Teaching Video Self-observation

Instructor: Grace Chang

Lesson Name: Unit 4 Childs Play, Lesson 20
Date: November 5, 2014
Goal: The goal of this lesson is for students to understand that in speaking and in conversations,
they can use confirmation questions and statements to either ask for or express their
understanding of something.
Objective: Students will be able to ask questions confirming listeners understanding as well as
provide responses to indicate understanding/lack of understanding.
Part 1: General
1. What is the first thing (verbatim) you said to your students?
Alright were going to get started as people come in. Who can remind me what we
learned last class. What was the topic, the theme? Remember how we watched some
videos?
2. How did you introduce the lesson objectives?
The lesson objectives were introduced after making a connection with the previous lesson
on prodigies and reminding them the IQ problems we worked on. From here, I told them
that today we are going to work on speaking and one of the tasks will require them to
explain some IQ questions (like the ones that we worked with last class) to their partner. I
then reviewed words like confirmation before stating, Today, we are going to review
some of the things we can do in conversations to make sure that when you are speaking
your listener understands you; to confirm understanding. Also, if you are the listener, say
something to tell them either yes you understand or no you dont understand.
3. How did you connect the lesson (or parts of the lesson) to previous lessons or
students previous experience or comments in the class?
As mentioned earlier, I made a connection to the previous class by reviewing the unit
theme and refreshing their memories on the IQ problems we attempted to solve in class
(as part of another speaking lesson). I believe that by activating their schema on the unit
theme and activities we did last class, they will be better able to complete todays task,
which is to explain to their partner how they went about solving an IQ question and while
using confirmation questions to check for understanding.
4. Did you notice any patterns in your tendency to call on some students more than
others? If so, what were those patterns? What might the explanation be for those
patterns?

I realized that I tend to call on more out going students who arent as shy and perhaps
more confident in speaking. I think I subconsciously do this because I want the lesson to
flow smoothly. By calling on more outgoing students, I wouldnt have to wait on shyer
students to answer or have to convince them to participate.

5. Were there any surprises or unexpected events during the lesson? If so, what were
they? How did you handle them?
The most unexpected event in this lesson was that I did not anticipate the students to take
almost ten minutes to try to solve three IQ questions. I had originally intended it to be
only 3 to 5 minutes. Once I realized those questions were a little difficult and were taking
longer than expected, I went to the board and wrote down some hints and clues. That
sped up the process and allowed us to continue with the rest of the activity, which was for
them to explain to their partners how they went about solving the problems.
6. What is one compliment you would give yourself about your teaching, based on this
recording?
I think one main compliment I would give myself is the pace and clarity of my speech,
especially in giving explanations. Sometimes I think rather quickly in my head and I feel
like I talk really fast. In reality thought, I think my pronunciation and pace is very clear.
7. What changes would you make to this lesson if you were to teach it again?
If I were to teach it again, I would shorten the TT in the first 15 minutes of the lesson as
well as the first activity (solve and explain IQ problems). This way students will get more
time to complete the second activity, which was to explain a game to your partner while
checking for understanding. Only one student got to share with the class. So if the first
half the lesson was shortened, then everybody will have a chance to come up to explain
their partners game to the class while checking for peers comprehension.
8. Did you see anything on the tape that you were unaware of during the lesson? (e.g.,
Were you paying more attention to some students than others? Was a student trying
to get your attention and you didnt notice? Anything else?)
From the video, I realized that I say so, excellent, alright, and okay a lot. Mainly
they serve as fillers and a way for me to sum up a point and/or an activity. Moreover, I
sometimes use casual speech like gonna and yep during my lessons. Going forward, I
want to diversify my vocabulary during my TT and avoid using informal contractions.

Part 2: Teacher-initiated questions

1. As you watch the video of yourself teaching, write out all of the questions that you
ask your students. Categorize them into the following groups:
a. Yes/No questions
-Remember how we watched some videos?
- Do you remember what questions were on the board last class?
-Any questions?
b. Rhetorical questions (questions that cannot be answered)
-Can XXX read me the directions?
c. Questions that elicit one- or two-word answers
-Can someone tell me what this means? Confirmation
- What does to indicate mean?
-What is lack in the lack of understanding?
- Who feels confident about question number 1 to come up to the board and explain to
the class?
d. Questions that stimulate student thinking or ask for student opinions
-Who can remind me what we learned last class?
-What was that? What did we call that? (asking for clarification)
-What do we call those questions? (eliciting/clarifying)
- When you check for confirmation, what does that mean?
-What are some of the questions you might ask to check for understanding?
-What might the listener say in response?
-So apart from some of the things on the board, what are some of the things you
might say?
-What else? What else can you say?
2. Do you notice yourself using any IRF (Initiation, Response, Feedback) sequences?
What type of activity were you doing?
I noticed that I use mainly IRF sequences, especially during the TT part of the lesson
where I ask students to give examples of sentences/questions that asks/checks for understanding.
I usually begin a topic, give my own example, then ask students to give other examples, and
finally provide feedback. While IRF patterns are common, I find that sometimes students answer
questions based on what they think the teacher wants to hear and not really what they think.
3. What patterns do you notice in your questioning habits? (What kinds of questions
do you tend to use most often?)
In this lesson I asked students to give their own examples by asking, So what are some
of the things you would say? To elicit more response I usually say, what else? I try to keep

my questions more or less open-ended by not giving too much structure. I am also quite
receptive to their answers (even if they arent 100 percent correct). However, I realized I am
always the one giving them feedback on their answers. I could have tried letting other students
give each other feedback.
4. How do your students respond to the different kinds of questions you ask?
I noticed that students usually just shout out their answers. Given that its a small class,
especially on the day this lesson is recorded (many were absent), it is acceptable. Students
sometimes take 5 to sometimes ten seconds before answering. They come up with pretty
authentic examples (i.e. sentences and questions they would normally use/ask). Knowing that
that is a night class and nearly all of my students are coming straight from work, I try to be very
patient in waiting for their response.
5. Are there any times on the video when you are able to encourage student
participation without asking questions?
There are a couple strategies I used in this particular lesson to elicit for student response:
-I try to wait patiently and not being afraid of silence in the classroom.
-I give my own examples to elicit theirs.
-I use hand gestures to encourage them to come up or respond
-I also look and smile directly at a student to get them to participate
This happened most during the first 15 minutes of the lesson when I needed students to
give their own examples of how they would ask/give confirmation of understanding/lack of.
6. Based on this observation, what changes, if any, would you like to make in your
questioning habits? Why?
Based on my own observations, I think I would like to break out of the IRF questioning
sequence a little more. I would like to encourage students to think autonomously, initiate
questions, and maybe have their peers give feedback on their questions/responses. That way the
lesson is more student-centered and they will have more opportunities to practice language
learning. Moreover, I would like to ask more questions checking for my students understanding
after the end of each segment of the lesson so I get a chance to clarify if they are confused.