Written Assignment 4 – Lessons From The Classroom

NAME SUBMISSION DATE WORD COUNT

Aung Lu Tun Tue 22 Jun 2022 982

Candidates are reminded of the Centre’s policy on plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as submitting as one’s own work, irrespective of
intent to deceive, that which derives in part or in its entirety from the work of others without due acknowledgement. It is both poor
scholarship and a breach of academic integrity.

I CONFIRM THAT THIS SUBMISSION IS ALL MY OWN WORK.

SIGNED: Aung Lu Tun DATE: Mon 21 Jun 2022

Reserved for the tutor

1st 2nd ASSESSMENT CRITERIA (CELTA Syllabus and Assessment Guidelines - Fifth Edition)
submission submission
Met can note their own teaching strengths and weaknesses in different situations in light of feedback from
learners, teachers and teacher educators
Met can identify which ELT areas of knowledge and skills they need further development in

Not yet Met can describe in a specific way how they might develop their ELT knowledge and skills beyond this
course
Met can use written language that is clear, accurate and appropriate to the task

FIRST SUBMISSION Result PASS RE-SUBMISSION

Tutor comments:

Jerry, you’ve shown you are able to observe, analyse and reflect on your peers’ teaching as well as your own. You have identified your
strengths and areas to develop and can justify the importance of the latter. You are not very specific with your post-CELTA life though.
Could you please add more details to the last section in order not to be very general. Please specify more the reasons for choosing
these areas and enlist practical action points to address them. Please do not change anything, but add your ideas in a different colour.

Signed: Yuliya Gorbenko Date: 22/06/2022 Double mark: Manana Khvichia

SECOND SUBMISSION Result PASS FAIL

Tutor comments:

Jerry, you added some good details to your action plan and provided certain steps to follow in the nearest future. Good luck!

Signed: Yuliya Gorbenko Date: 23/06/2022 Double mark:

Referencing

Your assignments need to be written in clear, accurate and academic English with appropriate in text referencing. You should use
mainly indirect quotes, meaning that you paraphrased the text. If specific quotes are used, they should be referenced using author(s)’
surname(s), year of publication and page numbers quoted, e.g. (Richards 2001:98). Page numbers are not required if indirect quotes are
used. E.g. Richards (2001).

The bibliography should be presented in alphabetical order of author’s surname. Year of publication, city and publisher should be
included. This should be presented after the assignment and before the appendices, and should only include publications referred to in
the text itself.

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Referencing should follow a recognised format throughout the assignment.

Here are examples of references according to the APA Publication Manual, (6th ed., 2009); for more information see www.apastyle.org
or visit https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm for additional examples.

Single author book

Richards, J.C. (2001). Curriculum development in language teaching. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Section of edited book

Messick, S. (1989). Validity. In R. Linn (Ed.), Educational measurement. (pp. 13–103). New York: Macmillan.

Journal article
Chapelle, C. (1999). Validity in language assessment. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics. 19, 254–272.

Edited book
Graves, K. (Ed.) (1996). Teachers as course developers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Electronic source
British Educational Research Association. (1992). Ethical guidelines. Retrieved 22 May, 2016, from:
http://www.bera.ac.uk/guidelines.html

Cambridge dictionary (n.d.) Bamboozle Retrieved 22 April, 2021, from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bamboozle

*(n.d.) = no date available

Please note that the bibliography is not included in the word count

Plagiarism

Please note that plagiarism includes:

 copying another’s language or ideas as if they were your own;

 unauthorised collusion;
 quoting directly without making it clear by standard referencing and the use of quotation marks and/or layout (indented
paragraphs, for example) that you are doing so;
 using text downloaded from the internet without referencing the source conventionally;
 closely paraphrasing a text;
 submitting work which has been undertaken wholly or in part by someone else.

Instructions

Section A (50-70 words)

 give a description of yourself as a teacher as seen through the eyes of your learners. Use the third person, e.g. ‘John is a calm
and patient teacher; he is able to…’

Section B
 indicate specific and well-focused strengths;
 use practical examples to show evidence of each strength;
 respond to all questions.

Section C
 indicate specific and well-focused areas for continued development;
 use practical examples to show evidence of each area for continued development;
 respond to all questions;
 indicate specific and well-focused ways to address each area for continued development;
 refer to TP7 and / or 8.

Section D
 state the name of the colleague (one of your fellow trainees) and more experienced teacher (one of your trainers)
 give practical examples of the specific techniques employed;

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  indicate a specific reason.

Section E
 identify a specific area for professional development; please note that each area for professional development must be
different from Section C.
 indicate a specific reason;
 indicate specific and well-focused ways to implement your development plan.

The length of the assignment must be between 750 and 1000 words (+/- 10%). Any submission exceeding the word limit is an automatic
resubmission.

Please write in continuous prose throughout.

Checklist
Overview of yourself as a teacher
3 specific personal strengths, including practical examples and reasons
3 specific areas of continued development, including practical examples, reasons and specific ways to develop
2 specific strengths observed in colleagues (fellow trainees), including specific techniques employed and reasons
1 specific strength observed in more experienced teachers (trainers), including specific techniques employed and
reasons
3 specific personal areas of professional development, including specific ways to develop

Recommendations

Potential Pitfalls
 Not giving clear enough examples of strengths / areas for development
 Not showing awareness of why strengths are important / weaknesses need to be overcome
 Not referring to feedback from tutors, peers and students
 Not providing clear action points for improving your areas for development
 Not referring to specific techniques used by 2 of your peers and also techniques used by experienced teachers you observed
 Not providing a clear action plan for your development after the course

Ways to shine
 Provide a clear and balanced summary of your teaching and progress on the course
 Show a clear understanding of why your own strengths and those observed in others are important for successful teaching
 Show a clear understanding of why weaknesses need to be overcome and provide a clear action plan to achieve this
 Provide a clear action plan for your future development beyond the course (you could divide this into long and short term
goals and action plans)

SECTION A – Overview

Put yourself in the place of one of the students in your TP lessons. Try to see yourself as a teacher from that students’ point of view,
and write (in the third person) a description/evaluation of your teaching, focusing both on specific aspects of your lessons (e.g.
atmosphere, your personality, your reactions to different students) and on the techniques that you have used which are used by many
teachers (e.g. pairwork).

Jerry has good relationship with all the students in the class. He is good at explaining the grammar and vocabulary. Most of the time he
instructs us with clear and short instructions but sometimes he uses longer instructions which confuses us. He uses breakout rooms
and gives enough time to complete the tasks. His speaking activities are fun and are related to the language we have learnt. A picture of
a good teacher.

SECTION B – Teaching Strengths

What do you feel are (or will be) the strengths of your own teaching? Refer to feedback from your tutors, peers and students.

Strength 1 Rapport
When I usually go into the class, I am always smiling and start talking with almost all the students. During
Examples from your the lesson, I ask some personalized questions about the students and add comments. I also give enough
teaching praise when students are doing a good job In TP1 (June 1 st), my trainer mentioned that I had good
naturally presence in the classroom. What about later TPs?
This is my strength as Ss and Tr can establish trust between them which will give them a better learning
Why this is a strength and
experience. If there is no good rapport, students will not submit themselves to perilous uncertainties of
why it is important
language learning. Very poetic

Strength 2 Feedback

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 I try my best not to hurt the students’ feelings. I include excellent sentences and also choose sentences
which can be improved to make it balanced. When giving feedback I elicit what should be done instead of
Examples from your
giving them the improved version. Eg. “He is really happy?” How do you make it even better using
teaching
must?” In TP2 (June 3rd), my trainer noted that the feedback on content and language was really great as
it was an open class discussion after the activity. Agree.
This is my strength as this will not discourage their will to take risks and speak freely. Feedback is
Why this is a strength and important as we are giving information that they have to understand which will be used in tasks and
why it is important activities. Ok.

Strength 3 Clarifying Language

When clarifying I use visuals to simplify the meaning and use. For example, “make the bed”, I will show
Examples from your them the two pictures and ask which one is “make the bed” instead of asking for the exact action or
teaching definition. In TP4 (9th Jun), my trainer said that my clarification for the meaning and form went well using
effective visuals and relevant examples. You are really good at it.
This is my strength as I could simplify the meaning which makes their learning process a lot easier. This
Why this is a strength and is important because if they don’t understand the clarification, they might not be able to produce the TL
why it is important accurately. Right.

SECTION C – Areas of Continued Development

What do you feel are the areas for improvement at the moment and how do you think they can be overcome? Refer to feedback from
your tutors, peers and students. Consider how these areas can be addressed in TP7 and / or TP8.

Area 1 Giving Instructions

I sometimes give my instructions too long as a result the students are confused and I have to repeat it
Examples from your
again. Eg. Now you have to read the text and find the word which is really important and choose the
teaching
correct answer A or B.
Why this is an area for
Improving this area will help learners understand the instructions clearer and they will also feel more
development and how can
confident when doing the task. Moreover, the instructions are not overwhelming for them and there will be
developing benefit the
less processing needed. Instruction is only a tool to ensure task fulfillment, it shouldn’t be complicated.
learners?
Specific ways you can
My trainer suggested me to use shorter instructions and to break down the sentences if it is too long.
develop this area (refer to
Pauses and Stress will also make the students catch up more to the instructions as well.
TP7 and / or 8)

Area 2 Interaction patterns

Examples from your I usually go as a whole class when doing the speaking task. This takes more time and one student has to
teaching wait for his turn for a long time and thus leading to boredom. TPs?
Why this is an area for
development and how can If I can improve this, my activities will be less time consuming. The students will have a better chance of
developing benefit the getting new partners and will be more communicative. They will generally have more opportunities to interact.
learners?
Specific ways you can
My trainer advised me to reduce whole class interaction when possible and encourage the students to
develop this area (refer to
work in pairs and groups. This will also make a lot more student-centered.
TP7 and / or 8)

Area 3 Lesson planning

Examples from your I write down all the stages, aims and procedures. However, I am not specific enough when writing down
teaching particular procedures. Eg. Ask SS CCQs. I write only the general idea of it but not the lines I want to use.
Why this is an area for
By improving this my procedures will be more precise and efficient since I just need to refer back to my
development and how can
LP Having better lesson plan will make the lesson smoother. It will improve the students’ learning
developing benefit the
experience drastically. And your confidence.
learners?
Specific ways you can
My trainer said I should include the exact lines that I am going to say to the students and to be more
develop this area (refer to
specific when writing instructions.
TP7 and / or 8)

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SECTION D – Peer Observations and Application to your own Teaching
What strengths have you noticed in your peers’ teaching that you would like to emulate? What things do you remember from the
observations of your trainers or other experienced teachers that you would like to incorporate into your own teaching? Refer to specific
peers and lessons.

Teacher 1 and strength Amy,feedback

Specific techniques She used delayed feedback. She noted down the slips and mistakes the student make during the activity.
employed She gave her feedback after the activity not to break the flow of the activity.
Why you would like to I want to incorporate this because I usually interrupt the flow of speaking by addressing it on the spot.
incorporate this into your Using this method will not disrupt the flow of speech of the students. This is good for fluency activities, but
teaching might be questionable for focus on accuracy.

Teacher 2 and strength Schawin, Setting up task

Specific techniques
He used “demo before task”. He basically models it before doing the actually activity begins.
employed
Why you would like to
I want to implement this because this will make learners know in advance of what they are expected to do
incorporate this into your
and there will be less confusion. Ok.
teaching

Tutor or Experienced
Yuliya, Instructions
Teacher strength
She used ICQs before letting the students do the task. Instead of telling the instructions twice, she asked
Specific techniques
ICQs E.g. You have to match the words with the definitions (A-E) with (1-5). Do you have to write down?
employed
(no) What do you have to do? (match)
Why you would like to
By using ICQs instead of repeating the instructions, I can significantly reduce my TTT. From the students’
incorporate this into your
perspective ICQs are more meaningful than hearing the instructions twice. I think you are right here.
teaching

SECTION E – Post-CELTA Professional Development Action Plan

Create an action plan for your overall professional development after the course. Say what you’d Iike to achieve and how you intend to
develop your knowledge, skills, and career after the course. Be specific here and do not repeat point points from Section C.

TTT because I want my lessons to be more student-centered and to have better timings in my lessons
Area for development 1 and
especially for the feedback part and clarification.
why
Ok, the reason is clear.
Ask a colleague to observe me and feedback on this issue. Do more pair works to reduce TTT. You might
want to record your lessons, it’s a useful thing to do and to reflect then.
How you will develop this I could even do something extreme like counting my own words and if I exceed the target limit, I have to
area donate money to the temple or something. And to evaluate myself after every lesson regarding STT and
TTT. Recording will also help a lot as well.
Ok, so your solution is to penalise yourself

Phonology because I am not very well versed and sometimes mispronounce the words. I am also not very
Area for development 2 and
confident with the stress patterns, which sometimes lead to abnormal pronunciations. I should learn how
why
the connected speeches work especially for the junctures and intrusions This is a good point.

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 Read more books on phonology and practice pronunciation via videos and audios. You might be more
specific about the resources.
How you will develop this
I think I might have to take the pronunciation courses. Going to YouTube and learning it will also work
area
too. E.g. Tim’s pronunciation workshop. Listening to more natives speakers speaking is also a good way
as well. It will help you with your teaching as well.

Area for development 3 and Creating freer practice because my freer practice tasks are a little bit controlling. I find myself using some
why activities over and over again and I want to try more exciting ones.
Read more activity book and games. Search on the web for communicative games. Looking for ideas is a
good way to increase your pool of activities
How you will develop this
Going to Pintrest or some websites like ESL games will be brilliant resources too. I will also observe and
area
note more on my peers’ authentic activities and adapt it to my own. The good way is to adapt them to your
own learners and style of teaching.

Bibliography (if applicable)

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