Introduction
During the CELTA, trainees need to complete 6 hours of observed teaching practice (TP). After each TP, trainees reflect on how it went and receive feedback from tutors and peers. Last Friday, I observed the first 20 minute TPs, based on the warmers discussed in a previous post, and the subsequent feedback.
Observing
For this first set of observations I was given two forms: one for the stage plan; and one for overall comments.
After comparing with my mentor, I discovered that I had perhaps been overly critical of what was a potentially first teaching encounter for the trainees. I noticed a couple of interesting things from the other tutors’ notes.
- Use of bullet points rather than prose.
- Focus on the positive aspects.
- Positive language, such as ‘Good/Excellent use of’.
- Use of ticks or double ticks to highlight positive points.
- Use of brackets for areas to work on.
Obviously, each tutor will have their own way of recording observations, and this is just a list of surface level considerations. As the course progresses, the observation focus will probably shift.
Feedback
After the observation feedback was conducted in plenary with the TP group. After the observed trainee reflected on the lesson, other trainees gave their opinion. This was followed by praise and constructive criticism from the tutor. The idea was probably to get the trainees to notice areas to work on rather than telling them. The main points from each discussion were boarded, such as ‘instruction, demo, check’ and ‘you are the teacher’. Feedback from the tutor was structured to: first, highlight positive aspects; then, discuss areas to work on; and finally, to focus on the positive and what had been achieved.
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