TESL 0170: Lesson 3 - Tone and Voice - Part 2
Yesterday was the third class that I taught as part of the TESL Practicum. The first class was "weird", as identified by a student, but redeemed by an open discussion and ensuing positive engagement. The second class was characterized by solid engagement, good class attendance, and my learning about adjusting the pace and focus of the class. This third class was different. We were down a student which significantly impacted the dynamics, there was additional stress due to heightened COVID-19 restrictions that took effect the day of the class, and I taught my first grammar lesson. Turned out to be the "perfect storm" to create a different feel and dynamic to the class.
Overall the class went well but, as always, there is room for improvement. Once again I did not get through the lesson that I planned, but I am comfortable with the idea that I can carry those items that I did not finish to next week, and will add some additional components to round it out and provide more relevant and connected learning opportunities. I anticipate wrapping up the concepts that I have been scaffolding to the appropriate conclusion in the last practicum class I will be teaching. It will be a little bit sad to be finished after next week.
To break it down a bit more, I took care of some of the initial pleasantries while students were arriving, and so we started into the lesson right away. I am not sure if that impacted the class, but the evening began in a more subdued fashion than the learners have been in the past. My experience is that many people are fatigued, and ongoing efforts and constraints around the pandemic are taxing people. Despite all that, I continue to be impressed with the effort that the students put in. This week, I believe the tasks were harder than they have been in the past and part of that is there was a greater focus on reading and writing. In general, with the exception of two learners, the class exhibits more competence in speaking and listening skills than reading and writing, and in this class we did more reading and writing than we have to this point. One student who struggles with speaking continues to make strong effort in all areas, and each gain in understanding and communicating effectively is very exciting for me to observe.
This week I taught my first grammar lesson. As expected, I had to do some research before teaching so I would have tips and ideas that would support my teaching and class learning. While I had some tips, and wanted to assess what learners had for previous knowledge, I also did feel that I could have used more information to be effective. Perhaps this continues to be part of my personal learning curve and development toward personal competence and comfort. As I teach more grammar relevant to the communicative competence that is the focus of the lesson (or, in this case, lessons), I anticipate becoming more confident and capable.
Early in my TESL journey I purchased a grammar text that I thought would support my learning and teaching and yet when I looked through it to support the grammar portion of the lesson, there was very little on that in the textbook. I ended up using the internet to search for tasks that were appropriate to the level of the class and used them. It took a while to search for relevant tasks and resources that I could use in the lesson, but overall the information was useful and my mentor teacher expressed no concerns when presented with the materials that I chose for the activities. I took the liberty to use some of the resources a little differently than they were intended but feel good about my adaptation of the activities to the benefit of the class.
It is not new to me that I desire that I be an effective teacher. The teaching experience from yesterday is a good reminder that effective does not happen the same each time you teach. While I find myself a little disgruntled about how the class began, I was satisfied that collectively we (both myself and the students) put in a solid effort toward teaching and learning. I look forward to planning and executing the final class of my practicum next week, being able to wrap up the concepts that have been part of this focus on communication.
I am so grateful for my mentor teacher who willingly shares her experience, resources, suggestions, correction, and encouragement with me.
In the meantime, here is the adjusted lesson that class and I worked through this week, along with the grammar worksheets and the appropriate references for follow-up for those who may be interested.
Lesson 3 - Tone & Voice - Part 2
See you next week!
Dana
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