My second assessed observation was with four intermediate learners, and the lesson was on speaking. The lesson aimed to equip the learners with some lexicons related to education and allow them to put the new words into practice.
Based on the feedback tutorial of the first assessed observation, I decided to improve three main points in my teaching: Lesson plan, classroom management, and PowerPoint to record new vocabulary words.
Lesson Plan
Compared to the first one, the lesson plan for this second assessed observation was detailed and reflected what happened in the class. This detailed lesson positively impacted my lesson since I could follow the different stages and adapt when needed. It also increased my self-confidence as a teacher because I knew it was of a high standard. For example, I had a particular aim that I wanted to achieve for each stage, so I knew exactly what to tell the learners to get them engaged. The class started at 8 pm by asking the learners to recall what they learned during the previous class. They had 10 minutes exactly to ask questions and share what they could remember from the previous class with the teacher. By activating their prior knowledge, I wanted to create a less anxious environment and get the learners ready to switch from French to English, and it worked out.
Another advantage of a detailed and accurate lesson plan is that I can predict my learners’ answers, reactions from one activity to another. It allowed me to anticipate and find solutions to the problems that might occur. I knew, for instance, Alassane and Malick may have some issues with the internet because of the areas they live in. fortunately, only Alassane got some difficulties joining us. However, since he has the highest level among the learners, he did not find it difficult to catch up on the twenty minutes he had lost. He had the lesson plan and could quickly figure out the activity we were working on.
Classroom management
The second area I wanted to improve in this lesson was how to manage a group of four men effectively and make them feel a sense of progression. As mentioned above, the class aimed to increase the learners’ vocabulary and create the conditions for them to use these words in context. So, from the onset, I corrected the learners’ errors quickly and directly to prevent them from making the same mistakes. However, while watching my recorded video, I noticed that I was not involving them in the learning process. I could have let them correct each other’s mistakes and learn from their classmates. One learner asked if it was possible to say ‘’ in the poor shoes’’, ‘’in the rich shoes’’ and instead of asking the others, I gave him the correct answer: in the poor man’s shoes’’. Sometimes, as a teacher, I fail to demand a lot from the learners and this is something i should work on. By trusting my learners and answering their peers’ preoccupations, I could implicitly develop their self-confidence and reduce their anxiety.
The last point I had to improve was to keep the learners engaged when one of their classmates has the floor. It was an opportunity to practice active listening with my learners. The idea I had to make that happen was to interrupt my learners at any point in their speech and ask one of the other learners to summarize what the person was saying. On this point, my assessor did not find the idea genuine and gave me a brilliant suggestion: I could ask the learners to listen to the person speaking and prepare a question carefully. They will no be dead time, and the learners will feel like they have control of their learning rather than being mere listeners.
Overall, my class was funny and instructive. I met the learning objectives, and I was proud because I could design a proper and professional lesson plan from now on. Compared to the first assessed observation, I made considerable improvements. One point my assessor insisted on during the feedback tutorial was the role of students when I deliver classes. She wants me to give them more control over their learning and be mindful of the words I use with them because she finds me too ‘’severe’’. I will work on that and avoid words like: hurry up, quickly.