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The Faculty of Philology

The English Department

TEACHING PRACTICUM PORTFOLIO

Student: * Mentor:

*All personal information deleted; otherwise unedited (mistakes not corrected)

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Table of Contents

My L2 learning experience.......................................................................................... 2
PRACTICUM JOURNAL.................................................................................................. 3
Student evaluation................................................................................................... 11
Lesson Plans and Additional Materials......................................................................13
Lesson Analysis........................................................................................................ 22
FINAL PAPER............................................................................................................. 25
Self-Chosen Section.................................................................................................. 29
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My L2 learning experience

(deleted)
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JOURNAL

Student name: deleted

Host school: deleted

Host teachers: deleted

CLASSES OBSERVED

Date, Lesson Key moments in the Questions that I

Grade, Objectives lesson, things I learned have about the
Materials lesson, things I
Used would like to
explore further

22.04.2013 Revision of The teacher used various I noticed that the

. the covered techniques to elicit the teacher had
grammar answers from the students excellent rapport
II grade items and who eventually came up with students,
(II3) practice for with all the required which I believe is in
Longmans the test answers and definitions or part due to the
New rules of usage. The teacher teachers intensive
1 Opportunitie had good rapport with use of body
. s students, communicating language,
Intermediat with them as with a group, movement across
e Students or individually, as the classroom and
Book by appropriate. I realized that communication
Michael there is always a way to with the students
Harris, David
help a student reach the on the individual
Mower and
answer. level.
Anna
Sikorzyska

22.04.2013 Revision of It is the same lecture as I noticed that the

. the covered the previous one, except teacher primarily
grammar this is the class that the used English, but
II grade items and teacher is responsible for, she used Serbian
2 (II1)
. practice for i.e. she is their homeroom to help students if
teacher. This lead to necessary, restore
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Longmans the test slightly informal, but still discipline and,

New highly positive atmosphere most notably, to
Opportunitie in the classroom, without revise the rules,
s any problems regarding structures and
Intermediat
the discipline. I learned definitions which
e Students
that familiarity breeds have just been
Book by
Michael trust, good rapport and revised in English. I
Harris, David better communication. would explore this
Mower and Everyone coped with technique further,
Anna everything that was done, to confirm its
Sikorzyska performed all tasks without efficiency.
difficulties. I am aware that
they are a good class, a
group of excellent
students, but I believe that
the special relationship
they have with their
teacher helped a lot.

22.04.2013 Practicing The teacher introduced the Once again the

. listening lesson by providing teacher used
comprehensi students with the chance Serbian for
II grade on, engaging to express their opinion or retaining discipline
3 (II2)
. students into say what they know about and order in the
Longmans free Sir Elton John or other classroom, and it
New discussion, celebrities. Students were worked very well,
Opportunitie exercising very responsive, plenty of which made me
s the language hands in the air. But I must think this is the
Intermediat use, notice that once the excellent way of
e Students especially teacher played the song, using the perks of
Book by fluency which was Elton Johns mother tongue.
Michael pop hit Candle in the The teacher also
Harris, David
Wind, most of the students used Serbian
Mower and
started giggling or occasionally for
Anna
Sikorzyska protesting because they explaining new
didnt like or didnt vocabulary, but
understand the song, i.e. she mostly done it
the lyrics they were by providing
supposed to fill in the gap definitions or
text exercise. All in all, synonyms in
they didnt like the song English. What I
and, perhaps because of noticed while
that, have performed badly students were
during the exercises engaged in open
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relating the listening discussions at the

activity. I realized that beginning and at
even though teachers or the end of the
course books writers can class, is that, even
try to come up with though majority of
exciting activities, it is hard students showed
to predict students excellent
interests and what will competence in
they find amusing. English, their
pronunciation was
distinctly
Serbian. This
made me think
that perhaps we
should focus more
attention on
developing and
refining their
pronunciation
through various
listening and
speaking exercises.

23.04.2013 Revision of Teacher organized the One group had

. the covered students in groups of four minor difficulties
grammatical or five, and gave them with coping with
II grade and instructions regarding the the exercises and
4 (II4)
. vocabulary class activity in English. was noticeably
Longmans units, Namely, students were slower than others.
New preparations supposed to work on the The teacher
Opportunitie for the exercises on the pieces of approached them
s upcoming paper taped to the wall when it was
Intermediat test around the classroom. The obvious that they
e Students exercises included Reading had problems, and
Book by Comprehension, helped them by
Michael Collocations with do/make, refreshing their
Harris, David
Phrasal Verbs, Future memory regarding
Mower and
Forms, Quantity the relevant
Anna
Sikorzyska Expressions, etc. They had grammatical or
4 minutes for each vocabulary item, or
exercise out of the total of providing
7 exercises, i.e. 7 pieces of additional
paper. Students were all examples. They
more than eager to finally managed to
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participate, they were complete all of the

willing to compete who will
finish with the exercises
first. This made me realize
that group work is
excellent way of engaging
students in the class
activities, especially when
paired with some sort of
competition.
exercises, but I
wonder would this
possibly have
negative or even
reverse effect on
their learning or
even interest in the
English language.

07.05.2013 Practicing During this lesson, and Many students had

. listening especially during the pre problems with
comprehensi and post-listening understanding the
II grade on, engaging exercises, the stress was lyrics. I believe that
(II3) students into primarily on the use of the pair work definitely
Longmans free Past Simple tense. The helped them to do
New discussion, teacher always gave clear some of the
Opportunitie exercising instructions prior to every examples, but
s the language new exercise, making sure many gaps
Intermediat use, that everyone has remained blank at
e Students especially understood what is being the end of the
Book by fluency done. When students exercise. Teacher
Michael started talking while the insisted on using
Harris, David
song was being played, the English when
Mower and
teacher used Serbian to giving answers to
Anna
Sikorzyska correct their behavior, i.e. the questions, but
Zato se smejete? Zato agreed to using
priate? Serbian for
additional
explanations. This
made me think
5 that we are maybe
. neglecting the
usage of Serbian in
English teaching
classrooms.

07.05.2013 Practicing Students were once again Again, the lesson

. listening familiar with the life and with the same
comprehensi work of Elton John, but listening activity.
II grade on, engaging werent too keen to And again, the
6 (II1)
. students into listening to his song and students were
Longmans free understanding its lyrics. dissatisfied with
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New discussion, But the teacher managed the choice of the

Opportunitie exercising to make them cooperate song for their
s the language by positive motivation. listening exercise,
Intermediat use, Approximately 50% of the and were less than
e Students
especially students had finished in willing to
Book by
fluency time, but few have done participate. The
Michael
Harris, David everything, they protested question of finding
Mower and they couldnt make out relevant material
Anna what he was saying. After that will be of
Sikorzyska helping them fill out the interest to our
exercise, the teacher students,
together with students regardless of their
discusses the meaning of age, is a burning
the song. Students had to one, and the
read out a verse each, and answer does not
then give their opinion on seem near.
the meaning before
everyone could join in the
discussion. I learned that it
is sometimes fruitful to let
the class discussion take
its own course and
meander forward freely.

07.05.2013 Revision of The teacher handed out Pair work once

. the Present the papers with the again proved itself
Perfect exercises for Present as a great tool and
II grade Simple and Perfect, but asked students strategy for
7 (II2)
. Continuous to try to remember and engaging students
Longmans Tense and come up with the rules of in the activity. Even
New the Passive usage and formation of this though some
Opportunitie Voice. tense first. The teacher students initially
s and students together made mistakes ,
Intermediat discussed the usage of the such as not using
e Students Present Perfect and the past participle
Book by compared the meaning of form of the verb ,
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Michael Simple and Continuous like in I have

Harris, David forms. Afterwards, became, with
Mower and students had no trouble in some help and
Anna completing the exercises in additional
Sikorzyska
pairs, in a relaxed and explanations or
positive atmosphere. Later, repeating of the
they revised the Passive definitions and
Voice construction and rules, they were all
usage. The teacher elicited able to efficiently
the rules of usage from the use the relevant
students, and called out verb forms.
random students to do the
examples in the exercise.
They all performed well. I
realized that constant
revising of and reminding
on the covered language
items is necessary if we
want to help students start
using what they have been
taught.

08.05.2013 Revision of The teacher handed out I wonder how much

. the Present the papers with the time a teacher
Perfect exercises for the Present should set aside for
II grade Simple and Perfect, but asked students revising and
8 (II4)
. Continuous to try to remember and providing
Longmans Tense and come up with the rules of explanations,
New the Passive usage and formation of this beside the regular
Opportunitie Voice. tense. At first, students did lesson plan. I
s not seem ready to engage, would like to
Intermediat but once the teacher explore the
e Students insisted, they all started possibilities for
Book by taking part in the activity. using peer revision
Michael The atmosphere was and pair work,
Harris, David
relaxed and positive, and because I think
Mower and
even if someone made a that these
Anna
Sikorzyska mistake, everyone helped strategies are
their classmates, instead probably the most
of correcting them. The useful and fruitful
teacher explained the in the case of
difference between active teaching
verbs and state verbs once languages.
it became obvious that the
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explanation was necessary.

I realized that a teacher
must always listen and
observe his students in
order to decide when it is
appropriate to jump in and
explain something or
provide additional
examples.

MY ENGAGEMENT

WHAT I DID WHAT I LEARNED MY QUESTIONS

AND
Type of engagement COMMENTS
(leading part of a
lesson, teaching a
lesson, assisting the
host teacher, helping
with homework, etc.)

1. First, I wanted to introduce the Students werent

activity by allowing the students particularly fond
I was in charge of to say what they know about Sir of the selection of
the part of the Elton John or Marilyn Monroe, the song for this
lesson that etc. They responded quite well, activity, but it was
involved a listening and many had thoughts they in their course
activity wanted to share with others. book and
The discussion developed when curriculum. I
I shared my personal opinion wonder how we
about pop stars, which made can introduce
me realize that the teacher material that is
must get involved personally if interesting to
he wants to establish the proper students but still
relationship with his students. relevant to the
course and
appropriate for
the classroom.
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2. It was easy to check for It is hard to decide

mistakes because these whether we
exercises had a fixed key, and should take all of
because many exercises were in our students
the form of gap text, matching, mistakes into
I helped the teacher etc, the whole process took little account when
organize the class time. Because there were more marking their
(regarding classroom mistakes and gaps in the text papers. I think
management and lesson left blank as the class was that it boils down
planning) and I helped nearing to an end, I learned that to deciding
checking the students students will lose focus if they whether or not the
answers are not reminded and checked mistake in
upon throughout the class and if question is a
the competitive atmosphere mistake or an
loses on its intensity. error. Ultimately,
it depends on the
context of the
mistake and the
teachers own
judgment.

3. I realized that when we are Because these

revising and going through a exercises had to
large number of examples, we be done quickly
I was leading a part of must be aware of the time due to the lack of
the lesson that involved frame we have and try to time, I wonder
revision of the Present organize our time and class in whether every
Perfect Simple and such a way that everyone gets a student was able
Continuous and chance to participate and that to follow and
Collocations we cover all relevant examples. whether they all
understood
everything clearly
once they left the
classroom and
whether we
should perhaps
follow up on these
exercises the
following class
and would it have
any effect at all.
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4. I learned that I have problems I believe that I

with organizing my time and have fulfilled what
I was teaching a that I must be careful when was intended for
lesson that planning the class activities. I this class, and
involved revision of was able to establish a good what the teacher
the Present Perfect relationship and communication wanted me to do,
Tense ( Simple and with the students, but I lacked and even though I
Continuous form ), time to complete everything I didnt manage to
Passive Voice and intended to cover during the complete all of
Phrasal Verbs lesson. I also should try to the exercises I
provide the students with more wanted to, I find
opportunities to use the that I have
language and practice fluency, covered all the
but I should mention that being necessary areas
that this was a class intended and grammar
for revising and preparation for items. Even
the upcoming test, I didnt have though I didnt
much chance to let students see myself in the
talk and apply their knowledge role of a teacher
in a conversation. prior to this
experience, I must
say that now I will
definitely consider
such position
because I have
found great deal
of challenges and
dynamic in
working with
students.
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Student evaluation

Student teacher: deleted

School & class taught: deleted Date: 08.05.2013.

Observer: deleted

Lesson planning and preparation

Good Satisfactory Should Comments

work on
A professional approach to planning x
Clarity of aims and staging X
Relevance and variety of learning activities X
Suitability of materials and aids X
X I should
work on
time
planning
Lesson plan layout, style, language used

Class management

Good Satisfactory Should Comments

work on
Managing classroom interaction (lockstep,
pairwork, groupwork)
X
Organisation and execution of activities X
Dealing with problem and difficulties
X I believe
that I
have dealt
with
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several
difficulties
that
appeared
efficiently
and with
ease,
managing
the
situation
and
respecting
the
students
at the
same time
Giving of instruction X

Execution of the lesson

Good Satisfactory Should Comments

work on
Presentation of new language or teaching
point (structure, lexis, phonology)
X
Variety and use of techniques for practising
new language (controlled and freer practice)
X
Providing opportunities for productive use of
language (free practice or use)
X I should
find ways
to provide
students
with more
opportunit
ies to use
the
language
Motivating learners and maintaining interest. X
Achieving appropriate balance between
accuracy and fluency activities
X
Use of blackboard or equivalent and use of
other aids
X
Checking of learning X
Timing and pace of the lesson X
Lesson staging / sequencing: smoothness of
flow; progress through the stages and linkage /
X
transition
Awareness & correction of errors X
Ending the lesson x
Achievement of aims X

Personal qualities
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Good Satisfactory Should Comments

work on
Ability to establish rapport (relationship) X
Voice: audibility, appropriacy to purpose X
Body language: gestures, movement, eye
contact
X

Lesson Plans and Additional Materials

Lesson Plan 1

Date: 23.04.2013.
Duration: 15 min
Class level: intermediate
Class profile: humanities class
Lesson objectives: Practicing listening comprehension, engaging students into
discussion, exercising fluency and language use

tim Procedures Possible Interactio Material

e problems and n s
solutions
3 The pre-listening activity It might happen T-S /
The teacher asks students if they that the S-SSS
know who Sir Elton John is and if they students know S-T
like listening to him. Then the teacher nothing or very
asks two students volunteers to tell little about the
something they know about the lives questions the
and deaths of Princess Diana and teacher asks,
Marilyn Monroe. and if so, he
should provide
them with the
relevant
information.
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8 The students S Course

The in-listening activity might not SSS T book
The teacher plays the CD with the manage to (extract
song, while students try to fill in the finish this task 1),
gaps in the lyrics. in one listening CD
Then, the teacher checks the answers only. If this is
with the students. the case, the
teacher should
play the
recording
again.

4 The post-listening activity Students might SSS /

The teacher asks the students to start talking in SSS-T
discuss in groups of four what the pros Serbian. The T-SSS
and cons of fame can be. teacher should
ask them to
continue
speaking in
English and
speaks for a
few moments
with that group
about the
relevant topic

Lesson Plan 2

Date: 23.04.2013.
Duration: 20 min
Class level: intermediate
Class profile: humanities class
Lesson objectives: Revision of the covered grammar items and practice for the test

tim Procedures Possible Interactio Material

e problems and n s
solutions
10 The teacher asks the students to fill in Some students S Course
the blanks in the dialogue using the might have SS book
Present Perfect Simple or Progressive. trouble with SSS-T (extract
After 5 minutes, the teacher asks for using the 2)
volunteers to read the dialogue out tenses
loud in order to check the exercise. correctly. The
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teacher should
ask more
competent
students to
help them by
working in
pairs.
10 The teacher divides students in pairs. Students might SS Course
One member of a pair should read one not know the T-S book
sentence from the book to himself / synonym or (extract
herself and then say that sentence to antonym for 2)
his / her pair using the antonym or the requested
synonym of the word requested. The word. If so, the
other student should guess the teacher should
original collocation. This process is help him / her
repeated till the end of the exercise. by asking them
to define the
word or by
trying to elicit
the synonym or
antonym from
them

Lesson Plan 3

Date: 08.05.2013.
Duration: 40 min
Class level: intermediate
Class profile: 16-year-olds, 25 students
Lesson objectives: revision of the Present Perfect Tense (producing TPR), Passive
Voice and Phrasal verbs

tim Procedures Possible problems Interacti Materia

e and solutions on ls
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7 The teacher hands out empty Students might ask T-SSS Empty
pieces of paper to the students inappropriate SSS-SSS pieces
and asks them to write down a questions. The SSS-T of
question beginning with Have you teacher should paper
ever. The teacher provides an prevent this by
example for the students (Have giving the specific
you ever met the queen of instructions and if
England?). After the students have possible, by first
written their questions, they fold checking if the
the papers and exchange it with a question is
colleague. A student is supposed appropriate.
to answer the question with yes or
no before reading the question.

20 The teacher hands out papers with Students might SS Papers

the text and papers with five have difficulties SSS-T with
comprehension questions, as well with text the
as papers with vocabulary exercise understanding and text(ext
related to the text. First, the with coming up ract 3),
teacher explains the vocabulary with the answers to papers
items which could be difficult to the comprehension with 5
understand from the context and questions. Teacher compre
then asks the students to read the should help hension
text and answer the questions students questio
about the text in pairs. After understand the text ns(extr
checking the answers, the teacher by providing act 4),
asks the students to match the additional papers
vocabulary items from the text to explanations, with
their synonyms or definitions. examples or vocabul
paraphrasing any ary
unknown exercis
vocabulary items e
(extract
5)
13 The teacher hands out papers with Students might be SS Papers
the gap exercise with phrasal unfamiliar with the SSS-T with
verbs and papers with the meaning of certain the gap
matching exercise, also about phrasal verbs. The exercis
phrasal verbs. Students are teacher should try e
supposed to fill out these exercises to elicit the (extract
in pairs. meaning of these 6) and
verbs from papers
students, or if with
necessary provide the
the definition or matchi
synonyms. ng
exercis
e
(extract
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7)
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- Extract 1 -
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- Extract 2
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- Extract 3

The Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival is a world famous international event which is held in the south of
France every year. The Festival is a worlds biggest and best known film festival. The sixty-fifth
Cannes Film festival took place last year between Wednesday 16 May 2012 and Sunday 27 May
2012. The Festival hands out annual awards for excellence in films and is considered to be the
worlds most important showcase for independent films and world cinema.

Last year, the Italian director Nanni Moretti presided over the international jury responsible for
deciding which films should win awards. The top prize awarded at the festival is the coveted
Palme Dor (Golden Palm) award for Best Film. Other prestigious awards include Grand Prize
of the Festival, The Jury Prize, Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress,
and Best Actor. As well as the main competition, the Cannes Film Festival hosts special
screening events to showcase films and documentaries which have not been entered into the
competition. The Festival has a truly international flavor and features a cross-selection of films
ranging from small independent productions to big-budget films starring famous actors.

The Cannes Film Festival is one of the worlds oldest and most important film festivals and it is
regarded by many people in the film industry as the most important event on the film festival
circuit. Red carpet glamour, high profile films and famous Hollywood actors are all things which
go hand in hand with the glittering event, which can be guaranteed to draw a cast of well known
celebrities, movie stars and top notch film directors from around the world. The opening
ceremony heralds a spectacular twelve days of parties, celebrity spotting, and wheeling and
dealing among movie moguls and major players in the film industry.

- Extract 4 -

The Cannes Film Festival Comprehension Questions

1. Where and when is the Cannes Film Festival held?

2. Who presided over the Cannes Film Festival in 2012?
3. Name at least 3 awards that films which have been entered into the competition are
competing for.
4. According to this article, the Cannes Film Festival is regarded by many as?
5. Beside the main competition, what sort of events are held, and why?
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- Extract 5
Match the phrases on the left to the phrases on the right:

1. showcase a. happen
2. to herald b. a powerful and wealthy person
3. take place c. respected, admired
4. annual d. to be closely related to or cause something to
happen
5. top notch e. opportunity for something to be presented
6. glittering f. exciting, glamorous
7. mogul g. to be a sign of something that is going to happen
8. go hand in hand with h. excellent, the absolute best
9. screening i. a showing of a film
10. prestigious k. yearly

- Extract 6 -

Vocabulary Exercises

Connect the verbs with their meanings:

A. go through 1. not to look

B. turn to 2. arrive
C. turn away 3. get out of bed
D. get on 4. recover
E. get over something 5. connect by phone
F. take off 6. board the plane/train/boat
G. get to 7. leave the ground
H. check in 8. to show and register your ticket and
luggage
I. get up 9. pass through
J. get through to somebody 10. ask for help
 1

- Extract 7 -

Chose the correct multi-part verb for each of the sentences:

GET ON CHECK IN GET UP GET THROUGH TO TURN AWAY

TAKE OFF GET TO GET OVER GO THROUGH TURN TO

1. The train that leaves Belgrade at 11:00 AM _________________ Uzice at about 3:00
PM.

2. Is your phone working? Ive been trying to _____________________ you for three
hours.

3. Her family lived a long way away, and she had no one to
__________________________.

4. It is difficult to make the kids_________________________ on a school day.

5. What time does your plane ___________________________?

6. Passengers are requested to ______________________ two hours before the take off.

7. John hasnt _______________ his knee injury yet.

8. Dont pretend you like horror films. You always ________________!

9. You need your passport and boarding card when you _________________ passport
control.

10. I think we _________________________ the wrong bus.

Lesson Analysis
 1

Once I reviewed the video of the lesson I taught to students in ------- gimnazija, I realized

that I have accurately predicted many problems I may encounter while teaching. Whether this

helped me to prevent them from occurring and to what extent, it is a question open to judgment. I

was also aware of my qualities when it comes to teaching and the social skills required for

performing such a task, and I believe that those qualities came to surface while I taught this

lesson.

Immediately upon the end of the lesson I taught, the teacher and my friend who was

behind the camera approached me, and were both full of praise regarding my performance. The

teacher, to whom I had earlier confessed that I had been feeling nervous about the lesson,

immediately said that I had done a good job. My friend, as one would expect, was even more

extravagant and lavish in his praise, saying that I was so authoritative and professor-like. Even

though there is counter-evidence to my friends claims in the video, both what he said and what

the host teacher said is true, and despite my anxiousness and nervousness, I managed to remain

calm, focused and assertive throughout the lesson, and in the face of some problems and

turbulences. I naturally have a deep and strong, resonating voice, which helped me while

teaching. I could be properly heard in the entire classroom (even though this may not be so

obvious in the recording, but that is due to the less-than-adequate equipment and microphone

position).

On the bad side, at moments it is obvious that I am nervous because I am slightly

fidgeting and touching my face nervously, or checking the time obsessively. But what is good is

that this is obvious in the recording, but I dont think that students had noticed any of this. Like I

mentioned, I managed to remain collected and assertive, and the students responded in the most

beautiful possible manner they wanted to work and follow my instructions, and even though
 1

some were eager to show their knowledge, all took part in the activities and showed some

interest.

The best thing about my lesson plan was that, as my host teacher said to me when the

class was over, apart from the fact that all exercises and examples were relevant to their

curriculum and appropriate preparation for the upcoming text, it was diverse and dynamic, and

while the exercises were easy to work on and fill out, they were at the same time challenging and

amusing. The diversity brought dynamic and lively rhythm to the class, and created relaxed, yet

working atmosphere.

On the other hand, an obvious mistake was made in time organization, that is, I expected

to finish with some exercises much earlier than it was the case. I would certainly pay more

attention to the time distribution of each stage. I failed to stick to the time frames I created in my

plan in every stage because I didnt count on those unpredicted moments that could have

occurred during the realization of the class such as allowing the students to prolong the warmer

up activity because they need more time to think of examples, or the need to explain something

further to the students. I wrongly assumed that everything would run smoothly and according to

the plan, and thats why I had to change or cut some parts of the plan on the spot. But, I came up

with the solution to give them for homework those exercises I couldnt do with them because the

time was up, which was also useful for the teacher, because that way they had more material to

work on while preparing for the test.

I encountered several problems during my lesson. Firstly, at one point I lost control over

the class because I couldnt explain to the students how to exchange their papers, and all hell

broke loose, with getting up, moving the chairs, talking and laughing, etc. I let this go on for a
 1

minute, for them to exchange the papers, and when the time came to put a stop to it, even I was

surprised how quickly I got a response from them, how quickly they sat down and got quiet. Just

some perks of having a really deep voice. Moreover, I produced the Total Physical Response

with this exercise, which gave a beautiful spin to the entire lesson, releasing tension building up

since the beginning of the class. Also, few times a student couldnt come up with the right

answer to the question, but I managed to help them reach the answer without being critical or

condescending, but allowing them to find a way to the right answer by simply providing

additional explanation, example, or a different perspective for observing the problem in question.

Finally, what I didnt notice while I was teaching, but what is, like I already mentioned,

noticeable in the video, is that I was constantly touching my face or hands nervously, and that my

inner anxiety could be seen in my behavior and body language. On the plus side, as the lesson

progressed, my movements became looser and free, and I started using body language more

efficiently. Walking through the classroom came natural to me, I must confess, because of my

experience as an invigilator at the exams that the British Council organizes here in Serbia. What I

learned from this lesson is that I must realize and accept that there is no real reason for being

nervous, and that it all originates in me, because I fear some embarrassing error or unpredicted

development. In reality, there is nothing that a relaxed and confident teacher couldnt explain to

his students, and there is nothing that could happen that a calm, collected and assertive person

couldnt deal with.

FINAL PAPER
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This practice was my first experience with teaching a large group of students, and it has

changed my viewpoints on teaching profession from scratch . Although I have held some private

classes, it couldnt prepare me enough for the lessons I held in this high school . My overall

impression is that teaching a language in school is a noble and fulfilling job, and I might consider

it as my future career.

The school in which I observed and held classes is --------- gimnazija in -------- . This

school is located in the very heart of the city and it has a famous history . This school has rather

spacey classrooms, and, as many other schools in the inner Serbia, it is not properly equipped for

language teaching. Even though they have special classrooms for language classes, these do not

differ dramatically from regular classrooms. I held a class in the classroom that is specialized for

the English language teaching. Technical equipment that could be found is this classroom is

nothing more than a TV set and DVD player . This classroom looks more or less like any other

classroom. It has a teachers desk in the upper part of the room facing the pupils, and there are

fifteen desks for students, which are actually desks for one merged together to look like desks for

two. These desks and chairs are rather old, and they could use some refreshment . The

arrangement of these desks is the common linear arrangement, which, in my opinion, could be

transformed into some other arrangement more suitable for young language learners, orientated

towards group work, which would enable better communication between students themselves

and help teacher move through the classroom in a freer manner . In this classroom, there is no

whiteboard, but only a wide traditional blackboard with chalk . The walls are adorned with the

posters that students have made, which provides a pleasant, homely atmosphere.
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The classes in which I observed lessons were four humanities classes in the second grade.

The students I taught were 16-year-olds . When it comes to gender, these classes are mixed, but

there are slightly more female students than the male ones. All of the classes had about twenty

five students, and about two thirds of them are girls . To my surprise, almost all of these students

were communicative and a lot of them have a great competence in English.

The teacher whose lessons I observed is a teacher I met here for the first time . Professor

---------------- is an excellent teacher of English language . I connected with her immediately, and

we were able to find the common language and establish cooperation without any trouble . Her

open-minded and easy-going attitude was obvious in her relationship with her students, all of

them, not just with students from her own class, and this attitude helped creating a beautiful

rapport between her and her pupils. The open and free relationship she has with the students is

obvious from the moment you step into her class room . Even though I observed classes which

were near the end of the school year, which led to the minor drop in the numbers of students

attending classes, everyone present seemed more than willing to participate they seemed happy

to step into the classroom where theyll be studying English with their professor --------- and take

part in the activities she has thought of for them.

For English classes, this school uses Longmans edition of Michael Harris, David Mower

and Anna Sikorzyskas New Opportunities Intermediate Students Book, and during all classes I

had the chance to observe, the teacher used this book for teaching and practicing, with the

addition of several activities that she had created herself or downloaded from the Internet, and

which were intended to diversify the somewhat predictable rhythm and pace of the exercises
 1

given in the book. I find that this course book is at a rather satisfying level, providing systematic

and straightforward presentations of grammatical items alongside plethora of listening and

reading activities, speaking activities, topics and suggestions for discussions and further

exploration, etc. What may be considered as a downside of this book, and what I would change if

possible, is that some of the topics and texts in this book are obviously selected only because

they contain relevant vocabulary or grammatical items (relevant in the eyes of the writers), but

they fail to satisfy students interests or provoke their curiosity, mostly because they are outdated,

and because they are not chosen according to the audience that will be reading it, i .e. the students

coming from the different cultural and social backgrounds . For example, the texts dealing with

Lady D or Shakespearean plays can in 2013 hardly be of any interest to an average 16-year-old

student coming from a small town in a developing country, such as the city of ------- in Serbia .

All in all, I believe that this book is a useful and efficient tool in any EFL classroom.

Being that I observed classes at the end of the school year, I was able to be present at and

take part in lessons which mainly consisted of revising the covered matter, grammatical and

vocabulary units, practicing listening and speaking skills, and preparing for the upcoming final

test. The teacher mainly followed the activities given in the course book, with the exception of a

couple of classes when she brought in the pre-prepared exercises in the form of a competition,

with the aim of revising the relevant matter while lifting the students spirits and livening up the

atmosphere in the classroom. The students responded well to the activities the teacher chose

every time, and they were willing to practice and receive feedback, and they were eager to

receive praise for their knowledge. I believe they benefited from these activities and exercises ,

both those offered in their course books and those introduced by the teacher, because they all
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employed and required activation of the vocabulary and grammatical constructions previously

done during the teaching lessons. Finally, the overall impression I was left with, after I had the

chance to observe these several classes, is that the teacher has a well-established and strong

positive rapport with her pupils, which are brilliant and talented students of the English language

in the first place. Furthermore, with her easy-going and open attitude and their hunger for

knowledge, accompanied by the suitable course book, their future prospects regarding language

studies, and education in general, look very bright.

In conclusion, after this assignment I realized that being a teacher requires a lot of

patience and preparation, but besides investing hard work, one must stay relaxed and ready to

improvise so that the students remain in high spirits throughout the lesson, willing to learn and

be taught.

Self-Chosen Section

Lesson Plan
Length of class: 45 minutes
Level: Pre-intermediate
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Number of Students: 30
Students Age: 12
Goals: To introduce new vocabulary concerning nationalities; to practice the formation of
questions; to engage students and get them talking in a relaxed way; to practice reading.
I. Warm up Activity
Time: 5 minutes
Aim: to engage students and create Total Physical Response
Interaction: SSS>SSS, T>SSS
Material: /
Procedures:
The teacher divides students into three groups, each group representing one nationality
(the British, the French, and the Scottish). Then, teacher calls out the names of the nations
randomly and says what that nation should do, and each student from the group representing the
nation called out has to stand up and imitate the action assigned.
Examples:
Teacher: The British stand up! Play tennis!
The French stand up! Play the violin!
The Scottish stand up and jump!
The British sit down and drink tea!
The French dance now!

II. Pre-Reading Activity

Time: 10 minutes
Aim: Introducing the lesson, involve students in the speaking activity
Interaction: group, SSS>SSS, S>SSS
Material: the pictures of famous people
Procedures:
Teacher gives pictures of the various famous people to the students (Salvador Dali,
George Washington, Dositej Obradovic, Napoleon, Queen Elizabeth II, Nikola Tesla) and then
he/she asks students to talk to each other about the persons at the pictures, asking each other
questions if they recognize the people at the pictures, when they lived, what nationality they are
and what their major achievements were. Then the teacher asks for volunteers to say something
about their favorite persons from the pictures given.

III. Reading Activity

Time: 10min
Aim: practicing reading comprehension, cooperative work, fluency, pronunciation
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Interaction: S>S, S>SSS

Material: Hand-outs for the Ss
Procedures:
Teacher asks students to do the silent reading of the text and then, in pair work, to match
pictures on the handout with the appropriate paragraphs. Then the volunteers read out loud the
paragraph about each person from the pictures and say to which picture it should be connected.

IV. Post-Reading Activity

Time: 15min
Aim: introducing new vocabulary, checking the comprehension
Interaction: T<SSS, T>SSS, group
Material: /
Procedures:
Teacher writes the name of the country on the blackboard and asks students to give a
suitable adjective and nationality. If they do not know the answer, the teacher writes
down the correct answer himself, and asks students to repeat it and write it down in their
notebooks.
Examples
Adjective Person Nationality
Great Britain > British > a Briton > the British
Netherlands > Dutch > a Dutchman/Dutchwoman > the Dutch
Portugal > Portuguese > a Portuguese > the Portuguese
Poland > Polish > a Pole > the Polish
Scotland > Scottish > a Scot > the Scottish
Ireland > Irish > an Irishman/woman > the Irish
England > English> an Englishman/woman > the English
Wales > Welsh > a Welshman/woman > the Welsh

V. Round up Activity
Time: 5 minutes
Aim: to check comprehension of the new vocabulary
Interaction: S>S
Material: papers with exercises
Procedures:
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Teacher hands out the papers with the exercises and asks the students to fill in the gaps in
pairs.
Example:
Yesterday I was in Australia and there I met an interesting _______ (Poland).
_______ (The Great Britain) national drink is tea.
_______ (Ireland) drink a lot of beer.
I saw a _______ (Scotland) playing bagpipes.
A ___________ (Portugal) I met at the airport gave me his phone number to call him if I
ever visit Portugal.
A _________ (Netherlands) I talked to is the prettiest lady I have ever seen.
All __________ (Wales) Ive ever seen had dark hair and bushy eyebrows.