This week, I got to focus on how my CT carried out her lessons, in terms of the different lesson segments, as well as how she motivated her students during class and encouraged active participation.
In terms of lesson enactment, my CT often started her lessons by discussing the homework given in the previous lesson. In our conversation, I learnt that my CT felt that going through previously assigned homework was important as it not only acknowledges the student’s effort in doing their work, which also plays a motivational role in getting them to continue doing work, but it also provides an opportunity for recap and clarification. My CT would rely on different ways to go through the homework depending on the nature of the assignment. One example I got to observe was in Religion class, where the students were previously asked to write a reflective piece on happiness. My CT got the students to share about their written work in groups of 4, based on their seating arrangement, and after this, she then asked for volunteers to share with the class. In this case, as the assignment was a personal written piece, it was important that the sharing was done in smaller groups, which was a more comfortable setting for the students to share personal stories. In addition, as class sharing was purely voluntary, students would only share their own written piece if they were comfortable with doing so. This example can then be compared to another piece of homework, this time a grammar exercise for German class. In this case, every student had to answer one question of the exercise each, as my CT went around the class to get every student to share. By engaging with the homework, my CT can also check whether the class did the work assigned. In addition, this constant practice of going through homework enforces the importance of homework and compels students to complete their work so that they can participate in class when called upon.
One key point that came up during my conversation with my CT was the importance of varying classroom activities and lesson segments. This can ensure that students with diverse learning needs have their needs met as well as prevent a level of monotony from setting in during lessons, which would then undermine student interest and participation. Some examples I observed during the week include the incorporation of games in German class, that gave the students an opportunity to do something fun and different while internalising the German language use more effectively. The use of a German counting game during tenth-grade German class helped students to better remember German numerical terms through a fun (and competitive) activity.
Also, with the good weather we experienced, there were times when my CT decided to do an outdoor activity during lesson time, letting the students be active in the school courtyard. This was also due to the restlessness of the students that affected their concentration in class.
A principle that my CT follows during lesson time is to ensure that every student says something, to ensure that every student participates in class. This is achieved through different ways as well, depending on the class profile. With more active classes, where students would proactively attempt to answer, my CT will ensure that different students are called. However, in classes that are less active, my CT will then either call on students to answer or get the whole class to take turns answering. The latter method is often used in German class, to ensure that the students follow the class.
To encourage participation, my CT shared that it was important to build good class relations, be it between student and teacher or between students. One way my CT achieves this is through fortnightly seating arrangement changes to allow students to work with different classmates. In addition, my CT emphasised creating a safe space in the classroom so that the students would feel comfortable to share their ideas and questions. These ensure that a supportive and conducive class environment is created, which in turn ensures that students are not afraid to speak up.
Also, based on my understanding after speaking to my CT, the students are largely motivated and interested in learning, which aids greatly in the maintaining of student interest and participation in class. Nonetheless, with the approaching summer break and the different holidays, the students are restless and tend to lose concentration, which in turn necessitates the use of varied activities to sustain their interest as discussed previously.
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