Learning to teach ESL

This is a lesson plan for the culture conversational class that I taught on June 10th. It focuses on what could be understood as the "stages" of visiting a restaurant (e.g. sitting down at a table, ordering, etc.) and the phrases and sentences that typically make up dialogues in this setting.




References

Miss Nelson (2012). Orange Free Lesson Plan Binder Cover [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Lesson-Plan-Binder-Covers-250896

This is a lesson plan for the vocabulary and reading strategies class that I taught on June 10th. It focuses on introducing the vocabulary from Chapter 6 of one of the class textbooks. Students learn definitions of the words and examples of how they can be used in sentences.







References

Miss Nelson (2012). Blue Free Lesson Plan Binder Cover [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Free-Lesson-Plan-Binder-Covers-250896

I completed my first teaching hours on June 5th. My sponsor teacher and I have agreed that I should teach the first hour of each class that I am scheduled for and that she will teach the second hour. This allows her to jump in if I overlook something and to check the students' understanding when necessary. I think that this method worked well for the lessons that I taught and that it will continue to be helpful for the teaching hours that I will complete in the following weeks.

Reflecting on the courses

I think that the teaching I did for the reading course went well. I was glad when my sponsor teacher told me that I did a good job and that I did not come across as nervous as I thought I did. I was very nervous since it was my first time teaching. However, I saw one of my students in the hallway after class and he said that I seemed very nervous and was wondering why. In my opinion. I think there will always be some people who notice our mistakes but the majority of people either will not notice or will not focus on them and will instead look at their overall picture.

I need to be patient with myself because it is a learning process and it takes some getting used to. My nerves and social anxiety are something that I have tried very hard to overcome throughout my secondary and post-secondary schooling, particularly when I have had to do class presentations. As such, it is somewhat amusing that I have chosen a career where I will have to do presentations every day. However, I feel that it is necessary for both my personal and professional growth and that I will benefit from pushing myself, going out of my comfort zone, and having new experiences.

I think that the students were very receptive to Lesson Plan 1 that I created for the reading class. I think that they grasped the concept of the author's purpose and that the examples that I provided helped them understand the differences between informing, entertaining, and persuading. They were able to successfully identify the three purposes in the blog text samples with a small group and individually. However, I think that some of the phrases that I identified in the text to provide them with examples of what to look for to distinguish between informing and persuading were unclear. I think that the students may not have understood what they meant or how they should be used. As such, if I teach this lesson again, I will spend more time identifying these phrases in the text, explaining what they mean, and modelling how to use them when reading texts.

I think that Lesson Plan 2 that I created for the culture (conversational) class was less effective. I found it difficult to get the students to participate when I was asking for situational examples. I'm not sure if students had trouble understanding what kinds of examples I was looking for, how to phrase them, or if they were just hesitant to speak up in class. The energy level in the class was low and the students were less engaged in the lesson than I had expected them to be. I was also hesitant to write information on the whiteboard because my back would be faced towards the class and I was worried about the students not being able to hear me and about being the only source of language input for the students. I also think the students struggled a bit with the activities where they had to infer what the characters in the example dialogues would say based on the context. I'm not sure whether the students just need to practice completing and creating dialogues or whether I need to model this kind of activity in a different way. I tried to structure the activity according to the stages I read for this week's resources. However, I think it may have still been too challenging for students because it was something that they had not done before. As such, if I teach this lesson again, I will try to break this activity down into simpler tasks so that what I am asking for is clearer for the students. As a new activity, I think it will be less frustrating for them.

My sponsor teacher told me that the students seemed to grasp the material in the first lesson because they could answer the comprehension questions that she asked after I competed my lesson. She said that I provided a lot of helpful feedback for the students, particularly in the writing and sharing dialogues activity. She also liked that I walked around the groups of students and checked in with them to see if they needed help or more time to complete the activities. However, she said that I need to call on students more and suggested using the attendance sheet to ask individual students to share answers with the class. For my future teaching, I need to practice calling on students and trying to get them to participate.

I have chosen to use a variety of online publications as my teaching resources for my practicum. These online resources include English Language Teaching (ELT) websites and reports issued by educational institutions, provincial TESL organizations, and international TEFL associations. I will choose these resources based on my needs as a new teacher and the context of my lessons each week. This will be my first post where I reflect on a teaching resource and, in particular, what I learn from it and how it applies to my teaching context. I will try to apply what I have learned into my lessons each week.

I used a publication from the Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL) called "Sequencing Tasks" as a resource to develop my first two lesson plans. The publication was part of a series called the "ATESL Adult ESL Curriculum Framework." I chose this resource because I thought it would be a helpful guide for structuring and planning the sequence of tasks in my lesson so that the students will have opportunities to develop reading strategies and to practice what they have learned.

The classes that I have been observing and will be teaching in are a part of an English language program. It is not quite an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program because not all of the students are intending to continue in academic studies with instruction in English. Instead, some students participate in the program to hone the skills that they have while immersing themselves in an environment where they are encouraged to speak English in their interactions with others. This provides them with more opportunities to practice using the language that they have learned compared to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programs in their home countries where the language is less widely used.

The resource helped frame my understanding of the purposes of learning tasks that are used in my practicum setting. It explains that the tasks used in an EAP curriculum have tasks that are designed to prepare learners for success in academic settings. The connection between this purpose of tasks is obvious within the context of the reading and vocabulary class that I am attending as part of my practicum. Reading strategies and a developed vocabulary are necessary if students should decide to pursue further studies at a post-secondary level. However, this connection is less obvious regarding the cultural (conversational) class that I am also attending. Learning local culture helps students adjust to living in a new environment but it usually does not impact their skills in the classroom.. Instead, tasks for this class reflect more of a purpose of helping students become oriented to the Canadian way of life that is shared with tasks used in LINC classrooms.

The resource has also helped me to see the strengths and weaknesses of the content of the textbooks used in the two classes. It provides the following list of requirements that teaching resources and learning materials should have:
a) The materials should be stimulating, current, relevant, meaningful, and connected to the learners’ real-world needs, interests, and future goals.
b) The materials should address learners’ skills, backgrounds, and experiences.
c) The materials should reflect multicultural perspectives and viewpoints.
d) The materials should be at an appropriate language or benchmark level for the learners.
e) The materials should maximize learner involvement and language learning opportunities.
f) The materials should expose learners to “rich, meaningful, and comprehensible input of language in use” and help learners focus on salient features of language.
g) The materials should represent a broad range of material types, including, for instance, a combination of authentic materials, created materials, and/or published materials (pg. 9)

One of the textbooks used in the reading and vocabulary class is called "Vocabulary Power 1." The cover of the book indicates that the purpose of the text is to practice essential words. The words and exercises included in the textbook meet most of the objectives under criterion a (the materials are purposeful and connected to students' needs, interests, and future goals), d (the materials are appropriate for the high-beginner and/or low-intermediate level), e (the materials maximize learner involvement and language learning opportunities), and f (the materials provide satisfactory input and help students notice and focus on the most important features of language). However, as a resource, the textbook is somewhat weak at meeting the objectives under b (the materials are not particularly relevant to the students' backgrounds and experiences or individual learning styles), c (the materials do not particularly reflect multicultural perspectives and viewpoints), and g (the materials do not contain any authentic texts).

The other textbook used in the reading and vocabulary class is called "Select Readings." The cover of the book indicates that the book was designed for the pre-intermediate level. The class uses this textbook to teach students reading strategies and provide them with opportunities to use them. The exercises included in the textbook meet most of the objectives under criterion a (the materials are purposeful and connected to students' needs, interests, and future goals), b (the materials address students' reading skills), d (the materials are appropriate for the high-beginner and/or low-intermediate level), e (the materials maximize learner involvement and language learning opportunities), f (the materials provide satisfactory input and help students notice and focus on the most important features of language), and g (the materials contain authentic texts from sources like newspapers and blogs). However, as a resource, the textbook is somewhat weak at meeting the objectives under criterion c (the materials do not particularly reflect multicultural perspectives and viewpoints).

The textbook used in the cultural (conversational) class is called "Culturally Speaking." The class uses this textbook to present culturally-relevant information about Canadian culture and provides students with opportunities to relate the information to their own culture and experiences.The exercises included in the textbook meet most of the objectives under criterion a (the materials are purposeful and connected to students' needs, interests, and future goals), b (the materials reflect learners’ backgrounds and experiences), c (the materials reflect and present opportunities to share multicultural perspectives and viewpoints), d (the materials are appropriate for the high-beginner and/or low-intermediate level), and e (the materials maximize learner involvement and language learning opportunities). However, as a resource, the textbook is somewhat weak at meeting the objectives under criterion f (the materials do not provide a wide range of material types).

The "Sequencing Tasks" publication has also helped me to determine the types of tasks and activities that should be included in lessons and they ways that they can be linked together. It lists three ways that tasks can be sequenced: 1) linked by skill area, learning strategy, or function; 2) combining skill-building and skill-using activities; and 3) practicing skills and developing language proficiency (pg. 13). These ways of sequencing tasks will be examined in the paragraphs below within the context of the two classes.

The tasks and activities in my first lesson plan were connected by skill area (i.e. vocabulary and reading skills), learning strategies (i.e. reading strategies); and by function (i.e. to develop a systematic reading style to improve decoding and comprehension abilities.) Likewise, the tasks and activities in my second lesson plan were also connected by skill area (i.e. speaking and pragmatics), learning strategies (i.e. determining social context), and function (i.e. to help students notice and participate in opportunities for social interaction in Canadian culture.)

The tasks and activities in my first lesson plan were sequenced by combining skill-building (i.e. introducing the concept of the author's purpose and types of texts and practicing analyzing texts as a class) and skill-using activities (i.e. practicing using reading strategies to analyze texts individually and with a partner) and the focus of the lesson was on practicing skills and developing language proficiency in ways that are meaningful for learners (i.e. developing a systematic reading style to improve decoding and comprehension abilities). Likewise, the tasks and activities in my second lesson plan were also sequenced by combining skill-building (i.e. discussing problems and possible solutions and practicing conversations for these situations as a class and with a partner) and skill-using activities (i.e. constructing dialogues and practicing conversations for these situations with a partner) and the focus of the lesson was on practicing skills and developing language proficiency in ways that are meaningful for learners (i.e. to prepare students for real-life situations they may encounter in Canada that are culturally and contextually-appropriate).

The "Sequencing Tasks" publication also explains phases for sequencing tasks and activities. These phases are awareness raising, appropriation, and autonomy. Awareness raising involves introducing a task or activity by first raising students’ awareness of what they need to learn before they can accomplish that task or activity. This may involve introducing students to language skills, forms, functions, vocabulary, and concepts to provide a supporting framework for learners to build their receptive skills (i.e. listening and reading). Appropriation involves using tasks that provide learners with opportunities to build productive skills (i.e. speaking and writing) through practiced control, which requires the support of the teacher and sometimes their peers. Autonomy involves moving students from practice with the target language forms, functions and discrete skills to free practice. In this phase, students use the skills introduced in the lesson independently, without supports from the teacher (pg. 12).

The first lesson plan uses awareness raising in the introduction, presentation, and focused practice stages when the concept of the author's purpose is taught. Students are introduced to features that can help them identify and determine what the author's purpose is. The lesson plan uses appropriation in the focused practice and semi-focused practice stages when students practice identifying the features introduced in the previous stage in texts. Students receive support from the teacher and their peers as they work as a class or with a partner to determine the author's purpose. The lesson plan uses autonomy in the free practice/application stage when students practice identifying and determining the author's purpose individually and provide supporting evidence for their choice without help from their teacher or other students.

The second lesson plan uses awareness raising in the in introduction, presentation, and focused practice stages when the students are introduced to problems that can happen while shopping or after buying something, possible solutions to these problems, and how conversations within this social context are constructed. Students are taught how to discern what information is missing in dialogues and how to include it. The lesson plan uses appropriation in the semi-focused practice stage when students practice identifying the information and features introduced in the previous stages and constructing their own dialogues from fill-in-the-blank templates with a partner. The lesson plan uses autonomy in the free practice/application stage when students practice constructing their own dialogues without the fill-in-the-blank templates as a base.

Overall, this resource has helped me understand the process of adapting materials to suit the needs and abilities of students. I was better able to break the activities apart and build upon them after I read the publication. I feel like I am prepared for my teaching hours now since I understand better how the stages are linked together.


References

Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL). (2011). Sequencing Tasks. ATESL Adult ESL Curriculum Framework. Retrieved from https://www.atesl.ca/resources/atesl-adult-esl-curriculum-framework/

Keith at LSU. Lecture Recording [Online image]. (2011) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lecture_Recording.png

This is a lesson plan for the conversational class that I will teach on June 5. It focuses on problems that students might encounter while shopping, how to address them, and how to talk to and ask for help from salespeople .



References

Lesson Plan [Digital Image]. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.kisspng.com/png-lesson-plan-teacher-clip-art-lesson-design-clipart-389754/

This is a lesson plan for the reading and vocabulary class that I will teach on June 5. It focuses on learning how to determine an author's purpose for writing texts.



References

Liwchtzn. School, Teacher, Square [Digital Image]. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.kissclipart.com/lesson-plans-clipart-lesson-plan-clip-art-wyjnv7/

The sponsor teacher for my practicum placement gave me a choice of several classes that I could observe and teach in. I chose two classes. One focuses on reading and vocabulary while the other is conversational. Both of these classes are held three times per week and are two hours long, with the exception of reading and vocabulary class where the Friday class is only an hour long. I have observed the classes on May 13th (4 hours), 24th (3 hours), and 27th (4 hours). The classes are for international students who are at the high-beginner to low-intermediate level. There are approximately 12 students in each class and most of the students attend both classes. Students are mostly university-age and come from various countries, including China, Japan, Vietnam, India, and Peru. Some students are in the classes because they just want to improve their English skills in an English-speaking country while others will be pursuing further studies where the instruction is in English.

In the reading and vocabulary class, the learning outcomes include:
- Students will develop literal comprehension skills and have opportunities to practice these skills.
- Students will learn to recognize and apply a variety of reading skills and strategies.

In addition, the learning objectives include:
- Students will be able to identify the topic and main idea of a reading passage.
- Students will be able to recognize, interpret, and use selected words from the General Service List.
- Students will be able to identify supporting details in a reading passage.
- Students will be able to make inferences while reading.

In the conversational class, the learning outcomes include:
- Students will learn to create their own conversations using target language.
- Students will learn language that reflects authentic conversation in terms of politeness and appropriateness.
- Students will learn language that observes social and cultural conventions.
- Students will reflect on and discuss cultural differences and similarities between their home countries and Canada.

In addition, the learning objectives include:
- Students will be able to interpret and use appropriately the vocabulary and expressions used in small talk, conversation starters, compliments and their responses, requests and their responses, invitations and accepting or rejecting invitations, apologies and their responses, and in expressing sympathy and regret.
- Students will be able to reflect on and discuss cultural differences between their own countries and Canada regarding meeting and getting to know people, participating in social events, and in dating and relationships.
- Students will be able to create and present dialogues that illustrate themes and use target vocabulary and expressions.

I will also note some of the best practices that I noticed during my observation hours. The best practices for presenting materials include breaking up a task into phases that provide instruction on how to complete it, modeling of the task by the teacher, practice doing the task as a class or group, and then successfully performing it individually or as a group. This makes lessons more engaging because it allows students to participate meaningfully rather than relying on the teacher to provide information through lectures. The best practices for error correction are to avoid giving students too much negative feedback at once since they will likely lose confidence in themselves and feel overwhelmed and discouraged from participating. Teachers should instead pay attention to common mistakes and take time to address them in class. Similarly, students may avoid participating and voicing questions in class due to fears of what their classmates might think about them. The lack in participation does not mean that they do not understand the lesson and silence does not mean that they do not have questions or that there is nothing that is unclear. Instead, my sponsor teacher argued that one of the best practices in this context is to provide time after class is finished for students to approach the teacher to discuss any questions or difficulties that they might have. In cases of classroom management when students do not volunteer their answers or freeze because they lack the vocabulary and language knowledge to complete spoken tasks, best practices include using attendance sheets to call on students, as well as using both random (so that students are not always with the same partners) and strategic selection (pairing students based on different L1s, countries of origin, and skill levels) to pair students with each other. In addition, the best practices for incorporating technology include making use of the equipment and materials in the classroom. Sometimes classrooms in academic institutions lack this equipment or it is unsuitable for the students’ language levels and familiarity with technology. In these cases, it is best to rely on what materials are available in the classroom, even if it is not as contemporary.

References

Row of Books [Digital Image]. (2018). Retrieved from http://clipart-library.com/clipart/dc9pbERc7.htm

I filled out journals for both classes that I have been attending while I was completing my observation hours. I have uploaded digital copies of them and they can be viewed below.




References

Form Sign [Digital Image]. (2016). Retrieved from http://clipart-library.com/clipart/357352.htm.