A useful guide for prospective teachers

    There are some points you have to take into consideration before starting your school experience and teaching practice or starting to teach as prospective teachers. 

        If you are given enough time to observe the class, teacher, here are things you can do: 

• Take observation notes based on classroom environment, teaching style, course materials (books, activities, games, etc.), class size, classroom management, communication between students and teacher, assessment style, students’ age, proficiency level, interests, attitudes towards the lesson, topics that are taught, scaffolding techniques (how the teacher scaffolds learners if they have problems with learning or answering questions), stages of a lesson to prepare your lessons considering these factors. 

• Be well-organised: You may need a weekly planner to plan what you are going to do in your classes. 

• Contact with your advisor if you have any questions or problems about the lessons. Make lesson plans considering time, classroom management problems, class size, the topic you are supposed to teach, how to make your classes more engaging and enjoyable by taking account of students’ age, proficiency level, interests. The plans should be step by step from easy to difficult, from receptive (listening/reading skills) to productive (speaking/writing skills).  

• Do enjoyable and purposeful activities set up in a meaningful context.

• Bear in mind that you are a prospective teacher and it’s quite normal to have some struggles with timing, classroom management, keeping students’ attention, any other problems related to your teaching experience. Even professional teachers can have some problems they have to overcome. It’s your teaching experience process and the aim here is to help you with how to teach better, how to communicate with your learners effectively, besides how to cope with problems you may have to face as a teacher. 
  

       

             Ece & ELT wishes you a very happy teaching career in the future! 

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