IN SERVICE

TEACHER
TRAINING
COURSE
Brad Bawtienheimer
Gabriela Beltrn

SYLLABUS

Unit 1: Introduction to the Course

What is teaching?

Activity
Find someone who:

Does exercise every week

Is good at cooking

Likes classical music

Has been teaching for more than 5 years

Went to the movies last weekend

Has a pet

Can play a musical instrument

Is going to have a party soon

Has taken a teacher training course

Has won a competition

Activity
Discuss with a partner the following topics

School
Size of your
class

Frequency

Teaching
Circumstances

Other teachers

Material

Paperwork

Students
profile

Conditions for Successful Teaching

Activity :

Teachin
g

Substitution
What works
Drillings
Repetition
Good rapport
Visuals
Songs
Small classes
Prizes
Games
competitions

What doesnt
Using negative
work
words
Favore students
Arrive late
Monotony
Predictable
Non-realistic
Showing
frustration
Bad attitude
Force students
Ignoring
Exposing

What has
changed
Methodology
Technology
Real context
Language at hand
Contextualization
More resources
Approaches
Competences
Intelligence
approach

Activity :
Discuss what are the keys to be a successful teacher

A positive
attitude

Sense of
humor

Top six keys to be

Consistency

a successful teacher

High
expectations

Impartial evaluation of students

Availability and helpfulness
Sensitivity to and concern with
class level and progress
Preparation and organization of
the course
Knowledge of the subject
Enthusiasm for the subject and
for teaching
Clarity of thought and
expressions

Fairness

Flexibility

Language Learners
Characteristics for being a good language learner:
Enquiring, inquisitive, asks
Not afraid of making mistakes, try out
Realistic, have achievable goals
Independent
Time effectively, organized and active, use language out of the classroom
Fluency and accuracy concerned.

Useful tips for teachers

PORTAFOLIO

Unit 2: Lesson Planning and Execution

What am I
teaching?
Who am I
teaching?

How will I
teach?
How do I know if
students understand?

Objectives of a lesson plan:

The beginning of the lesson
The aims of the lesson
How the lesson was sequenced
What the plan looked in the teachers mind
The balance of activities within the lesson
Transitions (How the teacher linked stages together)
Timing of the lesson stages
The end of the lesson

Take into consideration:

Students needs
Achievable aims
More effective objectives
Practicality of activities
Time and material
Balance and variety of activities
Anticipated problems and solutions
Reflect on teachers own knowledge
Record of post-lesson evalutation
Reduce improvisation

Main objective
Aids
Previous knoledge
Timing
Interaction
Stages
Age
Room
Students needs and interests
Asumptions
Problems
Group
Level
Skills / abilities
Gourp profile
Number of students

Elements of lesson plans

School:
Date: ___________________________________
______________________________________________________
Teacher:
Group: ________
Classs lenght:
_____________________________________________________
________
Main Aims:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________
SKILLS PRACTICE:

ACTIVITIES:

PROBLEMS &
SOLUTIONS:

MATERIALS:

TIME:

LESSON PLANNING 1
LESSON PLANING 2
LESSON PLANING 3

LESSON PLANING ACTIVITY

Common mistakes:
-

Objectives do not specify what students will actually learn. Are not observed or measured.

Activities in lesson plan do not contribute to a direct and effective way to the lesson objective

Ordering components of a lesson:

-

Place the hardest task earlier

Have quieter activities before lively ones

Think about transitions

Pull the class together at the beginning and the end

End on a positive note

Smart objectives
S pecific
M easurable
A ttainable
R elevant
(meaningful)
T ime bound

Examples of SMART OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to talk about their weekend using past tense verbs by the end of the class.

Students will be able to use 2nd conditional to talk about hypothetical situations by the end of the lesson.

Students will be able to talk about their daily routines writing simple present in affirmative and negative form by
the end of the class.

OBJECTIVES
Bloom's Taxonomy

Unit 3: Classroom Management

Activity:

POSITIVE

NEGATIVE

Catch attention

Loose materials

Active pace

Working with problematic people

Promote socializing

Motivation
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES
MOTIVATION

Motivation
-

Materials

Words body language

Class preparation

Production and practice

Motivation Features:
-

Environment (good rapport)

Positive attitude

Respectful encouraging

Attending learners needs

Setting challenges or goals for students

Praise and recognition

Keep students engaged / teachers engagement

Kwillingness of listening each other

Be on students shoes

Allow students making mistakes and error

Sense of humor

Promote independency

Motivation images

SUCCESSFUL TEACHING
Problems when teaching

PRoblems in Elementary
School:

Top 10 problems:
Absency
Principals
Students want free time
Time
Need to learn fast
Not paying attention
Not having materials
Age
Students objectives

Tantrums
Spoiled kids
Parents attitude
Malnourishment
Social issues

Problems in Junior
Highschool:
Misbehaviour
Size of clases
Persona, social and
economic problems
Not parental support
Lack of values

Problems in Highschool:
Demotivation
Lack of interest
Lack of communication
Bad rapport
School is not important for
them dropping out
Play the hooky
Pregnancy, alcoholism
Internet boredom

PRODUCTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Dealing with difficult situations
BEFORE THE PROBLEM
ARRISES
Prevention:
- Plan and organize your
lesson carfeully
- Make sure instructions
are clear, assertive and
brief.
- Keep in touch with what
is going on.
-

WHEN THE PROBLEM IS

BEGINNING
-

Deal with the

problema quietly
Prevent escalation
Dont take things
personally.
Dont use threats
Keep cool

WHEN THE PROBLEM HAS

EXPLODED
-

Explode yourself
time out
Make them and offer
they cant refuse
Give in!

Rapport:
Is the classroom atmosphere: HEALTHY, KIND, FRIENDLY, RESPECTFUL and FIRM

TEACHERS ROLE
Teachers roles in interaction:
-

Facilitator

Guide

Helper

Counselor

Corrector

Consult

Discipline:
-

Where learning is taking place

Teacher and students cooperate smoothly

Establish habits

Teacher and students are aiming for the same objectives

Teacher is in control

Learning is proceeding according to the plan.

DISCIPLINE
DEALING WITH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
SEATING ARRANGEMENT
Arrangement

CIRCL
E

Work face to face

Everyone is included
Change partner fast

PARALL
EL

Students face
themselves
Teacher walks freely

HORSES
HOE

Attention to teacher
Students move fast
Chatting
Losing attention

Uncomfortable

Not large classes

Not enough space

No use of board
Chinese whisperer

Not big groups

Fruit cocktail

Contests

TRADITIO
NAL

Students focus on
teacher
Easy to keep track
Difficult to monitor
Students cant hear
Completing the story

GROU
PS

ROU
ND
TABL
E

Collaborative work

Control of the group

Save time

Everybody faces each

other

Easy monitoring
Some students dont
see the board
Students dont pay
attention
Bingo

Not for big classes

Writing a story

Interaction:
Behaviour or students and teacher in the classroom.
Stages of Group Development:

forming

norming

storming

performing

mourning

Patterns of Interaction:

Lockstep: like in traditional schools. Students pay attention and Teacher is in control.

Individual: every student is working individually at their own place. Students concentrate on their work and relax
from pressure. Teacher monitors and helps individuals.

Pair work: work together to complete a task, at the pairs rhythm. Students establish their rhythm and help each
other. Teacher monitors, helps and guides them.

Group work: where 3 or more people work together. Students divide the task so everyone has something to do.
They organize themselves. Teacher monitors, helps, corrects and makes sure every persona has something to do.

Class as a whole: all members are working together at the class pace. There is no interaction at all. Teacher
monitors and is available for consultation. Students work collaboratively. They are responsible for their own success
and failure.

Unit 4: Functions and Language

Presentation of New
Language
Integrating material
Rounding up a lesson

Practice
From controlled to free
Warm up

Comprehensive input
and output
Accuracy vs. fluency

Language functions:
-

Functional approach

Communicative acts or intentions

Demand of interpersonal practice

DO
Brief and simple
Effective Instructions:

DONT

GIVING INSTRUCTIONS
Long

Clear

Confusing

Specific

Using inappropriate language

Use cognates

Not modeling

Use body language

Forgetting to check comprehension

Check understanding before and

after

Unnecessary repetition

One at a time
Ask for paraphrasing
Be consistent
Set a limit of time

Fast
Improvise
Wrong sequence
Hand out materials

Use:

Invented by a
Reverend

Flashcards

1816

Magnets

Samuel Reed Hall

Chocks
markers

Typical use:
Focus students
attention
Display
information, written
or graphic
Help students
remember
As a model

BOARD

Types:
Green
White
Smart
Black

Characteristics:
Legible
handwriting
organized

VOCABUL
ARY

Unit 5: Teaching Vocabulary

Give a context

A tool

Vocabulary
items /

Improve
fluency

The basis of
any language

Lexical sets

Get students
involved

Aspects:
Form parts of speech,
pronunciation, spelling,
collocations
Meaning in context,
connotation
Use restrictive use,
particular style or
register

Understanding:
Ask simple questions
Ask for example sentences
Get students think of related
words

VOCABULARY
VOCABULARY ACTIVITY DIANA
VOCABULARY 2
INPUT / OUTPUT
PRESENTING VOCABULARY ACTIVITY
PRESENTATION OF NEW LANGUAGE
PRESENTATION-PRACTICE-PRODUCTION
CONTROLLED / FREE PRACTICE

Unit 6: Teaching grammar

PRESENTATI
ON: ORAL
OR WRITTEN

PRACTIC
E

PRODUCTI
ON

PPP GRAMMAR DEMO

TEACHING GRAMMAR PICTURES

ACTIVITY
Meaning and
coherence

GRAMMAR

Morphemes
Word
Phrase

Syntactical patterns
or structures

Sentence
Structure
Meaning: USE /
USAGE

APPROACHES:
Inductive/
discovery
/covered:
Grammatical items
are hidden. Context.

Deductive/ direct
grammar/overt:
Grammar is given
openly, provided to
students

Unit 8: Teaching listening

LISTENING SKILL
LISTENING SKILL 2
Unit 9: Developing Oral Skills
EFFECTIVE SPEAKING
Unit 10: Teaching Reading
READING SKILL
READING SKILL 2
PRE-READING ACTIVITIES
Unit 11: Teaching Writing
Quick writing ideas

Unit 12: Integrating Skills

Reasons:
To provide students
with an enviroment
suitable for
communication
Meaningful learning
process
Initiative and self
learning

READING / WRITING
LISTENING /
SPEAKING

INTEGRATING
SKILLS

In order to:
Be fluent, accurate and
confident
Use functions of
language

ADVANTAGES:
Appropriateness- help students develop skills they are
not aware of or confidence with. Improvement of
abilities they have not worked enough. Different
learning styles
Variety Students do not stick to one skill. Have more
opportunities. Creativity. Keep motivation.
Recycling Students use their full knowledge.
Remedial work or teaching.

Task continuity: Pre-PraPro

INPUT
DIGESTION
OUTPUT

Confidence Recognizing areas of improvement. Self

esteem. Helping others.

INTEGRATED SKILLS 1
INTEGRATED SKILLS 2
THE FOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS
Unit 13: Project work

PROJECT
WORK
Promotes:

Works:

TEACHERS ROLE:

Students development of
organization.

Teams

Guide who provides

students with the
necessary tools.

Team working.
Integrating

Objectives
Outcome
deadline

Instructor or
facilitator

Creativity
Research
Use of analytic skills
Models of interaction roles

PROJECT WORK
BENEFITS OF PROJECT WORK
REFLECTIVE DIARY
Unit 14: Testing
Unit 15: Choosing and using published materials

Unit 16: Teacher Self-help

Unit 17: Closing Session

OBSERVATIONS
OBSERVATION BOOKLET 1

OBSERVATION BOOKLET 2

A Short Essay on Integrating Skills.

The purpose of this short essay is to analyze how skills are integrated in an English language class in order to identify and
apply this knowledge for the benefit of language learners. The profile of this class was constituted by 4 learners in total, 2
boys and 2 girls, from 21 to 26 years old. As they were going to university in the morning, they took language classes in
the afternoon. The class was observed on a Friday from 16:30 to 17:30 and their language level was M4.
The first part of the lesson, which was divided into two hours, integrated mainly one receptive and one productive
skill: listening and speaking. However, the teacher made sure that all students would have enough written practice by
handling a short composition every class about a variety of topics. For instance, writing about the advantages and
disadvantages was the homework to be given that class. At the beginning of the class the teacher asked them about this
task and let them speak freely, without error correction, making them feel comfortable and activating L2.
Then the class was divided into two parts. The first was dedicated to speaking by using an interesting topic for the
learners: commuting. They mainly worked in pairs and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using public
transportation. As all of them were still studying, they felt identified with the topic, which allowed them to speak about
their personal experiences. After every speaking activity during that period of time, the teacher made the error correction
on the board by eliciting the correct answers from learners. Whenever they finished correcting spoken mistakes they
would write the corrections made on their notebooks. In a personal opinion, this helps learners to internalize changes, as
there are people who have a more developed written learning style.
The second part of the class was mainly dedicated to the listening skill. The teacher could notice that the activities
related to the listening were becoming much more difficult for learners each time; then, he played the recording for 4
times and helped them by encouraging note-taking for specific information. Each listening activity was also
complemented by a speaking time where learners would share their notes and opinions. One of the advantages of this

recording was that it had at least 2 different accents, American and British, that also promotes the development of the
skill.
By observing this class I became aware of certain procedures that promote an integrative learning. Skills are never
taught in a separate, isolated way, they are used to unify the learning process. Even though skills are not obvious in the
lesson, they are always present and learners as a tool in the learning process. The teacher must be able to know when a
learner is lacking of enough practice in some of skills. He should promote activities that allow each learner increase their
abilities by using all skills from a minimal to a maximal exposure. This experience helped me noticing the constant use of
them, their role in reinforcing learning and the importance of promoting them in a language learning class.

A Short Essay on the Usage and Importance of a Course Book in English Classes.
The purpose of this short essay is to analyze how a Course book is used in an English class, the purpose and benefits of it.
The profile of this class was constituted by 14 learners in total, from 21 to 40 years old; however, most of them were

young adults who are still studying at university. The class was taken on Saturday morning and it lasted 5 hours;
nonetheless, it was asked to observe only one hour of it, from 11 to 12. The book that was used was the New Framework
4 and students were working on the last part of unit 7 and started unit 8 during that hour.
The objective of last part of Unit 7 was to use phrases or sentences that express doubt, such as Id be surprised if, I
cant really see anyone and theres not much chance. These phrases were presented by the teacher without using the
book and also by eliciting the meaning through context. After working on the board, students worked in pairs to practice
the expression on the book, page 63. This second activity was of great importance because it allowed students working
with new ideas and contexts; it also gave them the chance of reinforcing the acquired knowledge.
The use of varied activities makes a Course book more complete. Therefore, students also had the opportunity to
work on it with the same expressions, all scrambled, though. By writing the correct order of the words, students were
confirming the correct structure of the expressions. Moreover, as the book is promoting the integration of the four skills,
students had an activity to work on the phrases through a listening. This way, learners are also acquiring the correct
pronunciation and intonation of all previously learnt. Likewise, the book promotes the speaking skill by asking specific
questions about the dialogues and suggesting students work in pairs or groups in order to share and correct their
answers.
The presentation of unit 8 was given in a more visual way by describing a set of pictures related to holidays. Once
again, instructions in the book allowed students to work with a classmate for sharing opinions. After this activity, all
vocabulary needed was presented by a matching activity of pictures and vocabulary. Then, discussions of personalized
questions were of great interest for students, for example: Which holiday have you been to? When was the last time you
went ? Students were very participative and enthusiastic.
By observing this class, I became aware of certain procedures that promote, not only the usage of a course book,
but also an integrative learning. These books should be designed to satisfy the learners needs; therefore, it has to be
dynamic and must promote personalization and communication in order to foster meaningful learning.

MINI TEACHING

3
Models
Presentatio
n in Written
Form

- Ss will
learn the
written
form of
there is
and there
are in
affirmative
sentences
by
unscrambli
ng
sentences.

- T shows
previous
pictures
again.
- T gives
instructions
and checks
comprehensi
on.
- T throws
the papers.
- Ss pick the
papers and
stick them on
the board to
make correct
sentences.
- T goes
through the

- Look at
the
pictures.

- Pick the
papers and
organize
the words
to make a
sentence
for each
picture.

Remember
to have a
capital
letter and a

- Class as a
whole.

- Appendix
3
- Magnets

Feedback:
- Lockstep

Blackboard
- Appendix
2

- Ss may
form
incorrect
sentences.
- There
might be
too many
Ss and not
enough
papers.
-There
might be
few Ss.

- T may
elicit the
correct
answer by
asking the
whole
class.
- T may
have them
work in
pairs.

5 min.

sentences
with the
whole class
and gives
feedback.

stop.