My final assessed observation was a listening class on listening strategies. It was completely different from the way I used to teach before. I have never taught listening on zoom because I used to deliver face-to-face classroom. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and give it a try, acting upon the advice of my supervisor Nancy. For a meaningful data-driven reflection, I watched my recorded video two times in order to reflect upon how I taught and the potential mismatch between my lesson plan and my classroom practices. The conversation with Barbara, who is my observer on this last assessed observation might stimulate other reflections as reported by Farrell, (2017). For him, collaborative reflection with an experienced teacher can be beneficial to in-service TESOL teachers and I think he is right. Meanwhile, this paper will look at specific points that I wanted to improve after my previous post-observation conversation with Nancy.

This last assessed lesson was an attempt to put into practice all the knowledge I gained from the module. We did not face any technological failure or big issues with the learners. However, there are some aspects of the class that I want to comment on. It might also be necessary to mention that prior to teaching this class, I went to a language school here in Brighton to observe one of my classmates and have a clear-cut idea about her teaching practices. Even if it was a face-to-face classroom, it was helpful to see how teaching English to ESL learners was implemented here. It gave me insight into how I wanted to deliver my own teaching content. Having watched my video, I think there are different aspects I would like to further discuss but I may start with the elicitation of information.

ELICITING INFORMATION
The class started with a lead-in activity where they were instructed to describe an image related to the topic of the lesson. I used some concept-checking questions to elicit information from the learners. Here, my observer Barbara appreciated the way they reacted but suggested the creation of a clearer context and maybe the use of a different picture (a picture of the ear) that could have allowed the learners to talk about their experiences with listening and facilitate for me the process of elicitation. I could have asked questions like what you find difficult about learning English, what about listening, what difficulty you have in listening, and what do you do when you have these difficulties? I could have asked them those questions to get them talking about themselves. To be honest, I prepared these kinds of questions to start with, but I was wondering if the time will allow covering everything that I planned to teach. I decided to drop the questions and do something different. Barbara gave me this brilliant idea to build in activities that are optional that I could include in my lesson plan or take it out if I do not have time.

PRE-TEACH VOCABULARY
Another thing I did is to pre-teach the vocabulary words that are likely to prevent their comprehension of the podcast. I know that Chang & read (2006) argue that pre-teach vocabulary is not helpful in a listening text, but I think it can help some learners with a very low level of English. I have never pre-taught vocabulary before in a listening class, but I decided to give it a try and see how it will go. My supervisor seemed not to appreciate pre-teaching vocabulary but really liked how I proceeded with my learners. She advised me to expand on the vocabulary by using concept-checking questions more to elicit information from the learners. For example, instead of asking them to tell me what they know about ‘sweat’, I could have asked the question does the cold make you sweat. By asking questions and contextualizing the words, they would have been able to say much about it. This is a valuable idea that I look forward to using.

Student Engagement
Another area that I wanted to improve is student engagement due to individual differences. One of the biggest hurdles that I face as an English teacher is how not to eliminate the less active learners during the class. I worked with five learners but two of them did not fit the intermediate level and found some aspects of the class challenging. It was a bit difficult for me, but I tried to immerse them as much as possible by getting them to work with their classmates on different tasks. By getting the weaker learners to work in pairs with the proficient ones, I wanted to create a supportive environment where they could help each other. Barbara liked the idea but asked to try different avenues by allowing the shy learners to also work together. They might get more involved in the conversation and feel less intimidated by those they perceive as proficient. I will explore this idea and I think it will definitely help depending on what I am working on with the learners.

AUTONOMY
Another point she asked me to explore next time is to give my learners a bit of autonomy by allowing them to use the chat facility to ask questions or contribute to the class. It might help the shy learners to share their concerns or participate in the class actively.

Technique for error correction
Besides students’ engagement, I also asked her to comment on the way I gave instructions. She mentioned that no issue clearly stands out, but I can bring in more error correction next time by recycling the learners’ mistakes from the breakout rooms and displaying the words on the whiteboard. This way, I could treat error correction in an anonymous way without frustrating any learner.

Building learners’ self-confidence through positive feedback
I blushed when my supervisor told me that I am a positive person because I praise my learners using encouraging words such as perfect, amazing, and congratulations. I did not really notice it because this is something that I do unconsciously, but I think it helps to an extent and gets them to become more confident. I think that motivation serves as a powerful trigger for learning a language. It is a determinant factor for an effective learning process, especially in the second language acquisition domain (Alrabai, 2014). Since learning a language seems to be a tedious and lengthy process (Ibrahim. 2017, p.24) that seems to have no end, I think it is valuable to create a condition where they will learn without anxiety by receiving positive feedback or encouragement from their teachers and classmates. This is my take from my SLA module and since then, I am empathetic when it comes to my learners. I walked in their shoes some years ago and I know how it feels to learn a language.

Conclusion
Overall, I think the lesson aims were achieved and if I were to teach again, I would bring in more correction by recycling the learners’ mistakes from the breakout rooms and displaying them on the whiteboard anonymously to appeal their attention to that. I will also visually show the instructions on the board or PowerPoint slide to ensure clarity. I will not reject flipped learning because I discovered a new way of teaching listening with this module. Barbara asked me not to ignore flipped learning but think of it as a way of activating receptive skills into productive skills. As Barbara mentioned, there is always scope for trying out new things. I am happy I dare to try out new ideas in class. I am even eager to learn more and another assessed observation. This last assessed observation is the result of all the knowledge I accumulated from this module. I am really elated. I am sure of something: I am no longer the same teacher.

Listening 2 assessed
worksheet 2
Lesson plan listening b

According to Mishan and Timmis (2015, p.89), language learning materials should be conceived with more holistic aims and integrated skills. This assertion guided me through the process of teaching this lesson. For my third assessed observation, I decided to deliver a class with a grammatical focus while integrating implicitly the other skills. The curriculum being flexible, I decided to teach ‘’modal verbs’’ because, during the previous class, they could barely express ‘’ability’’ or ask for ‘’permission’’ in English. Unfortunately, I only had two learners instead of six. However, they were happy with this restricted number since I could focus on their personal challenges and allow them to speak longer than usual.
To my surprise, it was a good class, and I was really moved by my two learners who showed satisfaction concerning the whole class but especially the speaking activity. I might say that I made some improvements compared to the last class in terms of classroom management, Time management, and selection of adapted (Google jam board) for the class.

Classroom management
The class size plays a major role in the academic performance of the learners. The fewer the learners, the easier it is for the teacher to meet the learning outcomes (K. and I.F., 2022). I used to teach a set of 6 learners online but this time, I only got 2 learners. It was a different experience. I had more time to address their personal issues and maximize the class time by focusing on different activities that they find relevant. It gave me the opportunity to know each of them and select the learning content accordingly. By working with this small class of two people, I could notice for example that they both like cooking, and one of them (Selarie) is pregnant. Based on this observation, I can easily predict the content that is going to enchant them or anticipate their personal preoccupations during class time.
Another challenge I took up regarding class management is to adapt the plan when necessary. As I mentioned earlier, the class aimed to raise the learners’ awareness of the use of two modal verbs: can/ could. During the implementation of the class, I planned to teach them the negative and interrogative forms of the two models. Unfortunately, I could not cover up these aspects because, as beginners, they needed sufficient time to respond to the questions or read the text. Therefore, I decided to shorten some activities and reschedule them for the next class. This allowed me to manage the time better and stick to one hour as required by my supervisors.

Time Management
The factor of time management is the most challenging aspect of teaching for me because no one can predict what will happen in the classroom. During my class, for example, one of the learners was moody. Despite my willingness to extend her talking time, I had to interrupt her occasionally to give the floor to her classmates. Besides that, I have never taught for an hour, so it was a very new experience for me. I have never thought that I can teach beginners effectively for an hour because they expect more explanations from the teacher very often, speak slowly, and feel frustrated when you interrupt them. Despite the fact that my fears were based on the previous class, I managed to stick to the time, but I have to admit that my detailed lesson plan with the different stages helped.

The teacher’s road map
For effective online teaching, EFL teachers need to be able to design professional lesson plans that will guide them and determine what the learners should learn and how and when they should learn it. It helps teachers track the learners’ progress and effectively use class time. After 30 minutes of class with the learners, a glance at my lesson plan made me realize that we were running out of time. Instead of rushing the learners, I decided not to focus intensely on the negative and interrogative forms of could/can in the sentence. It will be covered during the next class.

Besides the lesson plan, most EFL online teachers should be trained to use some digital resources to make their class lively and memorable to the learners. Before talking about their training, it might be relevant to mention that some are not even aware of the existence of these materials that can facilitate learning acquisition and tap the learners’ minds. During my previous feedback tutorial, Nancy encouraged me to use ‘’Jamboard’’, an interactive whiteboard that is access-free and handy for teachers who might be reluctant to use the new technologies. I have been using it for one month with learners and they are impressed. They found the class more professional and different from what we were doing before. Jamboard helped them memorize and remember the new words we collected from their conversation.

The balance between TTT (Teacher talking time) and STT (Student talking Time)
There is an essential aspect of my teaching Nancy insisted on last time: The learners’ role. She reminded me of my desire to create autonomous learners. Therefore, my teaching practices and classroom management should reflect this will. I decided to give the learners much time to speak together, make some mistakes and learn from each other. I was listening to the microphone off and jotting their different mistakes. They found it challenging, in the beginning, to speak without the teacher’s help, but they appreciated it. One of them even said ‘’without the eyes of the teacher’’, we can speak.
It was brilliant, even if I could not cover some class parts. I allowed my learners to express themselves. Unfortunately, I had to interrupt them at some points because I was time conscious, but with 20 min extra, I would have been able to cover the entire content. I made some improvements, and I think my teaching is becoming more student-centered.

Development point after feedback from Nancy
These are the things I would improve or use in my next class:
-Concept checking: Nancy really insisted on how I can start my class by eliciting information from my learners while using concept checking questions. During my next class, I plan to use it effectively with my learners.
-I also need to improve my technical abilities when it comes to teaching online. I have started using Google jamboard but I have not completely mastered how the platform works. More research about that might help me navigate it easily.
-I plan to observe a class of one of my classmates who is a delta qualified. This observed lesson might give me a clear idea about how to teach according to the UK standard.

Lesson plan 3
Powerpoint 3 (assessed observation)

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.

My first assessed observation was with four intermediate learners, and the aim was to improve their listening skills. The learners were expected to listen to a podcast about some changes in two friends’ lives. They received the podcast before the class and were expected to write down the summary. I used to follow the Common European Framework of reference syllabus, but since it was my first class with them, I decided to do something different to get to know them more. Although I failed to mention this aspect in the lesson plan, the class went well, and the learners appreciated it.
First, I opened up the class with some basic comprehension questions to check their understanding of the podcast (What is the podcast about? How many speakers do you have in the podcast? What were they talking about?). While involving them in this task, they confessed that they found the podcast a bit challenging at first, but they succeeded in understanding the full content with several attempts to listen to it. They felt excited about this class because they had much to say about the topic.
However, I had lots of challenges regarding how I will be teaching a listening class effectively online. At first, I did not really know how to engage my learners in the task, but the nature of the podcast (conversation between 2 people) helped me scaffold the different activities.

Learning Content
To reach the intended goal of the lesson, the learners had to perform three different activities. The first part of the class was devoted to the podcast’s content. The second part was the grammar section, where they learned the use of the present perfect tense, and the last part was about the practice section, where the learners talked about some changes in their own lives.

Tutor feedback and my reflection
After the feedback session with my tutor, I realized how bad my class was and how difficult it had been for her to understand my lesson plan. I failed in sending her the full recordings of my class. I sent her 40 min of the class I had with my learners, and she could not figure out which part of the lesson part it was. She made me realize that the lesson plan was not detailed enough, and some parts were even unclear to her understanding. She shared the first class I had on the teaching practice and lesson plan (TE719) plan and sent me some templates I can bank on to design a proper one. I should confess that I did not take this first lesson because I was still familiarizing myself with ‘’my studies’’ and I may have missed it.

Another area of weakness that I should work on is to effectively hit the target when I teach a particular aspect of the language. For instance, the second part of the lesson was devoted to using the present perfect tense, but I could not reach this learning goal because it was too broad and vague. My tutor advised me to break it down next time and choose the specific context in which my learners will be using this tense. By narrowing it down, I will help them avoid any confusion.
I realized that integrating three different activities in the same class was not as effective as I thought. Also, we could not cover some parts of the lesson because I failed to manage the time efficiently. The learners could not compare their work, which was essential to me because they better learn from each other. I decided from now on to set just one task and delve into it deeply to allow learners to engage in the learning process freely.

The only aspect of my lesson that seemed reasonable when I watched the video was the learners’ talking time. They were involved in the discussion and willing to share with me the reason why they have changed their jobs. My tutor also mentioned that the rationale for the class was also good. I used the flipped learning approach with my learners because I wanted them to carry on their training at a point and engage actively in the classroom. They received the learning content a day before the class, listened to it, summarized it, and extensively discussed it with their peers during the class.
To sum up, I could say that this was one of the most disastrous I have ever had in my teaching experiences, and I hope to be better next time.

Bintou February 2022 (Lesson 1 with FB)