LESSONS FROM THE CLASSROOM

Name: Cheryl Assignment 4: Lessons from the classroom

Course: O3/2020 Date submitted: 18th August

The aim of this assignment is for you to:

 Reflect on your own teaching.
 Identify your own teaching strengths and development needs.
 Reflect on the implications for your own teaching from the observations of experienced ELT
professionals and colleagues on the course.
 Identify relevant and appropriate strategies for continued development and develop a realistic
action plan for your further development after the course.

Assessment criteria (from Cambridge English CELTA Syllabus and Assessment

Guidelines)
Successful candidates can demonstrate their learning by:
Noting their own teaching strengths and weaknesses in different situations in light of
feedback from learners, teachers and teacher educators.
Identifying which ELT areas of knowledge and skills they need further development in.
Describing in a specific way how they might develop their ELT knowledge and skills
beyond the course.
Using written language that is clear, accurate and appropriate to the task.
+-750/1000 words.

Each assignment COMMENTS

may be submitted
twice
PASS
1.

RESUBMIT

PASS on
2. Resubmission

FAIL

FIRST MARKER SECOND MARKER

Part 1 Strengths
Strength 1: Logic lesson stages (criterion 4b & 4d of the CELTA assessment criteria)
The first strength noticed by my peers and my both tutors is the logic orders of activities and
well-designed materials and slides. The good use of visuals and well-designed materials can
help students follow the lesson and I actually enjoyed finding interesting pictures and videos for
my learners. One of my peers came to me and consulted me how to create animations and
shapes on slides and that made me realized that preparing materials is one of my strengths.

Strength 2: Good rapport with learners (criterion 1d of the CELTA assessment criteria)
Form TP 1 to TP 4, I always was the first one to teach. Normally, I was at least 5 mins early to
the platform and chatted with learners for a bit. And for every teaching practice, I tried to
engage students with the topic and activities to make sure that they are involved. From
students’ reactions, they seemed to feel comfortable in my lesson so that they could raise
questions confidently and they are motivated in most of the time.

Strength 3: Teacher monitoring (criterion 5j of the CELTA assessment criteria)

In TP 2, Tutor Tanya commented my lesson ‘You are monitoring, I can see you in BOR.’ Since
then, I would monitor with my cameras and mics off. And in TP 6, I monitored learners’
discussion and managed to collect language, although I motioned learners’ name when
providing feedback, which is a total mistake. Besides collecting language, I would pay attention
to their work and given them guidance when they needed.

Part 2 Areas to work on

Area to work on 1: Teacher Talk (criterion 2a & 2d of the CELTA assessment criteria)
My tutor pointed out in my first teaching practice lesson for pre-intermediate students when
teaching vocabulary, that I should watch my echoing and script everything I am going to say and
rehearse the lesson to make it more clear, accurate, concise and less hesitant. In TP 5, my tutor
Natasha commented my lesson ‘Keep working on your instructions and teacher talk’. In TP 6,
my tutor and peers also mentioned my teacher talking time that I should reduce its amount to
the essential minimum and mind accuracy. I am quite used to teacher-centred teaching style;
thus, I should work on it and keep practising simple and short ICQs and CCQs. My peers, Becky,
Joyce and Demi, achieved great progress in teacher talk and I will learn from them.
Area to work on 2: Lesson Pace (criterion 5d & 5i of the CELTA assessment criteria)
During my seventh lesson, which focused on vocabulary for upper-intermediate learners, I had
prepared a lot of contents. At one point, I didn’t realize that they are upper-intermediate
learners that they could finish some easy tasks well and they don’t need open class practice
together. Therefore, the lesson was rushed. In TP 3, which is a grammar lesson for pre-
intermediate learners, my tutor commented that ‘The pace of the lesson is quite slow, some
students did the tasks very quickly and were doing nothing.’ I can totally see that my lesson
pace should be adjusted according to leaners. In the future, I will plan some flexible tasks and
be more aware of the time.

Area to work on 3: Feedback (criterion 5h of the CELTA assessment criteria)

Starting from my third and fourth lesson, I began to notice that the expectation of the CELTA
course became higher and one thing I should improve is sandwich feedback. In TP 3 and 4, my
tutor commented that ‘structure your final stage more clearly – content feedback, language
feedback’. Ever since, I began to pay attention to feedback. However, in TP 6, my peers noticed
that I mentioned learner’s name in my feedback; and in TP 7, I spent too much on open class
feedback. Therefore, I will note down students’ language when I monitor them in the future. I
will adjust ways of feedback to make it more effective and ensure open class content and
language feedback at the end of the lesson.

Part 3 Ways to develop post-CELTA

Action plan 1: Establishing group at the school where I work
At the school where I work, there are 10 English teachers and I plan to establish an English
teacher group. I will observe experienced teachers at least once a week and keep a record. I will
invite my colleagues and supervisors to observe my lessons as well; this time, I will apply what I
learnt from CELTA course and ask advice from my colleagues.

Action plan 2: Attending conference once a year

I once attended Asia TEFL conference and I discovered a plenty of interesting teaching materials
and teaching ideas. In the future, I plan to attend this kind of conferences once a year. For my
acknowledgement, there are also workshops in the area of teaching IGCSE and IB course. I will
enrol these conferences, workshops and trainings related to English teaching at least once a
year. It’s the most efficient way to communicate with peers. Also, there are online conferences,
workshops and trainings available.

Action plan 3: Planning to take DELTA course

I only had one-year teaching experience now, so I will continue with self-development in order
to do DELTA in the future. I will read books, for example, Teaching English Grammar by
Scrivener; Learning teaching by Scrivener. I will listen to BBC radios every morning when I drive
to school. I believe that reading such books and listening to BBC radios will help me develop my
language awareness and help me with the DELTA course in the future.