Bc.
Zuzana Bogricová, 1AjGm, W1: Exploring one’s own instruction
This chapter talks about how teachers can explore their own classrooms to improve
how they teach. The main idea is that teachers should look at what they believe about teaching
and what actually happens in their classrooms.
The chapter starts with a story about a teacher named Cindy who thought her students
weren't asking questions. When she recorded her classes and checked, she found out students
were actually asking questions, just not when she directly asked "Do you have any
questions?" This shows how teachers' perceptions can be different from reality.
Teachers' beliefs come from their own experiences as students and as teachers. These
beliefs include ideas about language, learning, teaching, and their specific students. The
chapter suggests teachers take an inventory of their beliefs and repeat it throughout their
career to see how their beliefs change.
Teachers can record their perceptions in different ways. They can use diary studies
(personal journals about teaching experiences) or learning logs (focused on what they learned
from professional development). The chapter provides questions to guide these entries and a
reflection form that helps teachers focus on what worked and what didn't in their lessons.
There's also a quick technique where teachers answer three questions right after a lesson:
what they liked most, what they liked least, and what they learned (KWL = know, want,
learnt).. Teachers can also get feedback from students using similar questions.
To explore their classrooms objectively, teachers need to observe what's actually
happening. The chapter recommends recording lessons with audio or video. Two different
observation tools are provided - one that requires detailed writing and another that just needs
checkmarks. The goal is to compare what was planned with what actually happened.
For analyzing classroom interaction, the chapter discusses several concepts. One is the
"teacher action zone," which is the area of the classroom where the teacher gives most
attention. Teachers often unconsciously pay more attention to certain students, which affects
participation and learning. Another concept is the "initiation-response-feedback" pattern
that's common in classrooms, where teachers ask questions, students respond, and teachers
give feedback. There is also a term introduced named ‘’wait time’’, it is the time a teacher
usally waits for a student to answer the given question. Research has shown that teachers
Bc. Zuzana Bogricová, 1AjGm, W1: Exploring one’s own instruction
usually wait one second or less before they give the answers themselves and when waiting 3+
seconds, students become more confident and their participation increases.
The chapter also talks about how teachers should adjust their speech when teaching
English learners. This includes speaking slower, using clearer vocabulary, simplifying
grammar, and using visual aids. A checklist is provided to help teachers make these
adjustments.
Another important concept is "scaffolding," which is how teachers guide students to
complete tasks. There are two types: macro scaffolding (planning lessons ahead of time) and
micro scaffolding (helping students in the moment during class). The chapter provides an
example of a teacher scaffolding a discussion about writing abstracts.
Finally, the chapter emphasizes that classrooms are COMPLEX environments. Even
though teachers plan lessons, learning is created together by teachers and students. Good
teaching includes knowing how to respond to unexpected situations and helping students
through good communication.
The chapter ends with discussion questions about how teachers can encourage students
to participate more actively, when to use different teaching techniques, and how teachers can
find time to explore their own teaching practices.
