SELF-REFLECTION
OVERVIEW
The following is a critical self-reflection based on a video of myself introducing a grammar writing task to students during Week 8 of our Community English Course. Video of this can be seen here.
TRANSCRIPTION
Teacher: Again, not a trick question. What’s the activity? Read the instructions. Someone tell me what you guys are going to do. [Student’s] cheating. He's halfway done. [Student] what are we doing since you obviously know?
[Student]: On top?
Teacher: Yes, so tell me...don't read the instructions, just tell us what we’re doing. Yeah.
[Student]: Okay. I fill in the chart.
Teacher: Um-hm.
[Student]: So uh...So what should I do?
Teacher: You're just filling in the chart, right?
[Student]: Yeah.
Teacher: So you’re filling in the chart. What are you doing with the two blank rows at the bottom? Anyone? [Student], what are the two blank rows for? It's in the instructions. Okay, so, I'll just tell you. Um, so I want you guys to fill in the chart, obviously. Um, use the first two that are completed as examples. Okay? So, uh, [Student], can you read the first example? Valentine’s Day?
[Student]: Valentine’s Day is the day when we give flowers, cards and candy to our loved ones.
Teacher: Okay, and then [Student] can you read Halloween?
[Student]: Halloween is the night when we dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating.
Teacher: Yeah. Okay, so I want you guys to fill in the chart in the same formula, using this. So the moment, date or event is given in April Fool’s Day, the 4th of July, and Thanksgiving. So that's already there. Then you have “to be,” which is your next column, your noun phrase, then “when” and then your additional information. So I gave you April Fool’s Day because I’m not sure you guys know what April Fool’s Day is. Um, but the 4th of July and Thanksgiving, you’ll have to come up with your own. And then the last two rows that are blank are for you guys to use to talk about two holidays in your own country. So you guys have already kind of done this, so you’ve got some prep. So I just want you to write a sentence using the formula for a relative clause of time. Do it on your own at first, then we’ll get into groups to go over answers. So give yourself about five minutes - five, six minutes - to fill in the chart. Let me know if you guys have questions. If you don’t know what any of the holidays are. If you don’t understand any of the vocab.
ANALYSIS
This video shows the instruction stage of a grammar lesson. In the video, I have presented the concept of relative clauses of time to the students. We have come up with a formula for the grammar point and I have handed out a worksheet for the students to work on individually. Instead of instructing the students verbally, I have chosen to have the students read the written instructions on the worksheet provided and then explain to me what task they are to do. I have used this technique in the past with this class successfully. However, this time, the students failed to explain the task on their own, so I chose to give the instructions verbally in the end.
I initially chose to have the students explain the task to me as a way of changing up the usual instruction-comprehension check dynamic. In most lessons, we give our instructions verbally and ask questions on the key aspects throughout to make sure the students understand what it is they are to do. I felt that having students read the instructions and summarize gives the students a bit more agency. I also like to use this technique to cut down on Teacher Talking Time. As can be seen from my transcription, instead of having students speak more than me, as I had desired, this instructions section of my lesson was primarily me speaking.
After viewing this video a few times, there is one major change I would make. Instead of giving in and explaining the activity myself, upon review, I would have broken the written instructions up, having a different student summarize each sentence. This would have kept the instruction phrase of the lesson in line with my initial intentions, as well as insured the students speak more.