Second Observation – (2 hours)

T = Teacher

Class Activity breakdown:

1. Group Activity – Discussion about provided short text (45min – took longer than expected)
2. Class Activity – Fill in the blanks (15 min – on time)
3. Class Activity – Find the correct meaning of each word (6min – on time)
4. Class Activity – Vocabulary Definitions (6 min – on time)
5. Group Activity – Discussion / Debate about what should be and not be banned (15 min – on time)

As per my first observation, from Tanya’s class, teachers practice this ice breaking activity with the whole classroom where they are given the chance to speak about how they are doing or what they’ve done during the Victoria Day weekend. This could be a good indication of how the students feel about the day and how the rest of the class is going to unfold itself. Here are some observations from that particular moment:

• Taking an interest in the students’ lives eases their anxiety.
• I could detect anxiety and nervousness in students’ voice.
• Most of the students were shy. Probably fearing of saying something wrong and be judged on their English proficiency.

I really appreciated how T. went over homework and assignments that were due for that week, helping out students who may feel overwhelmed shows care and support. He encouraged them to not be behind and gave tips and advice about how to tackle the work. Therefore, I find that giving direction is very helpful in case students are lost and they’re too afraid to speak up (I think T. picked up on that).

One thing I retained that T. mentioned is that “conversation is a like a game of tennis where the goal is to keep the ball bouncing back and forth between the players as many times as possible.”

• Would a poor reply/response be considered a foul, a net, a miss?
• Would a too advanced reply/response be considered a smash, and the other person would struggle for a smooth recovery?

When T. feels there is doubt or confusion in class about the meaning of a particular word, he will ask for synonyms from other students. Relying on students to help out their fellow students. When nobody knows the answer, T. writes it down for them and elaborates on the purpose of the word or idiom (for example: Devil’s Advocate).

Another thing that caught my attention was when a student tried to articulate his idea, being from a different culture and speaking a different language can understandably cause the students to have accents, so when the student said “Gun Risence,” I expected T. to correct his pronunciation, but he did not and I understand why now; Instead, T. subtly included the same words in his response with the correct pronunciation. I thought that was very tactful and considerate. It’s always better to be mindful of your position vis a vis your students in a learning environment than telling them that they’re wrong (which could harm the student-teacher relationship). Correct your students when they ask for help, you see them struggle, or have issues expressing themselves and be tolerant of the mistakes that may slip through.

I thought T. was incredibly patient with his students and very inclusive of their ideas. Even if the students’ timidity presents quite a challenge to overcome, T. incessantly reassures them that it is ok to speak their mind, voice out their opinions and be heard. It may take a while before they take the initiative, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The only drawback during my observation:
T. asked for volunteers in the room multiple times, due to the high level of shyness, students do not really come forward to volunteer, which has unfortunately taken chunks of the allotted time for the course and caused a few topics to be missed that day.

Then the question is: is it almost always better to take control of the practice by picking out students to participate, or be freer with the practice and let students come forward at the cost of taking too much time of the allocated time? My guess it to prepare for both possibilities.