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Topic: Writing a 'What if?' essay

Level: Intermediate - B1

Duration: 30 minutes

Main Learning Outcome:

By end of lesson, Ss will have practiced and improved process writing ability - specifically, they will be able to plan, write, proofread, and edit an essay and will understand what is expected when writing essays in English.

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Topic: Expressing past and present ability

Level: Intermediate - B1

Duration: 30 minutes

Main Learning Outcome:

By end of lesson, Ss will have practiced and improved their oral and written ability to express past and present ability using modal verbs "could, to be able to, can, to manage to".

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A short and engaging PowerPoint designed to aid Ss in recalling the stages of essay writing and paragraph structures, provide answers to exercises completed in class through the use of animations, and to offer useful linking/connecting words for the in class essay writing task.

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SpeakOut Intermediate p. 106, Exercise 10 & 11

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SpeakOut Intermediate p. 106, Exercise 10 & 11

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A short PowerPoint designed to facilitate a whole class discussion using visual aids. The first slide was used to aid in discussing past and present ability, with the following slides used for CCQs to ensure that Ss understood the previously covered material.

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SpeakOut Intermediate p. 84, Exercise 5, 6 & 7

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SpeakOut Intermediate p. 84, Exercise 5, 6 & 7

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Written Reflection: My Teaching Strengths

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Written Reflection: My Teaching Strengths

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As a trainee TESOL teacher, I have identified some important strengths in my own teaching.

1. Classroom Management & Teacher Presence: Since my first lesson, I have found that managing a classroom and maintaining a strong teacher presence has come very naturally to me. I feel very comfortable with both, possibly as a result of my sports coaching experience which has given me plenty of time to practice organising a group of people and directing them to a particular goal. This has also been a huge benefit in terms of voice projection and maintaining clear pronunciation which is essential when teaching English learners. My teachers and peers have noted the same, saying that my diction is clear, that I am always positioned well in the classroom, and that I use body language to clarify what I am saying when necessary. They have also remarked that I monitor well and that I have a good sense for knowing when to move students from one place to another to ensure that all students remain engaged in the lesson.

2. On the Spot Thinking: I have faced a few unique issues that I did not anticipate while teaching, such as having a student in-class whose level did not match the level of the lesson I was delivering, or a situation where only three students attended a class that was planned for many more. When faced with these situations, I have been able to think quickly on my feet to keep the lesson flowing well – for example, in that first situation described, moving a student that I know to be strong to sit beside the weaker student in the hopes that they might still be able to perform some of the exercises together and that it may be more comfortable for the weaker student to ask questions regarding the lesson to their peer rather than a teacher. This is an essential skill that I believe I perform well, and one that has also been noted by my peers and teachers while evaluating my lessons.

3. Preparation for Difficulties: While I am well-able to think quickly on my feet, my teachers, peers and I have also found that I excel in anticipating and preparing for difficulties in my lessons. This is another highly important skill as one cannot hope to simply improvise or ‘think on your feet’ for every possible situation, and some situations require consideration when planning a lesson – for example, while planning for one of my lessons, I realised that I may not be allocating enough time for a particular stage of my lesson. To accommodate for this, I planned an exercise modification where I could remove a slightly less important aspect which would then allow for more time to be spent on the earlier stage. When this difficulty arose as I had anticipated that it might, I was in a position where I had already planned a solution and was easily able to adjust and continue the lesson.

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Written Reflection: Areas for Improvement

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Written Reflection: Areas for Improvement

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I have also noted that there are some areas in my teaching development that have been improving but still need some attention.

1.      Giving Instructions: I have noted that while I am able to give clear instructions, I struggle with following the recognised five-step instruction framework. This has led to situations during lessons where I have had to repeat instructions, which not only eats into valuable lesson time but also is a clear indication that my instructions have not been clear enough. I have recently been focusing more direct attention to my instructions and keeping to the five-step system which has led to reduced necessity for repetition but is still an area that needs more work.

2.      Patience in Eliciting: I have also noticed that in certain situations, I have rushed through the eliciting stage and provided answers for students that they would likely have offered themselves had they been given more time. I believe this is caused by a few different factors, ranging from time management (another area for improvement) to simple discomfort in silence, particularly in my earlier lessons. This is another area that I have been focusing on and have noted great improvements in already that will continue to get better as I gain more experience teaching.

3.      Time Management: Often while preparing my lesson plans, I find that I have a tendency to over-plan certain stages, and under-plan others. This has led to more situations wherein I have had allowed stages to run minutes past their expected time allotment and have had to ‘think on my feet’ to ensure that all stages are covered without greatly rushing the students. To combat this, I have put a great focus on trying to stick more closely to my planned time for each stage, and planning for solutions where I am unable to do so. This has greatly aided me in my time management skills but is still an area that I would like to improve so that it comes more naturally and organically, and eventually make it so those ‘think on my feet’ situations happen rarely.

Overall, each of these areas for improvement are areas that I already have noticed improvements in and with further direct attention, I expect they will continue to improve as I gain more experience and continue in my teaching development.