Grattan

Classroom Observations and Pedagogical Contributions

Introduction
I observed an Academic English language course for five class sessions and then
developing and implementing my own lesson plan. The class sessions I attended provided
me with insight into different strategies and techniques of integrative teaching, as well as
authentic activities and materials that I could use when creating my own lessons. The
instructor provided ample support and feedback regarding the development of my
activities/tasks and the students were welcoming and open to my instruction. This paper
analyzes the methodology used in this course to teach and assess reading and writing skills,
as well as gives an overview of the content areas covered and what goals and objectives
were accomplished through the specific tasks. It concludes with a discussion of my
contributions to the class and the lesson I implemented.
Course Description
Title/Focus of Course- Level 3 (Advanced) Reading/Writing Graduate
Textbook Used- Pathways 3: Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking, National
Geographic Learning
o Student Population:
o Number of students enrolled-13 Students
o Ages/Range- 22 through 35
o Nationalities- Saudi Arabian (7), Iraqi (2), Libyan (1), Chinese (3)
o Gender-5 women, 8 men
o Proficiency Level- Upper intermediate to lower advanced
o Length of class- 9:40- 11:10 Tuesdays thru Fridays
o Location- Alder 135
o Technological Capability- Projector, Doc Cam, Desk Computer, and four
white boards on two sides of the room
o Seat Assignment- The students are very comfortable with each other and
choose to sit wherever they want. There are four long tables and four
students per table with the first two rows taken up and the last 2 rows with
three students and two students.
Organization- The class is organized around group activities accompanying readings from
the textbook. Students are asked to engage in individual reading and writing, along with
short explanations and lectures from the teacher throughout each lesson contingent on
students success in understanding and applying the information being discussed. There
are assessments a few times a semester so the teacher can get information regarding
students comprehension and application of the materials they have covered.
Goals and Objectives
Larger class goals- Students improve reading and writing (organized well-thought out
writing), increase language fluency (faster and easier), and learn additional vocabulary
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(expanding)
Objective for first class- Read sections from the textbook, work on comprehension, and
begin to understand the process of summarizing a text, paraphrasing, and quotations
Operationalizations: Recognize the importance of paraphrasing/summarizing, making
sure to put sentences in their own words. Vocabulary memorization through a pop quiz
that used words targeted in this chapter in their textbook
Objective for second class: Students learn how to find/use academic sources in
reading/writing
Operationalizations: Group activities from the textbook where students must review
specific quotations from articles they read for homework and decide their purpose in the
paragraph (what they support, and do they strengthen the writers argument). The
instructor created a visual diagram showing the similarities and differences between
quotes and paraphrases and had the students choose whether each aspect of a text
belonged to one or both.
Objective for third class: Students review the material that has been covered up to this
point in the course so they will be prepared for the assessment
Operationalizations: Receive teacher feedback on written paragraphs, and have student
conferences. Pair work using the textbook to write down words that correlate with those
found in similar contexts. This activity is used to build vocabulary and expand the students
knowledge of these target words.
Objective for fourth class: Students will learn about energy problems and solutions and
be able to create a thesis statement regarding these issues
Operationalizations: Watch a video linked with the textbook on solar energy and then
answer questions about the terms and content found in the video. Students work together
to define the problems/solutions regarding solar energy in Cairo, Egypt and relate these
issues to ones present in their hometowns. Once students have a general understanding of
some environmental issues, they write a thesis statement to an opinion essay.
Objective for fifth class: Students examine a new perspective of city life and learn new
vocabulary
Operationalizations: Read an article titled City Living Affects Your Brain, Researchers
Find by Alok Jha, and try to figure out meanings of unknown words. Once students work
on this in pairs, the class reconvenes and students choose 3 new vocabulary words to write
on the whiteboard and discuss in depth.
Instructional Procedures
Typical sequence of classroom activities: Homework discussion, textbook review,
vocabulary explanations, new readings in textbook, activities in textbook (e.g. listening to a
podcast, watching a video, discussing an scenario), pop quiz (occasional), and homework
for next class
Group Configurations: I noticed the students sat next to people they seemed very familiar
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with. There was a lot of relaxed/casual chatting before class about personal things. In the
middle of the second class the instructor had the students get into groups for an activity
and decided to mix up the students so they interacted with new students. She did this by
numbering each student 1-4 and had the new groups sit together and work on their
assignment.
Classroom Interactions: Students seemed comfortable with the teacher and were not
afraid to ask questions regarding vocabulary or passages in the textbook. The students
definitely had peers with whom they were more relaxed around, but when moved into new
groups they were still able to cooperate with one another by sharing ideas to accomplish
the tasks. Students never raised their hands, but answered the teachers questions freely
and without need for permission to speak. I noticed that the students seemed to group
themselves by gender and ethnicity. There was a group of three Saudi girls who sat in the
back of the room and would converse often, as well as a whole row of boys in the front that
seemed to get along very well.
General Patterns of Indicating Stages in the Lesson
The instructor would usually give directions for each stage of the lesson and then
depending on whether it would be discussed in groups or as a class she would walk around
listening and informing, or she would instruct from the front of the class while encouraging
answers from various students. She used a lot of group work allowing her students to learn
from one another instead of lecturing and providing the answers directly to begin with. The
phases she used to transition were usually moving from a teacher-focused discussion to a
peer-focused discussion.
Techniques Used as Signposting Phases in a Lesson:
Reading Comprehension Questions: are a good transitioning phase from reading a
passage to answering questions so the teacher can determine if students understand
what they have read
Antonyms/Synonyms: are an illustrative tool used when a vocabulary word is
challenging for the students to understand
Using Words in Sentences: once students have read about a topic and learned the
language and context, they can create their own sentences utilizing the new words
and new information
Paragraph Writing: The instructor used this as an important phase of her teaching
to see if her students composition skills had improved over the past few weeks
Peer Correction: after students complete an activity or finish writing sentences the
teacher has the students exchange their work and critique one anothers responses
Small Group Tasks: The instructor implemented many of these throughout her
lesson having the students transition from reading silently to engaging in groups
tasks about the text
Information Gap Task: Allows the students to work with their peers to fill in the
necessary information needed to complete the task, can be used after a reading to
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transition from individual work to group work
Signaling
It breaks up the class time into manageable phases helping students stay engaged and
comprehend that a new activity or form of instruction will begin. If a teacher does not
signal that one task is complete and another one is beginning some students may continue
with the previous activity and it is hard to keep the class organized and running smoothly.
The Effect it has on Concentration and Lesson Flow
Signaling brings the attention of the students back to the teacher if they had previously
been engaged in group work or individual reading/writing. This sectioning of the class
helps students stay engaged and not get bored or distracted from spending too much time
occupied with a single activity. The flow of the lesson is easier to follow since these signals
alert the students that a transition is about to occur. Even though these are simple
markers, students are able to recognize that a shift is about to happen and can to respond
to the change. This will keep the pace of the lesson on track and give the students a quick
break as they move from one stage to the next.
Main Topics/Units Covered in the Course
During this section of the course the class discussed city life, issues involving city
governing, and concepts pertaining to life in a modern, urban area. In the first class
students read about Carbon Dioxide emissions in different countries around the world and
what that means for the respecting environments. They discussed the differences between
the graph statistics and explained why some areas have more pollution than others. They
determined the relationship between the figures and tried to find patterns between the
numbers for the different cities in the various countries examined. They learned about
world populations living in cities and the benefits and different aspects of living in a city
(dense or spread out), the issue with dependency on cars, and what can be done to lessen
this reliance.
In the second class students work with articles about urban planning and
development. They learn about various aspects of living in a city and what that means for
progression as a society. The homework before the second class was to read an article
called The Urban Visionary discussing some of these issues. The instructor wanted the
students to evaluate the sources used in the article to see if they are academic. While the
class went through the article, the instructor encountered the word credentials and
indicated that this was a new vocabulary word. She expanded the students understanding
of the word by writing the definition on the board and giving synonyms (e.g. qualifications
and certificate).
In the third class students read about population growth in cities around the globe.
After the class read the passage, they had time to discuss vocabulary with a partner, then
the class came together and talked about what they thought would be the biggest city in the
world in one hundred years. The students engaged in critical thinking about expansion in
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economics and locational factors that impair growth. For example, Tokyo is the densest
populated city in the world currently but it is on an island and more people need more land,
so it can only expand to the ocean, giving other cities the opportunity to surpass its
numbers.
In the fourth class going green was the theme. Solar energy was discussed from
the viewpoint of Cairo, Egypt and specific examples were discussed and applied to multiple
facets of environmental issues. Recycling, hot water, and energy consumption were issues
discussed in a video students watched during class. The instructor had the students name
one environmental concern in their hometown and suggest possible solutions for these
problems to expand the students overall understanding of environmental issues.
In the fifth class, psychology of the brain was discussed pertaining to city life.
Students learned new words regarding the anatomy of the human brain and worked on
contextualizing them in regards to nature and its positive contributions to mental health.
Methods/Approaches Used
The students read many articles taken from their textbook pertaining to different
world issues. Students also read non-fiction texts and occasionally had novels to read for
homework. The readings were authentic and provided real-world knowledge by taking
information from various current topic in society and using that content to contextualize
words and grammar. The instructors teaching approach incorporated Communicative
Language Teaching through integrated and interactive activities that involved linguistic
features such as vocabulary and grammar rules within collaborative activities where
students work together to accomplish tasks. The students are encouraged to formulate
their own ideas in order to promote understanding through experimentation. This method
states that students acquire language by learning from their mistakes in order to build a
understanding of the languages uses and structures. Reading, writing, speaking, and
listening were all utilized in every class session, which provided the students with a holistic
outlook on learning. The instructor incorporated individual work, group activities,
presentations, sentence construction tasks, diagrams, class discussions, written and oral
demonstrations, and various contextualized tasks and assignments.
Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is also used in the classroom. On occasion
the instructor will present a task for the students to accomplish without explicitly stating
which linguistic component is being targeted, (e.g. present tense verbs, or modals). The
task will have a set outcome that the students work on in groups. For example, students
were sent on a scavenger hunt around the campus to collect information from given
locations by interacting with native English speakers. The instructor also used many pre-
tasks involving the students reading and asking questions in regards to the content before
she having them complete the task. Feedback is received on all written and oral work with
comments and advice for revisions and future assignments. Students also present their
work in front of the class to demonstrate their comprehension of the material and their
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ability to accurately articulate their opinions and results.
The following activity involves the use of input-providing and output-prompting
tasks (part of TBLT), where students are given definitions and examples by the instructor,
only after they have expressed their own idea of what the words mean. In this task the
students were asked to look over vocabulary words in their textbook before watching a
video. This was a pre-task for the instructor to see the students prior knowledge or
experience with these words. Some of the words from the list were a no-brainer, cut
down on, dwellers, found materials, and going green. After the students had some
time to review the words on their own, the class reconvened to go over each word with the
teacher. She made sure to give the students a chance to share their definition of the words
before providing further explanation and clarification. The instructor did a very good job
elaborating and giving relatable explanations of complicated or abstract vocabulary.
This class used course materials taken from authentic resources that provide
information about topics other than linguistics. This is an aspect of Content-Based
Instruction, where current and relevant issues are discussed, such as population growth,
environmental concerns, and economic diversity. Vocabulary is contextualized and the
instructor uses scaffolding to assist students in explaining their ideas in English. Students
are encouraged to relate what they are learning to their personal lives or cultures, which
make the material relevant and increases the students motivation. In content-based
instruction language is used to learn linguistic concepts along with meaningful authentic
content through reasoning and analysis.
The Direct Method focuses mainly on vocabulary and grammar by teaching
students how to use the target language to communicate successfully. Synthesizing
information and being able to write and speak about it are seen as important components
of language learning for direct method instructors. Question and answer exercises were
implemented in this courses reading discussions, where the instructor would ask the
students a question and they would have to answer in a complete sentence. Students were
also encouraged to ask one another questions while making sure to use correct grammar
and lexis.
Community Language Learning involved working in small groups so students can
learn from one another and engage in teamwork and cooperation along with increasing
their social skills. This method was used in the second class I observed when the students
were put in groups and told to read a paragraph in their textbook, find the main idea, and
paraphrase it in one sentence. Once they had this sentence decided on as a group, one
member was asked to write their sentence on the board. There were 4 sentences total on
the board at the end of the activity and the instructor read through each sentence with the
class explaining how it worked and how it could be improved. The students were reminded
to use citations anytime they utilized someone elses ideas, even if they paraphrase.
The Grammar-Translation Method involved the ability to explain and use words
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accurately in a given context, as well as comprehend their meanings to expanding students
word banks. This method was implemented in the third class where students were
provided a list of vocabulary words and had to come up with their own definitions for these
words. The class came together and the teacher went through each vocabulary word and
had students raise their hands to provide definitions. The instructor would elaborate on
their definitions and had the students relate these words to important concepts in their
intended fields of study. In the fifth class students were asked to complete a fill-in-the-
blank exercise where they had to correctly conjugate an infinitive verb into the simple past
tense form. Later in the class, the students were told to construct a thesis statement for an
opinion essay on the environment, which is a composition exercise (both of these
exercises are commonly used in the grammar-translation method).
The Participatory Approach is when students work together to reach conclusions
before being told the answers by the instructor. The instructor did not explicitly correct
students errors, but she allowed them to rectify themselves by trying to explain their
reasoning and getting commentary from their peers. The instructor facilitated students
working off of one anothers ideas before sharing her knowledge. This approach is also
used when the instructor contextualizes unfamiliar words to show their connections to the
topic being discussed. These associations will provide students will important background
knowledge for future lessons as well as meanings that can be applied to real-world
situations. This approach values the native language and believes that it should not be lost
through learning a new language because of the instrumental role it plays in a students
culture. Students are encouraged to think critically about the world and be involved with
what is happening currently. Articles and relevant topics are covered to give students
content with a purpose that is more than just learning the language but are valuable
teaching tools in their everyday lives. A supportive learning environment is created
through student collaboration and peer editing. Individuals are also provided with
feedback by the instructor and are encouraged to self-correct which promotes
independence and increases students confidence and awareness.
In the fourth class the students watched a video about solar energy once just listening
to the information and paying attention to the ideas being presented. The instructor then
prompted a brief class discussion about what the students understood from the video and
how the people in the video used the words from their vocabulary list. After this exchange
the students watch the video for a second time paying attention to content regarding the
questions from the textbook asking about certain ideas presented by the narrator. Then
since there were only 6 students in class they got in one big group and tried to answer
these questions together. The instructor then illustrated problems and solutions to solar
power energy in the video with a diagram on the whiteboard. For example, Cairos issue of
having too much garbage was remediated through recycling reusable materials and using
them to build solar panels. By incorporating visual stimulation through a video and a
diagram, the instructor used integrated instruction to check students comprehension
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and incorporate reiteration of important concepts and vocabulary.
Methodological Innovations
Reading Strategies: The instructor taught reading strategies to the students by explaining
how to get a general understanding of an article through reading the title, subtitles, and
analyzing the pictures. She asked her students what they could infer about the article
through these reading strategies. The students participated by scanning and skimming the
article and then closing their books and guessing what the main ideas of the chapter were.
Cooperative Learning Strategy: This was used during group discussions of the textbook
since social and collaborative skills were nurtured in an accessible learning environment.
Multiple Intelligences: These were targeted in students and out of the 8 possessed by
everyone, the instructor's class focused on activities involving interpersonal (group
problem solving, pair work), intrapersonal (self-editing/evaluation), visual/spatial (with
analyzing graphs and charts), logical/mathematical (with categorizations and logical
classifications and reasoning), and verbal/linguistic (with paragraph creating, note taking,
debating).
Gardner's five minds: The students were encouraged to use their disciplinary mind
(information), synthesizing mind (organizing, understanding, articulating), and ethical
mind (cultivate responsibility for the world they live in).
My Involvement with the Class
Mini-teaching and Material Development
I was encouraged by the instructor to make comments and participate in classroom
activities as much as the lesson would permit. I sat in the back row and students would ask
me questions regarding vocabulary and content they did not understand. The instructor
gave me a copy of the exam the students took in class and asked me to create an answer
key so she could assess my ability to grade the exams with her after class the following day.
I took the exam and developed an answer key to act as a model for grading the students
exams. Completing the exam and formulating an answer key was valuable practice since I
will be administering assessments in my future classrooms.
Grading
The exam consisted of an excerpt from an article in National Geographic Magazine
by Jennifer Ackerman, followed by 9 multiple choice questions, and 4 short answers
regarding this article. The next section of the exam had the students formulate a short
summary of the article incorporating a citation. After this, students were told to find the
main idea in certain paragraphs labeled by the instructor and write what they believed it to
be. The final task was for the students to write a paragraph answering the question:
Should your hometown build more parks? Why or why not? All written work directions
explicitly identified that the instructor was looking for upper intermediate to lower
advanced proficiency level mechanics and abilities, and that the writing sections would be
graded following those standards.
After class on Thursday the instructor and I went over my answer key together. She
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gave me feedback on my answer key and directions for how to grade the exams. She made
sure I took into consideration the students attempts at explanation for the short answers,
since she told them they could define the vocabulary in a few different ways (e.g. drawings,
examples). She also provided me with guidelines for grading the summaries and main idea
sentences which included points for content, citations, and mechanics. She graded a couple
exams to show me how she scored each section and why. I was able to grade more than half
the exams writing categories, which gave me useful practice in reading and determining the
level of achievement to be expected from intermediate to advanced language learners. The
instructor would look over my graded papers to make sure I was being fair with my grades,
and if changes needed to be made she would explain why.
Overall Reflection
Through observing this instructors class I was exposed to a variety of teaching
methods and got to witness their principles and techniques in an actual classroom setting. I
observed the ending of a lesson unit, which involved the instructor providing plenty of
opportunities for students to ask questions and gain clarity on what was going to be
assessed, making sure students had the necessary information to succeed on the
examination.
In grading exams I learned that even though students may seem to understand the
linguistic rules and content covered in class, many still struggle in the application of these
rules in a formal assessment. In my grading I found that even though the instructor spent
multiple classes, gave numerous examples, and integrated activities specifically targeting
citation use, the majority of the students did not cite in their exams. These results were
surprising because the instructor explicitly stated in the exam directions that the students
must cite their answers from the article used in the test. All this entailed was students
putting the authors name and the date that the article was published in parenthesis after
their answers and they would have received credit. Sadly, almost all of the exams I graded
did not have these citations and the students lost points. What these outcomes represented
was the lack of attention the students gave towards this component of writing as well as
the test directions.
After the exam I observed how to begin a new unit of instruction. I took part in
quizzes and group discussions pertaining to relevant topics (e.g. global warming, solar
energy, and mental health) that would often relate to students previous experience. The
instructors incorporation of the students cultures and prior knowledge provided context
for the topics covered in class. Her use of small group/pair activities nurtured peer
collaboration and support. Having students share their ideas with one another created a
community environment and helped them feel comfortable enough to speak up when they
had questions.
The authentic materials used in each lesson, such as those found in the textbook,
Pathways 3: Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking, National Geographic Learning,
covered a range of topics and gave a variety of activities after each chapter. Many of the
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instructors exercises were taken directly from the textbook, but she would often modify
them to be group activities so students could discuss their answers with a partner. The
instructor would allow the students to sit with their friends in class, but at least once in the
lesson she would make them find another person to do an activity with so they could gain a
different perspective.
Since it was an advanced level class, I was able to learn from the students what
worked for them and what did not. I talked to students about their learning experience so
far and the challenges they have faced in learning English. Many students told me they
spend a 3-4 hours a day in the library studying vocabulary and grammar. Since these
language students practice outside of class, which involves mostly receptive skills, many
language instructors choose to incorporate interactive activities where students are
speaking to one another.
The instructor gave relatable explanations of complicated or abstract vocabulary.
She would give multiple synonyms to illustrate their meanings and provide different
contexts where the word can be found. Through observing this second language classroom
I recognized the importance of clarification and repetition for learning. If students do not
understand or grasp what you are teaching them, they need further explanation and
exposure so the input is comprehensible. Comprehensible input hypothesis claims that in
order for students to acquire a language they need appropriate input that is easy enough to
understand, but just beyond their level of competence. This is an important notion in a
language classroom since the content being covered is the language itself, so if the input is
not appropriate students will not be able to progress. In my future classroom I will
remember the lessons I learned from observing this instructor and work to constantly
progress and evolve as an educator.

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Pedagogical Contribution
Through observation of this advanced reading/writing graduate level course, I was
exposed to a variety of methods and activities that promoted communication and
incorporated authentic, meaningful materials. A component that would contribute to the
class curriculum is a focus on the possible implications of the topics being covered. For
example, the textbook Pathways 3: Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking, National
Geographic Learning, includes a number of important and current issues that affect people
all over the world, such as population growth, global warming, solar energy, and the
physical/psychological benefits of being in nature. The purpose of my pedagogical
contribution is for students to critically analyze the content by approaching it as an
opportunity to realize their power to effect change in their world. Encouraging students to
personally relate to the content can increase their comprehension of the subject matter, as
well as stimulate critical awareness of the world around them.
The instructor did a good job explaining the topics and vocabulary as a background
for the reading and writing activities. A next step could be encouraging students to
critically examine the topics covered in class (e.g. global warming), which may lead to
compositions with conviction, interactive class discussions, and a deeper understanding of
the core content. Utilizing language as a way to expand learners political consciousness
and social awareness can help them gain the knowledge to participate in real world issues
and concerns found in their community.
In the process of developing this contribution, I took notes and insight from the
participatory approach. This method of instruction bares similarity to content-based
instruction because they both focus heavily on incorporating authentic and relevant
content into the curriculum. The appeal of the participatory approach is how it
acknowledges the usefulness of personal experiences within the learning process. I found
this approach applicable to the format of this class, since the topics covered were relevant
to contemporary issues in todays society. Critical pedagogy of the English language will be
a valuable skill for these learners to have as they progress in their education for they will
most likely engage in analytical dialogues about their role in society. These approaches
influenced my claim that in-class discussions and homework assignments benefit from
putting a stronger focus on critical examination of the content. By encouraging learners to
make connections and formulate solutions to various subjects (e.g. cities should allocate
money towards the maintenance and creation of parks so all its citizens can enjoy fresh
air), they will feel empowered and capable of making a difference.
Procedures for Development and Execution:
I met with the instructor a week prior to when I was planning on implementing my
lesson in her class to see what topic she was planning on covering. She told me the chapter
for the week was called The New Face of Tourism, and it discussed tourism in general as
well as introducing a new form of it called Geotourism. I gave the instructor a rough outline
 Grattan 12

of the steps I wanted my lesson to include and we decided on a time and day that would
work best. She gave me a photocopy of the chapter so I could use the material to formulate
activities based on the reading. The book had 4 pre-reading exercises and 4 post-reading
exercises, through observation I noticed that the instructor did not normally have the
students do all of them. Through reading the chapter, I found that the majority of the
information provided was in favor of tourism. It focused on the positive benefits that could
be realized if tourism is well-managed. I decided to have the students consider if they felt
the reading was objective or subjective. Since this is an advanced reading and writing class,
these students should to be able to distinguish unbiased work from writing that has an
agenda.
I decided to give the students a few minutes at the beginning of class to review the
chapter so they could be prepared for the activities. Next, I ask the students to discuss the
main ideas of the chapter with a partner and try to determine what the author was trying
to say about tourism in the chapter. Having the students consider the authors intentions is
a way to raise awareness towards certain ideas the author chooses to represent the topic
being discussed (e.g. tourism). After five to ten minutes of pair discussion I had the
students share what they discussed with the whole class making sure they referenced
components of the text to back up their reasoning.
In the next phase of the lesson I had the students relate the information offered
about tourism to their experiences with it in their home countries. In a short paragraph I
asked the students to answer a few questions:
1. Describe the presence/impact of tourism on your homeland. Is it prevalent?
2. What kind of tourism is most popular in your country (Traditional tourism or
Geotourism)?
3. Do you feel it is a benefit to your society? Why or why not?
The students had ten minutes to answering these questions independently, then get up and
find someone from another country to share their responses for the three questions. This
exchange provided an opportunity for students to learn about how tourism affects
countries differently and fostered an understanding of its growing authority in todays
culture. Once the students had time to discuss the three questions, I led a group discussion
asking the students if they felt tourism was a benefit to their homeland. To my surprise it
was a unanimous yes, with students giving me examples of how it can provide jobs, bring
revenue into the economy, protect important landmarks, and promote cultural
understanding. If I were to continue this topic into another lesson, I would have provided
another text for the students to read that would approach the issues concerning tourism
from a different angle. I think that many of the students had a one-sided view of the topic
and would have benefited from further reading from a different perspective, possibly from
a local citizen whose entire way of life was uprooted due to tourism growth.
Conclusion
I learned so much from observing and teaching this advanced reading and writing
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class and feel that I am better prepared to teach a language class because of my experiences
with this instructor. There were a variety of teaching methods, approaches, and strategies
used, which helped me gain a deeper understanding of how techniques can be
implemented in the classroom. A few of these methodologies helped inform my teaching
philosophy and set a foundation for strategies I plan on integrating into my future
classrooms. Overall, this guided involvement in the classroom helped me expand my
theoretical and practical knowledge regarding English language teaching/learning.