Looking Back on The Whole Experience

 Reflection on Multiple Teaching Activity and Review of Language Learning Project

Quite a few teaching techniques designed for improving four language skills have been covered by professor in class. Professor tends to introduce English teaching theories first and then presents techniques accordingly. Furthermore, students are asked to conduct each activity once. Following this class procedure, I think I can learn more effectively. The theories, as source of knowledge, helps me construct a teaching framework cognitively. Then, the class offers us chances to engage in teaching activities personally. This Experience not only strengthens my impression of those techniques but also inspires me to reflect on my past teaching method. I hope I can come up with ideas to improve my future teaching.

I was impressed by a few teaching activities that professor mentioned in class, such as role play, information gap, planet games, etc. Unlike most of the classes that professors normally ask students to memorize theories and knowledge, we are asked to learn from doing in class. We practice doing teaching activities with teammates and then discus the pros and cons of each teaching activity together. It’s the reason why I can remember almost every teaching technique. I get a chance to know some techniques that I haven’t heard of before. These activities were more interesting than I thought.

However, I must mention that role play is the most impressive teaching activity in my mind, because I really have fun playing it. I can share an interesting episode while playing it. I play a woman called Geraldine who lives in the house number 8. Another classmate claims that she lives in the first floor of house number 8. Nevertheless, according to my character description, I don’t know there is a girl living in the first floor of house number 8. My teammate even makes a joke checking out whether I leave my house by flying out of the window. It turns out that we are all tricked by the first-floor tenant. The turnover is astonishing and interesting, and that’s also the biggest reason I like about role playing.

Apart from joyful experience engaging in those teaching activities, fruitful thoughts about teaching is also what I gain from the class. I am used to focusing on teaching pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar while tutoring. I seldom spice up my class with games, dialogue, jokes, and other fun stuff. After participating in many teaching activities in class, I realize that learners can be effectively motivated by games. To construct a more positive class, maybe I can refine my teaching plan and insert some fun activity session.

As for the reflection of my learning project, my teammates and I have already completed the design of our big teaching day. We aim to teach our learners who are zero-based in the target language. Although we can merely use drill as a teaching activity to help our learners learn, the process of coming up a lesson plan together is already challenging and fun. Hope we can finish our big teaching day in a success!