Teaching Practice A handbook for teachers in training Roger Gower, Diane Phillips & Steve Walters Macmillan Books for TeachersMacmillan Books for Teachers Teaching Practice Handbook Roger Gower, Diane Phillips, Steve Walters Be MACMILLANChapter! (Ceapter2 Contents Introduction 1 Whatis teaching practice (or TP)? 2 Assumptions about learning 3. Theaims of this book 4 How touse this book ‘Appronshing teaching rncties ‘The role of TP ona teacher training course Working with others Your own aninide What do observers do during TP? Feedback on lessons Keeping track Managing the class Use of eye contact, gesture and the voice (Classroom arrangement Attention spread “Teacher talk and student talk Fliciting, giving instructions and setting up activities Monitoring Starting and finishing the lesson Establishing rapport and maintaining discipline The monolingual and the multilingual class Managing resources: equipment and teaching aids 1 Theboara 2 Theoverhead projector 3 Visuals 4 Worksheets and workeards 5 Thecassette recorder 6 7 8 auewne easaueune Video Computers ‘The photocopier 2° Authentic materials Developing skills and strategies 1 Integrated skills 2 Receptiveskills: listening 3 Receptive skills: reading 4 Productive skills: speaking 5 Productive skills: writing 6 _Leamer development and study skills 7 Students working outside the classroom fee vii we Vaan 43 17 122Contents Chapters Chapter 7 Chapter 9 Presenting and practising language 1 Structures: grammar and functions 2 Vocabulary 3 Pronunciation Giving feedback to students 1 Giving positive feedback 2 Correction techniques 3 Evaluation and testing Planning lessons 1 Lesson plans 2 Researching the language 3° Getting organized 4 Follow-up 5 Planninga series of lessons For the new trainer Organizing TP Preparing trainees for TP ‘The role of the TP supervisor Giving feedback on lessons observed ‘The recruitment of ‘volunteer students ‘Trainer-training Glossary of terms Index 126 126 142 183 163 163 164 171 175 175 182 182 183, 183, 188 188 192 198, 199 207 208 209 213About the series Macmillan Books for Teachers Welcome to the Macmillan Books for Teachers series. These books are for you if you are a traince teacher, practising teacher or teacher trainer. They help you to: * develop your skills and confidence reflect on what you do and why you do it inform your practice with theory. improve your practice become the best teacher you can be ‘The handbooks are written from a humanistic and student-centred perspective. They offer: + practical techniques and ideas for classroom activities, ‘+ key insights into relevant background theory ‘© ways to apply techniques and insights in your work ‘The authors are teachers and trainers. We take a ‘learning as you go’ approach in sharing our experience with you. We help you reflect on ways you can facilitate learning, and bring your personal strengths to your work. We offer you insights from research into language and language learning and suggest ways of using these insights in your classroom. You can also go to http:/;www.onestopenglish.com and ask the authors for advice. We encourage you to experiment and to develop vatiety and choice, so that you can understand the how and why of your work. We hope you will develop confidence in ‘your own teaching and in your ability to respond creatively to new situations. Adio Underkill Titles in the Series An AZ of ELT Scott Thornbury Beyond the Semence Scott Thornbury Blended Learning Barney Barrett and Pete Sharma Children Learning English Jayne Moon Discover English Rod Bolitho & Brian Tomlinson Learning Teaching Jim Scrivener Sound Foundations Adrian Underhill Teaching Practice Roger Gower, Diane Phillips & Steve Walters ‘Teaching Reading Skills: Christine Nuttall Uncovering Grammar Scott Thornbury 500 Activities for the Carol Read Primary Olassroom 700 Classroom Activities David Seymour & Maria PopovaTeaching Practice Who is the book for? ‘This book is designed to help you with the teaching practice element of training ‘course where you teach part or all of lesson under supervision. You may be: © One ofa group of trainees teaching volunteer students in a class especially arranged for teaching practice. '* An apprentice attached to an experienced teacher and teaching some of that teacher's lessons, © An untrained/inexperienced teacher working with your own class and learning on the job. ‘What is Teaching Practice? ‘A teaching practice (TP) session can range from informal practice of a particular technique, perhaps with other trainees acting as students, to @ formally assessed lesson, Teaching practice can take place in an English speaking country or in a country where the first language is not English. The trainees can be native or ‘non-native speakers of English and the classes may be monolingual or multilingual. Although much of the methodology outlined could be applicable to teaching children, itis assumed that the students are teenagers or adults. Teaching Practice sets out; ‘* to increase awareness of the many aspects of the TP situation '® 10 provide some guidelines for TP to help you get the most out of ft ‘¢ to clarify the reasons behind many of the skills and techniques needed and to provide activities to help and improve them. ‘The focus is on the teaching skills and techniques where the teacher is required to direct or orchestrate the learning activities of the class, largely from ‘up front’. ‘We do not wish to suggést, in talking about how and why certain things are done that these are the only ways of doing them. The rationale and practices ‘given here form the mainstream of EFL teaching at the present time but they aare the subject of constant discussion and revision in most teacher-training establishments, There is also a risk of suggesting a more teacher-centred classroom. than is desirable. Wherever possible try to assess what is going on in the classroom in terms of What are the srudemts learning? rather than What is the teacher teaching? And make sure that what you do is in the best interests of learners and a learner- ‘centred classroom. How to use this book ‘When you have read the introduction and Chapter 1, you can work through the ‘book in any order. Refer to the contents list and the index to find the topics you need, We have avoided using technical terms, but there are some you will find it useful to know. The glossary on pp209-212 explains the most common terminology: ‘Tasks are included at the end of each chapter/section. Some of these are tasks ‘that you can use when observing other teachers or other trainees, Observing a peer and giving feedback afterwards should be helpful both to the personteaching. and to the person observing, Others ate designed to be used in a ‘peer teaching’ situation. In order for these to be successful its important for everyone to ‘play the game’. It can be a waste of time if everyone collapses with laughter every time they pretend to be students. “The tasks are coded as follows: Z. canbedoneby anindividusl — LQ. pairwork with colleague & groupwork wae to be used in a microteaching situation <& anobervation ak Even if you don’t do all the exercises it is a good idea to read them when they are referee tan ny about ow they right woe Task ae To become faruiar wth some ofthe anton used in English longvage teaching, Procedure Match definitions a-f with the words and expressions on the right. 4 to.draw out students’ knowledge by asking questions and tonominate guiding them towards answering questions; bb tocall on an individual by name; tocontract © to repeat what tne learner has Just said: d te reduce a word, usually when itis combined with another | to-echo word: for example, | am into I’m, should have into should've; @ tolisten to one’s own or another's performance to compare | to personalize What Is said or done with what was intended: to focus on language or topies which are of interest to toelicit Individual student(s) or which are relevant to individual students’ situations. to monitor Comment 4. You may like to try this exercise in pairs. 2 Ifthe jargon is very new to you, you can read through the glossary on pp203-12 and then use this exercise to see how much you have remembered. 3 How much jargon do you already use? When is it useful? Is it always necessary? Further reading Krashen, S. 1991 Language Acquisition and Language Education (Prentice Hall International) Lightbown, P. and Spada, N, 1993 How Languages are Learned (OUP) Littlewood, W. 1984 Foreign and Second Language Learning (CUP) ‘Medgyes,P. 1994 The Non-Nativw Teacher Prentice Hall International) Richards, J. and Rodgers, T. 1986 Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (CUP) Stevick, E, 1982 Teaching and Learning Languages (CUP) hup:/www.onestopenglish.com —_http:/;vww.bbe.co.uk/worldservice/learningengtish. ‘hetp://wwwhltmag.co.uk hutpz/iwww.etprofessional.com hup:/www.developingteachers.com _ http:/svww.iatefl.org otAbout the authors Roger Gower At present I'm writing EFL books, editing the Reviews section of the magazine Modern English Teacher, and working as a British Council Inspector ~ a varied bur somewhat exhausting life sometimes! ‘My teacher training work has taken me to Italy, Mexico, India, the UK, Iceland, Japan and Portugal. I am interested in all aspects of teacher training, in particular the practical skills that teachers with litle or no previous experience need 10 make them effective in the classroom. Thave also worked in ELT management as director of International House, London, Principal of the Bell Language School, Cambridge, and Operations Director for the Bell Educational Trust Diane Phillips have been a teacher of social science, sociolinguistics and English for thirty yeats, working with undergraduates, post-praduates and teachers in a number of different countries. Ihave a PGCE, MAs, and a PAD in Applied Linguistics from the universities of Cambridge and London. From 1984 until 2003 I worked for the Bell Educational Trust as a teacher, teacher trainer, materials wlter and manages, most recently holding the post of Head of Academic Management. Tam currently a lecturer with the Open University (teaching on the MA in applied linguistics) and a British Council inspector. am particulary interested in project work and portfolio assessment, especially with young learners, Steve Walters Tam an academic director at the Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE), I have done teacher training in more than 20 countries, and was instrumental in starting the RSA (now ULES) Certificate in TEFL, as well as being its first Chief Examiner.Chapter 1 Approaching teaching practice 1 Therole of TP ona teacher training course 2 Working with others 3 Your own attitude 4 What do observers do during TP? 5 Feedback on lessons 6 Keeping track ‘This chapter discusses the purpose of teaching practice (TP). Italso examines the roles played in TP by vou the trainee, by your supervisor, the other teachers and your fellow trainees. We also look at ways to get the maximum benefit from your ‘own lessons sind feedback sessions, and from those of your fellow trainees. 1 Therole of TP ona teacher training course Why have teaching practice on a course? ‘You can learn a lot abou teaching by discussing itand talking about materials and techniques but, like most skills, including using a language effectively, you can't really learn it without doing it. Itis one thing to describe what you are going to do in alesson, when you might be allowed to talk without interruption; itis quite another to carry it out when it includes a group of people who expect to contribute to the lesson and perhaps influence its progress. Before you teach stuclents who expect you to be able to do your job, there are obviously huge benefits in being able to try things out beforehand in a supportive atrnosphere, stich as TP should provide. What does TP practise? Ttnormally focuses on four areas 1 sensitivity to problems of language use for learne! 2. sensitivity to how learners learn, the skills they need, the strategies they employ and the problems they have; 3 classroom management skills; 4 teaching techniques. ‘What are the objectives of TP? Depending on the overall aims of a particular course and the stage that TP has reached, its objectives would normally be one or more of the following: ‘¢ to allow you to simulate or approach the real teaching situation under sympathetic supervision; ‘* toprovide you with an opportunity to try out techniques; ‘* toprovide an arena forassessments * toprovide you with an opportunity to have your teaching evaluated and constructively criticized;Chapier I Approaching teaching practice ‘# to provide an opportunity for you to get used to being observed (as observation ‘often forms part of teacher appraisal in many teaching institutions); « to encourage development of criteria for self-evaluation and self-awareness; tocreate a situation of gradually increased freedom so that you become increasingly more independent ~able to make decisions about what you teach ‘and how you teach « tohelp you develop your own teaching style; @ to provide you with exposure to real learners, their learning problems and the factors which inffuence their learning: ‘# to expose you to students ata range of levels and to develop an understanding of the differences of approach required; ‘« to develop your sense of responsibility for your students, Of course'TP should also provide genuine learning for the students involved. How is what to do on TP decided? Supervisors or tutors will probably give a lot of support and help initially, both ‘with what to teach and with techniques and materials to use. This detailed ‘guidance is often gradually withdrawn as trainees’ ability increases in identifying ‘the students’ language needs and in preparing activities and materials to satisfy them, ‘The aim of a lesson should initially be identified for you. Some supervisors like to give out beforehand a timetable or a syllabus of what you are to teach and how your lessons fit in with the students’ timetable and that of other teachers or trainees, Or you and your supervisor may discuss and decide the timetable ‘together — especially if you are the class's main teacher. The syllabus should ideally reflect both your needs and the students’ needs. Shouldn’t TP be based around the needs of the trainees? In some ways this is so and most courses ensure that a wide range of teaching skills are worked at. Butthe most effective way of meeting those needs is by making TP reflect the real situation as closely as possible: this ean only mean basing it, as far as possible, on what the students need to learn, How can particular skills and techniques be practised? Inmany of the following chapters there are references to a number of tasks. They don’t form a complete programme and no doubt you and your supervisor will be able to think of others. Some are intended simply to provoke discussion, others are of the ‘get up and do it'type and involve peer teaching —_where one trainee teaches and the other trainees actas students. ‘Does this mean that things have to be got right before going into TP? No. TPiis atime for experiment. Itis one of the few opportunities you may ever have for trying out a new idea and having one or more critical but supportive observers. When anything is tried out for the first time you are likely to make ‘mistakes. Sometimes, more can be learned from the lessons that don't go so well than from the great successes.2 Woking with overs How will I know ifI am making progress? ‘Through self-awareness Sensitivity won't really come until you have had experience and learned torelax with your students. As the basic classroom skills are mastered and different parts of a lesson are handled more confidently you should be able to stand back mentally and observe the class as itis going on, see what the students are doing well, what they are having problems with as well as how they are interacting as a group. You will gradually become more self-aware —of your particular strengths, and of areas where improvement is needed. Feedback from observers Other trainees (if they are available) and, of course, supervisors can help develop your awareness. They can sit back and observe what is going on ina more ‘objective way, unhindered by the nerves and anxieties of the teacher. Feedback from students ‘To help yourself is worth getting to know the students well, both inside and outside the classroom, not only to find out about their interests but also to give ‘them the opportunity of expressing what they feel their problems are with the language. They can provide useful feedback on your classes, both what they found useful and what they didn’t. ‘What should be the end result of TP? After TP you should: ‘» bemore aware of the language you are teachings ‘© be more aware of the factors that aid and impede learning in the classroom; ‘* be in control of basic classtoom management skills; ‘beable to plana series of lessons, perhaps based around published materials (uch as a coursebook), which are relevant to what the students need to learn be able to present, practise and revise language; ‘be able to use activities and materials that develop language skills; ‘© beable to help students develop their awareness of how they learn and what learning strategies suit thems ‘¢ beable to think critically and creatively about your own lessons. Working with others ‘During your training, asin most teaching situations, you will be liaising and co- ‘operating with other teachers: perhaps fellow trainees, TP supervisors, teachers to whom you are apprenticed, other teachers working in the institution. Working with a supervisor and/or a teacher to whom you are attached Inmost institutions this person's role is: « tohelp with lesson preparation; # toobserve critically; © togive helpful feedback.Chapter 1 Approaching teaching pracice “Make the most of your tutor’s experience and expertise. However, its vital that ‘you are not over-dependent on your tutor. Certainly ask for clarification of any Point you are supposed to be teaching — you can’t say to a group of students that ‘you don’tknow what you are supposed to be doing — even ask for your lesson plan tobe checked, provided there’s enough time for changes to be made. But your attitude is all-important: it shouldn't be I dont know howe to do it but I east sure ‘ote to do it but I thought this might work. What do you think? Expect to get less help as the course proceeds, You should always be moving positively towards independence and eventually you should get close to the real-life situation when ‘you may be working with litle or no help. Don’t blame the nutorif things go ‘wrong; you're the one with responsibility for the class while you are teaching it. ‘Respond positively to suggestions and criticisms by all means give your reasons for doing something, but try not to be defensive. Co-operating with other teachers working in the institution In addition to your supervisor or ‘attached” teacher other teachers can be a great help, For example, some may be prepared to give guidance as to what materials to ‘use or tell you what you need to know about particular students, They can also give you a good picture of what teaching is actually like. However, they ar¢ likely ‘tobe busy and preoccupied with their classes and shoulin’t be pestered ‘unnecessarily. Remember: if they are teaching the same students as you are, they ‘can make a big difference to how those students think of you. If you are observing, participating in or teaching another teacher's class its imperative that you do everything you can to co-operate with the group's main teacher, that you know what your role is and that you don’t tread on anyone’s toes by turning up late, interrupting at an inappropriate time, contradicting the teacher in front of the students, ete! “Try to behave professionally with colleagues (teachers and fellow trainees) from the start: ‘¢ Clean the board when you finish. Afyou rearrange the furniture return the room to the state you found itin, Return borrowed materials. Start and finish lessons on time. ‘Make sure you know how to use the machinery. Try notto break itand ifthe ‘worst does happen, reportit! It is also worth remembering that institutions have expectations as to your ‘behaviour and personal appearance, Be guided by the teachers as to what is considered appropriate. While a certain informality. may be acceptable, and indeed necessary to help the students relax, a lack of cleanliness and tidiness isn't ‘Ifyou are working with students who come from different cultures from your own ‘remember also that there are marked cultural differences as regards what is ‘considered to be appropriate dress. Aim to gain the respect of your students, not to embarrass them, Working with other trainees In many TP situations you'll be expected to work together in the preparation of classes and in the sharing of views after the classes. TP isn'ta competitive situation where one person's good lesson diminishes the value of someone else’.3 Youroenanitude Often in TP you're working as part of a team in which each member supports the others and you're tackling common problems. ‘+ Youmay work together on some of the tasks in this book. (See Introduction ‘Section 4: Howe 10 use this book.) ‘ Aswell as giving support, other trainees ean be an extremely useful resource. You can give one another ideas and information about language, resources and about students. +» You can offer constructive help in preparation, and check each other's plans. ‘TP isa good opportunity for you to talk about the students and classes with other people. ‘» You may be able to help in other ways: before a lesson — by being responsible for arranging the furniture and organizing equipment; during a lesson—by ‘being a time-keeper, indicating when someone teaching has only five minutes left, ete; after a lesson — by chairing a feedback session. You may co-operate in providing feedback on one another's teaching. This can take/a number of different forms, depending on the TP situation: ~ observing a fellow trainee’s lesson with a group of ‘volunteer’ students and siving feedback (see Chapter 1 Section 4: What do observers do during TP?)s ~ teaching a class with another trainee (team teaching) and evaluating the lesson together, afterwards; ~ taking part in a discussion group about lessons observed and taught with classes to which you are attached —reporting back to colleagues on what you ‘observed or what you taught; = observing a video of another traince’s lesson and giving feedback. As with other colleagues, itis important to be sensitive and professional in your relationship with fellow tramees. (See the points made under Go-operating with ‘other teachers working in the institution, above.) If you're teaching the same students as other trainees itis important to work together so that the lessons interrelate. Atthe very least make sure you keep fellow trainees informed about ‘what you've done and what you're planning to do with the class, ‘Your own attitude We can't change out personalities but we can alter the impression we give «by smiling ~that doesn’t mean you have to walk around with a fixed grin, but showing a friendly attitude warms the students to wu «by responding to what students say as communications try to respond naturally, show interest in what they say. Don’t treat every utterance as a model to be corrected or congratulated upon! «by finding out about the students, getting to know thems, ‘¢ by taking time, by showing an interest in both the learning and the personal interests of the students, Talk to them before and after the lesson. Notice if they are absent, etc; ‘+ by trying to enjoy their company as a groups © by showing that you are enjoying teaching them. class: At first you may have difficulty in understanding what some of your students are trying to say. With experience this will get much easier. Don’t panic! Apologize, say you didn't understand and be patient.Chapter | Approaching waching practice 4 What do observers do during TP? * Inmany situations you will be observed by your supervisor, perhaps by other trainees not teaching, and possibly by a trainee supervisor. Your supervisor will usually sit apart, and will probably take no part in the lesson but observe and note whatis happening. Ifyou are observing, let the trainee who is teaching concentrate on the students: © Sitapart from the students, * Be assilent and inconspicuous as possible (don't chat to other trainees!) « Trynot to make eye contact with the person teaching, «Never interrupt. There are obvious exceptions to this: when, for example, a trainee wants help with monitoring pairwork (pethaps in the early stages of a course), when supportive laughter might be helpful, or when you are helping the trainee with timing by indicating how much time is left. ‘You may be asked! to observe a particular aspect of a fellow trainee’s lesson, perhaps doing one of the observation tasks, such as Task 1 on-p27, or Task 1 on. p59. This may concern a whole general area, perhaps related to topics currently being dealt with on your course: for example, classroom management; aims; correction; interaction beteoven students. Or it might be more specific, perhaps relating toa problem that you know sou have: for example, instruction-givings eve contact; ‘concept’ checking, Observing how others perform in these areas can be ‘very helpful. Alternatively you may concentrate on problems that the trainee who is teaching has, Your supervisor may select an appropriate observation task or the trainees who are teaching may ask you to observe and give feedback on an aspect they are consciously working on in that particular lesson. Of course, all observers, should make notes as discreetly as possible when trainees are trying to concentrate on the lesson they are giving. Otherwise this can create unwelcome pressure! 5 Feedback on lessons ‘The timing and format of feedback can vary, depending on the TP situation. ‘Feedback is often given soon after you have finished teaching, though it can take place some time later — perhaps thé following day. Some supervisors like to give the trainees time to reflect on their own lesson and expect them to make written notes, Even if you are not required to do 30, from time to time you might like to do a critique of one of your lessons. If you need a checklist, try using the contents list ‘ofthis book, Where feedback is predominantly oral many supervisors also give out a copy of their written notes. You may be given individual feedback by your supervisor or the feedback may take the form of a group discussion. You may be asked to give your impression of the lesson first or the other trainees may be invited to ‘comtribute, perhaps by reporting back on an observation task, ‘The trainees who improve most quickly are those who recognize their strengths and weaknesses and are open to suggestions for improvement. ‘They respond positively, not defensively, to criticism —secing all feedback as an aid to improvement.6 Keeping rack Feedback on lessons can be frustrating and even seem unfair. This is often because: ‘© the students’ needs are rightly being considered first; ‘* youmay be trying out new ideas, totally unpractised. Thisis especially true if you are on a pre-service course and doing TP at the beginning of the course; ‘¢ You don’toften get the chance to have another go at something you messed up. But your supervisors are likely to be aware of these sorts of problems and will provide support. Listen carefully to what your supervisor says; you may want to make notes on your lesson plan. After each lesson itis worth noting the skills you have used and referring back to previous criticisms, In factif you have shown yourself to be good at some particular strategy it might be worth avoidling iton TR, to {ive yourselt practice overa wide range ot skills. Lon‘t worry about always showing. ‘your good side. Try to think of TP as practice even if it links to a qualification. Ifyou are asked to give feedback on other trainees’ lessons, try to do so tactfully. Wy on earth didn’t you shows everyone the picture?is likely to provoke a defensive reaction, whereas J don’s think everyone could se iis likely to be more helpful. Try to describe what you observed rather than making value judgements. Also, although ‘you will want to be supportive, itcan be just as unhelpful to overpraise a lesson as to ‘be overly critical. Remember: being aware ofthe effect language can have and being, able to offer non-deterring criticism are aspects of your job as a teacher. Keeping track Itis worth keeping TP file, even on courses where the tutor doesn’t require one to be handed in at the end for assessment. It could include lesson plans, reflections ‘on your own teaching, copies of supervisor's comments, examples of materials and visual aids used, students’ written work, You may like to ask fellow trainees for the plans of lessons you have seen them teach and offer yours in exchange. There ate further tips on how lesson plans ean be stored on p182. ‘You might also find it valuable to keep a personal diary of TP in which you reflect ‘on your successes and failures: what you did, how you felt, what you resolve to do in the light of these experiences. Ina diary you can include your feelings about your own TP lessons, those of colleagues, your reactions to ideas discussed in input sessions on the course and to any tasks and exercises you do. Articulating an experience can help not only to getit in perspective but to develop self-awareness generally as a teacher. As itis of essentially private value you may ‘or may not decide to show it to others. On some courses trainees are required to keepa'TP diary and inay be asked ( subunit part of w dieir supervisor. Further reading Parrott, M. 1993 sks for English Teachers (CUP) Scrivener, J. 1994 Learning Teaching (Heinemann) Wajnryb, R, 1992 Classroom Obsercation Tasks (CUP) Wallace, M. 1991 Training Foreign Language Teachers (CUP)