Şeyda GÜNDOĞDU

TASK 1
I did my internship at Kocatepe Mimar Kemal Anatolian High School and I was able to
attend the 11th and 9th grade English classes and make observations and lectures. I will focus
on the school and teaching settings, including student motivation and teacher motivation in
my first task. First of all, I think in general both classes had a very friendly and warm
atmosphere also the teacher had good communication in both classes. The students respected
the teacher and the teacher was joking with the students so this had a positive effect on their
relationship. I think the communication between the students was very good in the 11th grade
but in the 9th grade this situation was a little different. As I observed in class, one student was
sticking pins or swearing at each other's friends, of course, this was not the case in the
classroom. I think the communication difference between 11th and 9th grade students is
related to age.

The students were also motivated, but I think they were extrinsically because unfortunately
because of our education system, they thought that English was just a lesson for them without
realizing the advantages of learning English. In other words, not all students were enthusiastic
and open to learning English, it could have been better, and I think it was because there were
no fun activities that attracted the attention of the students. However, I can say most of the
students in both classes are motivated during the lessons.

When I think about teaching setting in both classes, actually the teacher was not well
prepared in both classes and I think he wasn't very good at the topics, especially in the 11th
grade because in the grammar based word document he prepared, I saw that he could not tell
the subject independently. Other than that, I think he was fluent in English and his
pronunciation was good, and I think he also used his intonations well because his voice was
lowered and shortened so that the children were not distracted. In addition, in terms of his
personal appearance, he seemed was clean and tidy.

Apart from that, I think the teacher was trying to raise awareness of the students in the L2
culture, because he thought students can be more motivated about using English. For instance,
when students asked a question about the phrase "It is raining dogs and cats", the teacher
spoke about why it was so. The teacher explained that in the old times, the houses were two-
storied and people put up their straw and firewood to protect them from the cold weather. And
cats and dogs came into these straw or woods, but when it rains, the water flows from the roof
and the animals are disturbed. Of course, they had to go downstairs and people who saw them
said "it is raining cats and dogs". I think it was very good for students to learn the second
language more effectively.

Additionally, I think the talk time of the teacher is longer than the talk time of the students
because the students talk only when they will answer the questions. That’s why I can say
teaching setting is weak in terms of materials or activities that students can be more active in
their own learning process. Otherwise, the teacher attaches great importance to respect in the
communication between the students and the students thus it creates a democratic
environment. So, it affects students and teacher’s motivation in a good way.

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 Şeyda GÜNDOĞDU

Finally, from a physical point of view, the teaching environment was the same in both
classes. For example, the classrooms were clean and bright, they had smart boards, and even
the 11th grade was 20, which facilitated the learning environment and the teacher's one-on-
one communication with each student. Only the 9th grades were a bit unlucky because their
class size was 30 and there was not much communication like in other class. Other than that,
the classes could have been more welcoming and there were no student activities on the
boards in the classrooms. If the teacher makes fun and effective activities for the students by
using different materials and hangs them on the classroom board or walls, this will motivate
them very much and make the learning environment better.

When I think about the school setting, there was a lot of environment in which students
could improve themselves and relax in the break time. First of all, the school's management
and teachers were very interested in students. But in order to make the school environment
more beautiful, it would be much better if the panels in the corridors or the boards on the
walls at the entrance of the building were prepared by the students on special occasions or
within the scope of a project. Because the teachers prepare it themselves and hang them on the
boards, I think at least most students don't read or don’t know what it is. I think it is very
important to give students a more active role and to involve them in learning environments
outside the classroom. Also, it can be a very good way to gain awareness of responsibility and
make the student feel more belonging to the school. This will increase the motivation and
interest of students and teachers. In short, the school had a clean, comfortable, student-
friendly atmosphere, but I think it could be a little better.