CLT & Classroom Management – observation and reflection

barbara vergara alarcónbarbarabelen.v.a@gmail.com

Analysis of classroom observation

Essay

There are several challenges within classroom contexts. In this sense, many factors

influence them: Classroom environment, number of students, among others. Similarly, there

are specific challenges for English teaching (either EFL or ESL). Thus, many approaches

and techniques have been proposed in order to deal with these challenges and to provide a

proper learning environment. Accordingly, a class from first grade is going to be analyzed

from current perspectives of teaching and specifically classroom management.

The particular event that is worth analyzing involves the way a teacher gives instructions

for a book’s activity and how it develops. This teacher introduces an activity showing it and

asking a few students the meaning of the words displayed there. She gives cues with

examples and gestures, and the students participate translating these words into Spanish.

After this, the teacher explains what they have to do and demonstrates it by doing it (see

330-340 of transcription). Finally, she asks them what they have to do (see 355). Few

students ask her to repeat the instructions. The rest of the class copies what is in the

whiteboard (answers given by the teacher). When checking the assignments I find a boy

whose answer was incorrect. He copied the answers, but he did not draw something “big”

as requested. Since the teacher drew a cat, he drew it too, but a small one. When I explain

to him what the purpose of the activity really is, he says “(…) yo pensé que había que

dibujar un gato” (see 379-385).

The situation described is somehow a success and a problem. From one perspective,

students can participate answering questions and doing activities, which is a success.

However, it is not evident that they understand what they are doing. They simply repeat

what the teacher does. In this sense, this class’ practice would be defined as mechanical

since it is “a controlled practice activity which students can successfully carry out without

necessarily understanding the language” (Richards, 2006, p. 16). Moreover, only a minor

part of students actually participate. As a consequence of this, it is not likely to know if the

students understand what the purpose of the lesson is, or even if they are acquiring the

language. Regarding this, the nature of this problematic comes from the teacher practices.

From a CLT perspective, teachers have to “assume the role of facilitator and monitor”

(Richards, 2006, p.5). However, in this case the teacher instead of facilitating tools for

learning, is giving answers for the class development. Likewise, if the teacher assumes the

responsibility of monitoring, she should be able to recognize when students understand the

lessons’ goals. Choosing the most proficient students and giving answers makes the

teachers’ and students’ tasks very easy. Thus, the former action can be represented by what

is titled “flying with the fastest”, which is selecting the students who answer questions with

ease. This can lead to a wrong impression of difficulty or understanding of the tasks

(Scrivener, 2011, p. 77). Consequently, there is no possibility for the teacher to notice if

everybody understands and learns. Hence, since no complications are presented, it seems

that neither the teacher nor the students recognize this situation as a problem.

Now, as for the teacher’s instructions, she usually follows a structure: She gathers the

students’ attention by clapping her hands –not in the activity analyzed, but in different

ones-, explains and demonstrates how to do the activity, and checks students’

understanding by asking them what they have to do. In this sense various strategies for

classroom management mentioned by Scrivener (2011) are present. Now, the way these

instructions are given include other decisions mentioned above (providing answers and

checking comprehension only with certain students). These decisions are detrimental to the

class’ goal, which is acquiring a foreign language, because they do not ensure

understanding. In addition to this, the nature of the activity itself is not appropriate for

children, because it focuses on vocabulary rather than meaning. Although the meaning of

the words are given, they are not placed in a meaningful context, therefore they do not

make sense to students. This is why students do not understand. In relation to this, the

teacher’s beliefs fit the traditional approaches as she resorts to drilling and conventional

teaching practices.

Some classroom management techniques that could improve this situation would be

demonstrating effectively the activity’s procedures, instead of providing the answers.

Similarly, the students’ understanding of the syllabus would increase if they all have the

opportunity to participate, which is something the teacher can encourage.

Furthermore, as the teacher and students are not aware of this problematic, it is noticeable

that there are several unperceived situations occurring in the classroom. For that reason, my

further knowledge would be that, regardless a class develops easily, it does not mean

learning is achieved. Teachers need to make sure this happens. Thus, I will incorporate this

awareness in my future practices. In this sense, I will try to engage most of my learners in

classroom participation and I will examine carefully that everybody understands what I

intend to teach. Besides, I will check my planning beforehand and place myself in front of

varied problematic circumstances and evaluate possible ways to approach them.

Alternatively to how the class developed, I would give more opportunities for students to

participate and ask questions, and I would present the vocabulary meaningfully. It would be

useful to use materials that they can actually touch and see to represent these words, so

their understanding is broader and meaningful (because they can experience it). Cameron

reflects about this stating that “realising that children are active ‘sense-makers’, but that

their sense is limited by their experience, is a key to understanding how they respond to

asks” (2001, p.4). That is to say, experiencing would have been more appropriate for these

students considering they are young learners.

In brief, from the class observed I can say that even though the class practices present an

appropriate structure, there can be always problematic situations interfering the learning

processes. Therefore, it is important to try to prevent them or change these practices

afterwards. However, in order to do that, the situations must be perceived. There has to be

awareness of this, as well as of the teaching techniques and the decisions taken inside the

classroom.

Word count: 1050.

This work has been proofread by María José Elizondo (majose.elizondo@gmail.com) on

November 5th, 2015.

References.

Cameron, L. (2001) Teaching Languages to Young Learners. Cambridge University Press.

Richards, J. (2006) Communicative Language Teaching Today. New York: Cambridge

University Press.

Scrivener, J. (2011) Learning teaching: the essential guide to English language

teaching.  Macmillan.