Category: Reflections

Reflection on the observation of Jyoti Grewal from SAIT instructing in a CLB 5 class in Writing.

               I am glad I had the opportunity to see a writing class.   The first thing I noticed was how engaged the class was.  How friendly and open at the start of class.  All the cameras were on and there was general chatter going on amongst students and with Jyoti.  My first impression was how friendly the class was.

               This is the second time I watched Jyoti work with Situation Cards.  What a great idea and it worked well even online.  I sat in on one of the breakout rooms and students were engaged in the task.

               She gave the students 25 minutes to complete the task – everyone was quiet and writing and when time was up she had them submit to a task dropbox on D2L.  I liked that she used the class time to let them write and then read and provided feedback right away.   The option would be to do as homework but I think this was more effective as the feedback was immediate and all the students could contribute.

               The final step in class was an Analysis – this was where students could now see a completed (good) sample of the task and read it.  This was a chance for the students to see new vocabulary and to see how they may have used a similar sentence structure.                Good class – very engaging

Time	Activity	Comment
June 17   1300 MST	Warm Up   Thought for the Day Things money can’t buy Manners Morals Respect Character Common Sense Trust Patience Class Integrity Love   Idiom of the Day Get out of hand –	All students had their cameras on.     Students added to the list Added at least 5 other examples               Students knew what this met.
May 14   1600 MST	Part 1: Task of Day Functions: Explaining a sequence of events Describing a situation	Other situation card ideas Jyoti gave me is Point of View Or Perspective or Descriptions
May 15   1315 MST	Pre-Task   Put in to Partners for 10 minutes     Read a situation card, brainstorm answers to the following questions   How did the incident happenWhat was the possible sequence of eventsWho would you contact regarding the incidentWhat would you say?   Jyoti gave each student a letter of the  alphabet and it matched the situation on the card.  Two people for each letter and put in to breakout rooms	Situation cards – a great idea – with focused questions I liked
May 15   1320 MST                           1330	In the breakout room students needed to research what a scaffold was.   Their situation was “ A construction worker fell from some scaffolding, resulting in a broken arm.   1. We are painting 2. MaryAm climbed the structure 3. She wasn’t aware of her footing 4. She slipped on paint 3. She fell down   She would report to the construction safety committee     Back in main room	Jyoti popped in to see if students were talking and double checked that student knew the world scaffolding                         One group came back to the room and did not understand the task so they did not do it.  The word they didn’t understand was custodial department of Situation A
June 17   1340 MST                       1405                                                                                     1445	Task Writing You work in a downtown office.  Something happened at work today.  Write a paragraph to report the incident to the necessary authority figure.   Students were to use their same situation and now write a paragraph     25 minutes to do the task individually   Students uploaded writing to a drop box on d2L   She also had them think about   Report Planning – What transitional words did you use to connect the events leading to the accident (after, next, once, unfortunately, as a result)   What verb tenses did you use and why? Sharing Before she had them share, she asked them what the challenge was them for today. One student said vocabulary   Time of 25 minutes was not enough   Challenge for another they did not know the name of the authority in their situation.    Students uploaded an image of their handwritten work….and students discussed. Select students read their paragraph.    Jyoti did some minor grammar/spelling corrections Second student read hers She asked students to provide some feedback.   Third student read hers She did an excellent job of making a sequence of events in her situation   Analysis Uploaded an additional document where students read out load   Students had some vocabulary questions In Chat box	Jyoti stayed on but this was 25 minutes of quiet time where the students worked individually on their paragraph                                                                                                             Not sure what the analysis is for – its purpose.  I will ask Jyoti.
May 15   1915 MST	Closing – Homework	Practice worksheet and some reading homework was loaded to D2L   Gave them employment standards document to write down a few points to bring back to next class

Reflection on the observation of Jyoti Grewal  from SAIT in the English Language Foundations class

Teacher: Jyoti Grewal

Date:  June 08 1000 – 1200 MDT

Course: English Language Foundations

Lesson Type: Speaking Lesson Topic: Functions – Making Suggestions and Giving Reasons

Having the opportunity to watch Jyoti in her class gave me the opportunity to see how a class in CLB 5 is conducted at SAIT.

When we have international students in our class they come in with a CLB 8 level of English.  The students I observed today in Jyoti’s class were Level 5.  They started three weeks ago at level 4 when they came in to SAIT.

They currently have classes for 3 hours per day.  Today I sat in on a 2-hour Speech Class.

I had a chance to talk to Jyoti after the class and asked her where she got her material from.  She used sound bites, role play cards and worksheets.  Apparently in 2014 SAIT restructured their whole program and now go to a task-based model of teaching English.

This model was evident throughout where students need to communicate with each other on a one on one or in a whole class scenario.  The role play topic was very appropriate in that it related to co-workers and a specific situation of being invited to a social gathering.  This could happen to many ESL students and understanding how to accept invitations and why they should consider going to the events even if they feel uncomfortable was explained. 

What I found to be distracting (and this was because it was an online environment) was that Jyoti interjected during student’s speaking with quips such as uh huh, right, yes, etc.   This stopped the students for just a moment and they needed to start up their conversation again.  Avoiding sounds while students speak would be something I plan to pay attention to.

I appreciated having the opportunity to watch Jyoti and to see what SAIT instruction is like. 

Time	Activity	Comment
Jun 08   1000 MST	Warm Up   Said good morning to each student as they came in to     Started with an idiom and thought of the day   “You can’t pour from an empty cup.  Take care of yourself first”   “Let someone off the hook”	I found the idioms were a little more than the students understood, they could not explain it.   Jyoti had to give examples to help students understand the idioms
Jun 08   1010	Objective Functions: Making suggestions and giving reasons   The topic was Weddings   Showed pictures that students had to describe what was going on.  For any new word she put the word is the chat box She would ask the question of “what is going on in the picture “	Jyoti spoke a lot, very fast.  It makes me think about the timeframe where students need to take more time to process the question and formulate the answer.   The discussion of ‘giving reason’ was described more than ‘making suggestion.
Jun 08   1020	Pre-task (in small groups)   Wedding Rituals Three questions were asked What is a ritual What are some rituals in your home country? What are some Canadian rituals that you know?	After the groups came back the students shared with the whole group what they discussed in the smaller groups.   With only six minutes I may have only focused on one of the questions.  The conversation is slower as students were working hard to come up with the right words.
Jun 08   1040 MST	Activity Role play in pairs – the task is to convince to come to an event where one person does not want to.  Role Cards were given to the students (12 min)  Make a suggestion and give a reason   After the role paly in pairs they students came back to the class and two shared in front of the whole group   A good debrief of the activity with combined notes that were shared on screen so students were able to record the notes	I liked this activity.   Jyoti keeps a list of students who shared in front of the class and each week she changes which students present   Lots of good conversation.
June 08   1130 MST	Activity -Audio Listen for subordinating conjunctions – complex sentence Dependent clause +independent clause Because, even though, although, if, since, once, so that, as long as, unless….   Unless you take part, it will be really hard for you to fit in
June 08   1140 MST	Homework Practice worksheet on subordinating conjunctions	10 questions.  She showed HW questions so that students can ask any vocabulary issues they may have.
1150	Class ends

Reflection on the observation of Three TEFL like a Pro videos

Watched on May 24th

The context of the three videos I watched were that of activities in the classroom.

What I am starting to notice from watching live classes and video classes is that activities and engagement are a huge focus.  Variety is stressed where students don’t have an opportunity to be bored and just sit back.

I imagine that most ESL students are coming to class after a full day at work  or on their weekend.  Therefore, the class needs to be kept lively be it with songs, or games or role play.  Getting students up out of their chairs and engaging with each other seems to be a good strategy.

I also noticed that all the activities were not complicated.  They were easy to explain, easy to demo and students got on quickly.  Even if a game seems elementary (like wack a word) the students became competitive and celebrated the winning team.  They were having fun and yet they were still learning.  I can imagine them walking out of class and chatting with each other on the way home.  

My final thought I take away from this observation is that we as teachers need to have many ideas ready to go. We need variety and material in the form of worksheets, music, game ideas. I wonder how I will start to accumulate these resources and have started to create a list of ideas to draw from

	Activity	Comment
#1	Lesson Type: Oral Lesson Topic: Household Objects The topic was about using Games in the classroom to deliver the content.   The teacher gave simple instructions at the start of the game and demonstrated what to do.   Three games were played Whack a Word – as a group Password – with a Partner Last Man Standing – as a group	The students were having fun even though the game structure was very low level. The competition of teams and then individual made for fun variation.    Maybe this is a new Covid world thinking but for the game password I would change this from whispering words in someone’s ear to showing the word on a cue card.   I can see incorporating games in my practice and I need to make sure I they are age and culture appropriate and they are supporting my teaching points.  These three games were simple enough in terms of communicating the rules.  It did support the objective of the lesson as well.
#2	Lesson Type: Listening Lesson Topic: Song in the classroom Warm Up: The teacher started with playing several verses to a very simple song.   With a partner:  A worksheet was given to the students to listen again and fill in missing words. Together as a class: The students sang the full song reading the lyrics from their worksheet   Group Communicative Activity: Students created a new verse to the song and then sang it to their classmates	I loved this activity. I see the challenge would be to find a song where lyrics are repetitive, non-threatening to any age or culture.   Singing may be difficult for those that are shy however singing as she did with a small group could alleviate that.   Singing is happy and the activity is motivating and rhythm can also help students remember the words and how they are used.
#3	Lesson Type: Listening, reading and questioning Lesson Topic: Mingle and Role Play   The teacher described the first activity  of Mingle.   Partner – students asked each other simple questions and their partner gave a response.     The teacher described the second activity of Role Play Partner- students followed a script and assumed roles in a skit   To build on this constructed role play the students had to come up with a new scenario using the same characters	Activities were relevant   I was distracted by the setup of the classroom.  There were only four students and they were sitting in a semi – circle on chairs for the entire class.  They looked uncomfortable.  I would think students prefer desks to sit behind, to take notes and to not feel so exposed.    My other thought was that the teacher was not clear enough in his explanation.    I do see the value of these two activities as they mimic actual conversations that could happen, the activity was totally focused on the student and the teacher was not involved and it offered variety from the regular classroom activity.

My final thought I take away from this observation is that we as teachers need to have many ideas ready to go. We need variety and material in the form of worksheets, music, game ideas.  I wonder how I will start to accumulate these resources and have started to create a list of ideas to draw from. 

Jason Brown – TRU

Reflection on the observation of Jason Brown from TRU instructing in an Advanced Oral Communication class.

My focus in this class was to see what variety of activities could be included in in an Oral Communication class.  I was expecting there to be a topic that was given to the students to then take in to break out rooms and have a discussion.

I had never thought of sound-bites and what a perfect instructional tool.  I thought sending them off to listen to the bite on their own was a good method in that they could really focus on listening and then answering the questions.  If this were done in a larger group they may not have listened as well thinking they could rely on classmates for the answers.  Good strategy.

The worksheet having students rephrase a sentence into a question was an interesting technique.  I like that there were 8 or 10 questions which made students catch on and toward the end could do it more confidently.

The worksheets offered variety as well, from T/F to replacing words, to rephrasing.  Lots of information in such a short time but the students seem to stay up with the pace and did not seem to struggle with the content.

Variety and shorter activities are what I take away from this class.

Teacher: Jason Brown/Hilda Freimuth Date:  May 19 Course: Advanced Oral Communication/Conversation Club Lesson Type: Lesson Topic: Lesson 6 – Academic Listening Studio

Time	Activity	Comment
May 19   0930 MST	Attendance was taken	It is important to have the name students prefer to use during class, it was good for all to see their English choice in the brackets of the User List.
May 19   0935 MST	Warm Up A five question Kahoot used as a review from last class.	I think starting with a fun activity serves two purposes.  Firstly, it is used as a review but also a warm up to have students ready for the new lesson being delivered.
May 19   0950 MST	Lesson Activity 1 A worksheet on sleep   Jason modelled the first question then moved students to breakout rooms to complete activity	Modelling a sample with a student both receiving and asking was a effective in making sure students understood the task. There was no confusion in the classroom the students were able to continue task easily
May 19   1015 MST	Lesson Activity 2 Individual listening to sound bites	It was good to see that there was a worksheet that solidified student learning
May 19   1030 MST	Closing Homework assigned and instructions given to move on to Convo Club
May 19	Convo Club – Hilda	It was interactive right from the start.  It had a casual less structured format.    The topic of ART was casual – it was fun for the students to participate in with hypothetical situations which they could all easily relate to.   Hilda had a PowerPoint with a visual to help students understand and gave an example of what the conversation should start with.

Eva Pappas – TRU

Reflection on the observation of Eva Pappas from TRU instructing in an Advanced Reading.

My first observation was significant difference in an online lesson right after viewing Tanya’s face to face classroom.

It is much more difficult online.  I had a short conversation with Eva after the class and my burning question was what motivates the students to come to this class.  This was a level 3-4 split.  Two students spoke and their English sounded good.  Eva said that a number of them were in Asia so this class was happening in the middle of the night.  Their motivation was this was their entry into degree programs at TRU.  I understand that.  It makes me wonder what SAIT’s entry requirement is and is it as rigorous as we do not have a TESL program.  I’m guessing that our students just need to prove a level of proficiency in the form of testing when they apply.  This is now my homework to find out what our policy is. 

The students did not put on their cameras at all so I felt the student engagement was really not there and there was a lack of enthusiasm on their part even in answering questions.  Eva’s approach is asynchronous.  The prep work is all done upfront and the students tune in for 30 minutes to get an update on what the next set of activities and assignments are.  There was time for questions if the students needed.  This approach fits this level and situation with internationals in their home country.  There needs to be self-motivation to engage with the content, exercises and assessments.  I do not know the students but I can expect that this has to be a mature group in order to complete the course.

My Adult Ed. Masters was in Distance Education and as I compare the classroom level 1 dynamic and the online dynamic, at this point, I am preferring the in-classroom face to face environment. 

Below are my comments to her lesson

Time	Activity	Comment
1530	Welcome    Class started with a Welcome and asking students to share an emoji on how they are feeling No cameras or mics open	Eva talked nice and slow as she went over her agenda of the lesson
1535	Warm- UP   Did a poll of three questions about reading.	10 students in the class but only 2 answered and they did not put on the camera.
	Delivery Eva went over the work for the week – 9 activities in regards to Chapter 2         Introduced Assignment of a Book Report	I may have opened up at least one of the activities to show students what to expect.     I liked that she showed a template of what the book report was to look like.  I think the students realize that although they need to read a book, the assignment itself is not too difficult
	Reviewed Homework     At this point she asked if there were any questions	This was the first check in after going through several activities, assignment and homework
1600	Class Ended

Tanya Cowie – VCC

Reflection on the observation of Tanya Cowie from VCC instructing in a Beginner Adult Literacy course.

Watching Tanya in her class gave me the opportunity to see how a class is conducted from the warm up to the close. Aside from the comments I made below I enjoyed the interview and her honesty with the struggles she sees in the classroom.

She mentioned how tired students were at the end of their working day and then coming to a language class.  I see this as a legitimate challenge because I know how my focus wanes at the end of my day.  Another comment she made was the education level is varied in the class.  She recognized how some students had little knowledge of how to learn.  I hope, being a seasoned teacher, I will be able to pick up on those differences quickly so I can plan my lessons with that in mind. 

What I noticed with a Level 1/2 split is that she used the strategy of repeating often.  Her lesson plan was focused on one aspect of clothing and shopping.  She did not have every type of clothing hanging so her questions and phrases were basics, pants, shirt, belt.  It was practical vocabulary.

Tanya used the term essential language and this is where I believe my path will head. I want to help new immigrants to our city learn how to use a bus, how to shop for clothes and food. Essential words that will help them assimilate into the community.

Below are my comments

Time	Activity	Comment
May 14   1545 MST	Warm Up   Wrote on the board using text and images She was reading as she wrote, repeating, repeating, repeating. She used gestures to identify the feelings She repeated after each person correcting/annunciating strongly   Participation activity kept students engaged	She knew her students, she was putting their tent card out at same time saying their names.   Each student had the same task of answering the same question.  No one was caught off guard or singled out.   She used interjection in her responses which can help students understand the context   The bell made it fun – students were laughing.   I have a cold/I am cold – I wondered if this was a good fit – or did this create confusion and should be left for a weather
May 14   1600 MST	Part 1: Communicative Activity 2 Part 1   Used board, artifacts   Wrote phrases on the board   Mimed the articles She had a sequence to the event of shopping for a belt.   Partner practice, kept the interest and kept if fast paced	Engaged with students and content right away   She was very personable with some laughs   Formulate vocabulary   She kept them at their table for table for partner practice instead of calling them up.
May 15   1800 MST	Part 2: Communicative Activity 2 Part 2 Writing on board and reading it as she writes, students are repeating Pointed at the words as students read Removed words one at a time to test memory Gave a worksheet to check memory of the words Role playing the same activity for all students	The paper activity was good in that she had the phrases on the board as well.  It was very participatory and she kept everyone engaged with changing up the activity from repeating, to paper, to role play
May 15   1830 MST	Practice Card Game Brought ‘fun’ cards to class.  She explained the game with simple instructions then she demonstrated how to play before she let them do on their own.  She did go from table to table to check in She recapped the questions at the end both on the board, writing and reading.	I think the card game was very effective and it is something that you could have in your teaching kit.
May 15   1915 MST	Closing Exit ticket was to describe one item of clothing the student was wearing. Color was added A pleasant good night, see you tomorrow.	It was a good strategy to have students do one final repeat of a clothing item.  They must have learned colors earlier as they could identify the color of their item.  Everyone participated, no one snuck out.  Good close to the evening class.