Assignment 4: LESSONS FROM THE CLASSROOM (750-1000 words)
The aim of this assignment is to encourage you to:
Reflect on your own teaching and on the methods and techniques you have been using.
Reflect on the implications for your own teaching from your observations of experienced
ELT professionals and your colleagues on the course.
Identify your own teaching strengths and development needs.
(Part a) Develop an action plan for your development in the second half of the course.
(Part b) Develop a realistic action plan for your further development after the course.
(Part c) Maintain an Observation Log (to be handed in with both Part (a) and Part (b)).
Recommended books for this assignment (please list the ones you use in a bibliography at
the end of your assignment although reading is not an essential component of this task):
Learning Teaching. Jim Scrivener, Macmillan.
The Practice of English Language Teaching, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson.
How to Teach English, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson.
Assessment criteria (reproduced from the CELTA Syllabus and Assessment Guidelines):
Candidates can demonstrate their learning by:
Noting their own teaching strengths and weaknesses in different situations in light of
feedback from learners, teachers and teacher educators.
Identifying which ELT areas of knowledge and skills they need further development in.
Describing in a specific way how they might develop their ELT knowledge and skills beyond
the course.
Using written language which is clear, accurate and appropriate to task.
Procedure
Part (a) (500 words):
Consider the following from the first half of the course:
Your self-evaluations of your teaching.
Feedback you have received from tutors (oral and written feedback and the Stage 1 written
tutorial), peers (in feedback sessions or anecdotal) and learners (either based on their
reactions or their comments).
Your observations of your peers, experienced teachers (on DVD or live) and tutors on the
course.
Based on the above:
Part 1: Describe three of your strengths as a teacher with specific examples from your
own TP (or planning) – these areas should be repeated strengths rather than something
which happened only once. (150 words)
Part 2: Describe three of your areas to work on as a teacher again with specific examples
from your own TP (or planning) – as above, these should refer to general weaknesses
and not to something which happened only once. Write these in the first column of the
chart below. (150 words)
, Part 3: With reference to your Observation Log (please attach up-to-date) and including
comments from both peer and experienced teacher observations (please refer to specific
teachers and lessons), list 2 specific ideas which will help you improve in each of your
areas to work on in the second half of the course. Write these ideas in the second column
of the chart below. (200 words)
Answer template (part a)
Strengths (with examples):
1.
2.
3.
Areas to work on with specific Ideas from my observations which will help in my
examples from TP: areas to work on (2 ideas per area):
1. a)
b)
2. a)
b)
3. a)
b)
Part (c) (no prescribed limit but 50 words per day / task would seem reasonable):
Maintain an Observation Log as laid out on the final page of this section.
Submission checklist (part a/c):
I have addressed all areas of the rubric, following the template above.
I have referred to my own self-evaluations.
I have referred to feedback I have received from tutors, peers and learners.
I have exemplified both strengths and areas to work on with examples from my own TP.
I have referred to my observations of both experienced teachers and my peers (as well as input
sessions where appropriate).
I have attached a copy of my up-to-date Observation Log.
I have included a bibliography and made it clear where I have included direct quotes or have
paraphrased (optional).
I have included and respected the word count.
The work is my own.
The aim of this assignment is to encourage you to:
Reflect on your own teaching and on the methods and techniques you have been using.
Reflect on the implications for your own teaching from your observations of experienced
ELT professionals and your colleagues on the course.
Identify your own teaching strengths and development needs.
(Part a) Develop an action plan for your development in the second half of the course.
(Part b) Develop a realistic action plan for your further development after the course.
(Part c) Maintain an Observation Log (to be handed in with both Part (a) and Part (b)).
Recommended books for this assignment (please list the ones you use in a bibliography at
the end of your assignment although reading is not an essential component of this task):
Learning Teaching. Jim Scrivener, Macmillan.
The Practice of English Language Teaching, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson.
How to Teach English, Jeremy Harmer, Pearson.
Assessment criteria (reproduced from the CELTA Syllabus and Assessment Guidelines):
Candidates can demonstrate their learning by:
Noting their own teaching strengths and weaknesses in different situations in light of
feedback from learners, teachers and teacher educators.
Identifying which ELT areas of knowledge and skills they need further development in.
Describing in a specific way how they might develop their ELT knowledge and skills beyond
the course.
Using written language which is clear, accurate and appropriate to task.
Procedure
Part (a) (500 words):
Consider the following from the first half of the course:
Your self-evaluations of your teaching.
Feedback you have received from tutors (oral and written feedback and the Stage 1 written
tutorial), peers (in feedback sessions or anecdotal) and learners (either based on their
reactions or their comments).
Your observations of your peers, experienced teachers (on DVD or live) and tutors on the
course.
Based on the above:
Part 1: Describe three of your strengths as a teacher with specific examples from your
own TP (or planning) – these areas should be repeated strengths rather than something
which happened only once. (150 words)
Part 2: Describe three of your areas to work on as a teacher again with specific examples
from your own TP (or planning) – as above, these should refer to general weaknesses
and not to something which happened only once. Write these in the first column of the
chart below. (150 words)
, Part 3: With reference to your Observation Log (please attach up-to-date) and including
comments from both peer and experienced teacher observations (please refer to specific
teachers and lessons), list 2 specific ideas which will help you improve in each of your
areas to work on in the second half of the course. Write these ideas in the second column
of the chart below. (200 words)
Answer template (part a)
Strengths (with examples):
1.
2.
3.
Areas to work on with specific Ideas from my observations which will help in my
examples from TP: areas to work on (2 ideas per area):
1. a)
b)
2. a)
b)
3. a)
b)
Part (c) (no prescribed limit but 50 words per day / task would seem reasonable):
Maintain an Observation Log as laid out on the final page of this section.
Submission checklist (part a/c):
I have addressed all areas of the rubric, following the template above.
I have referred to my own self-evaluations.
I have referred to feedback I have received from tutors, peers and learners.
I have exemplified both strengths and areas to work on with examples from my own TP.
I have referred to my observations of both experienced teachers and my peers (as well as input
sessions where appropriate).
I have attached a copy of my up-to-date Observation Log.
I have included a bibliography and made it clear where I have included direct quotes or have
paraphrased (optional).
I have included and respected the word count.
The work is my own.
