A week before the observation activity at my teaching placement, Somali Development Center (SDC), I discussed some important things with my classmates who had previously observed there for another course's purposes. They shared stories about the students' proficiency levels and age range, the teaching flows, the overall learning environment, and the resources used in the class. From what I heard, I could conclude how beneficial and positive the Somali Development Center ESOL class is in helping students achieve their learning goals. It is a comfortable learning environment with practical learning activities. Next, regarding the proficiency level, my classmates mentioned that the students were beginners and needed help communicating in class. Students were allowed to use Google Translate as a communication bridge with their teachers. Additionally, these students were refugees from various countries like Somalia, France, and Guinea-West Africa. Despite having teaching experience in Indonesia for multiple groups, some things made me hesitant to start my new experience here.
Firstly, I previously worked as an English teacher in an EFL context. All my former students were not multilingual learners because they spoke the same first language as me, Bahasa Indonesia. Teaching multilingual students at SDC is undoubtedly a new and challenging job. I also need to prepare a proper lesson plan for my class. Although I will be guided by my Seminar Instructor, Supervisor, Mentor Teacher, and partner TLs through seminars, I still have doubts stuck in my head.
Other than that, I genuinely feel insecure that my English language proficiency may not be as fluent as a native speaker. At times, I may not be good enough at demonstrating the correct pronunciation of an English word to my students. I managed everything before the observation day came.
1/21/2024 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Sitting in the classroom with my mentor teacher and students, I felt happy and welcomed. I missed teaching in a classroom and sitting comfortably with my students during group learning or one-on-one tutoring. Today, I could fulfill my longing for teaching. I sat beside a student named Ibrahim, who seemed more advanced than his peers. That day, the MT taught a topic on Health using the Ventures Level 1 book. The main focus was for students to master health-related vocabulary for everyday conversations. Through pre-activity, the mentor teacher built their background knowledge. I observed how engaging the class was. At one point, the mentor teacher misspelled "SORE THROAT" as "SOAR THROAT" on the whiteboard.
As someone who came for observation purposes, I remained silent and normalized it since pointing out the spelling mistake was unethical. After some time, the MT facilitated a role-play conversation for us. During this practice, I partnered with Ibrahim. I helped Ibrahim read some vocabulary words he wrote in his book, like "headache, backache, fever, sprained ankle, and stomachache." Eventually, Ibrahim noticed the spelling difference between "SOAR THROAT" on the board and "SORE THROAT" in the handouts distributed by the MT. He did not ask my mentor teacher about it; instead, he asked me, "SOAR?" or "SORE?" I was surprised; I had no idea how to tell him. I could not say that the teacher's writing on the board was wrong. Carefully, I said, "Just follow this," while pointing to the correct "SORE THROAT" on the handouts. Ibrahim nodded without saying anything, and I was very grateful for that.
Through this reflection, I want to prepare myself for my first teaching on Monday, January 29, 2024, with my partner. I want to focus on designing the lesson plan and building positive relationships with the students in the classroom and my mentor teacher. Additionally, I aim to establish a positive bond to gain valuable insights and expertise from my kind mentor teacher.
Questions I am left with:
1. How can I enhance my lesson plans to address the diverse needs of multilingual learners?
2. In dealing with spelling or pronunciation errors during class, what approach do you recommend for correction without discouraging the students?
3. Can you share some effective strategies for building a positive and inclusive classroom environment, especially considering the students' diverse backgrounds?
4. Could you share some insights on successful communication and collaboration with students from different cultural backgrounds?
5. Can you offer guidance on balancing the use of technology, like Google Translate, as a communication bridge in the classroom while ensuring students are actively engaging in language learning?
Teacher Gregoriana, Boston, MA, 2024.
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