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This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned:
Teacher Self-analysis
Being a teacher involves more than simply turning up to a lesson with a course book and activities, teaching the material and then that being the end of it until the next lesson. How do we know that we have done a good job or not? An important part of teaching is using self-reflection at the end of each lesson or at the completion of a particular topic etc. The idea of self-reflection or also known as self-analysis, is for the teacher to be able to reflect on the lesson and decide what things worked well and what things didn’t work so well. For example, you have a lesson plan which you have followed but found that although the activity sounded good, once tried in the class room it was unsuccessful. If something works well, think about what it was about the activity that made it successful and make some notes. It may have been successful but you may be able to think of a way of making it even better next time. Do the same for activities that didn’t work well and think about what it was about the activity that made it unsuccessful. For example, a role play which should have been fun was a disaster because the students were all new to the class and felt completely out of their comfort zone having to do a role play in front of others. Therefore, the role play activity as a learning tool is something that should not be used until later into the course when students are more familiar and comfortable with each other. If we do not take the time to reflect on these things then we are likely to make the same mistakes again and again. We also need to think about our teaching skills by asking ourselves questions such as; do I provide purpose, direction and motivation while teaching? Do I provide a variety of activities and resources that meet the needs of all students? Do I encourage students to ask questions? Do I allow sufficient time for tasks to be completed? Do I give adequate explanations etc? One way to identify our strengths and weaknesses is to list your strong points by writing down those strengths on a piece of paper as well as making a list for your weaker points. Once written down you can take pride in your stronger points and think about ways that you can improve on your weaker points. It is important that the teacher knows what is expected of them and that they meet those expectations. If we can identify our own strengths and weaknesses then we can arrange to take part in some professional development to build on the skills that we are lacking. For example, we may feel very comfortable using particular teaching methods but not very confident using others. By recognizing and building on those weaker skills then makes the teacher feel more confident which is reflected in their teaching. Self-reflection or self-analysis is seen as a way of ensuring quality teaching and best practice. Because we do not have anyone watching over us and telling us what we could try differently, it is up to us to work it out for ourselves and take the necessary steps to continually improve.
Being a teacher involves more than simply turning up to a lesson with a course book and activities, teaching the material and then that being the end of it until the next lesson. How do we know that we have done a good job or not? An important part of teaching is using self-reflection at the end of each lesson or at the completion of a particular topic etc. The idea of self-reflection or also known as self-analysis, is for the teacher to be able to reflect on the lesson and decide what things worked well and what things didn’t work so well. For example, you have a lesson plan which you have followed but found that although the activity sounded good, once tried in the class room it was unsuccessful. If something works well, think about what it was about the activity that made it successful and make some notes. It may have been successful but you may be able to think of a way of making it even better next time. Do the same for activities that didn’t work well and think about what it was about the activity that made it unsuccessful. For example, a role play which should have been fun was a disaster because the students were all new to the class and felt completely out of their comfort zone having to do a role play in front of others. Therefore, the role play activity as a learning tool is something that should not be used until later into the course when students are more familiar and comfortable with each other. If we do not take the time to reflect on these things then we are likely to make the same mistakes again and again. We also need to think about our teaching skills by asking ourselves questions such as; do I provide purpose, direction and motivation while teaching? Do I provide a variety of activities and resources that meet the needs of all students? Do I encourage students to ask questions? Do I allow sufficient time for tasks to be completed? Do I give adequate explanations etc? One way to identify our strengths and weaknesses is to list your strong points by writing down those strengths on a piece of paper as well as making a list for your weaker points. Once written down you can take pride in your stronger points and think about ways that you can improve on your weaker points. It is important that the teacher knows what is expected of them and that they meet those expectations. If we can identify our own strengths and weaknesses then we can arrange to take part in some professional development to build on the skills that we are lacking. For example, we may feel very comfortable using particular teaching methods but not very confident using others. By recognizing and building on those weaker skills then makes the teacher feel more confident which is reflected in their teaching. Self-reflection or self-analysis is seen as a way of ensuring quality teaching and best practice. Because we do not have anyone watching over us and telling us what we could try differently, it is up to us to work it out for ourselves and take the necessary steps to continually improve.
