The thing that really stuck in my head from last week's session was the idea of wasting time.

The thing that really stuck in my head from last week's session was the idea of wasting time. I don't know if this has happened to any of you, but during my classes this week I've found myself reflecting on if this activity could have been done in a more efficient way, or perhaps scrapped altogether. Probably not coincidentally, I've also noticed that the majority of these times have been during tasks which are institutionally required, and are not the main part of the 'actual teaching'! That's not to say I couldn't achieve them in a better way, like when I make sure the students are doing their homework and give them the answers.

The real benefit of doing these courses is how they prompt you to engage with your teaching in ways that you wouldn't normally, and push you out of your comfort zone.

Comments

  1. Francesca Di MambroNovember 9, 2017 at 6:20 AM

    Definitely. It gives us a chance to step back and take a look at our everyday practices and rethink. Most of my classes this year are with very busy business people and so class time is precious to both them and myself. The class must be a productive use of time or they will question the value of taking a break away from important meetings and emails. It's a pressure but I hope it keeps me focussed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hannah McCullochNovember 9, 2017 at 6:28 AM

    Couldn’t agree more, James! There’s always room for reflection but all too often we are too busy moving on to the next lesson (or cup of coffee) to think about how it went. I’ve dug out my old Celta Hot Feedback form and use it as a guide to structure my thoughts. There’s no reason why this couldn’t be done post-activity in the lesson as well. I also ask the students about how it went and the value in the activity, how they would have done it differently. It’s great to hear other perspectives, much like on this course :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jasmine TaiwoNovember 9, 2017 at 7:12 PM

    I completely agree that this was a great takeaway. I really hate wasting class time on set up, or grouping, etc. I will usually prepare these items before class.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Penny UrNovember 10, 2017 at 12:08 AM

    Great that you found these tips helpful and thought-provoking! I think adult learners are particularly sensitive to this issue: they're often paying for their courses, and want to feel they're getting their money's worth in terms of learning. But even relatively young learners, I've found, can often call your bluff if you're doing things just to please them, and are appreciative when they feel lessons are really helping them progress.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anne HendlerNovember 10, 2017 at 3:01 PM

    I agree, James. One thing that I haven't done with any of my classes yet this year is film them to look back on and see where I can make more effective uses of time. This course has inspired me to try and find time for that.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

For error correction I tend to use the most frequent type of correction, recast.

For error correction I tend to use the most frequent type of correction, recast. I believe I use it because it's quick and doesn't harm fluency and communication entirely. But like Penny Ur mentioned, this type of correction all the time may be ineffective and may I add fall on deaf ears most of the times. Research shows that the best correction methods are elicitation, metalinguistic feedback and explicit correction so I feel I need to use more of these methods when correcting my students. Also, sometimes I let errors go by uncorrected mostly because I consider them minor or unimportant errors but there are times when students notice them and correct them. Perhaps it's best the teacher corrects all errors and not the students because it could come across as if the teacher wasn't listening or doesn't care and because learners would rather be corrected by the their teacher than their peers as research shows.
Read more

I posted about the Canadian government experiment called Portfolio Based Learning Assessment and noted some of the...

I posted about the Canadian government experiment called Portfolio Based Learning Assessment and noted some of the issues I had with it. Here is a blog post by a teacher who has had more experience with it. Just thinking about teaching and how to teach better... http://blog.teslontario.org/reflections-on-the-implementation-of-pbla/#.WvCDXhcUOVN.google_plusone_share
Read more