The Most Difficult Challenge

     Doing my teaching practice with teens has been the most difficult challenge I faced last week. Since I have a large number of students, it’s more difficult to work with them. First of all, preparing my lesson plan for the class was a pain in my neck. Then, having developed a forty-five minute class made feel so exhausted because to make my students being engaged in the class and to get a good class atmosphere was so difficult; even though, I tried it, I could not do it as good as I wanted, so I got very frustrating. At the end of the class, my tutor told me that my class was very nice and that she was satisfied with it. Since her words made me feel so happy, at the end of the day I was so proud of myself because I was able to fulfill the most difficult challenge I had last week.

     Thanks God; most students in basic education are having their tests this week, so no teaching practice this week neither the next one since everybody is going on vacation. Knowing that I having two weeks out of practices make me so happy!!!!!

Missing a Class

     Missing a class is one of the worst things you can do this semester.  Last Tuesday, I went to the hospital instead of going to classes; to my fortune, that day my classmates saw a power point presentation and after that, made a pop quiz. I had to do the same quiz last Friday, but without seeing the power point presentation, so I did not know what to do on it. Even though I copy the notes a classmate took, I was not able of answering the quiz which was related to specify the four main things objectives must contain (which are also called the ABCD’s of objectives).

     Nowadays, after reading the handout related to the power point presentation, I still feel somewhat confused. I consider that missing a class is the worst thing you can do this semester because in order to learn and clearly understand your classes, you have to go step by step; you cannot go to the next step if you have not understood the previous one. That`s why, I still do not understand how I can write instructional objectives.

     Even though most people think nothing happens if you miss just one or two classes, I think that when you miss a class, it is more hardly to focus and understand the following classes. So attending classes every day, will help you  not only to succeed in your studies, but also to be a lifelong learner.

What is a lesson plan?

     All teachers must be well prepared before going to teach a class. All teachers must know what they are going to do in their class and how they are going to do it. In order to be well prepared before going to a class, teachers must create a lesson plan which is the one that tells them what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and what to do next; that’s why, all teachers must have their own lesson plan at hand.

What is a lesson plan? 

     A lesson plan is a map, friend, helper, and a guide that all teachers should follow in order to develop a good class.

A lesson plan must contain the followings elements:

1.       Objectives

2.       Materials

3.       Time

4.       Warm up

5.       Presentation

6.       Language notes

7.       Practice

8.       Homework

  

Obviously, a lesson plan will tell you exactly what do and will help you develop a good class management. All teachers need a lesson plan no matter the beginner or the older  ones.

Warm Ups and Time Fillers

     The most funny and interesting  topic I have studied this semester until now is Warm ups, Icebreakers,  and Time Fillers because they bring to the classes energy and also make it funny and enjoyable. They are used to break the ice with new students, to introduce a new topic, to create a positive atmosphere in the classroom, and also to replace a lesson when it is not working and the students have gotten bored.

     The warm ups and Time fillers are activities that make students feel comfortable and relax and that make students being engaged in the class. By using Warm Ups activities, teachers make their students to remember some learned knowledge and also let students have the chance of playing with the language and create their own learning.

    

 Here are some useful links where you can find  lots of funny and interesting Warm Ups.

http://www.englishclub.com/english-clubs/english-club-warm-up.htm

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/icebreak.html

http://allabroad.us/parents/additional_warmup_teacher1.php