So firstly I’ve been apprehensive as to how I approach this final post and I have attempted to start on several occasions, only to delete everything and not think about it for a few days. How can I summarise almost nine months of experience in a few hundred words when so much has happened? I […]
Author: Jack Wallace
‘Reaching the horizon’ – Critical Incident #5
So this critical incident arose when I was writing my previous blog post. I’ve spent the last couple of years preparing for and then undertaking the Diploma. That was always my focus, work hard to save the money, then talk to graduates from the course, then research, then attend and actually do the course. The […]
‘Practice makes perfect’ – Peer Observation (as observee) #3
Full comments on observations can be found here:Observation Feedback This peer observation was different from the previous ones for two reasons; firstly this was a recorded online lesson, so my colleague was not present but actually watched the lesson at a later time. Secondly this was the first time I repeated a lesson from a […]
‘Long-distance learning’ – Formal Observation #4
Initial ‘hot feedback’ Lesson Plan and in-class presentation Teaching Practice 4: Lesson Plan Fillers and connections Teaching Practice 4 Fillers and connections Opening thoughts So this was my final teaching practice. It was not delivered in the format I had initially planned or expected, but nonetheless it is done. However I can’t shake this […]
‘Brave New World’ – Critical Incident #4
I wonder how it will look looking back on this period of time from the future. What will be different? What is to come? Will I still have a job by the end of all this? It is currently the end of the first week of lockdown in the UK following the global Covid-19 pandemic. […]
‘The needs of the many’ – Peer Observation (as observee) #2
Today my colleague ‘S’ observed me teach my morning B2 class. I had told her before the lesson that I was going to be mostly checking homework answers and following the textbook with the beginning of a new unit. The lesson began with checking the homework and then during the lead-in revision activity, the class […]
‘Spontaneous classroom combustion’ – Critical Incident #3
So every Monday and Friday, I teach a pre-intermediate lunchtime class which I share with a colleague on the other days of the week. Our institution requires teachers to complete a weekly scheme of work every Monday for the forthcoming week (running Tuesday to Tuesday). The downside to sharing a class is that often the […]
‘i+1’ – Formal Observation #3
**Firstly before beginning this post I would like to note that there were problems with uploading and editing video clips. New software will installed in time for the next observation, so unfortunately this blog post will be a text only version.** TP3 Lesson Plan TP3 Handout 1 TP3 Handout 2 This observation was the third […]
The value of peer observation through video (Leading into critical incident #2!)
In an evening session this week, I was able to share videoed lessons with one of my Diploma colleagues. After watching my own videos back as part of this assessment, I have really come to learn the true value of videoing classes. While watching my colleagues video, I realised that our teaching contexts were very […]
A ‘grown-up’ lesson – Formal Observation #2
Click here for Teaching Practice 2: Lesson Plan The initial feeling after this observation was notably different when compared to the previous one. Having just listened back to the hot feedback as I type this, I am stunned I felt so happy after teaching. I mean, teaching is something I have always enjoyed but I […]