Module 0
Orientation to the Program
Orientation to the Program
This introductory module is focused on (a) establishing a Community of Practice (CoP) and (b) developing as a deeply reflective educator: Opening the door to new thinking.
After reading all the articles and watching all the videos, create a page Module 0 in your portfolio, double click anywhere on the page, choose T to add text, and post the following on the page.
CREATE: a list of ideas of reflection from your classroom context. Think about aspects of teaching English through English that you would like to explore and enhance. For each idea on your list, think about how you might begin to "answer these questions.
See example for a model:
First, I want to think about how much English I use in my classroom in terms of percentage, and when (in which situation) I use, or do not use, English. For this week, I will try to keep a journal after lessons to explore these ideas.
Second, I will also think about how much fluency and accuracy I need in order to give instructions in English. For this purpose, I will keep track of what and how I speak and give instructions in my native language. Then, I will be able to see if it is the matter of English ability or emotional issues.
I think students will benefit in listening in TETE, but how about grammar lessons? I give explicit explanations of the grammar forms; so, I wonder if there are any other ways suggested to teach grammar differently.
I have wondered what kinds of support (additional materials, pedagogical knowledge, etc.) could be provided to the English teachers who are asked to teach in English but don’t know how to do this or can’t think how. I think this online course can be a way that teachers learn pedagogical knowledge, as well as practice how to share the additional resources from the TETE course.
Finally, I want my students to like learning English. I hope Teaching English through English will inform me how to teach English in more authentic, communicative, and fun ways. I want to learn from the examples in the course.
REFLECT: Type in 1-2 paragraphs to reflect on Module 0 (300-500 words) responding to:
Write a reflection about reflection! In what ways do you think this course will help you reflect on your teaching practice and “see” new ideas for teaching English through English? How do you think that engaging in a community of practice (CoP) in your Telegram chat group will affect your reflection and teaching practice?
See example for a model:
Before this module, if I heard the word "reflection" about my teaching, I would have defined it as "thinking" about my teaching, which is an admirable characteristic of a good teacher. Now, I will start thinking about reflection and the significance of reflective practice as something more than just “thinking” - an option.
The video and reading about reflection here made me think about how often I "think deeply" about my classroom. I can say I prepare my lessons diligently, and I review them when they do not go very well. However, I see now that those thoughts mostly remained in the technical level of reflection, so they did not bring the fundamental changes(innovation) in my teaching. In reality, when I discussed my students, challenges, and ideas for improvement with my colleague teachers, I experienced getting into far deeper thinking and suggestions. We focused on solving some of the challenges together by thinking together instead of just complaining. I presume that might be the level of contextual or dialectical level of reflection that I could engage in from a community of practice. So, I am excited about the telegram chat group (it is an excellent idea), where we will share the thoughts, experiences, and new ideas from this new teacher course.
Teaching English through English is a new approach for me; if innovation comes from the deep critical thinking about my students' situations and my teaching, I think reflection is a necessary skill that we need to learn and practice. As the slide suggested, I want to learn how I reflect on my educational practice daily, which also means keeping reflective writings on a regular basis. I hope the course and my colleagues guide me and work with me.