CELTA - Observation of Experienced Teacher

CELTA - Observation of Experienced Teacher 

To observe and reflect on an experienced TEFL teacher demonstating a lesson on a CELTA course to volunteer students 

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17 Video Interactions 


  1. 00:00:16 

    • In this video, one of the tutors at the ELTC, David, is demonstrating a lesson to his TP group for the second half of TP.
    • The group is lower intermediate level and this is his first lesson with them. It is a vocabulary and speaking lesson.
    • David is recording his voice with a microphone attached to him and the 'Swivl' camera at the back is moving when he does.
    • It is a bit tricky to hear all the learners' contributions so turn the volume up at times, but don't worry it is not always important.
    • The trainees are at the back table on the left as you are looking so ignore them.
    • The lesson was 1 hour 40 mins, but will be watching around 70 mins of it.
    • You will need some way of making notes to complete the 'Google Classroom' reflections later.
    • At times there will be screens interrupting the video, so just let the video run and follow the instructions that pop up.
    • Don't forget to add your comments on your reflections on 'Google Classroom' so that you have proved you have completed the observation.
    • You can click the 'thumbs up' and then the 'arrow' below when you are happy to continue.
     

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  2. 00:00:33 

    For the first 17 minutes or so David gets the students to predict and formulate questions to the answers about him on the board.

    We will skip this part and move to the main aims of the lesson - 'Places to Live'.

    As you watch try and answer the following questions:

    How do you think David set the context for the lesson?

    How did he make it engaging and motivating?

     

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  3. 00:00:34 

    17:40 

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  4. 00:21:15 

    David sets the context for the lesson by linking back to his introduction of himself and by using his flat as an example of a place to live. It was relevant to the learners context of living in Sheffield and because they too all live somewhere and may need to move in the future.

    He made it motivating and engaging by personalising the example to him, using photos on the IWB and linking it the students' situation in Sheffield.

    After telling the students the main aim of the lesson, David moves on to teaching some more vocabulary connected to 'places to live'.

    As you watch the next part, focus on how David sets up the vocabulary task and what do you think the task is designed to do? 

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  5. 00:23:16 

    David sets up the activity using the block of flats as an example of one of the places to live he is sure they now know. He holds up the handout and has it on the IWB as he gives the instructions. He modifies his teacher talk to be clear and concise. He gives a time (and changes it!). He checks the instructions by asking individuals. He uses gestures to group the students. He then gives the worksheet out after making sure they understand (and have seen it on IWB). He monitors the task quickly by 'looking' at most groups to see if they are on task.  He does interrupt them to remind them of an important instruction (maybe he forgot or because of the quick initial monitoring).  He uses a timer to make sure he is giving the correct amount of time.

    As you watch the task, think about what is the aim of it and what he is doing as it is happening? 

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  6. 00:26:15 

    The task is designed to check the students' existing knowledge of any of the words and to allow them to work together to learn from each other.

    While the students are on task, David alternates between monitoring the groups, getting involved when appropriate with comments and some feedback, and preparing items for the next part of the lesson. He goes back and forth quickly and gets round all the groups. He doesn't give too much feedback at this stage.

    In the next stage, focus on how David manages the feedback and how he uses techniques to present, elicit, concept check, drill and correct the new words? Remember this is a speaking lesson. 

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  7. 00:36:06 

    David gets the students attention before moving to the feedback and presentation part of the lesson. He uses the pictures of the different places to live to help present the meaning and uses clear, efficient explanations to support this. He elicits the meaning from the students where possible and uses concept checking questions at times to focus on areas of meaning that might cause difficulty. David actively drills the students as a group and individually, using 'back-chaining' for more complex words (saying the syllables backwards). He often tries to indicate if a student has incorrectly pronounced a word with gestures, facial expression, asking to repeat, indicating the error to improve, providing a correct model or prompting using first letters or syllables. David constantly recycles and recaps the words to make sure as many students as possible understand them better. He doesn't write the word down at all and asks the students not to either - he may be trying to focus the lesson on speaking and pronunciation as with his aims, but it is still a good idea to let students see the written form too when working on pronunciation.

    As you watch next, what does David use in the feedback as a springboard to the next activity? How does this next activity help the students to learn the new words? 

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  8. 00:41:34 

    David gets the students to test each other on the meaning of the words against the pictures as a controlled practice task. He then focuses on the written form of the words and in particular the spelling.

    In the next part of the lesson, David wants to move on to some freer practice tasks.  Do the tasks get the students speaking and how does David set them up, do they encourage the use of the target vocabulary and what is David doing as they happen? 

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  9. 00:50:45 

    The students certainly seem engaged and the questions in the task were designed to personalise the topic to the students' own countries and to encourage the use of the new words. It also allowed for speaking fluency practice too. David tries not to be overly intrusive but listens to the students discreetly (often from the front) focusing in on certain pairs/groups , and uses his eyes to see who is actively participating and on task. He also uses the time to prepare for the next part of the lesson and to note down some of the students' language. He varies the grouping from pairs to tables and sets new speaking tasks to keep the students engaged and sets up a feedback approach (a student nominated spokesperson). He monitors each group to remind them of some key instructions. David is aware of the need to rearrange the room to make best use of the space.

    How does David next manage the feedback and make use of and respond to what he hears to aid the learning in the lesson? 

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  10. 01:00:41 

    The students chosen by the group are able to produce some of the words and the task did encourage cultural awareness. David responds not only to the content with questions, comments and noises but to the language too, by echoing back the target language, some corrections of pronunciation and using gestures to clarify meaning. He also responds to the task itself, by thanking and praising the contributions.

     

    David then moves the students into where you would look for new places to live and elicits ideas from the students.  He then goes on to get students to research some words and phrases that will be needed later in another speaking task.  We will skip over when the students are doing that.  

    After the video skips, focus on how David regroups the students and why? 

      

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  11. 01:00:44 

    70:48 

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  12. 01:13:19 

    David regroups them with a numbering technique and gestures clearly to organise this. The regrouping allows for mixing up more or less dominate students and for them to have another reason for speaking to transfer their new ideas and knowledge to others.

    Again we will skip over the students doing this. Remember that these tasks are in preparation for some speaking later.

    How does David approach the feedback (after the skip) for this pre-speaking task this and what does he focus on? 

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  13. 01:13:24 

    78:28 

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  14. 01:29:51 

    David spends time setting up the final speaking group task, eliciting ideas from the students on important aspects of selecting somewhere to live. He gives the instructions clearly and checks them.

    How do you think the task will work? Will it get the students speaking and why? Will it encourage the use of all the target language presented in the lesson?

    We will skip over the groups deciding where to live and focus on what you would expect David to be doing as the students speak and how David manages the feedback on the task.

     

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  15. 01:29:56 

    94:20 

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  16. 01:39:06 

    David tries to discreetly monitor the students and listen to what they are saying. He occasionally redirects the learners back on to the task, makes come comments on the content of what they are saying or corrects some language with interrupting the fluency of the students. Also, he is noting down some of the what the students say for delayed feedback and error correction after the task is finished.

    Finally look at how David finishes the lesson. What does it include and why? 

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  17. 01:41:33 

    The lesson ends with some corrections from the speaking, in particular any items of target language that needed recapping or any other noticed language that caused difficulty for quite a few students.

    Remember to now add you reflections about the lesson observation on google classroom so we know you have completed this observation. 

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