This is a reflection on my teaching of the listening lesson in TESOL program.
Feelings:
How do you feel about the lesson you have just taught?
Throughout the lesson, students are very engaging, and I really felt that I have met SWBAT. I really enjoyed teaching, and students also seemed to enjoy my lesson. I'm glad that it was such a positive experience for me. Regardless of being positive or not, I would be able to learn something from it, but the feeling of success can be much more motivating.
On the other hand, I felt uneasy when I found there are only two students. I created a lesson plan expecting more students; therefore, my concern was that students cannot practice enough by pair work. Pair work is really helpful for students since they need to use the language a lot to develop their fluency in it. Therefore, I think that this was a valid concern.
Because we didn't consume so much time for activities since there is only one pair, I still had enough time to finish the lesson, and I was thinking what I could to make up with rest of the lesson. I had one back pocket plan which was stated on my lesson plan sheet, and two contingency plans in my mind. So I could finish my lesson exactly on time.
Objectives:
What were your objectives?
By the end of the lesson, SWBAT: understand the meaning of the song to discuss the main idea of this song, in the communication between friends, and to enjoy listening and singing an English song.
How well were they achieved?
They were engaged in activities and helped each other. I monitored the students very carefully. In the beginning, though they captured the general idea of the song,
their prediction about the song was slightly incorrect. However, I saw that they were clarifying FUMB as the listening activities progress. By the middle of the lesson, their answers to my questions are all correct, and by the end of the lesson, they totally understood the concept of the song. Their argument reached well enough to describe even abstract concept at the end. This certainly demonstrates the depth of their understanding.
How did the students demonstrate what they had learned or not learned?
Throughout the lesson, from the presentation stage to practice stage, I asked a lot of questions to measure if they understood or not. Their answers to my question clearly showed what they had learned or not learned.
Why: What are some plausible reasons for this?
I elicited a lot, and asked CCQs, and monitored carefully. Those elements were helped students meet the SWBAT. Their answers at the beginning were based on their prediction. In the middle of the lesson, however, their answers started to acquire a firm foundation. By the end of the lesson, I observed students were completely understood the main idea and detail at a deeper level. I think that elicitation, and CCQs, and careful monitoring were really helped them achieve objectives. The tasks I designed also helped them to achieve this level of understanding.
The ELC (DIGPA)
Description
Students were very engaged and tried to imagine and predict the general image of the song. I showed students that a picture of a person on a top of a mountain, and ask them what they think about the picture. I introduced them that the picture would relate to the song which they were going to listen.
Students' answers to my question were slightly different before and after they listened to music. Before they listened to the song, they answered that the picture might represent freedom and independence. I asked them when people feel this way. One of the students answered, "when I touch goal"; he meant that when he accomplished the goal.
By the end of the lesson, they seemed that they completely understood the main idea of the song. I confirmed students completely interpreted the song when I heard one of the students said, "it's a metaphor" referring to the dramatization of top of the world. Another of the students showed her agreement with this idea. To fill the time, I explained the structure of the lyrics, contract, rhyme, etc.
Conclusion
Interpretation
Mutsuko:
Looking at pictures, students took a guess what pictures are about. I think that it was helpful for students to infer the general idea of the song. This certainly could have helped the students start to use the top down knowledge to work out the meaning of the song. Students got information about topics by looking at lyrics, not by listening.
I think that I was able to monitor students very well. There were only two students, but I took that positive way. I was able to observe students more, interact with them more, and I had an opportunity to brush up flexibility and improvising skills.
Instructor's comment:
This is a positive side that many people might not think of in the moment. It sounds like you are very willing and able to adapt. It's important in each interpretation to name something that helped student learning and to refer to examples of s-behavior from the description that demonstrate the effect on their learning.
Generalization
Mutsuko:
Providing students with visual aids to support their imagination is an effective tool for learning. I think that a teacher should pay attention to which material is helpful for students to interpret the topic.
Interaction between students and teacher, student and student, were more intimate in smaller groups. It was helpful for them to learn TL, by helping each other, and sharing knowledge closely.
Instructor's comment:
This idea of intimacy also seems to be an interesting one to explore. The idea with this stage is that you'll have the chance to expand your interpretation of what happened in a particular moment to be more of a general theory of learning/teaching. This means that there should be a clear and direct connection between the interpretation and the generalization.
Plan of Action
Mutsuko:
I will continue using pictures especially the presentation stage to make a foundation for their learning. Before the activity of ordering lyrics, I will put extra activity to listen to the part of which topics are described.
I will keep monitoring and interacting with students further. I also try to be flexible. In order to adapt to an unexpected situation, I have to learn how to be more flexible, and improvising skills are required. Practice and experience are important for these skills.
Instructor's comment:
The points you mention here, flexibility, monitoring, and improvising skills are all very helpful skills, techniques, and attitudes. I can see the connection between this plan and the interpretation to the right.
Instructor's comment for this lesson
It sounds like this lesson was a moment of learning for you in several different ways. For one, you were able to find an focus on the advantage of having a small group of students. You were also able to lead the Ss to a relatively deep understanding of this song. Thirdly, you were able to fill time with a number of contingency plans and improvised activities. On top of these successes, this reflection demonstrates your awareness of them as strengths.
