The teacher introduced us many kinds of teaching method in today's class. Since I took some courses in Teacher's Training Program, so it's quite interesting that some of the methods are connected with each other. In order to apply the theory into real use, the teacher asked us to have a small practicum. The followings are the instruction content:
Teaching Approaches
by Eric Wu, Frances Lin
Topic: Lemon Tree
Teaching methods :
a. Cooperative Teaching Method
b. Direct Method
Teaching aims:
-For classmates
a. to faciliate them to understand these two methods through our demostartion as well as participation in the activities.
b. to figure out the main point of each method existing in backwards.
-For students
a. Cooperative Teaching Method: to experience the process of learing by doing and learing from others, understand students themselves are able to accomplish the task via the group collaboration, and further indirectly to know the value of themselves.
b. Direct Method: to learn those concrete items, things, matters via showing concrete objects.
Teaching Steps:
a. Explanation and warm-up activity:
Prepare the song “Lemon Tree” and the copies of its lyrics. Briefly explain the whole process of the activity, and separate students in to five groups. Each group has one stanza of the lyrics, and each group member has a number from 1 to 5.
b. Group discussions: (Cooperative Teaching Method) :
Group members who have the same number form a new group, and start to discuss the meaning or the main idea of their stanza. After discussion, each member goes back to his/her original group and make the separated stanzas into a whole and complete story.
c. Group sharing:
Each group come up to the stage to share their story of the lyrics.
d. Video clip:
In the end, teachers play the video clip that contains all vivid pictures and animations of the song and helps students have a clearer understanding of the song.
I also found some information about the teaching method:
Features of Direct method summarized by Richards and Rodgers
(1) Classroom instruction is conducted exclusively in the target language.
(2) Only everyday vocabulary and sentences are taught.
(3) Oral communication skills are built up in a carefully traded progression organized around question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small, intensive classes.
(4) Grammar is taught inductively.
(5) New teaching points are taught through modeling and practice.
(6) Concrete vocabulary is taught through demonstration, objects, and pictures; abstract vocabulary is taught by association of ideas.
(7) Both speech and listening comprehension are taught.
(8) Correct pronunciation and grammar are emphasized.
Features of Co-Teaching
The 3 Keys to Co-teaching: Planning / Disposition / Evaluation
1) Co-teachers need to plan regularly together (Sileo, 2003). Planning is crucial to any successful co-teaching. You should set up a weekly planning session or if that isn’t possible, plan and communicate through email or messenger.
2) A teacher’s “personality” should be one that is flexible and good social skills
are a primary feature of successful co-teaching questionnaire. Be prepared to
“wear several hats” and to adapt your personality for each co-teacher.
3) Teachers with similar teaching philosophies and beliefs are also highly
successful (see the Stages of Co-teaching diagram). This also goes for beliefs
regarding evaluation (how, how often, type)
