Experiences of a teacher of English

  So we may be about to start a new school year. Today I wanted to tell you something that might help you out, not complicate your already heavy workload. Think of what I’m telling you today. Just think of it.  And this concerns second language teachers or whatever school subject you teach. Are you ready?  The point is each lesson you conduct in class should mean one step forward for your dear students’ learning and acquiring that foreign language. No step forward, no good, perhaps you’ve got to set out again what you’re doing in class.  Well, there may be other problems in your classes, but if you’ve read so far you may be trying to improve your lessons.  Thus it may result for your students to advance quite much or a bit much about using one language skill, like speaking. Or progressing regarding the four language skills in a string of well planned activities – in no way do I intend to complicate your daily lesson planning.  And that’s one of the things I...

  I also know that most of you are or may be busy and committed teachers. I was wondering if write about this topic or not, but in the end I’ve decided to write about it, yes, let’s go with it.  As I said, you may be hectic teachers, yet I presume that you devote some time of your valuable and precious time to just thinking about what you do in class, so you can improve your teaching work, also precious as it is, indeed. Because you wish your dear students learn effectively.  I mean, the happy teacher – busy he or she may be though – knows how to extract some time for thinking about their dear students and how they can learn better and more effectively.  I knew a teacher who used to dedicate some time for example at the end of the school year to think and write down some points about his lessons: how they had proceeded, you know, how they’d improved that past year, how could they improve next year, what points are paramount for bettering those lessons, what points I ...

We are just before a new school year or we are starting it. And we may not know how that school year will develop, and whether we will teach face-to-face or remotely (!).  Anyway, we may be planning the curriculum or syllabus. I’m working on it.  You know what? When carrying out that curriculum and trying to think what the most important thing is, I have concluded, very quickly, as if by intuition and not by some deep and heavy and long reasoning, that the most important thing is… that my students should be happy!  They should be happy while learning.  I teach adults, but the same may be applicable if you teach kids. Those students should be happy. Also I should be happy.  When I say happy I mean they should be treated nice by me in the classroom. Only in that way will they learn English, which is what I teach. Otherwise… they would learn less, if anything at all.  I must treat my students as human persons and with all the dignity they deserve.  Also ...

Lesson plans, syllabuses, course planning, official planning for the school principal, more rush planning for the headmaster… Okay, I concede all that is necessary. Okay it is, indeed. But as well I keep so small a piece of paper where I wrote the main lines I have to take into account to proceed into the school year plus what my dear students do need along the rest of that school year.  Also I’ve written something on it that I could consider for next school year.  I reckon that small piece of paper, with its 10 points, is of a paramount importance to offer my students and my school some nice work until we end the school year. As well it’s something useful, for I can have a peek at it and plan next lessons, taking into account what is significant for my students in order to learn and acquire English as a second language.  That little sheet of paper is like the quintessence of my teaching on coming days and weeks. Later on I could add some new point or c...

  I wrote for example on post #3300 that to have one goal for the syllabus or program may be okay. That is not against having more goals in relation to the syllabus, of course! So to have one goal, a general one for each class-group is okay, for the oncoming days. Now when planning the lessons we teachers can bear in mind that general goal we had thought of, and so adjust the activities of that lesson toward that goal. One goal or objective per class-period seems right. Two ones at the utmost respect. In other words we will plan our nice lessons with that general goal at sight, in view. The point is to try to meet our students’ needs and expectations. Plus planning lessons in a smart and productive way. / Photo from: QiGe87 com. The picture is a season one: rainy perhaps, rather cold… in the north hemisphere of our adorable planet, the one we have to take care of and teach our students in that educative direction!

  With two of the class-groups I currently have I’ve proceeded in a different way than usually. I’ve started the classes first, and when I realize and make out their levels I’ll make up my planning and programming the whole school year. First I want to learn about those new students – adults – and only then will I plan their general syllabus. Ordinarily I plan the syllabus first, and then I start my classes. Better said, I get a general planning or syllabus beforehand and then, when I’ve taught several classes I point out the main strokes or points about the learning process they could follow; their syllabus, in a single word. Something that helps me a lot is taking to the classroom some lesson planning for each class-period: when I stop to think about each class-group I think of what they need the most, and thus, as I can remember what I’ve thought for each class-group. In that way I can teach something more specific for each class-group: I have several class-group...

  The committed teacher! The committed teacher will for sure dedicate some time – which may be not paid anyway! – to think of some basic general points about the school year that is about to start. It depends on the teacher but some of them are used to thinking about that new school year afresh, starting from some general points toward something more punctual. And when thinking in general, he will think: What can I expect from my new students, or from the students I had last year? Or also: What main aims should I have before the new school year? And he’ll think of one or two general goals. And he will also dream high about his doing and what his students are going to do. And he can think of these points while strolling along a park or the countryside or wherever, or when right opposite his computer, before planning that school year. What I mean is that before the actual planning he should ask himself what he has to do and what his students have to do, at the view...

  Psychologist Leonard Sax states that it might be dangerous and hurting to treat young people or kids as if they were grown-ups, and I wrote something about this on post #3212. You know, I think that in some way we could treat our young students as they are, in accordance with their age, okay, but a bit older than they really are. In that way we foster their freedom and responsibility. Even we could treat them a bit better that they really are – otherwise they will become even worse... We can assign them small jobs in the classroom, of course. My experience says that we can treat kids by counting on them and trusting them somewhat even quite a lot. We can also talk to and with them by recognizing they’re intelligent persons, persons with some discernment, some growing discernment. They can’t direct the syllabus, the program and the rhythm of teaching but we can demand from them to get nice grades. We teachers must appeal their responsibility and we’ll gain quite mu...

  I reckon we teachers should plan each and every lesson, and we have websites with material by real teachers, and that’s pretty nice. Also we should think of a specific goal or a few goals for those lessons we plan. For example: to give a summary of a text by speaking, and that’s also okay. Sometimes the objective or goal can be more general, as for instance to practice speaking. But do we teachers have specific goals for the whole school year? It’d be sensible and you may agree with that assertion. In other words, we should propose short-termed goals and long-termed ones as well. Alike we could concretize some tendencies, which could be trends our dear students should take over time, but they’re not very specific goals, like to gain a communicative competence in English, which is the language I teach, as you know. Or I help my students learn. Those tendencies are like attitudes we foster at lessons. Sometimes we’ll plan just activities, but with an implicit goal i...

At college, Albert Einstein found a professor that was open to his students’ suggestions about the syllabus or academic year’s planning they would immediately start.  Thus he could orientate his likes and future professional career, according with his trends and tendencies.  I’m not sure this way is the best, but at least it was opened to the students’ preferences. Oh, this reminds me of flipped classroom: kinda the students prepare the stuff they’ve gotta learn on their own, before the teacher would present the stuff.  In some USA schools this system is working fine, as far as I know. / Photo from: MartianDiff_PIC3 nerdist com. notice the person on the circular part of the spacecraft, the one isn’t dressed in a spacesuit, can you see it?

Silence.  Serenity.  A teacher of English language or other tongues or other school subjects needs silence and serenity, to think, to meditate, to consider his teaching, also about his students, and the way he teaches.  The teacher needs to detach and retire from the school to make up a deeper consideration and evaluation of his work and the way he treats his students and how much he can demand from them – it would be a pity the teacher would demand little from students who can reach high.  The teacher needs also to dream high about what his students can reach, communicating with other people in English, French or whatever language. / Photo from: hikers-north-view www bcliving ca

Yesterday August 31 I received an email from my coordinator summoning us teachers of English to have a short meeting to basically prepare and plan the academic year we start today.  I can assure you I’m longing for the starting this year.  Yesterday too I thought of various points to bring up at the meeting. All for our dear adult students! Actual classes will start soon I hope! / Photo from: p22 meeting Rox-Harvey Finkle thenotebook org

Self-examination.  That’s a thing we teachers have to do from time to time, rather frequently, even every day or week.  To examine if I  am   as a teacher fulfilling the objectives and aims I planned and thought of at the beginning of the academic year.  Are my students speaking in English? How much? for example.  Also this examining oneself is thinking of the over all of the progress of my class-groups.  Often it’ll be something done at once, in Latin it’s said in ictu oculi , or at a look of my class-groups. / Photo from: man-using-laptop-web afta com 

It seems sound to plan classes, so it’s sensible to take class notes to your class.  You can turn to them for example if you get lost and have to carry on the class.  Some teachers follow their class notes all the time.  Furthermore if you plan the class you can think of one or two major aims, like “They must speak in English” – that’s the big scheme. / Photo from: firefighter www giantbomb com

These days before we have our students opposite us at their desks are a chance also to dream, to dream high but realistically, about what our classes may be.  For planning a program for the academic year, I think the teacher should combine dreaming and with his feet stepping on realistic ground.  We shouldn't think low about our students, taking into account what we can expect. When treating them with affection and love of benevolence and a good class management, we and they can reach high, higher than what we expected at the beginning of the course. I believe so. Although our classes are mix-ability ones. / The photo is a mere illustration

Your department director may ask you to do it; anyway it’s pretty good for you to make it up: a memoir of the course.  This comprises the most relevant points, first for your own teaching labor.  For example you can make up a brief memoir including the goals your students have achieved;  kids with whatsoever problems;  things that have turned out well;  experiences;  something about the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing;  discipline and class management experiences;  something short about your treating families... / Photo from: Teacher at Computer sm(2)   www nikkoladanielassociates co uk

Teacher A said to teacher B, “When teaching English or another language you have to face your school general lines, such or such course book, the department chief’s lines, etc.  Anyway, remember that you’ve got to meet your students’ necessities, expectations, likes and dislikes, and fashion from a general view.  Remember also that you’ve got to take into account and bear in mind that the school subject of English must serve the purpose of preparing the students for their future life, which is near, not far away.  Bear also in mind that English is a practical school subject: you must provide your students with the instruments (the language) to face life and actually to communicate with real people.” / Photo from: sigecampus eu. student  spanish language teachers programs       

Teacher A said to teacher B, “A lot of things could be said about planning a course, a program, or an academic year, but I’m going to say that for my course with retired people I just thought of implementing the thread: get to say words, then phrases, then sentences, then presentations or descriptions of pictures.  And now I don´t remember I had thought of other objectives.  However, what I've done was to compose worksheets for those grateful students. They’ve been some of my best students ever. For other courses I usually plan more stuff.” / Photo from: pscbs gov rw. meeting with HIDA staff

One day teacher A said to teacher B, “Your students gaze you take to the classroom some sheet of paper where you planned that day’s class. They see this day after day. They also see you have a glance to those notes from time to time.  That is an interesting point. Your students notice you plan each class, taking into account what fits a more general planning or curriculum or syllabus. In other words, what fits their advance and progress of learning English [or any other modern language].  And what is more, you try each one of them advance in their mastering the language, and setting a real communication in the classroom.  Go on that way. Your students, likely, will take the school subject of English more consciously and seriously. You’re creating a sound atmosphere of learning English.” / Photo from: fanpop com. Girl Reading books to read 64022_1528_1920

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “As it comes to my mind, the most important thing for a curriculum (or syllabus) of a course, both in summer and in winter, is to sort out what students should learn and practice along the time allotted to that course. In other words, the goals, mainly concerning communication, I prudently think students should reach at the end of the course. I could tell you many more things about the curriculum of the school subject of English, but anyhow, I’m stopping here today.” / Photo from: kimleatechnical org. Kimlea Technical Training Centre, in Tigoni, Kenya