PP Report

The Pedagogical Practice Report

(Vilnius Simonas Daukantas Gymnasium)

1. Basic Arrangement

Student: Eglė Češkevičiūtė;

Teacher: Marina Stanapėdytė;

Classes: 3 bef, c.

Textbook and major aids: Upstream Upper Intermediate, Round – Up, blackboard, information and communication technologies.

Timetable:

Monday	08:30 – 9:15 bef (3A7) 11:35 – 12:20 c (3A4)
Tuesday	12:40 – 13:25 c (3A4) 13:35 – 14:20 bef (3A7) 14:30 – 15:15 bef (3A7)
Thursday	11:35 – 12:20 bef (3A7) 13:35 – 14:20 bef (3A7)
Friday	08:30 – 09:15 c (3A4) 09:25 – 10:10 c (3A4)

Distribution of duties: during the pedagogical practice period I was responsible for the teaching of chosen classes, preparing for the lessons and finding additional/optional activities or information. I had to fill in the electronic journal (students‘ attendance, marks and messages for students or their parents). The teacher and I prepared the test for the classes. The teacher was the one to correct students works.

It was my duty to assess students during and for the lessons which I was the teacher at.

In conclusion, I was responsible for the preparation and performance of the lessons, as well as the evaluation of students.

2. Class(es)

The classes taught (eleven-formers) were of the upper intermediate level.

Students of the classes were more or less of the same level of proficiency, although, there was a clear difference seen between some of the students in the classes. Some students were particularly clever. Thus, they were not putting much effort in what they had to do. Some of the others were not that good in the English language. However, they think themselves to be better than evaluated. How successful the class planned was depends on how interesting and motivating it seemed to the students. If the lesson seemed not interesting (usually, when the lesson is based on the textbook), students wouldn‘t try to be too attentive. Consequently, sometimes it was difficult to control the class or make everything aas planned.

3. Teaching

The linguistic aims of the lessons were to improve students‘ English grammar knowledge and its using skills as well as to broaden students‘ vocabulary when talking about and working with particular topics.

For these purposes students were given various tasks and exercises to complete based on housing, housing in Britain (culture corner). Students were encouraged to speak in class and express their own opinions. Students were given a homework task online, which they found very interesting. Also, while practising grammar peculiarities, students were asked to do the tasks orally in the class, so that other students could hear the correct answers of the exercises and analyse why their answers were/were not correct. In addition to that, students were asked to explain their choises. To make the lessons more diverse, students were given various tasks taken from internet, other books; short videos and films were shown and discussed afterwards.

During the practice time teaching grammar grammar, oral and new activities happened to be the most successful because the new activities were engaging and easy to accomplish, while grammar is difficult but extremely important to learn, as well as, difficult to get a high mark from.

The weak part of the aims was vocabulary. Instead of learning and using new vocabulary, students used their previously obtained one and their knowledge of new words has not improved as much as it was expected.

4. Coursebook assessment

The coursebook used in classes (Upstream Upper intrmediate) include tasks and exercises training all four communicative skills. There were ceparate spread sheets for listening and speaking tasks, reading, and writing. Vocabulary practice takes an important part in every unit.

The coursebook includes all three PPP – teaching stages. At first students get familiar with the subject of the class or a number of classes and practice it, till the aim is achieved.

Students found the coursebook tasks rather easy to grasp and complete. Although, most of the times they did not want to do the coursebook exercises.

5. Personal assessment

Judging from the practice experience, the timing of classes should be improved, as sometimes there was not enough time for completing all the tasks planned or there were times when the efforts to calm some students down took more time than expected. Also, there should be found a way of explaining grammar which would be easily understandible for students and not boring.

6. Advice on future practice organization

To the menor

My advice to the mentor would be to let students feel a teacher is a friend not an enemy who wants to harm them. One should, at least sometimes, smile and make a joke from time to time. Thus, it would create a more friendly atmosphere, for usually students are respectful and polite but ever hardly show what they think about their teachers.

To the English Department.

I believe there should be less tasks given to accomplish during the pedagogical practice. I find only the tasks of the subject didactics, such as lesson plan writing and self assessment really reasonable. Other tasks as making various reasearches or observations are too much time consuming and has no real use.
Student: Janina Stačkauskaitė.

Teacher: Rasa Jauniškienė.

Classes: 9a, 9a, 9c.

Textbook and major aids: Enterprise 4, the grammar book, information and communication technologies.

Timetable:

Monday	9:25 – 10:10 12:40 – 13:25 13:35 – 14:20
Tuesday	8:30 – 9:15 10:20 – 11:05 13:35 – 14:20
Thursday	10:20 – 11:05 12:40 – 13:25
Friday	10:20 – 11:05 11:35 – 12:20

1. Classes

Janina Stačkauskaitė taught three classes that were 9a, 9b, 9c. The level of the classes is intermediate. The majority of students are hard – working, liable, and dutiful. The character of the students didn‘t cause any problems, that is why the relationship was close.

2. Teaching

Janina Stačkauskaitė had the following linguistic aims: to teach the reported speech, to learn some new vocabulary, to teach students to write a short story. The approaches to these were the grammar book, handouts, a presentation, work in groups and pairs.

According to Janina Stačkauskaitė, she was most successful in the grammar teaching as she likes the subject herself and students‘ grades were the best in the grammar tests. Janina Stačkauskaitė feels that she succeeded least in the teaching to write a short story as the students were lazy while learning the writing. The students kept repeating that they already know everything about the story writing and it was difficult to interest them.

3. Coursebook Assessment

Janina Stačkauskaitė worked with the 3rd topic of the Enterprise 4 that was Story Writing. The part well provided with all the 4 communication skills (listening, reading, writing, and speaking) as there were activities that help to improve the skills. The three stages of teaching were well provided as well as the activities were well organized. The students were busy with the tasks provided as there was a big choice of activities that the teacher must have to choose while teaching what to focus on most and what to skip. As the teacher‘s task is to concentrate more on the most difficult and important tasks, the students mostly didn‘t like it as they had to work a lot with such tasks.

4. Personal Assessment

Janina Stačkauskaitė needs to strengthen the speaking skills and practice more with creating colourful and enjoyable activities.

5. Advice on Future Practice Organization:

To the mentor: to give more advice to the students improvers, to let to observe lessons that are taught by Rasa Jauniškienė, to tell what grade the student gets after each of the evaluating lessons and show the comments.

To the English Department: to send students to the practice more than once and skip the tasks given by the psychlogy, health, and educational departments.