Student Practice Reflection - Self-Evaluation 1

 1A) MY POTENTIAL AS A TEACHER

My professional attitude. Am I interested in entering the teaching profession? What are my attempts to perform competently? Am I creative and flexible? Am I mature enough to work in this profession? (work under pressure, accepting criticism, being open to others’ needs)

Firstly, I was unsure and unconfident because I have not ever taught in an international before. Though I had the experience of teaching at a training school for a summer camp, they are not the same. However, the observation helped a lot in my acquaintance with the context, which dismissed a part of my fear of teaching. After the practicum, I am more enthusiastic about the profession. I attempted to put what I have learnt from my studies into practice, which helped my classes go on the right track. I am always trying to be creative so I always try to explore more on the Internet and apply possible techniques and materials to my class. I suppose I am flexible as well. I can keep calm in front of unexpected situations and I can adjust my lesson instantly in class. I am also open-minded to others, especially my co-teachers and students. I enjoy the work a lot because every student is different even though the theme of the content to be taught is always the same so the profession is not monotonous for me. In my opinion, each profession is stressful. Without exception, I feel under pressure occasionally; however, if I can do the job I am obsessed with, I will be able to release my pressure. And I am open to criticism because I understand that criticism can help me improve my teaching. Lastly, as a teacher, it is significant to be open to students' needs, which is not something special.

1B) ORGANISATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A DIDACTIC PROCESS

Can I form appropriate lesson goals and objectives/ select appropriate methods and teaching materials/ select appropriate forms of students’ work/ provide justification for teaching decisions? Can I motivate students? Do I provide meaningful feedback?

Seeing my experience retrospectively, I could see my skills in preparing lessons enhanced. I can form appropriate lesson objectives, and choose appropriate approaches and materials. I  can even use authentic materials to make students learning more meaningful. And I find I am into using this type of material as well. In my teaching, I attempt to give students diverse activities so they can participate in learning in different forms, such as individual work, pair work and group work. As has been mentioned above, I am flexible and I can meet students' needs. Sometimes students were asked to work individually; however, they would prefer to work in pairs and they asked me for permission. And most of the time I am open to their request. When it comes to motivating students, I think my students were motivated, especially when they came to me at the beginning of the class and asked me, "Mr Bartek, what are we going to learn today? Do I need to have my notebook?" and after class, they sometimes kept talking about the topic and they even motivated me by saying "you did well" or simply giving me a hug. I suppose this is the best evidence of their enjoyment of my teaching and their learning with me. When giving feedback, I did not only praise them by saying "good, well done, excellent and etc. " but also tried to be specific. Therefore, they know where they did well and what they should still improve.