Reflective Summary

            “Teachers who engage in reflective practice can develop a deeper understanding of their teaching, assess their professional growth, develop informed decision-making skills, and become proactive and confident in their teaching” (Farrell, 2008). Reflecting on your teaching helps acknowledge your weaknesses and strengths, which is the utmost motivation to continue. 

            My experience as an ESL practitioner during my teaching practicum at York International School, Sapugaskanda can be considered a milestone in my career. There, I could implement the knowledge and expertise I received as a TESL undergraduate at the University of Kelaniya in an authentic teaching-learning environment. During the internship, I was given two grade 3 classes (3A and 3B) comprising 15 and 17 ESL students, respectively, and that was yet another novel experience, for I had no prior experience in teaching young learners. Apart from that, I was appointed as a relief teacher, where I associated with students from other grades and taught them occasionally. My classes were diverse in gender and ability: some hyperactive students made classroom management challenging, as well as silent participants. Utilizing differentiated instructions and student-centered teaching theories, I created a stress-free learning experience where the learners enjoyed learning during my internship. Ultimately, reflecting on the one month as a student teacher shed light on self-evaluating the effective and ineffective aspects of the lessons, the materials used in the appropriateness of the teaching methodologies employed, students’ reactions to lessons, and the professional the growth I gained through the experience.

            Teaching young learners were always unpredictable. While reflecting on those classroom incidents, I could ascertain the effective and ineffective aspects of the lessons. I developed the Lessons according to the ‘work of plan’ provided by the school aligned with Nelson’s English Pupil and Student Books 3. Even though the syllabus prioritized grammar and vocabulary, I could incorporate developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing in each lesson. The progression students made during my practicum was significant in vocabulary knowledge and grammar, and thus, it is evident that the efficacy of the learning that took place during my practicum predominantly depended on the strengths and weaknesses of the materials and activities I used for my lessons. I frequently used hands-on activities, agreeing with Daniel’s (2006) argument that they give the young students the ability to think critically, retain the information, and make it concrete. The puzzle cards, bingo sheets, and songs, that I used in the classroom for free practice helped the students retain the knowledge I delivered during the lesson.

Disciplinary Chart

            The needs analysis observation I conducted before starting the teaching practice made me realize that the lessons often lack student-teacher interaction, inculcating a mundane atmosphere in the classroom. Focusing on that, I implemented a student-centered teaching approach, adopting Task-Based Language Teaching[1], Behaviorism[2], Gamification[3], and Total Physical Response (TPR)[4] in the classroom. My teaching practice had the basis of task-based language teaching, and Gagne’s 'nine events of learning'[5] helped to adopt the appropriate lesson plans. Starting by coining attractive materials to prompting free-practice I was able to “blend the exogenous instructions with the learner’s endogenous cognitive learning process and retention where individual diversity, learner’s readiness and motivation to learn are perfectly reflected” (Mei, Ramli, & Al Hertani, 2015). Teaching young learners, I could utilize behaviourism theory to its maximum. For a student-teacher, getting the students' sole attention was challenging for me during the lesson. As a solution, I used a settler activity[6] incorporating classical conditioning and accustomed the students to pay attention, after which I could start the lesson in a focused environment. I used positive reinforcements, whenever a student performs well in the class, they are awarded a sticker on their disciplinary chart by which they are awarded at the end of the term. Gamification [7]helped to add a sense of competitiveness with positive peer pressure and extrinsically motivating students to perform better. Thus, utilizing the pedagogical knowledge I gained from university, I could conduct a successful teaching practicum adhering to my teaching philosophy of valuing the effort of making the learning process an entertaining task but an obligation. 

 

            Even though I went to the classroom well-equipped with perfect lesson plans and confidence, the events I encountered were always unpredictable. As a student teacher, it took me several days to obtain to the quick-wittedness of a teacher in managing a classroom. I realized I should always have a backup plan when things go askew. In those situations, I used settlers, silent treatment and negative reinforcements. Further, I realized that instructional time should be improved, because oftentimes, during tasks, students repeatedly asked for instructions, that I believe was due to insufficient instructions. Thereupon instructional time for the lessons was expanded. Moreover, I used instruction-checking questions for confirmation.

 

            Ultimately, the professional growth I received from the teaching practicum was immense. Particularly in student management, I received an immeasurable practice while managing young learners, which is considered a challenge in teaching. In overwhelming situations where the classroom decorum is violated, I learned that adding more chaos to chaos by trying to be authoritative is unsuccessful and that managing a calm and patient demeanour is the best alternative. Moreover, I practiced material development catering to the students' needs and nature, that is another valuable expertise. 

 

            To conclude, the month I practised as an ESL practitioner helped me to succeed as a professional educator, adhering to my teaching philosophy of valuing the effort of making the learning process an entertaining task but an obligation. And I believe I left a positive memory in the students' learning journey through the little tokens of gratitude I received. 

 References

Malamed, C. (2012b). Book Review: “The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and Strategies For Training And Education” by Karl Kapp. ELearn Magazine, 2012(5). https://doi.org/10.1145/2207270.2211316

Mei, F. S. Y., Ramli, S. B., & Al Hertani, N. A. (2015). Application of Gagne’s nine approaches to teach Arabic language for non-native speakers: Experimental study at Sultan Idris Education University Malaysia (UPSI). European Journal of Language and Literature, 1(3), 32–37.

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[1] Prabhu (1980)

[2] Watson (1924)

[3] Pelling (2002)

[4] Asher (1960)

[5] (i) capturing attention; (ii) disseminating learning objectives; (iii) stimulating retention of prerequisite learning; (iv) highlighting the stimulus material; (v) giving learning guidance; (vi) presenting the performance; (vii) giving feedback about performance correctness; (viii) evaluating the performance; and (ix) developing memory (Wong, 2018)

[6] When the teacher “1-2-3 eyes on me”, the students shout “1-2-3 eyes on you” from wherever they are and pay attention to the teacher.

[7] Gamification is the process of "engaging people, motivating action, promoting learning, and solving issues utilizing game-based mechanics, aesthetics, and game thinking. (Malamed, 2012)