If I don't learn to differentiate this year, it's a fairly safe bet that I NEVER WILL. As well as starting the second year of teacher training, which I'll be converting to a PGCE, I hope, I've got two new teaching gigs, working with mums (it's ALL women) at two primary schools who don't have English as their first language.
I expect to spend a lot of time telling people not to speak Bengali, as 98% of the population here is from Bangladesh.
At one school, ALL the women in my classes are Bengali, which of course presents me with the new challenge of a monolingual class.
At the other school there's a better mix, which bodes well for making them speak English.
However, the real challenge this year is going to be the varying abilities of my groups. In the Entry 1 class, some of the women can read quite well, and know a bit of vocabulary, but some of them can barely speak, let alone read, English. Luckily for me, I have two colleagues at my college who both have lots of experience of combining ESOL with literacy.
Another class has people some of whom are transitioning from Entry 1 to Entry 2, who need their other E1 modes strengthening, and some of whom have already done E1 reading. Fortunately I don't have to decide *just* yet what exam I'm aiming for with them.
I'm less worried about my Entry 2/3 class, as I've combined the two levels before and they work well together.
But yes. Differentiation is King of the Academic Year 2007-2008.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Monday, July 02, 2007
Well, I'm glad I didn't complete my action plan two weeks ago, because now I'm engaged, completing my Cert Ed AND doing Stage 4 AND planning a wedding would be a recipe for disaster. So I'll (hopefully!) be completing the Cert Ed and getting married. I think that's quite enough for me.
So what have I learned this year? Quite a lot, actually. I think I've covered most of the major experiences here, but generally I've become a lot more comfortable in my teaching skin. Where at the start of the year I hated being observed with a passion, now I feel more able to simply get on with the job of teaching, regardless of who's watching me.
I know that it takes work to keep your professional knowledge up to date, and this is something I need to work on but feel able to do.
My studies have, I feel, made me much more rigorous in the way I plan- I think a lot more about what I'm doing and how and why- though equally, a year's experience on top of what I had in September has meant that, generally, planning takes me less time. Of course in the new academic year, with new classes, I'll be back a few paces as I get to know the new students and their new sets of needs, problems, anxieties, personalities and strengths.
I know, from talking through the action plan, where I want to be and what I need to do to get there.
Most of all, I know that I love my job, and wouldn't change it for the world.
So what have I learned this year? Quite a lot, actually. I think I've covered most of the major experiences here, but generally I've become a lot more comfortable in my teaching skin. Where at the start of the year I hated being observed with a passion, now I feel more able to simply get on with the job of teaching, regardless of who's watching me.
I know that it takes work to keep your professional knowledge up to date, and this is something I need to work on but feel able to do.
My studies have, I feel, made me much more rigorous in the way I plan- I think a lot more about what I'm doing and how and why- though equally, a year's experience on top of what I had in September has meant that, generally, planning takes me less time. Of course in the new academic year, with new classes, I'll be back a few paces as I get to know the new students and their new sets of needs, problems, anxieties, personalities and strengths.
I know, from talking through the action plan, where I want to be and what I need to do to get there.
Most of all, I know that I love my job, and wouldn't change it for the world.
Monday, June 18, 2007
So it's almost the end of the year. Exams are approaching, as is the end of the year and the beginning of uncertainty for me.
Most of the tutors discuss not the students who will pass, but those who will fail. It's interesting that in most educational situations, when the student passes, it is all their own work, but if they fail, it is the teacher's fault. In ESOL it can be very different. There are plenty of students whose failure is obviously attributable to their lack of attendance or, when they do attend, their failure to contribute positively to classes. These are usually the students who complain when they find they have not been entered for particular exams. The ones who are here all the time, but who simply find the next level of attainment too difficult to achieve in a year (why are they on the course? Usually because they've already passed the exams at the level they should be learning- often the certificate is from another college, sometimes all we can do is wonder how on earth they passed the exam, and wish we could meet the teacher who got them through it), tend to understand that they are not ready.
The lack of understanding on the part of the generally-non-attending students can be staggering. CF the student who asked me (after the deadline for entering students had passed) why she couldn't take the reading and writing papers and have an extra hour to complete each one, because then she was sure she would pass them.
As for myself, this represents the end of my first full academic year of teaching. I've discovered a lot about myself, I think. Most notably, I've had it brought home to me how easily your professional knowledge base can get rusty. 7407 has helped me become much more self-aware as a teacher. I notice what I'm doing in the classroom more- by which I mean such things as body language.
However, I've also discovered how demotivating a lack of job security can be. I have been working to complete the course and to get my students through the exams because I want to achieve good results in both. That said, I've felt that some of my spark has gone because, for all my hard work, the end of the academic year will bring a lot of changes, and with so many other teachers with more experience looking for work, those changes may not be positive. I love teaching. I want to keep teaching, for all the frustrations and moments where all you want to do is bang your head against the desk (also known as IT with Entry 2D). I may well end up back in admin work. There was a reason I changed careers. It's depressing to think that, although both I and another student on my course have worked so hard to complete, and have taken on jobs for the department that nobody else would take, we still aren't being offered work next year. One of the permanent staff is moving to Wales. This may mean a post becoming vacant. But the department's management have made no noises about replacing her, at least not to me.
The upshot of all this is that as well as preparing students for exams, and completing the last of my assignments for 7407, I am also spending a substantial amount of my time applying for work. If nothing else, it makes it easier to understand how difficult it can be for students with outside worries to have their work affected. When you have this kind of uncertainty looming over you, you may be able to work, but you won't work nearly as enthusiastically.
Part of this is about seeing the point in what you are doing. If I can't complete my qualification, then part of me wonders what the point is. Similarly, for students who can't find work, there may seem like little point in improving their basic skills, if even when they improve they are still not successful. I experienced this kind of demotivation when teaching Employability. However, I've seen it before, when I taught at a secondary school. The kids I taught there came from families where unemployment was rife among the adults, even those who had GCSEs or A-levels. If their own parents were out of work, and they had finished school, then, as far as most of these kids were concerned, there was no point in trying hard in their education. Seeing a good reason to do what you're asked to do is vitally important. This is why I always try to give one. Luckily for my students, passing their exams is a very good reason indeed.
Most of the tutors discuss not the students who will pass, but those who will fail. It's interesting that in most educational situations, when the student passes, it is all their own work, but if they fail, it is the teacher's fault. In ESOL it can be very different. There are plenty of students whose failure is obviously attributable to their lack of attendance or, when they do attend, their failure to contribute positively to classes. These are usually the students who complain when they find they have not been entered for particular exams. The ones who are here all the time, but who simply find the next level of attainment too difficult to achieve in a year (why are they on the course? Usually because they've already passed the exams at the level they should be learning- often the certificate is from another college, sometimes all we can do is wonder how on earth they passed the exam, and wish we could meet the teacher who got them through it), tend to understand that they are not ready.
The lack of understanding on the part of the generally-non-attending students can be staggering. CF the student who asked me (after the deadline for entering students had passed) why she couldn't take the reading and writing papers and have an extra hour to complete each one, because then she was sure she would pass them.
As for myself, this represents the end of my first full academic year of teaching. I've discovered a lot about myself, I think. Most notably, I've had it brought home to me how easily your professional knowledge base can get rusty. 7407 has helped me become much more self-aware as a teacher. I notice what I'm doing in the classroom more- by which I mean such things as body language.
However, I've also discovered how demotivating a lack of job security can be. I have been working to complete the course and to get my students through the exams because I want to achieve good results in both. That said, I've felt that some of my spark has gone because, for all my hard work, the end of the academic year will bring a lot of changes, and with so many other teachers with more experience looking for work, those changes may not be positive. I love teaching. I want to keep teaching, for all the frustrations and moments where all you want to do is bang your head against the desk (also known as IT with Entry 2D). I may well end up back in admin work. There was a reason I changed careers. It's depressing to think that, although both I and another student on my course have worked so hard to complete, and have taken on jobs for the department that nobody else would take, we still aren't being offered work next year. One of the permanent staff is moving to Wales. This may mean a post becoming vacant. But the department's management have made no noises about replacing her, at least not to me.
The upshot of all this is that as well as preparing students for exams, and completing the last of my assignments for 7407, I am also spending a substantial amount of my time applying for work. If nothing else, it makes it easier to understand how difficult it can be for students with outside worries to have their work affected. When you have this kind of uncertainty looming over you, you may be able to work, but you won't work nearly as enthusiastically.
Part of this is about seeing the point in what you are doing. If I can't complete my qualification, then part of me wonders what the point is. Similarly, for students who can't find work, there may seem like little point in improving their basic skills, if even when they improve they are still not successful. I experienced this kind of demotivation when teaching Employability. However, I've seen it before, when I taught at a secondary school. The kids I taught there came from families where unemployment was rife among the adults, even those who had GCSEs or A-levels. If their own parents were out of work, and they had finished school, then, as far as most of these kids were concerned, there was no point in trying hard in their education. Seeing a good reason to do what you're asked to do is vitally important. This is why I always try to give one. Luckily for my students, passing their exams is a very good reason indeed.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
So! Oculesics...
They're worth mentioning in reference to ESOL because, like any other part of NVC, they're very culturally linked. Eye-contact, as we all know, is a powerful thing, but it's something that's used in different ways by different cultures. For example, how many times have you heard (or indeed said) "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" or "Look me in the eyes and say that!". In England, eye-contact is how we show we are listening to someone, but in many other countries and in many other cultures, it is averting your eyes that signals respect- even more confusingly for the average teacher in the UK, many cultures make eye contact when they are being reprimanded, again not as an act of defiance, but as an act of respect. A teacher could easily think that a student was being rude or inattentive if they avert their eyes (and indeed my students with children report this happening fairly frequently to their sons and daughters of school-age), when really they are showing deference. Forcing eye contact on students is also another thing that could easily heighten their sense of danger, clouding what you're saying.
Vocalics and sound symbols are a huge topic in ESOL, and I don't want to reinvent the wheel by going too much into detail. Suffice it to say that we help ESOL students communicate by teaching them the importance of tone of voice and intonation- something they have to learn.
In conclusion, NVC is a vital part of a teacher's professional knowledge base. They have to ensure that what they say and what they do matches up for the students. Teaching English is not just about vocabulary and grammar- students in speaking exams are also marked on how well they communicate. NVC helps them make their message clear. NVC is invaluable in helping ESOL learners take their first steps in English- undestanding a gesture that is universal helps them attach words to something familiar. Finally, for ESOL learners, learning about NVC helps them communicate more effectively with others- surely the main aim of any ESOL teacher.
They're worth mentioning in reference to ESOL because, like any other part of NVC, they're very culturally linked. Eye-contact, as we all know, is a powerful thing, but it's something that's used in different ways by different cultures. For example, how many times have you heard (or indeed said) "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" or "Look me in the eyes and say that!". In England, eye-contact is how we show we are listening to someone, but in many other countries and in many other cultures, it is averting your eyes that signals respect- even more confusingly for the average teacher in the UK, many cultures make eye contact when they are being reprimanded, again not as an act of defiance, but as an act of respect. A teacher could easily think that a student was being rude or inattentive if they avert their eyes (and indeed my students with children report this happening fairly frequently to their sons and daughters of school-age), when really they are showing deference. Forcing eye contact on students is also another thing that could easily heighten their sense of danger, clouding what you're saying.
Vocalics and sound symbols are a huge topic in ESOL, and I don't want to reinvent the wheel by going too much into detail. Suffice it to say that we help ESOL students communicate by teaching them the importance of tone of voice and intonation- something they have to learn.
In conclusion, NVC is a vital part of a teacher's professional knowledge base. They have to ensure that what they say and what they do matches up for the students. Teaching English is not just about vocabulary and grammar- students in speaking exams are also marked on how well they communicate. NVC helps them make their message clear. NVC is invaluable in helping ESOL learners take their first steps in English- undestanding a gesture that is universal helps them attach words to something familiar. Finally, for ESOL learners, learning about NVC helps them communicate more effectively with others- surely the main aim of any ESOL teacher.
Monday, June 11, 2007
The communication presentation will be finished on here tomorrow.
In the meantime I'm just expressing my deep frustration with having to work with students who, quite evidently, can't be bothered with their classes. Most Mondays, my ESOL IT class only has one person in it. This is not because the work is too hard, as I have been very careful to ensure the work is at the right level, and that the students get all the help they need. It is because the class members simply can't be bothered to come. I have two students today which is highly unusual, but the second student has been away so long that he can't remember his password. Resetting it didn't help, as he has evidently shut the window asking him to change it, without reading the message (a common problem) and is now locked out of the system again. And of course, the IT helpdesk is empty.
Dealing with students like that is hard for me- what I want to do and know I shouldn't is yell at them, because this student's attitude makes me so cross. He wandered in late with no adequate explanation.
For some of our students, their upbringing and the country they come from does a lot to explain their attitudes to class and college- for example, Congolese students tend towards being late to very late, as they often simply don't understand the importance of timekeeping in the UK.
But for others it's pure laziness. And it's one of my biggest irritations as a teacher. I'm still working on strategies for dealing with it, but the main problem is that these students never show positive behaviour, which makes it impossible to reinforce positive behaviour with praise.
In the meantime I'm just expressing my deep frustration with having to work with students who, quite evidently, can't be bothered with their classes. Most Mondays, my ESOL IT class only has one person in it. This is not because the work is too hard, as I have been very careful to ensure the work is at the right level, and that the students get all the help they need. It is because the class members simply can't be bothered to come. I have two students today which is highly unusual, but the second student has been away so long that he can't remember his password. Resetting it didn't help, as he has evidently shut the window asking him to change it, without reading the message (a common problem) and is now locked out of the system again. And of course, the IT helpdesk is empty.
Dealing with students like that is hard for me- what I want to do and know I shouldn't is yell at them, because this student's attitude makes me so cross. He wandered in late with no adequate explanation.
For some of our students, their upbringing and the country they come from does a lot to explain their attitudes to class and college- for example, Congolese students tend towards being late to very late, as they often simply don't understand the importance of timekeeping in the UK.
But for others it's pure laziness. And it's one of my biggest irritations as a teacher. I'm still working on strategies for dealing with it, but the main problem is that these students never show positive behaviour, which makes it impossible to reinforce positive behaviour with praise.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Here's what I would have said...
In a subject like ESOL, communication is the be-all and end-all of what we are about. If our students are not able to communicate, in English, more successfully and correctly than they were able to before they came to us, we have, quite simply, failed. However, it is important for teachers of ESOL (or any language, particularly where you are teaching learners in a country that speaks the language they are learning) to remember that communication is not solely about what somebody says.
Equally, we have to be very aware of what we are communicating, and how we communicate, because our students will learn not only from information we give about, (for instance) correct grammar in the classroom, but from our example in a much broader and deeper way. They look to us as someone who can show them what is and isn't good English, both linguistically AND culturally to an extent.
Non-verbal communication makes up 93% of how we communicate with others, and how they understand us. It can be broken down into 13 categories (links to where I got all this from at the end):
Kinesics (body language) Body motions such as shrugs, foot tapping, drumming fingers, eye movements such as winking, facial expressions, and gestures
Proxemics (proximity)- where you are in relation to the physical environment, and other people.
Haptics: Touch
Oculesics: Eye contact
Chronemics: Use of time, waiting, pausing
Olfactics: Smell
Vocalics: Tone of voice, timbre, volume, speed
Sound symbols: Grunting, mmm, er, ah, uh-huh, mumbling
Silence: Pausing, waiting, secrecy
Posture: Position of the body, stance- this can be how you hold yourself naturally, or assumed postures.
Adornment: Clothing, jewellery, hairstyle
Locomotion: Walking, running, staggering, limping.
What makes every one of these things important in ESOL- even more than might be obvious- is the fact that non-verbal communication, just like spoken language, is linked very strongly to culture. This means that our students need to be aware of it, and we need to teach them about a lot of it, to help them break down the barriers to communication that face them as people whose first language is not English, living in an English-speaking country.
Kinesics:
Gestures are one of the most obvious culturally-based forms of non-verbal communication, and one that students do benefit from having explained to them, for the simple reason that just as a word that looks (and may even be pronounced) the same in two languages may have totally different meanings in each, so gestures do not necessarily translate across cultures. Any teacher who has flinched when a student gives them a reverse V-sign in order to give the answer 'two' will know exactly what I mean. However, gestures that have different meanings in other languages are something teachers should make themselves aware of. I do not only mean avoiding accidentally insulting a Nigerian student by giving them a 'thumbs up', I mean gestures that can cause considerably more confusion on both sides if a teacher isn't aware that the movement does not mean the same for the student who they are addressing as it does for themselves. Iranian and Albanian students nod their heads to say 'no'- if you ask the question you shouldn't ask, ie 'Do you understand', without knowing this, you could end up with some very lost students.
Of course, in a class of students with very low levels of English, universal gestures 'big', 'small', 'on', 'in', 'under', can be used to great effect- the gesture gives the students a 'hook' to connect their own language with the gesture, and the gesture with the English word. Correctly used, gestures are an invaluable tool.
Facial expressions can also be a minefield. In countries where politeness and hospitality are deemed important (such as Japan and Bangladesh), people learn to smile no matter how annoyed or angry they are- if their rancour worsens, the smile gets wider. A teacher cannot assume that their room of smiling faces means happy students who are having a good lesson. Equally, everyone has a 'screensaver' expression- the one you wear when you aren't communicating with other people. Quite often it can be mistaken for a bad mood. So grimaces aren't always the dead giveaway you would expect- the student may not be stuck, they may be going at just the right pace and find you slowing down to be deeply irritating.
Proxemics
Personal space is such a huge issue for the British that it is featured in citizenship coursebooks. Students need to be aware of how much space to give people they are speaking to- as do teachers- since invading a person's personal space will produce a danger reaction on the part of the person being spoken to, and that person will be so busy reacting to the perceived threat that they won't actually listen to anything being said to them. I am speaking from experience as someone who's retreated round classrooms before, backing away from someone asking about their exams.
However, just as with gestures, proxemics can be used to help modify the learning environment and make it positive. When helping someone in IT, I sit next to them to help them feel more relaxed than if I were standing over them. I do the same in group discussions, making sure I am on a chair that is the same height as the others- higher and I would still have more formal 'control', lower- well, let's not mention what could happen if I was sitting in a subservient position to the students. Equally, in classes where poor behaviour is rife, a teacher may seek to enhance the idea of their being in charge by standing up when the students are sitting down- a way of asserting dominance over the room. Being able to move easily around the classroom is another way to use proxemics to your advantage- if you are never obstructed by students or furniture, you will seem (and feel) much more 'in control' of the classroom, and your students will feed off this energy. I think it's important to move amongst them, even if you don't do it often, to assert your control over the whole room, not just the space in front of the whiteboard. It helps the students feel that you are not isolated from them, too.
We will assume that, as professionals who care about their CRB disclosures, haptics (touch) doesn't figure in your teaching, and move on to oculesics tomorrow- right now I'm out of time on the computer. Tune in again for the next exciting instalment of 'Non Verbal Communication and ESOL- a cultural perspective'.
Equally, we have to be very aware of what we are communicating, and how we communicate, because our students will learn not only from information we give about, (for instance) correct grammar in the classroom, but from our example in a much broader and deeper way. They look to us as someone who can show them what is and isn't good English, both linguistically AND culturally to an extent.
Non-verbal communication makes up 93% of how we communicate with others, and how they understand us. It can be broken down into 13 categories (links to where I got all this from at the end):
Kinesics (body language) Body motions such as shrugs, foot tapping, drumming fingers, eye movements such as winking, facial expressions, and gestures
Proxemics (proximity)- where you are in relation to the physical environment, and other people.
Haptics: Touch
Oculesics: Eye contact
Chronemics: Use of time, waiting, pausing
Olfactics: Smell
Vocalics: Tone of voice, timbre, volume, speed
Sound symbols: Grunting, mmm, er, ah, uh-huh, mumbling
Silence: Pausing, waiting, secrecy
Posture: Position of the body, stance- this can be how you hold yourself naturally, or assumed postures.
Adornment: Clothing, jewellery, hairstyle
Locomotion: Walking, running, staggering, limping.
What makes every one of these things important in ESOL- even more than might be obvious- is the fact that non-verbal communication, just like spoken language, is linked very strongly to culture. This means that our students need to be aware of it, and we need to teach them about a lot of it, to help them break down the barriers to communication that face them as people whose first language is not English, living in an English-speaking country.
Kinesics:
Gestures are one of the most obvious culturally-based forms of non-verbal communication, and one that students do benefit from having explained to them, for the simple reason that just as a word that looks (and may even be pronounced) the same in two languages may have totally different meanings in each, so gestures do not necessarily translate across cultures. Any teacher who has flinched when a student gives them a reverse V-sign in order to give the answer 'two' will know exactly what I mean. However, gestures that have different meanings in other languages are something teachers should make themselves aware of. I do not only mean avoiding accidentally insulting a Nigerian student by giving them a 'thumbs up', I mean gestures that can cause considerably more confusion on both sides if a teacher isn't aware that the movement does not mean the same for the student who they are addressing as it does for themselves. Iranian and Albanian students nod their heads to say 'no'- if you ask the question you shouldn't ask, ie 'Do you understand', without knowing this, you could end up with some very lost students.
Of course, in a class of students with very low levels of English, universal gestures 'big', 'small', 'on', 'in', 'under', can be used to great effect- the gesture gives the students a 'hook' to connect their own language with the gesture, and the gesture with the English word. Correctly used, gestures are an invaluable tool.
Facial expressions can also be a minefield. In countries where politeness and hospitality are deemed important (such as Japan and Bangladesh), people learn to smile no matter how annoyed or angry they are- if their rancour worsens, the smile gets wider. A teacher cannot assume that their room of smiling faces means happy students who are having a good lesson. Equally, everyone has a 'screensaver' expression- the one you wear when you aren't communicating with other people. Quite often it can be mistaken for a bad mood. So grimaces aren't always the dead giveaway you would expect- the student may not be stuck, they may be going at just the right pace and find you slowing down to be deeply irritating.
Proxemics
Personal space is such a huge issue for the British that it is featured in citizenship coursebooks. Students need to be aware of how much space to give people they are speaking to- as do teachers- since invading a person's personal space will produce a danger reaction on the part of the person being spoken to, and that person will be so busy reacting to the perceived threat that they won't actually listen to anything being said to them. I am speaking from experience as someone who's retreated round classrooms before, backing away from someone asking about their exams.
However, just as with gestures, proxemics can be used to help modify the learning environment and make it positive. When helping someone in IT, I sit next to them to help them feel more relaxed than if I were standing over them. I do the same in group discussions, making sure I am on a chair that is the same height as the others- higher and I would still have more formal 'control', lower- well, let's not mention what could happen if I was sitting in a subservient position to the students. Equally, in classes where poor behaviour is rife, a teacher may seek to enhance the idea of their being in charge by standing up when the students are sitting down- a way of asserting dominance over the room. Being able to move easily around the classroom is another way to use proxemics to your advantage- if you are never obstructed by students or furniture, you will seem (and feel) much more 'in control' of the classroom, and your students will feed off this energy. I think it's important to move amongst them, even if you don't do it often, to assert your control over the whole room, not just the space in front of the whiteboard. It helps the students feel that you are not isolated from them, too.
We will assume that, as professionals who care about their CRB disclosures, haptics (touch) doesn't figure in your teaching, and move on to oculesics tomorrow- right now I'm out of time on the computer. Tune in again for the next exciting instalment of 'Non Verbal Communication and ESOL- a cultural perspective'.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
I had another observation today.
I still don't like being watched- I dislike it slightly less than I did at the start of the year, probably because I am so used to them.
I felt flustered, which was caused by the fact that I was collared by various colleagues while trying to prepare the lesson, and again this morning, so I didn't get a chance to gather my thoughts. I have come to feel that having even a few minutes to clear your mind and have some peace adn quiet is a key part to being in control in the lesson you are about to teach. Going through the plan, and especially going through what you are going to teach, are really important for you to really 'own' the session. If you don't 'own' the work, the learning that takes place is diminished- not a huge amount, it should still take place, but it feels like it's diminished to me.
So some calm before the storm (even if that 'storm' is a well-behaved and quiet class- not that today's was, I'm just saying) is, to me, very important for teachers. I think this may be a professional knowledge thing, too- you need to know when other staff are teaching, because I think it's important not to disturb people who are getting ready for a lesson unless it's really horribly important that whatever you're bringing them is dealt with right now.
The flustering, though, is also contributed to more broad-ranging stress about the job. I don't know where I'll be teaching next academic year. I can only hope that someone will hire me, so that I am actually teaching. This is why I've been somewhat demotivated about the course lately- I'm not sure I'll be able to complete the qualification, and I really want to, so the uncertainty is demoralising. I'm applying for jobs, but I haven't heard anything yet. My boss has said not to disappear, that they may have work, but I need some security, and I don't have it. Why is this in the PDJ? Simple- I am gaining real experience of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs- some of the needs that need to be met for me to learn and self-actualise aren't being met. Thus, I don't concentrate so much on my work.
Yesterday's seminar presentation went, not extremely well, but not badly. People were interested in what I had to say, but I had far too much to talk about, and only got through about a third of what I wanted to present. The trouble is, the subject had been so interesting for me that I didn't want to miss any of it out. So tomorrow morning, when I have time, I shall be typing up what I would have said (because there won't be room for it in my written assignment either) here, for your delectation.
And I wonder, with this being the third time an assignment has gone way, way over 'budget' as far as length is concerned, why I have trouble with timing my lessons. I always want to do too much. Maybe I should get lazy, and want to do less...
I still don't like being watched- I dislike it slightly less than I did at the start of the year, probably because I am so used to them.
I felt flustered, which was caused by the fact that I was collared by various colleagues while trying to prepare the lesson, and again this morning, so I didn't get a chance to gather my thoughts. I have come to feel that having even a few minutes to clear your mind and have some peace adn quiet is a key part to being in control in the lesson you are about to teach. Going through the plan, and especially going through what you are going to teach, are really important for you to really 'own' the session. If you don't 'own' the work, the learning that takes place is diminished- not a huge amount, it should still take place, but it feels like it's diminished to me.
So some calm before the storm (even if that 'storm' is a well-behaved and quiet class- not that today's was, I'm just saying) is, to me, very important for teachers. I think this may be a professional knowledge thing, too- you need to know when other staff are teaching, because I think it's important not to disturb people who are getting ready for a lesson unless it's really horribly important that whatever you're bringing them is dealt with right now.
The flustering, though, is also contributed to more broad-ranging stress about the job. I don't know where I'll be teaching next academic year. I can only hope that someone will hire me, so that I am actually teaching. This is why I've been somewhat demotivated about the course lately- I'm not sure I'll be able to complete the qualification, and I really want to, so the uncertainty is demoralising. I'm applying for jobs, but I haven't heard anything yet. My boss has said not to disappear, that they may have work, but I need some security, and I don't have it. Why is this in the PDJ? Simple- I am gaining real experience of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs- some of the needs that need to be met for me to learn and self-actualise aren't being met. Thus, I don't concentrate so much on my work.
Yesterday's seminar presentation went, not extremely well, but not badly. People were interested in what I had to say, but I had far too much to talk about, and only got through about a third of what I wanted to present. The trouble is, the subject had been so interesting for me that I didn't want to miss any of it out. So tomorrow morning, when I have time, I shall be typing up what I would have said (because there won't be room for it in my written assignment either) here, for your delectation.
And I wonder, with this being the third time an assignment has gone way, way over 'budget' as far as length is concerned, why I have trouble with timing my lessons. I always want to do too much. Maybe I should get lazy, and want to do less...
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