First teaching experiences

TP2 surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. I had been very nervous but once I started teaching the time flew by and I loved the class interaction. Now the challenge is to ensure that I achieve the lesson aims.

Lesson planning is much harder than I thought it would be and more absorbing. Trying to structure lessons to builds on skills and vocabulary is a skill I hope to master!

I come from a family of teachers - my grandmother, who left school at 16, used to tutor Maths at her kitchen table and help failing students pass their M and A levels. My mother and aunts were all teachers too. I am starting to understand just how rewarding teaching can be.

Eliciting vocabulary

Sometimes you plan a lesson really well but it still doesn't go in the direction you think it will. One of my early lessons had me eliciting adjectives about people. I was asking my students about their experiences with the people of Cape Town and I was expecting words like happy, friendly, hard-working, fun-loving. Instead I got 'like gangsters'.

Aims

So finally I think I am getting to see just how important the aims are in lesson planning. How they must come first and everything else is tied to them. How they are not just words on a page. It's like a puzzle - how best to present a concept, keeping students engaged and learning, with the focus on them learning, not me teaching.

Functional language

Teaching directions when you don't know your left from your right is challenging. Having been lost in foreign countries, I know how hard it can be not just to ask for directions, but to understanding from listening where to do.

I really enjoyed creating a map that could be used in the lesson. I used Powerpoint - not something I usually use - but it was easy and effective.

Theories and approaches

Wow, so many different ways to teach! I do like the Task-based approach.