Observation Statement

Through spending time in various classrooms, I have observed different teaching methodologies and techniques, student response and behavior, materials and activities used in the class. Therefore, I have gained valuable insight and information that I will remember and apply into my own teaching practice in the future. One of the many things that I have observed in these classrooms is the use of the communicative teaching approach. Most teachers place emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language. Language is not presented as mere pieces of grammar rules, vocabulary or pronunciation practice. By creating an authentic learning environment in the classroom, students need to go beyond focus on form! and ma"e a connection to articulate the language in real#life situations. The introduction of authentic materials $e.g. songs, newspaper articles, interview, lecture video% into classroom learning is an important element of the communicative teaching method. &or e'ample, in the academic s"ills class the instructor (an" Mantell played a video of a professor lecturing on the topic slang! so that the students could practice their listening and note#ta"ing s"ills. In his business )nglish class, the instructor *ohn Moran cut the business section off the newspaper and put them on the wall everyday for students to read and discuss. +tudents are e'posed to the live! )nglish that native spea"ers are

accustomed to so the students! ability to comprehend and use these language features will be enhanced along the course of study. ,reating a student#centered classroom is also a prominent feature of the classes that I observed. Teacher is not the absolute authority and the only source of information in the class. Teacher tal" time is carefully controlled so the students would be given more opportunity to spea". Most activities are done in pairs or groups that students are encouraged to negotiate meaning with each other to arrive at understanding. Lesson plan and materials are also created and chosen according to the students! needs and interests. The topics ranging from foods from students! home country, costs of living in -merican and the ways of finding an apartment. +tudents could be easily motivated to tal" about these topics because they have previous "nowledge and new e'perience outside of the classroom to share. Besides seeing what wor"s well in a classroom, I also saw what could go wrong in a lesson. The e'ample that stands out the most in my mind is the teacher!s tone, posture and body language while teaching. If a teacher sits in his.her chair and spea"s in a plain voice with little facial and body movement during the entire class, students would soon become bored and distracted to do something else instead of focusing on the tas". It is very important for teachers to participate in class activities by /oining students! discussion

and circulating in the classroom to answer questions and chec" students! comprehension. Time control is another important aspect to be loo"ed out for. +ometimes the quantity or difficulty of the content could be too hard to mange in a 01#minute lesson. -s a result, teachers rush through activities without "nowing whether students understand or the class simply goes over time against the students! will. I am glad that I had such a great opportunity to sit in the classroom to observe different e'perienced teachers. )ven /ust by watching I was greatly inspired and learned a lot of things. +ome teachers even gave me tips and e'plained their teaching methods to me after class. I have gathered a lot of information to implement a variety of activities using different methods. It will definitely help me to become a better )+L teacher in the future.