Project Bilingual education.

MA in teaching English to young learners as a second and foreign

language co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund

Graduate Programme in Teaching English to Young Learners:

First Year Graduate Practicum
Students self-evaluation
Students name and surname: Agata redziska
Schools name and address: Szkoa Podstawowa nr 109 im. Batalionw Chopskich,
ul. Przygodna 2, 03-991 Warszawa
Mentor teachers name and surname: Justyna Kamierczak
Practicum dates: 23/03/2015 26/05/2015
Number of observed classes:

15

Number of conducted classes: 5

Guidelines for the student:

This evaluation form consists of two parts:
-

evaluation table where you assess your progress according to specified categories
reflection on your progress during practicum experience

Your mentor teacher will be asked to complete an evaluation form which is very similar to the
self-evaluation form which you have received. The forms can serve as a springboard for your
conversation about the practicum experience.

Evaluation categories
Potential
as a teacher

Very
good

Good

Professional attitude (interested in entering teaching profession,

attempts to perform competently)
Communication (uses appropriate voice modulation and voice
strength, enunciation of words is satisfactory)
Creativity and flexibility
Emotional maturity (able to work under pressure)
The practicum was my first opportunity to teach English and I have tried to be

Comment/Refl
ection

prepared as well as possible. Of course, there were situations that I could not
predict, but I could always rely on my mentor teacher.
Unfortunately, at the beginning I was not not confident enough to use
appropriate voice modulation and voice strenght. Than, I improved a little but
still I could not successfully maintain discipline in the classroom.
During the lessons I tried to use different kinds of materials to engage the
students but when, suddenly something went in the way that I did not predict, I
had difficulties with adjusting my activities.

Project Bilingual education. MA in teaching English to young learners as a second and foreign
language co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund

Organisation
and
implementatio
n of a didactic
process

Lesson plan(s) which you prepared provide evidence that you

have the:
Ability to formulate lesson goals and objectives
Ability to select appropriate methods and teaching
materials
Ability to select appropriate forms of students work (e.g.
pair work/group work/individual work etc.)
Ability to provide justification for teaching decisions
Your ability to present grammar and vocabulary
Your ability to practice all skills
Your ability to motivate students and provide them with feedback
Your classroom management skills
Proportion of using English and Polish in teaching
Your ability to conduct lessons according to selected objectives
My ability to formulate lesson goals and objectives needs improvement, howe-

Comment/Refl
ection

ver, I think that methods and teaching materials were selected quite well. I could have introduced more pair work or group work because pupils were working individually most of the time.
Sometimes I was using Polish unnecessarily. Justyna told mi that on certain point and since than I have tried to control myself and use English only.

Attitude towards pupils

Ability to maintain classroom discipline

Respectful and kind attitude towards all pupils

Ability to recognize and assess pupils skills and needs

Ability to differentiate instruction according to pupils individual
profiles
Ability to make quick decisions in a changing environment
To maintain classroom discipline was the biggest challenge for me. I had a chance
Comment/Refl
ection

to conduct only 5 lessons and that is why it was so hard. I have observed my class
earlier and they were familiar with my presence in the classroom. Although, in
some situations I did not know whether I can allow them do behave in such or
other way. My mentor teacher has imposed on them some rules of conduct that I
tried to follow but with the classroom teacher they had more freedom.
By observing pupils, I could recognise their skills and problems faced during the
English lesson. With the time I tried to differentiate my instruction and pay attention to every individual student.
My ability to make quick decisions in a changing environment needs improvement as I was not confident enough to make them on my own. Nevertheless, I appreciate my mentor teacher's support in that field.

Attitude
towards the
practicum
experience

Responsibility (attends classes regularly, is punctual, fulfils

assignments on time)
Cooperation with the mentor teacher
Openness and willingness to learn and accept constructive
feedback
Ability and willingness to analyze and reflect on the learning and
teaching process

Project Bilingual education. MA in teaching English to young learners as a second and foreign
language co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund

I did my observations in one week and attented classes regularly. I was also senComment/Refl
ection

ding my mentor teacher lesson plans earlier so that she could check them and
give me any necessary comments.
Justyna devoted me a lot of time to discuss the lessons and answer all my questions. She guided me during the whole practicum experience. I was always
open to her comments, suggestions and constructive criticism.

My comments and reflections on the practicum experience:

I am glad that I had the chance to take part in the practicum and gain some experience
in teaching English to young learners. I really appreciate the observation part of the
practicum. I could watch an experienced teacher who was willing to share her
knowledge, which was essential for conducting my own lessons.
However, I think that 5 lessons to conduct is not enough for a novice teacher. I am sure
that if I had more time to spend in the school, I would improve my teaching skills more.
During my practicum I have noticed many difficulties that might occur when conducting

a lesson. I would like to examine them more deeply in the future and try to implement
changes.
Conclusions for the future:
In the future I should definitely pay more attention to time management and discipline
in the classroom. I should also stick to my lesson plan more rigorously and remember
about the time limit that I predicted for each activity.
Moreover, I should remember that I am the teacher in the classroom and it is me who
makes decisions. At the earliest opportunity I have to be consistent and better organized.

To what degree has the practicum experience helped you acquire:

a/ practical skills in working with pupils
1
low

1
low

1
low

1
low

1
low

6
high

b/ psychological and pedagogical knowledge

3

6
high

c/ ability to document your own work

3

6
high

d/ knowledge and skills in using CLIL

3

6
high

e/ ability to recognize and assess pupils needs

3

6
high

f/ ability to interpret and draw conclusions from pupils behavior in a variety of situations
1
low
g/ ability to plan work with pupils and personalize
your instruction
1
low

6
high

6
high

Students signature: _______________________________________________________________

Project Bilingual education. MA in teaching English to young learners as a second and foreign
language co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund