“Success is a journey, not a destination”.

During the pedagogy course I have had the opportunity to gain knowledge on a wide range of topics and to be exposed to new ideas and approaches.

Semester 1

Planning

Thanks to the course I feel more secure in planning well structured lessons that are both engaging and effective. The most important stage in planning relies on defining the objectives. Then, we have to decide which method to use, what resources to use and how to assess the students’ understanding.

Finally, the evaluation part is necessary in order to improve future lessons. I have particulary gained a lot of knowledge regarding warm up and attention grabbers activities. In addition, I found the SMART model highly useful: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time.

Reflection

To me, the point of reflection is the ongoing process of improving my teaching abilities and learning from my mistakes. In addition, learning about reflection reminded me that each class is different and therefore, I should adapt my teaching strategies accordingly.

During this course it became clear to me that one of my weaknesses is the fact that I tend to “squeeze” a large amount of material into a single lesson rather than focus on one element or objective. As a result, I have to improve the aspect of planning the time allocated to each stage of the lesson.

L1 in the classroom

Using L1 in the classroom has always been controversial. In my experience, most ESL teachers use L1 in the classroom to some extent. It is clear that there is an inherent need to maintain an “only English” policy, yet, the reality of hetergeneous classes and mixed levels forces the teachers to save time and reassure the understanding of the students using L1. Conducting the survey about the use of L1 has been very interesting. Eventhough answered only by 3 teachers, I believe the results reflect the dilemma between using “only L1” in the ESL classroom and using L2, and the need of teachers to find the balance between them in a way that is engaging and motivating as well as constructive and productive.

Regarding Penny Ur’s article, in order to be effective ESL teachers, we must be aware of both the extent of L1 that we use and of the purposes we strive to achieve while using it (giving instructions, saving time: vocabulary, grammar, corrections). As I see it, the key to effective teaching is flexibility – and in the matter of L1 vs L2 – depending on the level of the learners – I believe that there should be a balance between the objective to reinforce English and the means – using L1, when appropriate, in order to save time, clarify explanation and enhance vocabulary.

Students’ Presentations of Articles

This part of the course enabled me to become aware of various teaching methods and strategies. I have found the American English site very interesting and I intend to keep on reading articles on this site.

I think that it is facinating to read teachers’ experiences from around the world.

The article that I chose to present, Raising Cultural Awareness in the English Language Classroom by Jerrold Frank, reinforced my approach to this issue and made me think about it in a new manner and with new terms such as ‘cultural antenas’ and the 3 P model of culture: Perspectives, Practices and Products.

Presenting this article in class was an opportunity for me to gather all the pictures from my last year’s experience with my 8^th grade, where each student or a couple presented a country. This project was my personal initiative and I felt proud of my students who took it seriously and did an outstanding job.

https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/51_4_2_frank.pdf

Semester 2

Etai Conference

I have attended the following lectures, which were all compelling and stimulating.

Susana Galante – Pedagogical Principles for Effective Distance Learning

This session pointed out important issues regarding planning and implementing online lessons. Throughout this lecture I became aware of the term “social presence” and of the importance of communication this new form of interaction. In addition, I have found the model for synchronous learning very useful.

Karen Yerushalmi – Creativity in the Virtual Elementary Classroom during Corona Days

This session focused on elementary school, using Click and Cool Textbooks. The topics that were presented were less relevant for me, as I am teaching in Junior High and High School. However, there were inspiring ideas that I would like to implement. I especially liked the different activities about: end of the year, travel diary, vacation journal and movie review.

Adele Remer – Using Google Sites

This session was the most relevant for me because I was in the process of building a google site in another course. Adele has demonstrated the process of creating the site and answered my questions regarding technical issues. It has been very helpful indeed.

A link to the site I created along with Sahar and Yasmin in the framework of Digital English course with Dr. Gazit Sharabi.

https://sites.google.com/s/1ZyRO4_a88HS8-9L_TSUDa6xi4lriUJko/p/1rGxWWAtNeDoKm3Zkpu61ZKROUnmbFOhY/edit?ths=true

Online Zoom Lessons

The global pandemic crisis has suddenly forced us to move into distance learning. I felt that our teacher did her best in order to create lessons that were engaging, varied and enjoyable.

I appreciate the hard work that Jennifer put into it and I feel that the lessons were effective to the highest degree, sometimes even more than ‘regular’ lessons.

Taking into consideration that we will most likely face periods of online teaching next year, I personally take a lot of this experience and I feel more equipped to undergo this endevour.

Online Teaching / Learning

Teaching online (presentations) was challenging and demanding but I think it was important to experience it and to learn how to overcome technical issues. My fellow students were attentive and supportive throughout the students’ presentation and it created a safe environment for the learners.

I chose to teach the poem “Tryin’ on Clothes” by Shel Silverstein, a lesson that I prepared and taught in the past but I had to adjust it to online learning and I think that the efforts were worthwhile as the result was more structured and appealing than the initial lesson.

https://padlet.com/moransk/os6ct868oot3tgs3

Teaching Speaking

Teaching speaking should definitely be integrated in every lesson. The most important method that I’ve learned is modelling. The discussion about error correction was profoundly useful as well. In order to encouage students to speak English we should create a safe environment and an atmosphere of acceptance.

Clearly, it is extremely difficult to work on speaking with each student individually. Nevertheless, it is one of the most crucial skills in language learning and therefore, we should strive to provide students with motivating opportunities to speak.

I have taken part in the programs “Let’s Talk”, “Speak Up!” and “Keep Talking” and I became more familiar with the materials on Stay Up To Date thanks to this course.

Teaching Reading Strategies

This lession referred to reading strategies such as graphic organizers, scanning, skimming, context clues and summarizing. Moreover, we learned about understanding the main idea, folllowing the development of an argument, understanding different text types (article, review, interview, etc.), integrating information from the text and inferring. These are methods that I use on a regular basis.

One of the preliminary techniques that I use is “eyecatchers” using highlighters (see pictures).

Teaching Listening Strategies

I admit that while teaching Listening, both in 8th grade and in high school, I have not always maintained the structure of pre-reading, while reading and post-reading. I have learned how meaningful these stages are and I definitely intend to implement this format in my classes.

The listening assignment exposed me to additional sites for listening and I felt lucky to work with my group members: Alexandra, Natalie and Jamileh and to share ideas with them.

In particular, I enjoyed creating the padlet for the post-listening about “Beautiful Hawaii”.

https://padlet.com/moransk/d8fyaru6hegex4da

Teaching Writing Strategies

Writing is undoubtedly one of the most complex skills to teach. I have learned that writing should be divided into three types: Controlled Writing, Guided Writing and Free Writing. In addition, I gained ideas for things that I can write with my students: stories, interviews, letters, newspapers, recipes, instructions, journals and invitations.

The steps to writing were familiar to me: planning, drafting, revising and editing but it was a good review. In my experience, the revising and editing stages are the most problematic. “Rewritng” is definitely a MUST when I teach writing. However, students are usually reluctant in doing so, for a variety of reasons and I have to develop a creative strategy in order to achieve this goal.

Over the years I have been using the scaffolding method by creating writing templates for all levels, and I strongly believe that this technique makes the writing more accessible and appealing.

Reading for Pleasure

I find it important to refer to our discussion regarding Reading for Pleasure as I feel this issue is less adressed to in our EFL classes and it clearly demands more attention. I came across an idea for a Book Tasting activity that I’m looking forward to carry out next year.

http://musingsfromthemiddleschool.blogspot.com/2017/01/host-book-tasting-in-your-classroom.html

Summing Up

By writing this reflection I came to realize the amount of material that has been covered during this course and I am grateful for the knowledge and experience that I have gained. Beyond any doubt, I have finished this year with an abundant toolbox and a restored self-confidence that will enable me to become the teacher that I aspire to be.

Surely, I have learned from the best.

Thank you, Jennifer!

Moran