Reflection on Teaching
Hilda Freimuth – Conversation Club- June 09
Theme of class – Around the World in 80 Days
What Worked
When Paula and I decided on the theme of travel it got us quite excited. I am not sure of Paula’s travel experience but she was game for the idea. I think the pace of the class went well. We didn’t sit to long on one place and moved the class through multiple countries. The questions we planned for each country were pretty generic and in most cases, students could contribute.
We started the presentation with a little reading from the book and we had different students read the paragraphs. The worlds were easy enough and no one struggled. I think the idea of the story came across and it set the theme for the slides that came next.
The slides themselves looked good. The images were clear and the picture itself offered enough to look at and give hints to the student. We determined they enjoyed the activity – the balloon ride around the world based on their participation in answering our questions.
Paula and I worked hard at keeping the pace moving and trying to engage the students. When Rafiki from Rwanda turned on her camera to show us a ‘typical souvenir’ from Rwanda it was a very positive moment for me that students were engaged. We did probe for more students to share but not being prepared there were no other takers.
Some Concerns
It’s never perfect and although we strive to make a perfect presentation and know what we want to accomplish there is always something. In this case it was the fact that no one had cameras on. It was surprising to me that this was not a requirement for a conversation club. I was expecting this to be similar to a f2f conversation club where students can feed off of each other and continue the conversation. This was not the case and when students started to put their answers in the chat I was disappointed.
AND again, similar to my first post – I hope I did not ‘take-over’ the class and Paula felt she was more in the background. I will work on this for future presentation – it was never my intent.
TESL3050: Conversation Club Evaluation
(to be completed by the Language Lab Coordinator)
Students’ Names: Mary-Ann Hummel + Paula Ducharme
Sponsor Teacher: Hilda
Date: June 9, 2021
Please indicate the student teacher’s progress by completing all parts of the checklist below. Indicate if a category is not applicable (n/a). Share this evaluation with the student teacher prior to submitting it to the Practicum Advisor.
| Lesson Planning Skills | Exceeding Expectations | Meeting Expectations | Approaching Expectations | Not Meeting Expectations |
Comments:
You began your lesson with the theme of travelling – well done! I like how you had students read part of the book to give the lesson some context. Loved how you moved from slide to slide (place to place) and asked questions. To see if students have ever visited some of the places, try to use the POLL option – it’s a fun and quick way to engage learners as well. For slides where students don’t engage so much, maybe have some strange but interesting facts ready about the place. I like the idea of what souvenir students could take home as well.
| Teaching Skills | Exceeding Expectations | Meeting Expectations | Approaching Expectations | Not Meeting Expectations |
Comments:
Excellent! Your pacing was ideal, your transitions were smooth, and you showed great flexibility. Loved how you just picked up where you left off after the tech issue – nicely done! You were gentle in any error correction and you let the lesson flow according to the answers of the students. Try to get students to unmute though rather than type in the chat (the idea is to speak as much as possible).
Communication Skills | Exceeding Expectations | Meeting Expectations | Approaching Expectations | Not Meeting Expectations |
Comments:
Excellent! Your speaking speed and your choice of grammar and vocabulary were ideal for this level – well done! I also liked how you allowed students to use their own native language when they did not know the words and worked with them on the English counterparts.
| Professional Qualities | Exceeding Expectations | Meeting Expectations | Approaching Expectations | Not Meeting Expectations |
Comments:
Wonderful! You were on time and well-prepared for the lesson. You had a professional presence in class and showed a friendly demeanor. You were respectful of your students and their efforts and used gentle error correction when needed. Your infusion of humour and smiles made the lesson a warm and welcoming one!