DVD OBSERVATION: TEACHING LARGE CLASSES
DVD OBSERVATION: Speaking (TBL) | UPPER-INT | 45 Ss | 60 min.
You will watch a recorded lesson in which the teacher (Nick) delivers the second part of a speaking lesson with a group
of 45 student. The video has not been edited and there are no pauses between the different stages.
As you watch the lesson, answer the questions. Remember to read the questions before playing the video.
CHALLENGES
1. Maintaining visual contact with all the
learners in the class
2. Ensuring learners can hear in a large
classroom
3. Ensuring learners can see gestures and
body language
4. Remembering all the learners' names
5. Moving learners into pairs and groups
6. Having contact with all the learners
7. Pronunciation of language items
8. Providing handouts and worksheets for
all the learners
9. Distributing handouts and worksheets
to all the learners
10. Ensuring learners can be seen and
heard by others in the room when working
individually
11. Giving instructions to the whole class
12. Re-gaining learners' attention at the
end of a noisy activity
STRATEGIES & TECHNIQUES
1. The teacher stood in front of students so that everyone can see him and quite
lively atmosphere.
2. The teacher walked around in the classroom so that he could monitor the
class properly and especially the students who are bit far from the teacher.
1. Sometimes he raised his volume a bit higher so that everyone can hear
clearly.
2. He sometimes stood at the back of the classroom so that the voice can be
spread from the back to front.
1. Body language are quite diverse and easily caught by students。
2. Sometimes the teacher did same gestures more than once in order to
facilitate his instructions.
We could see each student’s desk there was a name tag to let him remember all
the names.
1. Gave clear instructions to students.
2. Body language to facilitate his instructions.
3. Walked in the classroom so that students could see him easily.
4. Gave students flexibility to move their positions freely.
5. He encouraged students who sat closer to have group work in order not to
move their desks.
1. He called students names correctly.
2. He called students and talked to students from different directions from the
classroom.
3. He moved quite frequently in the classroom in order to help students complete
the tasks successfully.
He drilled the pronunciation chorally and individually. When called some
students, sometimes he gave them a bit challenge.
1. Mind map helps learner to remember what key points have to be included and
reinforce their memory of their handouts, and put it on the board
2. Elicited some important elements and let learners to replicate.
Gave the handouts to those students who sat at the front of the class and those
students had to pass the paper on to one.
Let students face to a specific direction.
Use a microphone to let voice be heard by everyone.
Let students to stand up answering the questions.
Let students repeat and listen carefully.
He did some error corrections on time occasionally and also some delayed
feedback as well.
He gave clear instructions to students.
He used his body language to help him.
He gave some examples and demonstrations which were great.
He repeated instructions or sentences sometimes by changing his volume up a
bit.
Sometimes he clapped his hands in order to get their attention.

13. Writing on the whiteboard or
blackboard
14. Responding to learners' problems
when they are engaged in a listening
activity
Stop the video and compare your answers with the answer key.
Upload the worksheet on the moodle.
He used mind map to facilitate ideas logically.
Some basic drawings to let students engage with the task.
He divided the board into different zones so that met different teaching stages.
1. In terms of listening, when students had problems he paused the audio in
order to let students reflect something from the recording and have time to note
something on their paper.
2. And he replayed the audio for several times aiming for letting students get
better understanding of the message.
Adapted from: Carr, D. (Ed.) (2006). Teacher Training DVD Series. London, UK: International House Trust Limited.