Unit 15

UNIT 15 WORKSHEET

Task 1 – Imagine you are a student in the class on the CD-ROM.  How would you have felt during:

Lesson one?          I would have felt put off and indescribably bored. The teacher appeared very impersonal, and the environment of the class was unwelcoming. It would have made me felt uncomfortable and hesitant to participate/speak in class. Since the instructor didn’t really lead the class effectively, I would have been very confused and wouldn’t know how to do the task really. I would have felt alienated and ignorant for not knowing how to do something that the instructor says is “very, very easy.” It would have been difficult for me to understand the materials, let alone become involved in class.

Lesson two?         The teacher smiles more and appears to be more approachable. The overall environment of the class was light and good-natured. I would have felt more interested and engaged. I would hesitate as much to speak out or contribute. The visual cues helped me understand the materials and the lesson, so I’m not as confused and lost. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. I wouldn’t have trouble knowing what the teacher expects and what to do.

Task 2 – Which lesson was the more effective?  Why?

          Lesson Two was more effective for various reasons. In addition to actually giving instructions, he gave concise, simple instructions that he made sure the class understood before they began. He provided examples and visual cues to assist the comprehension of the grammar point. He used body language and called his students’ name. He maintained eye contact when talking to a student and was in the center of the class where everyone could see him and the board. He provided equal opportunities for each student to participate and had good transitions between the stages. He had the class repeat can and can’t multiple times to help with the pronunciation so that the students can hear the difference between the two. The materials were presented in a more interesting manner and gave positive reinforcement for correct answers.

Task 3 – What main differences did you note between lesson one and two in the following areas?

a) The teacher’s attitude to the students:

          In lesson one, the teacher kept repeating, “This is easy, very easy. Anyone could do it.” By emphasizing this point, the teacher kind of implies that the students are unknowledgeable and degrades them. It discourages them to interact in fear of being wrong. He then kept interrupting them and doesn’t allow students to try to correct their mistakes and doesn’t reinforce correct answers. The attitude was very negative.

          In contrast, lesson two had a more upbeat, positive attitude. The teacher was very personable and proactive. He was constantly encouraging and kept the materials interesting. He treated his students with respect and as individuals by taking the time to learn their names and using them. He had good eye contact with the students and tried to make the students comfortable.

b) The students’ attitude towards the teacher:

          The students were extremely confused and disinterested in lesson one. Since they didn’t understand what to do and was denied every time they did try to understand, they quickly lost interested. The teacher made it difficult for students to feel comfortable enough to participate. The students had blank looks on their faces and felt isolated. They were more guarded when answering.

          In lesson two, the students were more motivated to try harder and participate actively. They were eager to contribute and more relaxed about answering questions. They knew the expectations of the teacher and tried to do what the tasks entailed. They obviously felt more connected to the instructor and enjoyed the class.

c) Student participation:

          As a result of the teacher’s attitude during lesson one, the students were obviously less incline to participate. The teacher was critical and unhelpful. The students hesitated every time when they answered, and almost no one volunteered. There was no enthusiasm whatsoever in the students. The teacher also didn’t really provide them many opportunities to participate.

          In lesson two, the students were more engaged and participating actively. The teacher provided everyone equal opportunity to join in. He had a lot of pair work so that students can help one another, especially the students with the weaker language skills. Using positive reinforcement for correct answers helped the students’ confidence.

d) The teacher’s voice (clarity, complexity, speed etc):

          In lesson one, the teacher was very monotone was using an unfit language level for the students. His voice was very dull and uninteresting. He went on about unimportant things and did not really project his voice clearly. The manner of speaking was derogatory. His tone gave the appearance that he did not want to be teaching and was frustrated.

          He projected his voice clearly and enunciated words. He did drills to help with pronunciation. His voice was easy to follow along, and he emphasized important words. He was in the center of the room so that all the students can hear him. His tone was warm and inviting.

e) The teacher’s instructions and explanations:

          The teacher hardly gave any instructions or explanations, and when he did, it was very vague and confusing. It did not really answer any questions that the students had. For example, when he tried to explain the difference between can and could, he first said he would tell her later. And then, he interrupted the class 15 minutes later to go back to that point, which had become irrelevant then. Without explaining anything, he expects students to know certain things or know how to do an activity. He doesn’t provide examples in order to illustrate his point further and is very redundant.

          In lesson two, the teacher kept his instructions concise, simple, and at the students’ language level. He used body movements and visual cues to help demonstrate types of movements and animals. His descriptions of animals were comprehensible and creative. He wrote the examples on the board, rather than just saying them out loud. The students can then write them and learn it visually. He first gave instructions before handing out the worksheet so that the students would not be distracted by the handouts.

f) Monitoring of the students:

          There was very little monitoring done. He had poor eye contact and just sat down while the students were doing the tasks. He didn’t bother to see if any of his students were having difficulty. Instead of monitoring quietly, he then interrupted their focus by bringing up an irrelevant point from before. He just kept writing on the board, hardly glancing at his students, or just sat down.

          He took the time to learn his students’ names and did not keep asking for it later. He took each student’s contributions as interesting and relevant. While they did their tasks, he kept an eye on his students to see if anyone needed assistance. He was always in the center of the class where he could see them and they could see him.

g) Engage stage:

          There wasn’t really an engage stage. He went straight into the grammar point, which was something the students haven’t learned yet. He was very repetitive as if repeating things would make the students understand all of a sudden. He didn’t really explain anything and just repeated the same things, which was very counterproductive. The way he started class was very distant and confusing. He assumed a lot of things that he thought the students should have known already.

          The engage stage in lesson two was very interactive and relatable. He used information that the students already knew and used it to his advantage. He made a fun game for engage stage by making it into a competition. The instructions were clear, and he gave a time limit.

h) Study stage:

          Since the students had no idea what to do, they had to figure by themselves what to do during the study stage. The teacher provided no instructions and did not monitor. He did not offer assistance, and the students did not understand the grammar point. They appeared to be uninterested in the task and were doing it for the sake of doing it.

          In lesson two, the students worked in pairs during the study stage. They seemed to retain the information and knew what they were doing. The instructor explained first before giving the worksheets. While the students were completing them, the teacher checked on them to see if they needed assistance. He gave simple instructions for the students to follow and did an example to demonstrate. They were well-prepared for the tasks.

i) Activate stage:

          The students didn’t get the point of the activate stage and could not see how it related to the grammar point very well. The teacher began to give an example of what to do but then changed his mind. He left it up to the students to interpret what to do when they had no idea. This gave the impression that the teacher wasn’t prepared or didn’t know what he was doing himself. He didn’t really allot enough time to see if anyone was finished.

          Lesson two’s activate stage was perfect. The teacher gave an example of what to do and the materials. His demonstration gave the students a clear idea of what the task entails. He then reaffirms this by asking if everyone understood. He allowed everyone to show their picture and made positive feedback about it.

Task 4 – How would you change/adapt lesson two to make it more effective still?

          I would use the students’ names more often when I want them to answer rather than just have it in the air.  Also, I would be more verbal about my directions. There was one part where he pointed to the board to indicate that he wanted someone to make a sentence. I think some of the students did not realize that. Additionally, there was a lot of material to go over for that amount of time. He spent more than enough time listing animals as well. I think a few more animals afterwards would have sufficed.

Task 5 – What level do you think the students are?  Was the language point appropriate for this level?

          I think the students were at a pre-intermediate level. Most of the students were able to understand what the teacher was saying in both lessons, even if they did not know what to do during lesson one. The materials and tasks seem to be rudimentary and simple. They could make basic sentences and know basic vocabulary.

          For lesson two, the language point was appropriate. The instructions and the example sentences were simple enough for students to mimic or fill in the blank. Difficult vocabulary (i.e. climb) was explained through demonstration.

          For lesson one, however, it should have been appropriate but the teacher was using words higher than their language level (i.e. modal auxiliary verb). He didn’t bother to explain any vocabulary or instructions. The language point did not seem appropriate during lesson two. He did not sufficiently explain the difference between can and could