Best Practice 25: Monitoring

Best Practice 25: Monitoring

Activity time (e.g., worksheets or pair work) is not a rest period for the teacher.

DO: Walk slowly around the room and check their comprehension/ participation.

DO NOT: Stand too close to students while they work as they will either a) get nervous and stop talking or b) try to directly engage the teacher.

DO: Look at one pair while actually listening to a different pair nearby. Such misdirection can help keep students on their toes (and prevent them

from switching to their native language).

DO NOT: Correct mistakes immediately. During discussions teachers should be listeners/supervisors/facilitators/encouragers - not error correctors. (see BP17 for further information about error correction).

DO: Take a note (literally – bring a pen!) of pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar problems as well as how the students are coping with the activity in general. Use the information to shape the post-activity discussion.