LINKING THEORY TO PRACTICE (TSL 3110)

PROJECT (PART 3) : CRITICAL REFLECTION

BY : THIRITHA MUTHIAH

Pupils who use English as a second language are likely to present unusual challenges to
teachers, but certainly the challenges can be overcome with knowledge and thoughtfulness
(Fink, 2003). Being aware of the fact, this Linking Theory to Practice (TSL3110) subject requires
us to come out with a critical reflection drawing on the micro-teaching experience, the feedback
received and also relevant literature related to the whole process. Reflection is one of the most
important parts of any forms of learning, and is a great tool to be used to allow for greater
learning. Basically, it is all about the learning process that took place pre while and post microteaching. Reflecting on what is learnt during the process, personally, there are quite a number of
aspects needed to be focused on including the aspect of teaching strategies and
methodologies, considerations while planning, materials and also the assessment part of a
particular lesson. For the micro-teaching part, my partner Logeswarys lesson plan was selected
to be conducted.
English proverb has the say that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Hence, it takes
various considerations to come out with a good plan. While planning the individual lesson plan,
there are surely some aspects to be taken into account. As for the pupils are those who use
English as their second language, their proficiency level should be clearly identified because all
of the lessons activities depend on the language level of the pupils. When planning the
microteaching exercise, I did my best to include variety in the lesson plan so that students who
learn best in different ways might have their needs met and so that the short story could be
approached in more than one way. Ive always been a fan of discussion-based classes, but I
think that might simply be because they work very well for me, personally, and because I enjoy
interacting in that format. I tried to set up the lesson in such a way those students who didnt
necessarily enjoy or learn from that style as much would have some other way of getting
something out of the story.
Our lesson was on grammar activity, the topic was on super heroes. The targeted year
was year 5 intermediate pupils. In this lesson our focus was on the reflexive pronouns. So as for
the intro we planned on showing the function of the reflexive pronouns and also highlighted the
subjective pronouns. Following that we used words cards to show the reflexive pronouns. And
we used the same word cards to complete the sample sentences that were pasted in front.
Following that we had the activity finding partner. this lesson was very interesting and the pupils
participated as we expected. As for my part which was the production part, we decided to have
snake and ladder game, this lesson was more interactive and engaging, normally pupils enjoy
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LINKING THEORY TO PRACTICE (TSL 3110)

PROJECT (PART 3) : CRITICAL REFLECTION
BY : THIRITHA MUTHIAH

playing game. However as a teacher we should consider that the game as the element of
exploiting and learning the targeted objective which was pupils will be able to identify the correct
reflexive pronouns for the sentences.
Assessment is one of the essential aspects to be focused while planning a lesson. A
good teacher knows what, when and how to assess the pupils performance during and after the
learning process. There come the term assessment of learning and assessment for learning. I
at first place should be clear that the selected assessment method should be able to show clear
evidence of pupils understanding and produce sufficient information to support credible and
defensible statements about the quality of their learning. In planning how to assess pupils, we
preferred to integrate both type of assessment which is assessment during and after learning
process. The issue is how to ensure that the pupils are unaware of the fact that they are being
tested so that they can perform their best. Hence, we can have a definite result of pupils level of
understanding. For that, we manage to prompt them with some questions in each stages and
from that; we have the idea on their performance. However, assessment during learning
process seems not enough for us to know their performance as well as how effective the lesson
is.
Thus, planning a lesson gives me a chance to think through each aspect and make sure
that there were no holes. Even though I am prepared going into the classroom, there is only so
much planning and preparation that is possible. Another aspect to be reflected upon is how far
the materials prepared are effective and practical. a learning material must be able to attract
learners and sustain their interest. It must be presentable. Its approach should be user-friendly
Sarason, Y at all (2004). For instance, the snake and ladder was done into a huge size where
pupils can play comfortably. Even our lecturers mentioned that was a good effort. In future, if
this is going to be conducted again, we have to make sure that the materials should be in
appropriate size and manageable too and It is teachers responsibility to keep the materials of
teaching be in good condition.
On the other hand, qualities of a good teacher include the ability to explain and deliver
input effectively Lenon, B. (n.d.). Aware of this fact, I do set certain criteria as a guideline. This
includes aspects like having good eye contact, appropriate body gestures and suitable facial
expressions. In my opinion, I and my group members eventually possess most of that aspects
and this makes me feel quite comfortable having myself standing in front of the classroom. As
our body language speaks louder than words, trying to manage it is a total challenge for me yet
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LINKING THEORY TO PRACTICE (TSL 3110)

PROJECT (PART 3) : CRITICAL REFLECTION
BY : THIRITHA MUTHIAH

it is manageable when it comes after some practices. From the peers feedback Im aware that
my body language and gestures are suitable with an attribute of a teacher however; there is
always room for improvement. My voice projection on the other hand can be improved as well. It
is loud and clear yet I can be more firm in conducting the lesson so that the pupils can see that I
am serious with the lesson. Plus, level of confidence also has something to do with an attribute
of a good teacher.
Besides the good comments, we received some negative comments as well. Our
lecturer felt that we should have given some input on the subject pronoun that we showed in the
beginning of the lesson. She mentioned that we had the input on the reflexive pronouns but if
we have shown the connection between subject pronoun and reflexive pronoun would have
given a clearer picture of it.
Another comment was given was the sentences, where it should have been related to
the topic super hero. We did not prepare the activity (sentences) connecting to the topic. So the
advice was the activities should be connected to the topic that we are teaching. And we were
told that while teaching a lesson we should not address ourselves as teacher especially when
giving instruction because basically those ways of presenting will be on a written form. While we
are speaking we would not use as teacher will now distribute the task sheet. And lastly would
be the moral value, in the closure I was not able to conclude the class with the moral value as
time was not permitting me. So in future I should be more cautious of my time management skill
so I will be able to close my lesson without skipping.
Other than that, I learn that as a teacher, we should be able to model accurate and fluent
language use. This means that as a teacher, one should avoid having even one grammatical
error while conducting a lesson since we are teaching second language to young learners.
Furthermore, young children learn by imitating as in the microteaching, there is several
grammatical errors done such as instead of saying what is the answer, I said what was the
answer. This can make them confused with the subject verb agreement learnt before. Hence, in
future, I should be more aware of the language used during interaction as young learners tend
to model their teacher both verbal and non-verbally.
Last but not least, Moreno Rubio, C. (2010) states that effective teachers manage and
organize the classroom according to the pupils needs and preferences to create an optimistic
and warm learning environment for all the pupils, and enhance their learning. This fact wakes
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LINKING THEORY TO PRACTICE (TSL 3110)

PROJECT (PART 3) : CRITICAL REFLECTION
BY : THIRITHA MUTHIAH

me up as I think, in the microteaching, I am aware that I do not really apply good classroom
management. As a result, there are some misbehavior such as some pupils do talk even when I
talk. A feedback from a peer suggests me to apply at least one classroom management routine
that can assist the smoothness of my lesson. For instance, I should have the policeman strategy
on. This is best used the time I write something on the blackboard. It is believed to help me in
controlling the amount of misbehaviors so that the lesson becomes more effective and
conducive. In future, it will be more effective if I set certain rules before starting with the lesson
so that the pupils are clear of the dos and donts and also clearly understand what is expected
from them. This is good in a way it helps to reduce that misbehavior in the classroom.
All in all, preparing and conducting the microteaching lesson to a group of my peers is a
superb learning experience for me. In addition to planning activities and aligning my lesson with
standards, I also have the opportunity to observe my peers style of teaching and receive
constructive feedback on my own teaching and lesson. This definitely leaves me with something
to reflect on and improve upon my teaching.

LINKING THEORY TO PRACTICE (TSL 3110)

PROJECT (PART 3) : CRITICAL REFLECTION
BY : THIRITHA MUTHIAH

References
Fink, L.D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences. San Francisco: JosseyBass
Lenon, B. (n.d.). What really makes a good teacher? Retrieved October 9, 2015.
Moreno Rubio, C. Effective teachers professional and personal skills. Retrieved October 9,
2015.
Sarason, Y and Banbury, C. (2004). Ensuring the Effectiveness and Quality of Learning
Materials: How to Use and Evaluate. Journal of Management Education