The English proficiency of the class ranged from low beginners to high beginners.
After observing Tanya’s class quite closely, I drew the conclusion that she is a very devoted teacher. Her teachings include constant care, regular reviewing, and inclusivity of all the members. I don’t think I could pick out the “underdog” in her class. She has made everyone feel at ease and safe in her teaching space by building a community where everyone can benefit from one another, and that’s something I truly admire. From the very beginning of the class, it is clear to see that she takes a keen interest in her students; She remembers their names and the quirky details about their life that makes them who they are. It goes without saying that, thanks to her previous classes, she successfully developed a good relationship with all of them, which helped with being very comfortable around her; comfortable enough to voice out their ideas and participate in her fun activities. In fact, she understood that very well: mix fun with learning, and you have a recipe for success. It is hard to be reluctant with the powerful energy and drive that she emanates.
What are the good qualities that I’ve learned from this observation?
- It is important to praise, and use your students’ ideas as often as possible to build their confidence.
- Active Listening and Repetitions are crucial to practice in communicative activities.
- Balance between control practices and free practices while increasing the difficulty (Be the training wheels of the bicycle until it’s safe to remove them, but don’t be afraid to put them back on when you feel that your student is about to fall).
- (Relatable) Role playing dialogues are fun and appreciated by students!
- Bring a lot of props to class! Visuals make the learning process easier.
- Review each student as much as possible until they grasp the lesson (no man/woman left behind).
- Don’t be shy to use body language, it is universal!
- Learn to read the room. If your gut tells you that someone is confused, it’s probably true.
- If you realize that you forgot to cover a specific topic, go over it as soon as you can.
- Build a logical pattern/link between your classes (the previous class was about body parts, her following class was about clothing).
- Build team spirit between your students, not competition.
If I have to point out one thing that confused me, it would be what happened during the second communicative activity. They are role playing with Tanya and students are speaking somewhat fluently, but not very accurately, and yet she isn’t correcting them.
Why?
My guess is that the conveyed message is more important than the proper formulation of the sentence?
Is she secretly assessing the students proficiency and keeping the issues for later to tackle one on one?
Would correcting them on the spot deter them from speaking again?
In conclusion to this reflection, I truly hope that my future students feel this comfortable around me and that I successfully keep their eagerness to learn alive.
After all, “if I can do it, so can you.”
