The second day of TESOL class. I
reached at CILA around 9am and all my peers were there. Krishnakumar, Komal,
Anu, and Lisa. David came to the class, turned on the OHP (overhead projector)
and started talking about how to teach English grammar and how not to do it.
The reason why students find learning grammar difficult is because of the poor
teaching skills of English teachers. If you want to teach grammar, first of all
you need to create a context and make the students engage and interested in the
topic you’re going to teach. Then you have to teach the grammar in a
communicative style( not just the teacher speaks blah, blah, blah and all
students in the class room passively listen to it and think, “oh god, grammar
sucks!). Communicative technique is like you make the students say all the
things you want to teach! And this kind of teaching requires enormous
preparation of lessons which normally no normal English teacher does. You ENGAGE
the students, and then they STUDY (the teaching part) and by the end of your
lesson you have to ACTIVATE (use the lesson they studied by speaking or
writing).
The
next class was about how to plan lessons from course books and from your heart!
It was done by Helen. We learn so many things in this session as well. Guided
observation was the next item. Anu and me went to an IELTS class room with
Helen. The rest of the three went another class room with David. Helen is going
to take a 35 minute class for her IELTS students. Anu and me will observe the
class by sitting the in back corner of the class. I have to notice everything
that she does in the class and I have to note it down in my Guided observation
journal. Later in the afternoon Helen will discuss it with us.
Its’
12:30, lunch time! We all had lunch together and we were so excited because
next session is Helen’s French class! She came to the class and explained that
the French lesson is tomorrow today we will be given all the instruction about
what to notice when she is taking the French class. We need to submit an
assignment called ‘Unknown Language Journal’ where we have to write all the
teaching techniques she used while teaching French, materials she used, how
effective the materials were etc. I was a bit disappointed that the French
lesson is starting only from tomorrow.
Next session is lesson planning.
Helen gave us the topics to teach for the IELTS students next day. we have to
create a detailed lesson plan before we take a step into the class. It has a
structure. You must write what your topic is , how you’re going to teach it,
and you have to explain the ‘why’ of ‘how’
! meaning you have to explain why are you teaching that particular point In
that way, what will be the benefit and so on.
The class was over at 5pm and I thought
I could finish the lesson plan quite easily from home. I walked home with ease. I finished the
glass of juice that was waiting for me on the table. Gracy aunty always does
it. After a quick chat with my roommates Jiju, Jomon, Sameer and Brar( new
arrival from Panjab to do IELTS from CILA) I opened my laptop, the text book
that I have to teach the lesson from. I started thinking of all the stages I’m
going to be doing the next day in the class room. And wrote the lesson plan in
detail, it took me around 4 hours to finish it! I know you wouldn’t believe it,
but come and do TESOL here and you’ll experience it I mean at least the first
day of your lesson planning. May be it’s only for me, I don’t know, maybe I’m
very slow, I don’t know. So tomorrow I have to go and teach! The terrible thing
is Helen will be in the classroom watching and noting every move of mine. And so
will be my peer Anupama. When one of us is taking lesson the next one should
take notes of the next one's teaching. So that’s it! Let’s see how things are gonna
work out tomorrow! And I’m looking forward to the French lesson too!
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