Reflection - Luz - 2nd Session

We started our 2nd session with Luz with another warmer activity.  This time using two different types of paper.  I’m thoroughly enjoying all of these warmers that we’re doing, and I think it’s fantastic way for us a trainee teachers to learn all these nifty tricks by actually doing them.  I now need to get my hands on some moose poo paper…

We then talked about the place that traditional exercises have in the classroom.  Following the principles of the Flipped Classroom, these sort of activities would be ideal to set as homework, without going overboard.  Learning the mechanics of the language is important, and these sort of repetitive exercises do help memory, but too often it ends up being the only thing a teacher does!  One use of these types of exercise might be as part of the scaffolding process.  Students could use a typical gap-fill exercise to complete phrases they will use in a role-play or speaking activity.  This gives the exercise a purpose and relevance, rather than the teacher calling out the answers and moving on. 

Luz told us about the Minimax concept and recommended the book to us, I agree with her here that it’s one of those times when you find a book that vindicates what you’ve always thought and I definitely identify with the principles. 

1.     Minimise teacher output, maximise student input

I remember this clearly from the CELTA training, cut down on TTT (Teacher-Talking-Time).  In practice, this is harder than it seems.  When standing in front of a group of less-than-enthusiastic teenagers, the default mode for a teacher can be to keep talking to fill the dead air, however, with perseverance, they soon come out of their shell. 

2.     Personalisation and student’s imagination

Another revelatory moment. In many ways, teenagers are very predictable, they love talking about themselves and finding out about others!  Taking the time to find out what ‘makes them tick’ pays off in dividends, as making the lessons relevant becomes so much easier.  Imagination is important, but sometimes they are shy to do so or they haven’t been encouraged to do so.

3.     Put the focus on the students

Taylor here hits the nail on the head, all too often it is the teacher who is unwilling to relinquish control, but the benefits for both teacher and students cannot be understated.  

4.     Encourage student generated activities

Again, another key point. A teacher must plan effectively, but the plan mustn’t become a straitjacket.  There must be room for movement, to go off on a tangent if needs be, or if the students are engaged.  Students generating their own activities means that their needs are being met and mixed abilities are catered for. 

5.     Keep materials simple, and keep them.

Oh how I cringe when I remember how much photocopying I did when I had my first teaching job in Belfast… The other teachers smiled knowingly and said it was just a phase.  Some of the material I used then is still in my repertoire, but the majority went straight into the recycling bin.  It is so important though, to hold on to things that work.  Inspired by Luz and her ‘mochilla’ and Ana and her little boxes I’m determined to make my own library of stuff to keep to hand. I loved the little cards and object bags that we’ve seen in the sessions - they can be recycled over and over again and really prove the minimax principle.  Last year, I printed a list of games and activities that I found had worked and pinned it up near my desk.  It saved so much time in planning because I could simply glance at the list and decide what worked, and it often saved me when the class had finished earlier than expected and I had 5/10 minutes to fill. 

6.     Be flexible, make the most of preparation

One point here stood out for me, materials prepared for one class can so often be used with a higher or lower level, as has been said before in class by both Ana and Luz, the input doesn’t create the difficulty, only the activities you set. 

7.     Share correction

Another lightbulb moment, at the start of my time in the academy, I spent far too much type correcting homework, only for the student to look at the ‘nota’ and promptly put it in their bag.  If a majority of the students have got a certain point wrong, it’s obvious that the teacher hasn’t explained it effectively and it’s time to go over it again. I don’t mean correct homework question by question in class (which is a supreme waste of time), but instead look for the common mistakes that cropped up and allow students to correct themselves or peer correct. If that doesn’t work, it’s time for the teacher to tackle it from a different stance. Taylor’s 3 Ps of correction explain it perfectly - Perpetrator, Peer, Professional. 

8.     Organise and share responsibility

Similar to the point above, the teacher should let go of the reins from time to time, and systematically hand over some of the control to the students. 

9.     Start as you mean to go on

I’ve mentioned this before but the first day, and indeed the first few weeks, are crucial.  As Taylor says - “You will never have your class more in the palm of your hand than in the first lesson, so you must seize the opportunity to create the relationship you want.”

10.  Respect your students as people

There are lots of interesting points here, but I think another important aspect of this is something that has come up with both Luz and Ana and that I’ve mentioned before.  Our job isn’t to trick the students or make their lives difficult.  Exams should be challenging but not impossible, and even considering how we print out something to make their lives easier makes all the difference! 

In class, we then looked at brainstorming and another brilliant idea from Jamie Keddie and then other ideas such as psychology games.  I really enjoyed the egg test and I think students equally enjoy learning more about themselves through these kind of activities, but Luz made a very good point.  it’s so important to be careful with these types of activities, they must be light-hearted and not too serious, otherwise we run the risk of upsetting students! Finally, we looked at role-playing, I loved the idea of the shopping using ‘money’, and again, it’s another bit of preparation that, once done, you’ll always have. 

The general consensus among the class is that we’ve come away from these sessions bursting with ideas and food for thought - we now have to find a way to remember all these wonderful ideas that Luz and Ana are suggesting. These classes have really inspired me to get organised and get all the material I have accumulated to hand rather than languishing in a pen drive somewhere.  When I get everything together, I’d be more than happy to share the documents with the class.

Taylor, J. (2001). The Minimax Teacher: Minimise Teacher Input and Maximise Student Output. Delta Publishing