ABCs of Teaching in English - Final Task

ABCs of Teaching in English – Final Task

1.     How do I assess myself as a teacher using English?

When teaching, I am very much comfortable to use English language. It is important to use simple English with short phrases. When teaching, it is not about me, but it is about them. It is therefore essential that they understand clearly what is being taught to them. It is important to have a passion for teaching, which I have since I was childhood. I need to make my students feel safe in the learning environment where they can trust me, as being their instructor.

When assessing myself as a teacher using English, I will consider the topic of teaching and whether the content is interesting for the students or not. It is vital to organize the subject matter and the course. Communication needs to be effective for reducing conflicts and building trust. My knowledge of the subject matter is essential to be able to answer all questions from my students. My communication skills and body language when teaching will show my enthusiasm for the subject and for teaching in English. This will also bring positive attitude towards the students. Flexibility is also an important point to consider in teaching. In English, there are many verbs and nouns that many students do mistake especially when writing essay. Testing and grading the students in teaching can be challenging but need to be fair. Sequencing helps in students’ ability to comprehend what they are learning.

2.     Do I want to use the “structures” and sequencing (from day 2)? Is it natural? Did I use them in my day 3 teaching session?

I believe that the first day of teaching needs to be a relaxing one where students take their time to understand the content. The learning outcomes and the study content need to be specified on the very first day itself so that students get a clear view on the course they will be learning. Using “structures” on day 2 or day 3 is not a problem as long as it is kept clear and simple for students to understand. Using proper examples when using structures help students to remember easily what they are taught. I find it natural to use them in my second day of teaching but they will not be in depth so as not to confused students. By understanding the basic of the structure or sequence on the second day will aid them to confront the most difficult ones after some weeks. In other words, students face sequence of development where they learn different skills. Practicing sequence on the second day of teaching relates to rate of development where the speed students will develop their learning that can be assessed. To study my students is a fundamental factor to consider. Knowing my students’ talents, prior experience provide me with a clear understanding how far I can use “structures” and sequences in my teaching.

3.     What are my strengths, especially in using English or other non-native languages?

As I know many languages apart from my native language, it is useful for me as I can teach in English, French, Hindi and basic of Finnish language. I can also enhance the ability to multi-task and improves my performance in other academic areas. Having studied English language from the age of 3 years old, make me comfortable to use English after my native language. Knowing other non-native languages is also effective to communicate with students from different background and countries. I can help students to learn English words by using other letters. If I know my students’ home language, I can predict the types of spelling mistakes they will make. By asking students to talk about the similarities and differences between languages make them more conscious of language structure. This is also a good opportunity to learn from the students.

When making space for only one language, it indirectly sends a message that ‘there is no space here for you’. Students are more willing to participate in class activities as they feel their native language and culture are respected. Using native languages provide an insight into different cultures. This help to avoid xenophobia, linguistic prejudice and discrimination. Using different languages when teaching is useful but it also has some drawbacks such as students face difficulties in understanding the grammar because many languages have different systems of grammar and some languages use a completely different alphabet and different sounds.

4.     What would I make better (esp. considering the teaching session)? (Time management, contents, pronunciation, intonation, fluency, not just reading aloud the text, amount of text and slides, etc.)

There are many factors to consider when improving a teaching environment or teaching session. Warming up the sessions helps in having a good impact for students to grasp the lessons. Students are normally active in a classroom for only certain time; therefore it is important to improve their focus and attention by getting them involved in light movements either in the beginning or in the middle of the lesson, especially if they look sleepy. I believe that developing the habit of asking questions in between the lessons encourage students for an open platform to raise some questions or doubts regarding what was taught. In order to avoid boredom, it is useful to mix teaching styles often so that students get a better learning experience. Gamification is one of the best ways to teach students, especially kids who can learn with fun experiences. Group assignments can be given where students can share their ideas and work out a project. Video sessions are also a good option to grab students’ attention and focus. The visual elements are processed faster by brain and this can make remarkable impact on their understanding of the topic. Students would find it interesting when we connect the subject to real life which bring a better understanding.

It is important to take small breaks in between to refresh the minds of students. This can be done by talking or sharing something out of the syllabus and have a chit chat time with the students. Making lessons interactive by creating lessons that involve students every step of the way. Being an effective teacher is an important job but I believe that I do not have to remain serious in class at all times. It is fine to laugh at myself at times and to have some fun. Having funny slides with pictures can boost up students by relaxing them. Slides must also have only around 36 words to avoid complexity. Using flipped teaching strategy helps students to work at their own pace and engage with their peers in a more interactive way when you are in classroom.

5.     How do I feel that non-native students will learn to use English in classroom situations?

When teaching in English language, it is important that I present myself as an English speaker right from the start. I should use this checklist that I need to patiently reply in English for any questions. I may feel put off when the non-native students will call each other in their mother tongue, but I believe that I can use pictures, gesture and facial expression to get my message across. I need to make them understand that using English will help them in their course and therefore I need to tune in to explain them in only English language. Using only English language will make it easier for other students to understand and the platform will be more welcoming for all people in the class to communicate in a common language which is understood by everyone.

6.     What kind of language (grammar, vocabulary) should I use when teaching?

Using simple English make it clear for every student to understand. Knowing the correct grammar to use can improve our ability to think analytically and communicate confidently and effectively. The grammar used when teaching must help us understand the language that shapes our world and our personal identities. Teaching with sentence diagrams is helpful for younger group because learning to diagram is like learning a game whereas engaging older students in discussion is mostly applicable. Keeping the sentence short and to the point is an essential point to remember. Moreover, I need to ensure that I avoid using the passive tense that uses extra words is a more complicated structure. It is good to repeat important things by using different words. When considering a choice of words, I have to be aware of vocabulary that has multiple meaning.

7.     How does online teaching differ from “frontal” (or classroom) teaching? Give examples and pros/cons for both

Nowadays, due to globalisation, many teaching are becoming online to ease both the teachers and students (Table 1). The students can get a degree now when sitting at home and learning online. However, even the traditional ways of classroom teaching exist in many countries (Table 2).

Pros of online teaching

Cons of online teaching

1.     Flexibility for both students and teachers 2.     Conduct teaching from multiple time zones. 3.     Easily access to teaching materials and online journals. 4.     Teacher can easily monitor students if they do not comprehend the material. 5.     Standardised coursework reduces the need for lesson planning. Example: If you work full-time, the online teaching is helpful as you can study during your free time.

1.     Choosing to teach online is often not a stable job. 2.     It can be very lonely existence and boring. 3.     People become anti-social as they only sit at home in their laptops and rarely meet people in person. 4.     The teaching methods is limited that we have at our disposal. 5.     You are exempted from experiencing another students’ country and culture. Example: Online teaching is not stable as students can leave or cancel their class at any time without even informing the teacher.

Table 1: Pros and Cons of online teaching with examples

Pros of classroom teaching

Cons of classroom teaching

1.     Teachers have a legally binding contract which is secure job. 2.     Getting wide range of classroom facilities. 3.     Have physical space for activities and thus adopting different teaching methods. 4.     Classroom-based teaching is more fun and we can do much more than just teach. 5.     Teachers get the opportunity to go out with students for excursions. Example: Using the classroom for school competitions and attend concerts or plays.

1.     Individual attention to all students is difficult. 2.     Students hesitate to ask questions in a big classroom which make it difficult for teachers to know if they have understood. 3.     Teachers have no flexibility to work when they want as a timetable is already drawn up. 4.     Classroom teaching involves more work. 5.     Maintaining a classroom by ensuring students are not disturbing other classes. Example: A classroom teacher will have to design, invigilate and mark exams as well as manage their classroom.

Table 2: Pros and Cons of classroom teaching with examples

8.     What can I do to help myself and others to overcome the initial nervousness?

I was very nervous on my first teaching practice and the supervisor also gave me limited time because she wrongly book the room and we had to wait for an hour. Using the breathing techniques help a lot and as I had limited time, I used the technology like videos to convey information. Having a good sense of humour also helps to overcome the anxiety. I also have to be prepared mentally about any challenges but on my first teaching practice, I was not prepared that I had to explain many things in limited time and using their technology of Mirror Op App to show my screen in their projector was very unfriendly to use.

9.     What online resources are good for teaching in English?

As almost everyone is using Google nowadays, using Scholars help in providing essential journals. Some interesting online resources that I came across during my studies of Teacher Education are:

• Smithsonian Education – it is a convenient website that provides free online educational resource.
• Discovery Education – this site brought us by the same people behind Discovery Channel and it also includes free classroom resources.
• PBS Teachers – this site is helpful for high school teachers which provide resources for common core educational standards.
• Scholastic – it is well-known for its books and journals and also offers entire site by providing free teaching resources.
• Education World – it is available through a web-designed app and provides free resources that make teacher’s job easier while enhancing the ability to educate students.
• Edutopia – it is a web-based teaching which starts in identifying and vetting the resources, creating lesson plan and develop online handouts.
• Adobe Connect – it helps to provide online teaching session where students are free to present their work also.
• Padlet – it helps students to share their views and other students can read easily.
• Prezi – it is effective online presentation platform for teaching.

10.  What will I do in the future to enhance my teaching skills (especially when using English as the spoken medium)?

I will design my teaching with clear vocabulary of English. I have to master my content so that people will adore if I speak simple English and good pronunciation skills. I will have to prepare my lesson well by ensuring that I am covering the topics planned, make use of examples, providing exercises and home assignments to ensure students have understood properly and the use of English language is done in good English. Encourage students to read more in English so that they can improve their English.

11.  What observations did you make based on your own performance and on the fellow students’ videos and live on-line teaching?

For the videos, I really like one where a lady showed how to take out blood test in finger as it was done very professionally with the use of her friends. However, being alone is difficult to deliver a good video unless we have the modern video techniques. Having the complexity to be in a video make me not so comfortable to do my own video. But I have to work on that and make more videos as my first teaching video was not bad. Some other videos were very complexed when explaining a topic which my field is not, such as one video was about a software and many technical terms were used which make me feel lost and I could not understand properly what that software was actually.

About the live teaching session, I tried to make it attractive by using pictures to help my audience to understand well and I got good feedback for that. When practicing the online teaching, I was able to complete in time but in live online teaching, I had to wrap up the last part to be able to finish in 10 minutes. It was boring to hear from students talking for more than 20 minutes and the presentation became complexed at the end as there was so much details. I tried to make my teaching less complexed by not adding much details and ensuring the number of words in each slide corresponds like what we were taught before.

12.  Making the video, was it something new to you?

No, I have been making videos in many courses during my master’s study. However, it was the first time I was making a teaching video. It was quiet challenging at first as I also need to remember what I was going to teach, especially the definition of what am teaching. I myself need to be very confident what am going to teach but in my first teaching video, I can see that I lack that confidence.

13.  Could you use videos in your future teaching?

I will definitely use videos for my future teaching as I find it reasonable especially if I will be teaching online. I only need to make my video more creative to attract students to watch my video till the end. I believe that videos are easier to be accepted by students and video brings more information.