on preparation 

To plan a lesson, especially for a microteaching session it should have a focus and be related. So I chose the graphic organization, tried to transform it into a more attractive and effective one which was able to trigger the following teaching activity. It could be vocabulary, sentence pattern or expansion. In order to accomplish my idea I arranged the sentence pattern in the answers to the questions that were listed on the graphic organize. Then, I supposed the teaching could be transferred to sentence pattern smoothly. Thus, the main teaching activity would be focus on these patterns. And I started to complete my plan from this conception.

Next I found the expansion to be the assignment and when I decided to apply it in pair work; I just divided the class by the different marks on the first worksheet from the very beginning. I thought that would be fairer and surprised to students. After setting the opening and closure I backed to the body and designed the activities based on the textbook. Between the activities I made effort on the interaction; to imagine what would happen and how would the students feel. That’s why I prepared some visual materials I simply wanted to make my plan be more interesting and effective. In the meanwhile, what I was doing recalled me that a lesson plan was like a map, and a textbook was a guide book which contains much useful information.

on presentation 

Before standing on the stage, I thought that I had already prepared everything I could do and also taught privately many times. But I realized that all were just “preparation”, how to present it was totally another thing. In front of the class, I felt like naked. The only thing that I wore was my smile. According to the part I didn’t present well or those I even didn’t deliver, I understood that’s not because of the time, but due to my poor ability of language use. The feedback from the classmates also pointed out the problem of my presentation.

I was truly thankful for the comments from you guys. Although you said that I was active, humorous and interesting, I knew that most of my presentation was just myself, not much related to the language itself. Frankly to say, I even wrote a draft for my presentation word by word. But when I on the stage the language I used was almost different from it. I suddenly realized that what I could speak out without hesitation was exactly what I have really learnt. Those I prepared were all depended on the dictionary and the internet… It’s time to enter the practical word, to be an intern, there must be more challenges waiting. And to be cute was just for fun but not effective to teaching at all… WAKE UP!!!!!!   

 Unit Two- Hey, Thanks!

ÜTime: 50 minutes

ÜMaterials:

   ‧worksheet1 (Wh questions for reviewing reading)

‧worksheet2 (Exercise B for sentence pattern 2)

‧worksheet3 (Writing form for homework)

‧word cards (for the sentence patterns)

‧Paper-made crown (For the price in Exercise B for sentence pattern 2)

‧Text book

ÜPurpose:

‧Guide students review the reading of Unit Two.

‧Learn the sentence patterns: such + N + that-clause

                                               so+ adj./adv.+ that-clause

                                               Indirect speech: S + V (+O) + if/whether-clause

‧Have students interview each other about their best friend.

‧Have students create writing to describe the friendship they learn form the interview.

ÜProcedure:

I just wanted to be a student, a real one in today’s microteaching class…. And I found myself reached it! Since I paid attention to the lesson or chatted with Oscar naturally, that’s exactly what I do in normal class. In this kind of condition, I learned more; not only about the teaching but what the teachers teaching.

“If this training is not necessary to reach your ultimate goal, think of it as ways to improve your English proficiency.”  I remember the comment which Alice gave to me when I felt upset in the beginning of the course. Actually I believe that I have gained much more than English learning now. What I have really learned is expression.

Sometimes teaching is just like performance; to have other’s attention, to make them concentrated and then to set them thinking. Even though I am not going to be an English teacher or a teacher, all I learned from this couse still help me a lot. Those taught me how to express myself or to show myself in an effective and appropriate way.

As Kurt told us ”TIME GOES FAST“, we are going to say good bye to each other soon. But I won’t never forgot that you guys make me speak out myself at ease. It’s definitely a great and useful experience. (Although I always make many mistakes and sometimes confuse you when I try to explain something in English….) 

This is the final semester, but it won’t be the end of learning….

Discussion

We were very luck could have a discussion with the teachers and the principal of Lishan. According to Leo’s question, I realized that not only myself but also the others never experienced whole English teaching before. And how the teachers could keep a whole English learning environment?  

One of the teachers said that to design the lesson based on “language using”; trying to let students practice what they just learned in the practical world. Then the examples of tasks were vital. Another teacher said this was about framework. They would offer more and more samples that were real to life. One teacher emphasized that if they could not give interesting examples students would have no interest in class either. And how the teachers could make their class more interesting?

Collecting various sources especially visual aids was one useful way, just like Teacher Wendy looked out for a film about “wishbone” arduously. And that did make students understand much easier and also got their attention. So the teachers said that they always keep watch for everything carefully and then transform them into an appropriate teaching material. This was really a helpful habit for teaching, and we should follow it to be a conscientious teacher.  

In the end, we had the principal make an impressive conclusion. There were three point of Principal Chen’s words. The first was “How to be a good teacher” The second was “How to be a good English teacher” and the final one was “How to build an excellent learning environment” That meant only we set our mind on becoming a teacher first, we would be a good teacher. It’s not easy to be a teacher; it involved too much and also cost many. And after being a good teacher, the other two things happen potentially.

What Principal Chen told us really gave a sharp advice for me. To be a teacher should not be a minor choose, it should be a discreet decision. Because the central part of teacher career is not the teacher but his or her students. I still have a little time to think over it, and that few words did change my shallow thoughts……

  “Wow! The school looks like Taipei City Zoo!” I heard someone said that when we just entered Lishan. It’s really a beautiful campus, although it was like a maze. It’s a pity that we didn’t have enough time to take a look at the whole campus. However, we had inspiring, impressive class observations and a great discussion instead.  

Class observation

★Class109-Bermuda Triangle

It’s hard to imagine that students would have an English class in a classroom with a big screen and U-shaped seats. I have never had or seen a class like that in a high school before. In my opinion, that just happened in the college.

In the beginning, the teacher told what was going to do in the lesson today, and then started to ask them with “5W1H” questions according to the reading step by step. The process of Q&A was like all of the class was drawing a graphic in their mind together. After Q&A, in order to check the students’ understanding, the teacher prepared T or F to review the reading again. And I truly felt the teacher’s diligence; the questions she prepared not only related to the reading but also offered much extra knowledge at the same time.

Next was teaching vocabulary. The teacher had students repeat her to read the new words and then posed questions “What does …… mean?” to students rather than telling them directly. So far, the teacher had not used the board, only used PPT to present the lesson. She really used PPT very well; showing the content line by line and followed the pacing. It reminded me of the importance of USING.

Nevertheless, using computer has both positive and negative effects. During the lesson, I found that the teacher almost stood in the same area for operating the computer. Besides, the interactive zone of the teacher was not wide either. One of the reasons was that the students took their seats together by gender, and the girls nearly answered all of the questions. That made the teacher would have more interaction with them easily.

Afterward the teacher let us watch a short film produced by BBC which related to the most horrible mystery of Bermuda Triangle. I think that was the best teaching material for the students. During the watching, the teacher reminded the vocabulary and explained some plots attentively, and then the teacher had students practice some common expression in radio communication. These two teaching activities exactly connected with what the students just learned.

Finally, the teacher dismissed the class a little bit hastily. She asked students to read the handout and told them what would be done next class. 

I was very surprised at the whole English teaching. Although the students still talked to each other in Chinese, they responded the teacher in English. And like what we have discussed the teacher did not teach everything or explain too much. So the students had to study harder, previewed the lesson diligently and they were trained to learn independently. On the other hand, the teacher must organize the lesson more flexibility, and teaching would contribute to the accomplishment of learning. 

GO (Graphic Organization) is a great tool for comprehension in learning! After two-week GO lessons and the excellent speech, I learned much and I am really fond of this teaching approach.

As a student, I’ll be very glad to draw a particular graphic for the reading I am going to learn! However, as a teacher, to monitor students’ understanding is vital. Therefore we need to have students present their thought and then we can see if their graphics are logical and how much they have learned.         

Besides, letting students create their own graphics makes them experience more. That reminds me of somebody’s words-”Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.” Exactly! The more, the better!

It’s too humid these days…. Danshui HAS GONE MOULDY!!!

I made two story maps on unit two before I went to sanmin learning website to see how GO is used to teach reading, and then I made a timline when I saw the sample sanmin showed.

HERE they are: unit2-story map1, unit2-story map2 and unit2 timeline.

The reading in unit two is a story about best friends. It started from the first day they met. So I searched a appropriate graphic in Enchanted Learning - the story map which is divided into three parts- beginning, middle and end. However, in order to read specifically, I put the division of each part into the author and the main role- “Kyle”. Then I found 5 W’s graphic, I thought that might be a good one to analyse a story, so I combined two of them to made story map2. Afterward I filled the blanks in story map1. Though I spent a little time to summarize it, I really could understand the reading in this way.

Finally, after I  saw the sample- which is like a chain, and the timeline I made was formed by the same sentences which sanmin offered. Both of the them can be used in information hunting and listening comprehension. And the teaching activity will be just like what Alice had us do in the class-”How to teaching listening”.