Reflective Practice: Formulating Your Teaching Experience - presentation at the KOTESOL Busan Reflective Practice Symposium on Saturday, April 21, 2012 by Josette LeBlanc (workshop worksheet)

1. Reflective Practice: Formulating Your Teaching Experience
Josette LeBlanc
1. DescriptionStage– Which of these descriptions is based on observation, and
which one is based on an interpretation or evaluation of the situation? Why?
Description A
The students did very well for the first listening task. All the students listened to the
difficult story and were able to put the pictures in the right order. Then for the second
listening task, I gave them the handout. They didn’t listen to my instructions, and
they didn’t listen to the second task. They weren’t paying attention.
Description B
For the first listening task, students listened to a story and put pictures in the correct
order. After listening, we checked the sequence as a class. For the second listening
task, they listened for the same information, only this time I gave them a handout
with blanks to fill in. I gave them the handout. Then I gave instructions. While I gave
instructions, they were already filling in the blanks. I asked them to stop and listen to
my instructions but they kept working on the handout. I played the listening the
second time, and when I monitored I noticed most of the answers were already filled
in.
I felt embarrassed and confused.
Note: What makes a description an evaluation/interpretation instead of an objective
observation?
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2. 2. Interpretation Stage –Analysis & Generalization
How do I come up with different explanations?
Take a moment to connect with the description. Generate a number of different
explanations for what happened and check that each explanation is clearly
connected to the experience described. Look at it from different perspectives.
Consider the material, teacher, students, student dynamics, or student-teacher
relationship.
Recall past teaching, learning, cultural, or life experiences. Refer to the educational,
cognitive, and linguistic theories you know.
With your group, generate as many interpretations as possible.
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3. Action Plan – Make your action plan S.M.A.R.T. - Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound
NEXT TIME I[brief description of (naming of) the action]
I WILL [concrete, specific, action verb + measure words]
SO THAT[results you hope to achieve connected to learning].
Next time I ______________________________________________________,
I will ___________________________________________________________
so that _________________________________________________________.
Next time I ______________________________________________________,
I will ___________________________________________________________
so that _________________________________________________________.