KOTESOL: Looking in on your English Class

Looking in on Your English Class

Written By Dr. David Shaffer

Class observations – ohh! This is a term that seems to have the bewitching ability to make the average teacher stop in their tracks and send chills up their backs. But we need to reconsider our instinctive beliefs, and rather than think of class observations as a dagger in the back, view them as a tool for self-improvement – a tool such as a comb, taking out the kinks and knots and putting everything in order so that what we put out there is a work of art.

It is true that class observations are often employed by the administration as a method of evaluation greatly influencing the teacher’s job security. However, class observations can be taken out of their threatening environment and exploited for professional development purposes in a much more favorable setting.

Peer observations are class observations of teachers by teachers. What makes them so different from observations by administrators is that they are done with the teacher’s willingness to be observed. Peer observation takes two forms: A teacher may invite a colleague to come in and observe their class, asking the colleague to pay particular attention to one or more aspects of the teacher’s teaching; or a teacher may ask to observe a colleague’s class in order to observe and learn from the techniques that the colleague employs.

Much can be learned from each of these peer observation methods to improve one’s classroom performance. And if a teacher does not have an appropriate colleague to observe them or does not have a suitable colleague to observe, all is not lost. The teacher may conduct self-observation by video-recording their class, which avoids the human element in being observed. What follows below are some of the items that I consider to be very important and yet still rather easy to self-observe.

Seating Arrangements

How the students’ seats are arranged can have a considerable impact on how they perform in class. You may wish to consider different arrangements for whole-class work, group work, pair work and solo-work. Things to consider are: Can they see the board well? Can they see their speaking partners well? Are they comfortable?

Giving Instructions

Students need to understand what is expected of them in order to execute tasks. We need to check if we need to repeat the instructions – maybe once, maybe twice. Are we employing “modeling” to aid in understanding the directions?

Teacher’s Voice

In teaching, one’s voice is important, but in teaching a foreign language, it is especially important. Speaking too fast in the classroom is a problem that many L1 and L2 English teachers have. When we realize the need to slow down, how are we doing it?

Are…we…slow…ing…down…be…tween…words…and…syl…la…bles? Or…are we slowing down…with pauses…between natural groupings…of words? Of course, the latter is more natural-sounding and more helpful to the learner. As English teachers we need to constantly check that we are speaking slow enough, loud enough for everyone to hear (not just the first row) and clear enough.

Teacher’s Position

Where you stand, whether you stand and how long you stand in one place are all important considerations. If you sit and students cannot see you speaking, they are likely to be less attentive. If you spend most of your time standing in the front of the room, the students sitting further back can become inattentive. If you spend a lot of time standing near some students and almost none near others, students may interpret it as favoritism. We need to move around the room, all of the room, especially when students are doing activities.

These are just a few key points that we as teachers should consider as we engage our students in the classroom. Others include calling on students, classroom English and error correction techniques. Knowing what to look for is a big first step in adjusting your in-class imperfections and improving your students’ classroom performances.

References

Harmer, J. (1998). How to teach English: An introduction to the practice of English language teaching. Harlow, UK: Addison Wesley Longman.

Wajnryb, R. (1992). Classroom observation tasks: A resource book for language teachers and trainers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

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Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL

Monthly Chapter Meeting

Date & Time: January 9 (Saturday), 1:45 p.m.

Place: Gwangju National University of Education

Presentation on “Commonly Overlooked Issues with Classroom Management” (Brian Burgoyne) and more!

Swap-shop Session: Present your ideas, activities, advice.

Morning (11 a.m.) Reflective Practice Session

Admission:  No Charge

For more details:

Website:  http://koreatesol.org/gwangju

Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL

Email:     gwangju@koreatesol.org

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The Author

Dr. David E. Shaffer is President of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of Korea TESOL (KOTESOL). On behalf of the Chapter, he invites you to participate in the teacher development workshops at their monthly meetings and special events. Dr. Shaffer is a professor of English Language at Chosun University, where he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses for many years. He is a long-time member of KOTESOL and a holder of various KOTESOL positions, including First Vice-President and Publications Committee Chair. He credits KOTESOL for much of his professional development in English language teaching.