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Reflecting on practice teaching

REFLECTIVE TEACHING
Fragments from Richards & Farrell
Reflection on your own teaching experiences are important parts of the
learning process in practice teaching. Classroom experience in itself is an
insufficient basis for teacher development. Through reviewing your own
teaching experiences and through discussing your teaching with fellow student
teachers, with your cooperating teacher, and with your supervisor, you will be
able to monitor the effectiveness of your lessons and of your teaching and
develop your confidence and skills as a teacher. Dialogue will play a central role
in this process, so establishing good channels of communication between
yourself and your cooperating teacher is essential.
Some dimensions of teaching to consider
Making learning stimulating and enjoyable
Relating a lesson to the learners experience
Developing awareness of learning strategies
Using a reading text creatively
Developing risk-taking in learners
Developing motivation
Managing feedback
Utilizing student input
Encouraging student participation
Becoming aware of ones teaching style
Teaching skills
A priority in teacher learning is to develop confidence and fluency in the basic classroom skills needed to
present and navigate language lessons. Teaching from this perspective involves developing a repertoire of
routines and procedures for such things as opening the lesson, introducing and explaining tasks, setting up
learning arrangements (group work, pair work, whole-class learning), checking students understanding,
guiding student practice, monitoring students language use, making transitions from one task to another,
and ending the lesson.
Theorizing from practice
Teacher learning also involves developing a deeper understanding of what teaching is, of developing ideas,
concepts, theories, and principles based on your experience of teaching. The development of a personal
system of knowledge, beliefs, and understanding drawn from practical experience of teaching is known as
the theorizing of practice. This involves making connections between ones practical and experience-based
understanding of teaching and the theoretical understandings of teaching developed within the languageteaching profession. The belief system and understanding teachers build up in this way helps them make
sense of their experience and also serves as the source of the practical actions they take in the classroom.
To better understand the concept of theorizing of practice it will be useful to contrast two ways of thinking
about the relationship between theory and practice.
The first is the application of theory. This involves making connections between the concepts, Information,
and theories from your teacher education courses and your classroom practices, of putting theories into
practice. So after studying the principles of task-based instruction or collaborative learning, for example,
you might try to find ways of applying these principles in your teaching.
The theorizing of practice, on the other hand, involves reflecting on your practice and developing an
understanding of its underlying meaning in order to better understand the nature of language teaching and
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learning. The information you make use of is the experience of teaching, observations of how your learners
learn or fail to learn, and your reflections on things that happen during your lessons. The theorizing that
results from these reflections may take several different forms. It may lead to explanations as to why things
happen in the way they do, to generalizations about the nature of things, to principles that can form the
basis of subsequent actions, and to the teachers personal teaching philosophy.
Other examples of theorizing from practice are the principles that teachers often refer to when reflecting
on the assumptions and beliefs that guide their practice and decision making. For example:
Follow the learners interest to maintain students involvement.
Always teach to the whole class - not just to the best students.
Seek ways to encourage independent student learning.
Make learning fun.
Build takeaway value in every lesson.
Address learners mental processing capacities.
Facilitate learner responsibility or autonomy.
After teaching a lesson it is important to take time to review how well the lesson went. This involves asking
questions such as the following:
1. Did my students enjoy the lesson?
2. Were there sufficient activities to engage the students throughout the lesson?
3. Which aspects of the lesson were the most successful?
4. Which were the least successful?
5. Did I manage to achieve what I set out to teach? What evidence do I have for this?
6. What difficulties did the lesson pose?
7. Will I teach it in the same way next time?
You understanding of language teaching
A good language lesson is much more than a series of activities and exercises that the teacher has strung
together to occupy the available amount of classroom time. Whereas this might indeed reflect the kinds of
lessons that amateur teachers sometimes provide (for example, the untrained native speakers of English
who sometimes find temporary employment in language schools around the world to finance their
sightseeing and back-packing world travels), as you will have realized from your academic studies, language
teaching is a career in a field of educational specialization, it requires a specialized knowledge base
obtained through both academic study and practical experience, and for which membership is based on
entry requirements and standards. A good language lesson therefore reflects the specialized thinking and
knowledge of an educated language teaching professional, and in planning for your teaching you should
think carefully about how you understand the nature of the teaching and learning you will be participating
in.
Whatever approach you are familiar with, if you are to escape the charge of drawing on an unprincipled
bag of tricks, you need to be familiar with instructional methods and their underlying principles as well as
effective classroom techniques, materials, and assessment strategies appropriate to the kind of course and
the kind of students you will be teaching. Your practice-teaching experience will therefore be an
opportunity to reflect on your assumptions and principles and either confirm and deepen them, or,
perhaps, revise or adapt them based on your teaching experience.
Classroom management
An important aspect of a successful lesson is the extent to which you are able to create a positive
environment for learning. Classroom management refers to ways in which both the physical and the
affective dimensions of the class are arranged in order to provide an environment that promotes successful
teaching and learning, and good classroom management is a prerequisite to an effective lesson. Classroom
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discipline is an important aspect of classroom management. This often proves a challenge for novice
teachers.
Another aspect of classroom management has to do with the procedures you make use of to organize
student behavior, movement, and interaction in such a way that there are minimal disruptions to the flow
of the lesson.
Lessons provide appropriately structured and sequenced learning experiences (Richard & Farrell, p.79)
A language lesson consists of a sequence of activities that lead toward your lesson goals or objectives. The
structure of a lesson is determined by how you deal with three essential stages of a lesson: openings,
sequencing, and closings
1. Openings
This phase of the lesson serves primarily to focus the students attention on the aims of the lesson, to make
links to previous learning, to arouse their interest in the lesson, to activate background knowledge, or to
preview language or strategies they may need to understand in order to complete activities in the lesson.
You may have studied various ways in which successful openings can be achieved, for example:
by using questions to assess background knowledge or to activate schema
by using brainstorming and discussion activities
by showing a DVD or video clip related to the lesson theme
by giving a short test
by doing or showing something unusual to arouse their interest in the lesson
The two different strategies discussed in this section suggest that one teacher uses the opening phase of
the lesson to prepare students for the content of the lesson, whereas the other tries to create a positive
class atmosphere before she begins the lesson. Both strategies can of course be used together.
2. Sequencing
A lesson is normally devoted to more than one type of activity and teachers often have a script that they
follow when teaching a particular type of lesson, such as a speaking lesson, a reading, writing, or listening
lesson. A common lesson sequence, found in many traditional language classes for example, consists of a
sequence of activities referred to as P-P-P: Presentation, Practice, and Production. Reading lessons often
follow a format consisting of Prereading, While-Reading, and Postreading activities.
In addition to the lesson sequence suggested by the teaching approach or language skill you are teaching,
other more general considerations will also influence the stages into which you think a lesson should be
divided, drawing on principles such as simple before difficult activities, receptive before productive
skills, or accuracy activities before fluency activities. At the same time you will need to consider how you
will handle the transitions between the different sequences of the lesson.
Effective transitions help maintain students attention during transition times and establish a link between
one activity and the next. Planning for transitions involves thinking about how the momentum of the lesson
will be maintained during transitions (e,g., while moving from a whole-class activity to group work) and
what students should do between transitions (e.g., if some students complete an activity before others).
3. Closings
The closing phase of a lesson is also an important part of a lesson sequence. Ideally it should leave the
students feeling that they have successfully achieved a goal they set for themselves or that has been
established for the lesson, and that the lesson was a worthwhile and meaningful lesson. The teacher will
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normally want to summarize what the lesson has tried to achieve, to reinforce the points of the lesson,
suggest follow-up work as appropriate, and prepare students for what will follow. The students may expect
to be praised for their effort and performance, they may raise issues or problems that they would like to
discuss or resolve, and ask for suggestions concerning how they can best learn and use what they have
studied out of class.
Provide opportunities and practice using language in a meaningful way
Some important questions that are at the forefront of the planning and delivery of any language class are
the following:
What kind of language-learning opportunities did the lesson provide?
How many opportunities were there for students to practice using the language?
Were the activities they took part in sufficiently challenging to increase their skill in using what
they already know, as well as to expand their awareness of things that were new?
Some of the things that characterize a successful language lesson will depend on the kind of lesson it is. The
essential components of a speaking lesson will be very different from those of a writing class for example,
depending on the students current level of proficiency and the stage they are at in their course. The initial
stages of a speaking course, for example, may focus on mastering the language and conversational routines
needed to carry out functions such as greetings, introductions, and small talk, whereas the contents of an
intermediate speaking course might focus on expressing agreement, disagreement, sympathy,
encouragement, and on performing oral texts, such as narratives and personal recounts. Whatever the kind
of course you are teaching however, some core principles should be evident in your lessons and these will
reflect the principles embodied in the teaching approach and the particular set of teaching skills you are
using.
Create the motivation to learn and provide opportunities for success
Sometimes learners look forward to coming to class. Other times learners may dread coming to class
because they anticipate that they will be engaged in activities they do not enjoy doing, that appear to have
little purpose, and that leave them both with a feeling of frustration as well as loss of face. As a teacher you
play a crucial role in developing a classroom atmosphere that encourages and motivates students in their
learning. Perhaps you can recall some of the most inspiring language teachers you have had, and what
made them different and special. Among the factors that account for the qualities of exceptional language
teachers is their enthusiasm for teaching, the high expectations they set for their learners, and the
relationships they have with them. Enthusiasm can be communicated in many different ways, such as by
showing interest in the students and the activities you use. If your students sense that you are positive and
enthusiastic about the course book or materials that you are using, they are likely to share your
enthusiasm. Expectations for student success can be achieved through praising students performance, by
giving help to weaker students when needed, and generally by demonstrating the belief which one teacher
expressed as every student in my class is a winner! Establishing a warm and caring attitude toward
students also contributes to building a positive class atmosphere. This means treating the students as
people and not just as numbers, through learning their names, showing an interest in their lives, and in
their interests and problems, without going further than the boundaries set by your professional
relationship. Establishing good relationships among students in the class is also important. This involves
working toward a sense of cooperation rather than competition among students, using group consensusbuilding activities and avoiding activities that could lead to strong disagreement or tension. You can also
engage the class in establishing norms of behavior and interaction for both the teacher and the class, such
as rules concerning punctuality, use of mobile phones, or ways of supporting members in a group who are
having difficulty with a task. And you can build in opportunities for success rather than failure in the class
by ensuring that tasks are at an appropriate level of difficulty and that every lesson contains some take
away value, that is, something that students feel they have successfully mastered when they leave the
class. This could be a growing sense of confidence in how to write a paragraph, the awareness of some
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appropriate conversational expressions to use with friends and neighbors, or a list of 10 or more useful
words or expressions. Take away value is achieved by reviewing your lesson plan in advance to make sure
that you give sufficient time and attention to those aspects of the lesson that have greatest importance. It
is also important to work toward maintaining the motivational level of the class. You can do this by asking
yourself questions such as these:
Do I vary the way I teach my lessons?
Do I include activities that are there simply to maintain motivation (such as songs and language
games)?
Can I find ways of making my tasks more interesting (for example, by presenting a reading text
as a jigsaw reading)?
Can I increase the personal value of my lesson to my learners (for example, by adapting an
activity so that it centers on the students lives rather than on characters in a textbook)?
Can I build in more opportunities for success in my lessons (for example, by choosing activities
that challenge but do not frustrate learners)?
Meaningful learning outcomes
It is an obvious truism to state that every lesson sets out to teach something. A language lesson may set out
to achieve a number of different kinds of outcomes however. Some may be to teach students to master or
to improve their mastery of a certain type of skill. The following are outcomes of this kind for three
different lessons:
To learn how to write paragraphs containing a thesis statement and supporting ideas
To learn how to use concessive clauses
To learn the use of note-taking skills in academic listening
Objectives such as these refer to specific and observable skills or competencies, and at the end of a lesson
or unit it should be possible to assess the students improvements in the skill area. Many aspects of
language use of course take a long time to develop, and their mastery can only be assessed after a lengthy
period of instruction. In such cases lessons may provide opportunities to practice and consolidate some
area of language use. For example:
To practice self-editing skills in composition
To practice the development of critical reading skills
Yet other objectives address processes and learning experiences rather than specific products or
observable outcomes. For example:
To help develop a positive attitude toward language learning
To have a successful experience in language learning
To encourage students to work productively and cooperatively
To give students control over their own learning
Language-learning goals or objectives may be both long term and short term. Your lessons may have
different kinds of goals embedded in them, but whatever their goals, they should be things you can
identify, that you have thought about and, in some way, planned for. You can share your goals with your
students so that they come to realize that your teaching is planned and purposeful. For example, you might
write your lesson goals on the board at the beginning of each lesson to help students see the objectives the
lesson is planned to achieve. Goals are also something you can help students set for themselves.
1. Define your goal clearly.
2. List steps to take to reach this goal.
3. Think of problems that might come up and that would interfere.
4. Think of solutions to these problems.
5. Set a timeline for reaching the goal.
6. Evaluate your progress.
7. Reward yourself for accomplishment.
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Your personal philosophy of teaching

Whereas your academic and teacher preparation courses have introduced you to different teaching
methods and approaches, once you begin your teaching you will need to learn how to teach in your way,
based on the kind of person you are and how you see your role in the classroom. This does not mean that
you can abandon everything you have learned once you start your teaching practice. Rather it means that
you will now have the opportunity to interpret and understand what it means to be a language teacher and
what values, beliefs, theories, and assumptions you will use to guide you in your teaching. Some of these
beliefs will be confirmations and elaborations of theories and principles you studied in your academic
courses. Now you will have a chance to more fully understand how language learning develops in learners,
the kind of feedback that facilitates language learning, and how to scaffold learning activities so that
students can benefit from working together on group tasks and projects. You will also be developing a set
of your own personal theories and principles that you wish to reflect in your teaching. For example, you
may arrive at two important principles that relate to how to motivate reluctant learners. For example:
Make learning fun.
Make learning relaxing rather than stressful.
As you plan and deliver your lessons you will then look for opportunities to build these principles into your
teaching.
Make learners the focus of your teaching
An important skill in teaching is the ability to make your learners the focus of your teaching. This involves
understanding your learners needs and goals, communicating trust and respect for them, acknowledging
diversity of needs and learning styles, giving feedback on their learning in ways that help develop their
confidence and self-esteem and minimize loss of face, and using strategies that help develop an
atmosphere of collaboration and mutual support among learners. In some lessons, the focus is more on
teacher performance than learner engagement, as is reflected in the following aspects of the lesson:
the amount of talking the teacher does during the lesson
the extent to which input from learners directs the shape and direction of the lesson
the extent to which the teachers primary preoccupation during the lesson is with such things
as classroom management, control, and order
the way the teacher presents Information and explains tasks
the extent to which the lesson reflects the teachers lesson plan
Some teachers, however, achieve a more learner-focused approach to teaching, as is reflected in features
such as these:
the degree of engagement learners have with the lesson
the quantity of student participation and interaction that occurs
the learning outcomes the lesson produces
the ability to present subject matter from a learners perspective
how well the lesson addresses learners needs
how the teacher reshapes the lesson based on learner feedback
how the teacher responds to learners difficulties
Reference
Richards, J.C. & Farrell, T. S. C. (2011). Practice Teaching: A Reflective Approach. New York: Cambridge
University Press.

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