CLASS OBSERAVATIONS (13.-14.05.2015)
CLASS OBSERAVATIONS (13.-14.05.2015)
THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Class: 6th
Subject: English
Topic: Past simple
Students: 15
Topic of this lesson was practising past simple tense – irregular verbs, short answers and exercises for questions and negative.
The classroom was not very big. It was in an old school building so there are very high ceilings. In consideration of outside weather, which was very hot, the classroom was really warm up. The big windows were fully opened and the door was also opened. But it obviously did not help much. Students were tired from this weather and it seemed to me that the teacher too. There was enough of natural lightning. The walls were well-decorated. There were a lot of pupil´s works and some posters with maps and English rules. In the classroom there were double-desks and they were sitting in pairs.
Probably because of the weather conditions the concentration of pupils was quite changeable. With a change of activity they were able for a while to concentrate but it did not take much time and pupils started to talk with their neighbours, look out of the windows and some of them just lounged.
I doubt that there is one universal teaching style. Then everyone would teach like that but we don´t. I think that every teacher creates her/his own style over the years.
The language of feedback of error
Class: 7th
Subject: English
Topic: Reading and speaking – a text in a student´s book
Students: 16
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Sample |
Supplementary support |
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Teacher question
Student response
Teacher feedback
Student response to feedback
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Where is he from?
He is from Bristol.
He lives in Bristol but where he was born?
He´s from Australia.
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Face expressions
Face expression - understanding |
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Sample |
Supplementary support |
+ - | |
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Teacher question
Student response
Teacher feedback
Student response to feedback
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Why is he happy now?
He meet a new friend.
He repeats: meet?
Met…. He met new friends. |
Face expressions, gesture |
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The teacher was very helpful. Every time when pupils did not replay correctly he did not say NO. In my opinion it helps to build more tolerant environment.
He used expressions like: Hmmm it could be but; almost. When a pupil did not know the right answer he tried to give some clues (like reading the crucial passage) or join the rest of the class (The others: what do you think; do you agree; can you fill it?). The teacher also did not speak up when it comes to mistakes. He spoke calmly and kept an eye contact. All was accompanied by face expressions and gestures.
Language of echoes
Class: 6th
Subject: English
Topic: past simple - practising irregular verbs
T: jít
S: go – went
T: go – went (without change of voice pitch, just constatation)
T: dát
S: take – took
T: really? take – took (with a question mark at the end, the teacher didn´t rise his voice, still spoke very calm and smiled so I think the pupil didn´t feel to be threatened but in this case I can imagine that even change of face expression, change pupils´ willingness to correct themselves).
T: koupit
S: buy – bought
T: buy – bought (Here the pupil made a mistake in pronunciation of the past form so the teacher repeated it correctly and lauder and he pointed out the word.)
In this activity the teacher used language echoes on almost every practising words. Once he used it just for assurance of correctness often together with words like yes, great, awesome….then as a notification of mistakes…then because the others did not hear the right answer…then because of showing the right pronunciation. For this kind of activity it was a good method and the teacher was very nice to pupils and encouraged them to correct themselves but ill-chosen face expressions or a tone of voice might discourage pupils from further cooperation.