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![teflgeek: when you automatically blame yourself instead of reflecting
more widely... !
OUPELTGlobal: YES! must be objective with yourself!
Shaunwilden: maybe but I think emotion is
needed !
AddaLitim: Exactly - but it may help prevent it !
AlexandraKouk: agreed! !
lordlumey: I agree, I think a certain amount of
[emotion] shows you actually care.!
Shaunwilden: While I agree, there is a
certain level of depression that such an
attitude might cause!
patrickelt: I suppose we need to have a sense of proportion - easier
when experienced ....!
patrickelt: as we know that we can teach well but sometimes don't.
Harder when inexperienced - role for mentors !
Shaunwilden: Dealing with the SF is a good topic for a CPD session
in a school!
patrickelt: I think the key thing with these types of classes is loss of
confidence among inexperienced teachers!
teflskeptic: Don’t be too hard on yourself. Accept that not every
lesson will be fantastic. !
MarjorieRosenbe: agree. Showing empathy can make all the
difference. !
Innov8rEduc8::Many a lesson that goes awry - leads to big shifts in
how I approach future ones.!
patrickelt: experienced teachers have a sense of proportion and
confidence will not be knocked so next lesson should be okay!
HanaTicha: I had a great mentor who said: If one in 3 lessons is
great or memorable then it's fine I liked the rule!
Innov8rEduc8r: Recently taken with the idea of
'iteration' - the idea of the program as a work in
progress - constantly being tweaked!
Marisa_C: On another level, I think that Ts often take
things to heart too much - mistakes happen & we
think & learn - sometimes Ts feel soo bad!!! !](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2514eltchatsummary-140223101902-phpapp01/85/That-Sinking-Feeling-ELTchat-Summary-6-320.jpg)
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"That Sinking Feeling" #ELTchat Summary
Teachers on #ELTchat discussed causes of and responses to the "sinking feeling" that can occur after a lesson does not go as planned. Common causes included unmet expectations, students seeming disengaged or tired, and lessons failing to achieve their goals. It was noted that the feeling is subjective and complex, with multiple perspectives. Reflection was emphasized as important, along with getting feedback from students in a non-threatening way. More experienced teachers said the feeling lessens with experience and confidence, while mentoring can help newer teachers develop perspective. Emotion was acknowledged as natural but should not lead to harsh self-criticism or depression.
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"That Sinking Feeling" #ELTchat Summary
- 1. An #ELTchat Summary- February 5th, 2014! ! ! ! ! A recurring theme: UNMET EXPECTATIONS & ’DEAD’ LESSONS! teflgeek asked: “what causes "that sinking feeling" with you?” ! Shaunwilden: for me its the nagging doubt caused when sty doesn’t go quite right! patrickelt: Often happened when an activity did not work as expected ! PETsNet: Sinking feeling underlines all our daily work! Shaunwilden: (in response to PETsNet) That sounds quite depressing!
- 2. MarjorieRosenbe: I getthe sinking feeling when there is just a lot of quiet and they leave looking tired or can't wait to get out the door! Marisa_C: quiet and indifferent too - yes agree! teflgeek: I get it more when confronted by errant behaviour than concerns about lesson planning! cherrymp: When the effort goes in vain! AddaLitim: I get that sinking feeling when my stds don’t do as well as expected in the practice tasks ! cherrymp: I get a sinking feeling when I think I don't have the students with me anymore. . When I think I can't take them with me anymore.! cherrymp: Yeah. That happens. Think expectations are one main cause for that 'sinking feeling'. ! OUPELTGlobal: Yes, when you 'lose' them. hard to get them back! MarjorieRosenbe: Just asked pupils. Bad lesson is when teacher is strict and lacks humor or can't control class.! ! ! ! A recurring theme: SEEING DIFFERENT/COMPLEX PERSPECTIVES! DanielaArghir asked: “can you always pinpoint the cause?”! Shaunwilden: i think we can get it by misreading a situation! HanaTicha: Sometimes this sinking feeling doesn't correspond with the real outcome.! Marisa_C: Misreading can happen both ways of course :-)! Kryftina: Is it always easy though? How can we identify the cause with certainty?! OUPELTGlobal: sometimes students are affected by something outside the classroom! patrickelt: students often seem more forgiving of faults than we are/expect as long as it is rare !
- 3. HanaTicha: They don'teven recognize the faults.! MarjorieRosenbe: Absolutely. After one sinking feeling lesson two students stayed to tell me how much they enjoyed my classes.! HanaTicha: And vice versa. We think everything went well and we're wrong. It's so subjective, isn't it?! patrickelt: Maybe this is easier to reflect on than other classes as it is so clear that something went wrong…more problematic are those that seem to go well superficially! ! ! ! A recurring theme: REFLECTION-ON-ACTION! cherrymp said “we do experience that feeling. Just as the topic says it's what we do after the feeling that matters”! AlexandraKouk: sinking feeling ok when = reflection / not ok = self flagellation! Marisa_C: So looking at how to reflect and evaluate what transpired in our lessons so that we can 'fix things' for next time :-)! HanaTicha: Next time I try to avoid the cause, i.e. what preceded the undesirable feeling.! teflgeek: lesson problems are more easily attributable and remedied. Behaviour problems? Not so much. ! MarjorieRosenbe: How exactly do you judge that? Sometimes they learn more than we think. ! teflgeek: the more time and effort you put in, the more frustrating it is! Less is more. ! HanaTicha: As everything is so subjective in teaching, we can never do so - with certainty. What matters is that we try! Marisa_C: For myself I have a 'troubleshooter' checklist in my head which I go thru - do u have one? ! MarjorieRosenbe: Sometimes we have to address 'the elephant in the room' before moving on. !
- 4. cherrymp: But doteachers always reflect or give up? Sinking feeling is emotional. Reflection needs to be rational. ! Marisa_C: Sometimes a simple question to the Ss may help- what did u like in today's lesson? What was a bit boring etc?! Marisa_C: on CELTA and DELTA courses Ts are usually give a No of observation checklists - use on yourself! ! ! ! ! ! A recurring theme: GETTING USEFUL FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS ! Marisa_C suggested that “Sometimes a simple question to the Ss may help- what did u like in today's lesson? What was a bit boring”! teflgeek: Is it just a question of successfully managing expectations? Yours & Theirs? ! Shaunwilden: Yes, as Marisa just tweeted simply asking helps! OUPELTGlobal: what about asking students directly? Being open about how the day went?! Marisa_C: Questions is one way - a short personal note to the T an option ! teflgeek: a colleague used a feedback box on the back of the door ! HanaTicha: On the other hand, what Ss like is not always what is good for them in terms of effective outcomes :-) ! Marisa_C: What can go wrong in a lesson tho cannot be rocket science - topic - language focus - difficulty of text/task and personal probs! Marisa_C: A letter of advice to the T how to make the lesson more engaging and motivating !
- 5. cherrymp: Feedback boxis a good idea. Liked. . Esp if they can leave it anonymously.! Kryftina: I use stickers (we have a kind of ''grade the lesson'' habit), but intermediate classes find answering qs boring! cherrymp: Listened to a gp of Ts dis afternoon who said they got a 'nothing happens in our class' feedback via DOS.! cherrymp: It really works when Ts could take the feedback chits later & discuss how well the chits helped him/her. ! Marisa_C: As a St (of Turkish)on a negotiated syllabus course, we took 5' at end of lesson to tell T what we felt abt lesson & wanted! Marisa_C: I was highly motivated when I saw my T respond to my comments in next lesson! Innov8rEduc8r: Knowing that your views count is powerful within a classroom. Shows sts that they can impact what's going on. Agency.! Innov8rEduc8r: I suggest to sts that they phrase feedback in terms of suggestions - in terms of action that I could take! teflgeek: Writing up lesson menu on the board helps focus the class on lesson goals - manage expectations and gives focus ! louisealix68: always ask my ST to reflect using STARR method 2 b able 2 take step back from emotions. Helps analyse what went well/ not so well.! ! ! ! A recurring theme: EMOTION, EXPERIENCE, & MENTORING! AlexandraKouk wondered is it is “safe to say that Step 1 would be "Don't get too emotional about it”?”! Shaunwilden: Obviously getting fbk etc is important but it doesn’t help avoid the slinking feeling does it? ! AlexandraKouk: How important is it to be able to analyse what happened in class rationally and as objectively as possible?! patrickelt: seemed so important when inexperienced!
- 6. teflgeek: when youautomatically blame yourself instead of reflecting more widely... ! OUPELTGlobal: YES! must be objective with yourself! Shaunwilden: maybe but I think emotion is needed ! AddaLitim: Exactly - but it may help prevent it ! AlexandraKouk: agreed! ! lordlumey: I agree, I think a certain amount of [emotion] shows you actually care.! Shaunwilden: While I agree, there is a certain level of depression that such an attitude might cause! patrickelt: I suppose we need to have a sense of proportion - easier when experienced ....! patrickelt: as we know that we can teach well but sometimes don't. Harder when inexperienced - role for mentors ! Shaunwilden: Dealing with the SF is a good topic for a CPD session in a school! patrickelt: I think the key thing with these types of classes is loss of confidence among inexperienced teachers! teflskeptic: Don’t be too hard on yourself. Accept that not every lesson will be fantastic. ! MarjorieRosenbe: agree. Showing empathy can make all the difference. ! Innov8rEduc8::Many a lesson that goes awry - leads to big shifts in how I approach future ones.! patrickelt: experienced teachers have a sense of proportion and confidence will not be knocked so next lesson should be okay! HanaTicha: I had a great mentor who said: If one in 3 lessons is great or memorable then it's fine I liked the rule! Innov8rEduc8r: Recently taken with the idea of 'iteration' - the idea of the program as a work in progress - constantly being tweaked! Marisa_C: On another level, I think that Ts often take things to heart too much - mistakes happen & we think & learn - sometimes Ts feel soo bad!!! !
- 7. HanaTicha: So, youneed a good mentor in the first place who tells you what's realistic and what's not. Then you won't have that sinking f. ! DanielaArghir: The mentor can't go to your class and do your lesson... ! HanaTicha: I meant before you start teaching on your own! anciana: Reflecting on lesson through blogging is good practice, although this won't help you in the "sinking feeling" moment. ! MarjorieRosenbe: I think rapport is at top of the list and then going on from there.! Nouella89: When you feel upset about something you should make it work in your favour ! HanaTicha: Re sinking f: good to attend workshops to see the world from the other side of the barricade. I may look bored but I'm just tired.! ! ! ! @AlexandraKouk Some great suggestions here: http://t.co/FFMqOZjPQ1 and here: http://t.co/pY9SxZSNpe! @Louisealix68 Incidentally : http://t.co/aXNfkgfZbw! @Kryftina this ''swan song'' got me sinking a bit http://t.co/2tzCeprGbm! @kryftina try this article: http://t.co/x6NFW1DXTu! @kryftina touched on lots of aspects today #eltchat - as I love wikis, I leave you with this http://t.co/2CwvVHnLOD! ! ! ! ! !