Practicuum in Teaching English as a Second Language | Motha | F 10:30-12:20 | 13892 |
This credit/noncredit course aims to extend student teachers’ understanding of the technical, personal, and practical elements involved in effective language teaching by bringing together multiple tools. These include regular classroom practice scaffolded by a master teacher, observations of veteran teachers, journaling, observations of peers, reflective inquiry, self-evaluation, group support in regular seminars, videotaped microteaching, analytical lesson reports, and peer evaluation. While a solid theoretical foundation is a cornerstone of well-crafted teaching practice, some facets of teaching can emerge only through the experience of being a teacher in an actual classroom context. Donald Schön, in his book Educating the Reflective Practitioner, describes reflection-in-action, the kind of thinking that allows us to respond to unexpected situations and “serves to reshape what we are doing while we are doing it” (p. 26) as an essential component of professional competence. The central goal of this class is to support your development as a reflective practitioner as you reflect-in-action. This is an opportunity for you to learn and further develop your own style and philosophy of language teaching—a place in which you refine your vision of yourself as a teacher.