Distance Learning
Certificate in TEFL (with Practice Teaching)

Sample Lesson Critique

 

Practice teaching lies at the core of any effective TEFL training. However, new teachers do not automatically develop and improve simply by practicing teaching! They usually improve by reflecting on their own lessons and by receiving feedback and advice from an experienced trainer. When you send us each of your videotaped lessons, Jeff Mohamed will watch the lesson and will e-mail you detailed feedback and advice on the lesson and on your teaching.

The feedback approach that Jeff uses is based on the approach he uses in Cambridge CELTA programs. You can see an example below.

 

SUMMARY

Teacher: XXXXX
Date: XXXXX
Lesson Type: Reading and Free Speaking
Length: 60 minutes
Class Level: Low Intermediate

Overall:
This was a successful lesson, which the students clearly enjoyed and benefited from. Your plan was admirably detailed and almost all of it was staged logically. You displayed very good classroom management skills and you made effective use of many TEFL techniques. Overall, you met your aims and certainly attained the required standard, although there are some areas of your teaching which could be improved. Good job!

Your Self-Evaluation:
You saw the strengths of the lesson and some of the 'problems' but you should also see my comments below. I agree that there was too much unnecessary TTT (Teacher Talk Time) and I have suggested some ways to reduce this.

Particular Area(s) of Progress:
You are making particularly good progress with grading and simplifying your speech and with giving clear directions for activities. Well done!

Strong Points:
+ Great classroom manner: Friendly yet firm
+ Excellent rapport with students
+ You included all students more or less equally
+ Appropriate grading your language
+ Classroom management: Good directions!
+ Good pace! You kept the stronger students interested while not 'losing' the less able ones
+ Clear illustrating of the meaning of vocabulary items
+ Inclusion of a personalized 'creation of interest' stage
+ Checking of students' detailed comprehension of the text
+ Provision of a significant amount of free speaking

Points To Work On:
- Checking students' understanding of vocabulary
- Accuracy of your board writing
- Checking students' understanding of the text's gist
- Setting up and monitoring free speaking
- Limiting your TTT (Teacher Talk Time)
- Correction of students' errors

DETAILED CRITIQUE

Stage 1: Creation of Interest (7 minutes)
+ You provided a personalized discussion task that really got the students involved and talking
+ Your directions were clear and concise
+ Using closed pairs maximized STT (Student Talk Time)
+ In open feedback you elicited a contribution from each pair
+ You elicited contributions by nominating individuals rather than letting everyone shout out together

Stage 2: Vocabulary Presentation (8 minutes)
+ You illustrated the meaning of the words (via pictures, mime, etc.) rather than explaining them
+ You tried to elicit target words from students rather than telling them
+ You elicited each word in a sentence so that its part of speech was clear (e.g., "I want to make a reservation")
+ You wrote the words on the board at the end and you indicated the part of speech for each one

- Even when your illustrations of meaning are clear, you can't be sure if the students understand unless you check: So you needed to ask specific 'concept check' questions. (For example, for "He's depressed," ask something like: "Is he happy or sad? Sad or very very sad?")

- As you noticed, you talked a lot here! You tend to use very indirect questions and requests. ("Would anyone like to answer #4? How about you, Han? Would you like to try this one?" "I want you all to look at this picture. Can anyone tell me what this here is called?") It will cut your TTT a lot if you are more direct. ("#4. Han" and "Look at this. What is it?")

Note: You were right to assume that you didn't need to work on pronunciation because the words for only for receptive (= understanding) use. However, the students clearly wanted to know how to say "psychiatrist" : So I would have modeled it orally and done a quick repetition drill with it.

- Your board writing is really messy and you use upper and lower case arbitrarily: e.g., "a ticKEt," "ReseRvaTion." You need to provide better written models, especially as your students come from a different script background.

Stage 3: Checking Comprehension of Gist (10 minutes)
+ Your questions were really good gist comprehension questions.

- You had students read the text and then handed out the questions. This is the wrong way around! You need to set the questions first so that the students know what they are reading for: "Look at these questions. Now read the story to find the answers." (If they read first, you are checking their memory more than their comprehension.)

- You gave the students six minutes to read the text and so they read the text slowly and word by word. However, the purpose of this stage you is to encourage the students to skim quickly throu gh the text, not worrying about every word. So I would have given them only 2-3 minutes for reading.

Stage 4: Checking Detailed Comprehension (12 minutes)
+ Your questions were excellent.
+ It was a good idea to get students to discuss the answers in pairs. (They were able to help each other a lot, plus this was some free speaking practice.)
+ Your open class checking of the answers was very effective and efficient.

Stage 5: Free Speaking Practice (20 minutes)
+ The task was personalized, so it really motivated the students to talk
+ You based the task on closed group work and this maximized the amount of STT per student
+ You gave clear directions and an example for the task, and you checked that the students understood what they had to do
+ You monitored the groups closely

- You got drawn into some of the closed group discussions. I would avoid this: It boosts TTT in what is supposed to be a student speaking activity. Also, you need to be listening and noting down some errors that students make. (See my final comment.) So only interfere in the group discussions if it is absolutely necessary.

+ At the end, you elicited some contributions from each group
+ You didn't correct any student errors at this stage. Good! (Correcting students here would probably have inhibited them from speaking freely. )

- You talked a lot during the open class stage! Whenever a student said something, you repeated it. (Student: "Mental illness is a very serious problem." You: "Yes. Mental illness is a very serious problem.") This kind of 'echoing' boosts TTT a lot to no useful purpose and you should try to avoid it. (If you want to acknowledge what students are saying, just say something like "Right" or "Really." If you are echoing because you think the student can't be heard by the other students, ask him/her to speak up.)

- Students often feel free speaking activities are a waste of time: They just use the English they already know. So it is important to make them feel they are learning something. The best way to do this is to include a correction slot after you have done the open class eliciting of contributions: Mention 2-3 significant errors that you heard during the group work and you get the class to correct them.

 

 

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