My Teaching Experience from Student to Professional with Lesson Plans

On Tuesday (Day 2 of student teaching), my cooperating teacher went to a funeral, and asked before she left if I was okay with going over the rest of the exam with her French II students. I immediately said that was fine, and in the near-future (futur proche) form of the verb of life, rethought it. The class would be in the auditorium and a “sub” would be there to watch the students unless she told them I was going to be doing something with them. And, that soon, I ended up “teaching”.

After the fact, it wasn’t as bad as I had thought (it was only 33 minutes because of a morning assembly), but after we quickly finished going over the last 20 questions of their exam, I did not know what “conversation” to make. She had suggested asking them what they had learned so far in class, but since this was the final exam for the semester (and we’d just gone over the test), it was a little superficial to try and get them to elaborate on what foods they had learned, par exemple.

They asked me questions about my education and studying in France at first, and then it got a little more personal. I had asked a student if they were getting their license soon because I saw a girl with a driver’s manual, and in return a student asked what kind of car I drove. This question really did not bother me or come off as a privacy issue, so I told them. Especially after he said he drove a car from the same year as mine (aka “old”). They also got out of me that I’m 25 (one guessed 23, another 30). :0

It was fun though. Overall, I think it was a good first impression they got of me, somehow. And they’re the first class I am going to start teaching in a few short days.

I also did two exercises in two of the classes today and I felt like it went really well. In French IV, I helped a girl who did not seem to be doing the in-class assignment at all (and had her use all the 7 vocab words in 5 sentences instead of 7 because time was running low). In French I, they seemed comfortable with my minor suggestions for pronunciation improvement when they stumbled or hesitated to pronounce something.

So these first interactions feel positive overall, on both sides of the table. I’m looking forward to forcing myself to extensively plan awesome full-length class lesson plans.

So speak in French!

Easier said than done, je sais, but seriously- using lots of little foreign language phrases is a great way to help the students learn more per class. Today I observed a Spanish III class where the teacher used very few Spanish phrases outside of the teaching of the actual language. I was surprised that he didn’t even say the numbers of the questions in Spanish!

I observed an Italian I class where she did use a bit of Italian other than the explicit teaching of it, and the kids seemed to know a lot. Not to mention pronunciation! She had the kids just sound out one syllable at a time, and even though one boy said that he is “really bad with pronunciation” she made him do it and by the end he sounded much better.

And so, a large goal I have, is to speak lots of French. My grad school wants me to use only French, but imagine what would happen if I take over the class and suddenly start teaching “bell to bell”, and using three times the French they were using previously.

It could happen and negative consequences might be fewer than anyone would have expected. Or, au contraire, they could hate me and not understand a thing (or rather, refuse to try to understand that which they may have just understood naturally).

It’s something to think about, and it reminds me of going to France after taking seven years of it, and feeling like I could not utter complete and correct sentences. We need more oral repetition and actual use of the spoken language occurring in foreign language class!

I just started brainstorming these in a free period this week while I’m observing more than student teaching, so some of them may or may not work in every level of French, but the point is, the more French you use, the more the students will get used to hearing it and hopefully producing it eventually (For instance “Puis-je vais aux toilettes?” or even just “Toilettes?” instead of “Can I go to the bathroom?”) The more French, the more likely students will retain the language and understand how it is spoken, and how to speak it.

• Bonjour/Salut
• Ca va? (and the responses…bien, comme ci, comme ca, etc) Comment ca va?
• Monsieur or Mademoiselle (call the students this, or use French names)
• Comprenez-vous? Savez-vous?
• Repetez s’il vous plait
• Non, Oui, Peut-etre, etc
• Attention, s’il vous plait! Silence, etc
• Use “les numeros” (when talking about test questions or numbering for groups)
• La date- every day have the date written up on the board in French
• Apprendre, Comprendre
• Excellent, Super, Bravo- Praise en francais
• Voila, voici, ici
• “Avez-vous des questions?” or “Questions?” (it looks/sounds like English anyway)
• Maintenant, Aujourd’hui, Hier, Cette semaine (time references)
• Tout le monde, tous ensemble
• Qu’est-ce qui se passe?
• Qu’est-ce que c’est? C’est…
• Qu’est-ce que ca veut dire en anglais? (make them ask in French to get English)
• en francais, en anglais (if students do not respond in French, etc)
• Donnez-moi, passez-moi (instead of pass me back your exams in English)
• Les commandes- levez-vous, asseyez-vous, faites attention, levez vos mains!
• Fermez la porte (or la bouch), ouvrez vos livres, allumez les lumieres, etc.
• Facile/Difficile (pertaining to’les examens’ or ‘les devoirs’ etc)
• Les mots de question- Quoi, Quand, Qui, Comment, Pourquoi, Ou (maybe have a sign of these and encourage students to use them)
• Je m’appelle, Comment t’appelles-tu? Et toi?
• Les lettres de l’alphabet- when going over test items or spelling a new word, get them used to hearing ‘les lettres’ in French

So on and so forth— Add phrases as you see fit. Start with yourself and use a variety of praise words in French. Get into the habit of maximizing ‘French-dropping’ in all activities. It will really add up and students will absorb more and naturally start to use it more too.

Having recently gone through so many classes relating to educational theory and research, I have a lot of methods and theories going through my head as I observe. I even caught myself in several conversations with non-student-teachers of late using educational-theory-specific vocabulary that made the people I was talking to either look at me oddly or sort of tune out and eventually switch the topic. It has been difficult to quiet it down while observing.

            This may sound like a good thing that I have the educational theory fresh in my mind and that I am applying it to observing teaching in a French classroom. But I felt sort of hypocritical or naïve to be sitting there watching someone teach and analyzing every aspect of how it was good or could be improved. I did reflect on the good teaching techniques she was using, but I know it will be a different story when I start student teaching. The trick behind teaching is that it might be good for me to have all this theory and knowledge about how to teach, but it remains up to me to put it into good use through balancing research-based theories and methods with the fact that I’m nervous and frightened to have such a big responsibility that I’m new at. There is a lot to remember when teaching.

In any case, here are some of my observations. One part of class that troubled me was efficiency in the use of time. She was going over exams which they had just taken, question by question, and this took up time and most students were following along, but what about the students that got over a 90%? She also spent several minutes at the beginning of class passing out tests, and at the end of a few classes there were at least five minutes left where she didn’t do anything.

I know that running classes “bell to bell” and a well-thought out lesson plan will keep students engaged and maximize learning. Students who did well on the test were not paying attention. At the end of the period they were talking or lining up at the door. Again, I realize this is probably just a different type of day because it is after a big exam, but I would like to start gathering some time-filling activities that I can adapt and use in any level class at the end of class or if there are a few minutes where students need something fun and educational to do instead of just waiting for the bell to ring.

Done at 2:15pm vs. my day starting at 2:15pm occasionally in the past. I know, I’ll get over it sometime soon, I almost took a nap but was worried that I would not be able to fall asleep tonight early enough (I have to get up early every day of the week, not just once or twice). It is tough on a night-owl like me.

The Good: I made it through the initial fear and nervousness of day one. The students seemed excited to hear I was going to student teach. My teacher is very accommodating now and it seems like she will be as the weeks go by.

The Not-as-good: It was the day after exams last week so she went over the exams in each class, and I did get a little tired. I was on edge in general (almost the whole day), nervous about handling all those kids, and a bit uneasy around the mostly married and/or having-children faculty at lunch.

The Bad: They ran out of chicken sandwiches in the faculty cafeteria by the time we got there (I guess I’ll have to pack my own lunch now ) Did I mention this is 40hrs/week PLUS planning time unpaid?

Something else I was considering is that maybe I do not want to teach. Hehe. I know, first day, but it is a complex and time-consuming process that may take years to get into the groove of. And that is why I created this blog. To vent, to reflect, and to get some outsider input (soon I will ask my friends to write stuff for me (although as teachers I am starting to see more and more why they might not have the time to do it)).

One day down, about 74 full school days to go. Oh boy. Optimism!

 These are notes to elaborate on my previous entry about Critical Reflection in teaching and learning The steps are Name, Reflect, and Act. Below is an elaboration of the Reflect step.

Open-mindedness

 -desire to recognize more than one side of an issue (multiple perspectives)

-to be able to question even our firmest beliefs

-require us to place ourselves in the shoes of others (multiple perspectives)

-forces us to see all possible explanations (hypothesis, praxis)

 Responsibility

 -desire to actively search for the truth (searching for pattern)

-requires us to apply information gained to productivity

-solve problems (searching for pattern, hypothesis)

-applying theory to create a solid basis for decision-making (praxis)

-implies that we engage in thorough and thoughtful examination of patterns of behavior (searching for pattern)

-(kid’s behavior is predictable, in a pattern, not random)

 Wholeheartedness

 -implies that we overcome fears and uncertainties (multiple perspectives, searching for pattern)

-requires a willingness to examine our own thoughts and feelings (multiple perspectives)

-the ability to put all our energy into the task at hand

-“There are no neutral moments in teaching. I must be purposeful in all interactions”

-what should you do/not do “think before you speak/preach”

 Critical Reflection

 -examine the issue (event/concept) or dilemma that you named

-identify the stakeholders (who was involved)

-place yourself in the shoes of each stakeholder (put yourself in the others’ shoes)

-consider the broader perspective (environmental, family, social, economic, organizational, etc)

-identify patterns

-look within- how are your own thoughts, feelings, values, beliefs and/or experiences impacting this issue

Today was our last seminar. I realized I actually did enjoy my time in the seminars, with the various informative guests in the morning (the nurse, a school and law guy, a differentiating instruction specialist, and so on), and in the afternoon the specific foreign language teaching and methods. It was really nice to have a real French teacher giving input about teaching, whereas all throughout my education courses, there have only been a few examples about foreign language (as opposed to other subjects). I am glad that he will be observing me as well, because the other supervisor speaks Spanish, but he is observing both Spanish and German.

I learned a lot more than I thought I would in two weeks. The book “Contextualized Language Instruction” gives quality research on FL teaching methods and is not too heavy or dry (although sometimes I got a little bored, but that is just me and my poor attention span).

Overall, I’m a little nervous, even about meeting my teacher tomorrow, just because it means that the teaching part is actually coming true…I’m going to be teaching in a week. Aie!

This is both a combo of what the Career Services head told us, and what I have heard or observed is important in a teaching interview:

-5 adjectives to describe yourself: why not do some preparation for commonly asked questions, and be prepared to adapt on the fly: describe yourself in 5 adjectives, or if your previous employer had to say one thing you could have improved what would it have been, etc. Know the common ones and don’t have word-for-word responses memorized (so you sound genuine and not rehearsed)
-Personal weakness- what is a personal weakness or downfall that you have, and how do you or are you working on overcoming it?
-Behavior management policy: most teaching interviews include a question about your personal behavior management policy or beliefs. How will you handle misbehavior? What if a student comes to you right before class starts and says $20 he had this morning is missing from his desk. What do you do? (An interviewer wants to hear that you will address the students’ issue appropriately, without making it a bigger problem than it is. You could say you would tell the student to wait until after class starts and you’ll address it a little later)
-Highlight your relevant field experience: for foreign language teacher applicants, studying abroad is very important. Any internships or experience teaching or unit planning are something that can set you apart from other applicants.
-Know-it-all/flexibility: as a new teacher, schools will look for someone who doesn’t think they know it all (having just finished education coursework). They want someone who is flexible and can adapt and learn from experience. Try to convey this in the interview.
-Extracurriculars in High Schools: some interviewers will want you to volunteer that you are willing to help with a sport, art, or other after-school activity. Share what you could help with before or after school, and be warned that it might not necessarily be for extra compensation.
-Know the school you’re applying to: be prepared to get asked questions specific to that school. Study up on it, have a reason why you want to work there and why you are highly qualified for it. (Call as a prospective parent for more information and they are more willing to give out information)
-Philosophy of Teaching: why do you want to teach? What beliefs do you have about education, the field, and yourself as a teacher? Know your personal philosophy and be ready to share it eloquently.
-

Some of these are not educator-specific, but I’m going to just include all the tips I got from the Career Guidance Counselor this week at school.

1. Remember to focus on the most recent and relevant experiences, education, accomplishments, etcetera (you don’t need to say much about your retail experience seven years ago)
2. LIMIT IT TO ONE PAGE! (You can always elaborate in person. ALSO- if you have to go onto 2 pages, you must make it even (not just a paragraph on the second page)
3. Put the most relevant category at the top (for Educators, this would be Education, followed by Field Experience/Work, etc)
4. Bring letters of recommendation separately to interviews, and references.
5. Do not use a boring Word template. Be creative, but uniform, and aesthetic.
6. Be consistent in your verb and word choice (creating, designing or assisted, planned)
7. Only include your GPA if it is 3.0 or above.
8. Include any certification in its own section, and you may put “pending” or “anticipated May 2008″ for example.
9. You can break activities into two columns as long as it looks neat.
10. Possible sections for Educators: Education, Certification, Teaching Experience, Relevant Skills, Memberships, Professional Experience, Service, Achievements, and more.
11. Name and current address, email, and telephone number at the top, easy to see.

There are many more hints I have, but those are some of the best. Read more on this site about information on interviews and cover letters.

Interpretive- students take in new foreign language input by a variety of means (read, listened to, watched movie)

Interpersonal- communicate with other people about interpreted information (in a class- this could be through group discussion; in other social context- discussing a movie over coffee after seeing it)

Presentational- (more unique to classroom)- summarize and share the information with the class, lectures are also presentational, students should have the opportunity to present learned info and go from interpersonal to presentational

These communication modes can be applied to in and out of classroom situations and a variety of subjects. The goal is to have a variety of all three. If, in a foreign language, the student is only dealing with the interpretive mode of learning and communicating, they are less likely to enjoy the language and find it relevant to their everyday life.