific observation tasks for one- week TP; a minimum of 8 specific tasks for two-week TP. • Lesson plans for all lessons taught individually (include materials or reference to the materials used). Please note that all documentation belonging to each indi- vidually taught lesson should be clearly organised in separate sub-chapters (i.e. lesson plan, mentor’s written feedback on these lessons). If you happen to teach the same lesson to two different classes (within the same grade, of course), you can use the same lesson plan for both lessons. You only need to change the Les- son Planning Background Information Sheet (i.e. the front page of the lesson plan). NB: A minimum of 4 lesson plans – one-week TP, a minimum of 8 lesson plans – two-week TP. • Two holistic observations prior to the formally assessed lesson (documented by means of Lesson observation sheet: General observation of the lesson). NB: The trainee should, if possible, perform these two general/holistic observations in the class in which his/her formally assessed lesson will take place. • Records of the formally assessed lesson. Again, organise them into separate (sub-)chapters (i.e. lesson plan, record of achievement, mentor’s written feedback and grade documented by means of a Teaching Assessment Sheet, your self-evalu- ation of the formally assessed lesson). • A minimum of 3 records of the collected school-life material. Your choice of documented school life should be justified. • A reflection task: summative TP essay (i.e. an evaluation for the whole TP pe- riod). • The original of the Potrdilo mentorja in ocena uspešnosti študenta na pedagoški praksi document (signed and stamped). It doesn’t have to be sent by post. It can be included in the portfolio or sent in an email separately, as an attach- ment. • The original of the mentor’s sign-up form (Pristopna izjava mentorja). NB: Please fill out the form completely, especially the name and address of the school, in- cluding the postcode. • Mentor’s questionnaire scan (unless conducted online). • Trainee’s questionnaire scan (unless conducted online). You can also include (optional): • Evidence of extra-curricular activities. Evidence that you have participated in school extra-curricular activities and educational activities within the community can be presented if authenticated by the persons in charge of the activities. This will help to build your profile as a dedicated and committed teacher. • Feedback from students. Feedback given by students is often a good reflection of how well you perform as a teacher. Samples of feedback obtained by students can be used for your own self-evaluation. 103 Teacher Practice Handbook TP Portfolio Cover Page Template You can make and customize your own TP portfolio cover page, but make sure you include the following elements: institutional affiliation (University/Faculty/Department Name), Trainee’s Name, Course Title, Course Year, Name of the School, Mentor’s Name (i.e. your mentor at school), Date/Time of TP, and Duration of TP (i.e. one-week or two-week TP). TEACHING PRACTICE PORTFOLIO Trainee’s name: Course title: Pedagoška praksa za učitelje angleščine Course year: Trainee’s study track and year of school placement (i.e. single-subject study track – Year 1 TP or double-subject study track – Year 2 TP): Name of the School: Mentor’s Name (i.e. your mentor at school): Time of TP (from … to): Duration of TP (i.e. one-week or two-week TP): 104 Teacher Practice Handbook TP assessment Your Teaching Practice will be assessed (evaluated) on three different levels: 1. By the mentor, as an overall assessment of the one-week or two-week TP made on the basis of the mentor’s assessment of each of the lessons taught by the train- ee, including the final assessed lesson, and the trainee’s self-evaluation of their teaching. 2. By the trainee, as a self-evaluation of their teaching performance, based on their self-evaluation of each lesson taught. Reflections on professional development are made by trainees in two ways: (1) self-evaluation sheets after every lesson and delivered in the Teaching Practice Portfolio to the university supervisor after TP is over; and (2) an essay on the values of TP and its impact on their professional development. 3. By the teacher trainer/educator at the university, as an overall assessment of TP, based on the lesson assessments done by the mentor, the trainee’s self-evalua- tion, and the overall quality of the Teaching Practice Portfolio. The final grading of teaching practice will be made up of the following grades: weighting 1. one formally assessed lesson by the teacher-mentor 25% 2. an overall assessment of the TP portfolio by the university supervisor 75% Below you will find assessment forms for both one- and two-week TP. 105 Teacher Practice Handbook TP PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT SHEET (one-week TP) – a sample Trainee: ___________________________________________________________________________________ School (primary, secondary): _________________________________________________________________ CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS 1 Teaching practice timetable 8 Formally assessed lesson (1x) 2 Specific task observations (min. 4x) 9 Mentor’s written feedback to FAL (1x) 3 Individual teaching (4x) 10 Self-evaluation for FAL (1x) 4 Lesson plans for individual teaching (4x) 11 Documented school life (min. 3x) 5 Self-evaluation for individual/micro teaching (1–2x) 12 Summative reflection essay 6 Mentor’s written feedback (4x) 13 Questionnaire 7 General observations prior to FAL (2x) Extra credits: (Lack of record of achieving minimal TP requirements may lower the overall grade, while presence of material documenting meaningful extra work may bring it up. ) PRESENTABILITY OF PORTFOLIO – 15% 5 6 7 8 9 10 Are all the components of the portfolio included in the required order? How ‘reader-friendly’ is the portfolio (e.g. Is the timetable filled in with care)? COMMENTS _____ /10 LESSON OBSERVATION – 20% 5 6 7 8 9 10 Were observation tasks chosen according to instructions (e.g. choosing a different set each time)? How is the choice of observation tasks justified? How did the trainee describe classroom situations (was appropriate terminology employed)? Are the observations reflected on or do they remain on the level of ‘the eye of a camera’? COMMENTS _____ /10 106 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING – 30% 5 6 7 8 9 10 What is the quality of documenting individual lessons (e.g. including materials used, layout, terminology)? What is the quality of the lesson planning (e.g. clarity of overall and stage aims)? What is the quality of the trainee’s self-reflection after the teaching? COMMENTS _____ /10 OVERALL REFLECTION – 20% 5 6 7 8 9 10 How is the choice of documents explained/justified? Is the essay clearly structured and coherent? Is the content of the essay well-reflected and developed, balanced, objective? COMMENTS _____ /10 LEVEL OF TRAINEE’S LANGUAGE – 15% 5 6 7 8 9 10 What is the level of the trainee’s English throughout the portfolio? COMMENTS _____ /10 OVERALL COMMENTS Mentor’s FAL grade: _____________________ Assessor’s name: ________________________________________ Overall grade of portfolio: ______________ Assessor’s signature: ____________________________________ Overall grade of TP: ____________________ 107 Teacher Practice Handbook TP PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT SHEET (two-week TP) – a sample Trainee: ___________________________________________________________________________________ School (primary, secondary): _________________________________________________________________ CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS 1 Teaching practice timetable 8 Formally assessed lesson (1x) 2 Specific task observations (min. 8x) 9 Mentor’s written feedback to FAL (1x) 3 Individual teaching (8x) 10 Self-evaluation for FAL (1x) 4 Lesson plans for individual teaching (8x) 11 Documented school life (min. 3x) 5 Self-evaluation for individual/micro teaching (2–4x) 12 Summative reflection essay 6 Mentor’s written feedback (8x) 13 Questionnaire 7 General observations prior to FAL (2x) Extra credits: (Lack of record of achieving minimal TP requirements may lower the overall grade, while presence of material documenting meaningful extra work may bring it up. ) PRESENTABILITY OF PORTFOLIO – 15% 5 6 7 8 9 10 Are all the components of the portfolio included in the required order? How ‘reader-friendly’ is the portfolio (e.g. Is the timetable filled in with care)? COMMENTS _____ /10 LESSON OBSERVATION – 20% 5 6 7 8 9 10 Were observation tasks chosen according to instructions (e.g. choosing a different set each time)? How is the choice of observation tasks justified? How did the trainee describe classroom situations (was appropriate terminology employed)? Are the observations reflected on or do they remain on the level of ‘the eye of a camera’? COMMENTS _____ /10 108 Teacher Practice Handbook TEACHING – 30% 5 6 7 8 9 10 What is the quality of documenting individual lessons (e.g. including materials used, layout, terminology)? What is the quality of the lesson planning (e.g. clarity of overall and stage aims)? What is the quality of the trainee’s self-reflection after the teaching? COMMENTS _____ /10 OVERALL REFLECTION – 20% 5 6 7 8 9 10 How is the choice of documents explained/justified? Is the essay clearly structured and coherent? Is the content of the essay well-reflected and developed, balanced, objective? COMMENTS _____ /10 LEVEL OF TRAINEE’S LANGUAGE – 15% 5 6 7 8 9 10 What is the level of the trainee’s English throughout the portfolio? COMMENTS _____ /10 OVERALL COMMENTS Mentor’s FAL grade: _____________________ Assessor’s name: ________________________________________ Overall grade of portfolio: ______________ Assessor’s signature: ____________________________________ Overall grade of TP: ____________________ 109 Teacher Practice Handbook References Borg, S. 2006. Teacher cognition and language education: Research and practice. London: Continuum. Borg, S. 2009. Language teacher cognition. In: A. Burns and J. C. Richards (eds.). 2009. The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp 163–171. Freeman, D. and S. Cornwell (eds.). 1993. New Ways in Teacher Education. Alexandria, Virginia: TESOL. Gebhard, J. G. and R. Oprandy. 1999. 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ELT Journal, 53 (1): 22–27. Dufeu, B. 1994. Teaching Myself. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Edge, J. and S. Garton. 2009. From Experience to Knowledge in ELT. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Farrell, T. S. C. and G. M. Jacobs. 2010. Essentials for Successful English Language Teaching. London: Continuum. Foord, D. 2009. The Developing Teacher: Practical activities for professional development. Peaslake: delta Publishing. Hall, G. 2011. Exploring English Language Teaching: Language in Action. London: Routledge. Harmer, J. 1998. How to Teach English. Harlow: Longman. Harmer, J. 2001. The Practice of English Language Teaching. [3rd ed.]. Harlow: Longman. Harmer, J. 2007. The Practice of English Language Teaching. [4th ed.]. Harlow: Longman. Hubbard, P., H. Jones, B. Thornton and R. Wheeler. 1983. A Training Course for TEFL. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Huberman, M. 1989. The Professional Life Cycle of Teachers. Teachers College Record, 91 (1): 31–57. Hughes, G. S. 1981. 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O’Leary, M. 2020. Classroom Observation: A Guide to the Effective Observation of Teaching and Learning. London: Routledge. Parrott, M. 1993. Tasks for Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Richards, J. C. 2015. Key Issues in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Richards, J. C. and C. Lockhart (eds.). 1994. Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Riddell, D. 2014. Teach EFL: The complete guide. London: John Murray Learning. Roberts, J. 1998. Language Teacher Education. London: Arnold. Russell, T. 2005. Can reflective practice be taught? Reflective Practice, 6 (2): 199–204. https:// doi.org/10.1080/14623940500105833 Sellars, M. 2012. Teachers and change: The role of reflective practice. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 55 (2012): 461–69. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.09.525 Skela, J. 2019. A Journey Through the Landscapes of Language Education. In: A. Kostoulas (ed.). 2019. 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Handbook of Teacher Education: Globalization, Standards and Professionalism in Times of Change. Dordrecht: Springer. Wallace, M. J. 1999. The reflective model revisited. In: H. Trappes-Lomax and I. McGrath (eds.). 1999. Theory in Language Teacher Education. Harlow: Longman in association with The British Council. pp 179–189. Ward, J. R. and S. McCotter. 2004. Reflection as a visible outcome for preservice teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20 (3): 243–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2004.02.004 Watkins, P. 2005. Learning to Teach English: A practical introduction for new teachers. Addlestone: DELTA Publishing. Willis, J. 1981. Teaching English through English. Harlow: Longman. Woodward, T. 1991. Models and Metaphors in Language Teacher Training. Cambridge: Cam- bridge University Press. Woodward, T. 1992. Ways of Training: Recipes for teacher training. Harlow: Longman. Wragg, E. C. 2012. An Introduction to Classroom Observation. London: Routledge. 112