Reflective Teaching: What is the image left in the classroom?

Jane Harding da RosaTeacher Trainer International House Porto

“The English Classroom Revisited”

23rd APPI Conference

‘Critical reflection can trigger a deeper understanding of teaching’

‘if teachers are actively involved in reflecting on what is happening in their own classrooms, they are in a position to discover whether there is a gap between what they teach and what their learners learn.’

Richards and Lockhart 1996:4

Background information Teacher training at IH Porto IHCYL and the Children’s Home The Teaching Workshops

(relfective course) Preparing for 12-15 trainees to

observe a class

“The English Classroom Revisited”

23rd APPI conference

Reflective Teaching: What is the image left in the classroom?

25/01/09

Nothing from my lesson plan was accomplished!! We were in a different room which was much bigger. Emma and I decided to have the two groups together for 10 mins to explain to them what would happen next week when 12 teachers come to watch.

Once the lesson started the girls were VERY excited and noisy even though there was only 4 of them!

When you leave a classroom it’s natural to focus on the negative things that have happened.

Why? Because that’s what has the greatest impact on

our lives.That’s why it’s important to reflect

Task 1Think about a lesson you taught recently (it’s more effective if you choose an unsuccessful lesson)

Make notes: focus on the what rather than whyWhat class was it? (what age? / what level?)What happened?

Share with a partner

Lesson summary classroom verbs/ actions TPR English RAP Da da da (can I borrow) sts asked for each item TPR c’room objects and prepositions (the ruler is on

the chair) Revision of school rooms +TPR with pencil ‘What’s missing’ The dice game (learner training-copying into

notebook) Tidy up Uno

‘You cannot change what you don’t acknowledge’

Dr Phil

Task 2

Stage 1: recall the lesson /activities.Stage 2 : identify how much of what was accomplished was planned. Stage 3: look for the positive aspects of the lesson Stage 4: look for the reason WHY it feels unsuccessful

“I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my personal approach that creates the climate, it's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture, or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal. In all situations, it's my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanised or de-humanised”

(Haim Ginott, The Learner's Dimension) http://www.didacticsworld.com/oct07/feature/

Reflection!

Looking back at the lesson now, even though the students were noisy and distracted they actually got quite a lot out of it. There was a lot of language produced.

The main problem was a lack of routines / rules / class expectations.

I’ve just realised that they have had 17 different teachers in 6 different rooms in 6 months!

Projecting Forward! Line up with a question to get in Tell the students where to sit Have a definite front to the classroom

where my things are and access them quickly and easily

Turn the disadvantages into advantages Prepare every minute Have a back up plan!

Task 3

Reflect and Project!

‘You cannot change what you don’t acknowledge’

Dr Phil

‘Critical reflection can trigger a deeper understanding of teaching’

‘If teachers are actively involved in reflecting on what is happening in their own classrooms, they are in a position to discover whether there is a gap between what they teach and what their learners learn.’

Richards and Lockhart 1996:4

Projecting Forward! Line up with a question to get in Tell sts where to sit Have a definite front where my things are

and access them quickly and easily Turn the disadvantages into advantages Prepare every minute Have a back up plan! Make an audio recording of the next

lesson

‘ Me and My MP3’

Stage 1: recall the lesson /activities. I’d forgotten several activities

Stage 2 : identify how much of what was accomplished was planned.

I had the evidence!Stage 3: look for the positive aspects of the lesson

I could hear the sts speaking in English Stage 4: look for the reason WHY it feels unsuccessful

I could listen carefully to my classroom language.

Task 4

What are benefits of recording and listening to a lesson?

Discuss in small groups

‘Some MP3 benefits’

•T1 drilled the language for the students•T1 was focused on the activity so much she was unaware that the students produced very little language•T3 noticed vast difference in type of noise produced (fidgeting energy V’s vocal noise)•T2 noticed her own classroom language / instructions•T3 noticed when her students spoke in English•T2 commented on how boring and long some of the activities were•T1 commented on how her planning had improved, especially with regards to timing

‘Experience is insufficient as a basis for development’Richards and Lockhart 1996:4

‘Many classroom routines and strategies are applied almost automatically and do not involve a great deal of conscious thought or reflection’

Parker in Richards and Lockhart 1996:4

‘Teaching never causes learning, but rather creates

(or fails to create) the conditions in which learning

can occur’ van Lier 1988:22

Reflective Teaching: What is the image left in the classroom?

Jane Harding da RosaTeacher Trainer International House Porto

jmhdrosa@gmail.com