Observation Statement

I could watch and learn a lot of things such as theories, methods, techniques used in the
real English as a second language(ESL) classrooms. When I just looked at the textbook, or
learned them in the TESOL classrooms, I could not imagine how the methods and techniques
that I learned works in the real situations and these opportunities to observe the actual ESL
classroom solved that curiosity.
The majority of classes that I observed oriented the communicative language teaching
method. Classes were student centered and considered the ability to communicate as a main aim.
In the one of IEP elective class by the instructor, Derek Houck (observation #10), 90 percent was
student to student interaction and the rest of 10 percent was teacher to student interaction. The
teacher involved in the class at the very beginning of the class to present the context, and then
rarely participated while students were talking themselves. However, Mr. Houck still engaged in
the class as a facilitator as CLT method instructor should be (Larsen-Freeman & Anderson, 2011,
p. 125).
The most impressive teaching technique that I found through these observations is
providing a safe environment to students. Safe environment does not limited to safe physical
environment, but also creating the comfortable circumstances that student can participate freely
by decreasing the anxiety, and increasing relaxation. For instance, in the IEP 300 level listening
& speaking class, the instructor showed appreciation and apology for everything. Positive
reinforcement is a good way to start for forming a safe environment (Brown, 2014). I could see
lots of skills doing this through observations such as tolerating the silence, complementing for
works, waiting till students get to the point that teacher wanted to.