Level B: Conversation 1.2

Activity 2 (Preference Chart):

Students working together during Activity 2 (Preference Chart):


Today we finished talking about what makes a successful English student by reviewing the modals for necessity and suggestion and learning new sentence structures with "rather" and "prefer". I did not include the by + gerund structure for explaining manner because I wanted students to fully absorb the main lesson. The following is what I have processed about the class:

1. Review old sentence structures; do not teach too many new structures; apply the structures I teach to different contexts.

Activity 1 (speed ball) was not quite as effective with the adult class as with the student class - perhaps because the question and response structures were more varied and complex, or because I did not give the activity long enough to gain momentum. Either way, it emphasized the need to review and incorporate last week's sentence structure. My current plan is to use warm-up periods to review all former grammar structures, giving most weight to those that are recent, but attending to the oldest structures, as well.

Today, I put former structures on the board, but this looked cluttered and will not be an option as we get more. My alternative is to hang them on posters around the room. The walls are currently empty, so I'll have to see if that's allowed. Posters would be a helpful visual reminder, particularly as we move to new structures and conversation topics.

I am still evaluating the method of teaching through sentence structures. So far, it seems to be suitable for beginner and advanced students because the former can learn something new and the latter can work toward competency. Unfortunately, grammar lessons do not build on each other, as they would in a traditional class. Instead, each sentence structure is a key to deal with a different situation - or the same situation differently - requiring a basic English foundation which most students have. Despite the choppy nature of information, I hope to establish continuity in my lessons to earn students' trust.

I also need to evaluate whether it's too passive for students to come to class with the grammar structure on the board, and, if instead, I should elicit the structure from students. It is difficult for me to write on the board and not turn my back to the class. I'm also not entirely comfortable explaining the reasons behind some grammar rules. Both are important and attainable skills, and I imagine that active contributions when forming sentence structures would be more effective than not.

2. When an activity is working, don't stop.

Activity 2 (preference chart) was very effective at getting students talking in pairs and small groups. I interrupted several times- though it pained me because students were so engrossed in conversation. First, I told students to probe for more by asking "why". Second, I highlighted a common mistake I had heard regarding verb forms for "rather" versus "prefer". Third, I gave a time check and challenged students to stop looking at the sentence structures on the board and try to speak from memory. Overall, I let the activity run for about 20 or 25 minutes. After students had returned to their seats, I de-briefed by saying "Who preferred X to X? Who would rather do X than X? Why?..." "Did anything surprise you in this activity?" "I heard a lot of laughter in this activity. What made you laugh?"

In the future, I will have more conversations like this as a class. Students have gotten more comfortable speaking, so it is not a struggle to get volunteers. It's helpful for students to listen to my pronunciation as I facilitate, and it's an opportunity for everyone to listen and build off of ideas.

3. As much as possible, address individual students' needs.

During activity 2, one of the most advanced students, who also holds a top administrative position at the college, sat down early. Sitting and thumbing through a dictionary looked less awkward than standing without a partner, as many people seemed too intimidated to practice with him. Having already talked through the structure together, I decided to sit with him and try a different approach. I know that he's interested in pronunciation, and since the class was off on its own, I showed him some minimal pairs exercises. We worked one-on-one for five minutes, and I assured him that we would have a full class on pronunciation after the next conversation topic. Shortly thereafter, everyone came together and moved to the next exercise. I glimpsed a special spark in the man's eye, a sort of thank you for seeing and supporting his needs.


Lastly, a self-evaluation:

Lesson Plan Evaluation Forms

*These forms are from the Fulbright Teacher Training Manual.

Level A: Unit 2.1

Activity 2 (Daily Routine): Cut into strips before class. Some students will get more than one piece if others are absent. One option is to remove non-essential elements from the sequence.

This was the first class that I left feeling tired and somewhat unsure, as it took a lot of work to diagnose issues and redirect the energy of the class. Hindsight and positive feedback from my mentor teacher have lent a rosier lens, but this is how things developed:

Only eight of 30 students arrived to class on time due to a scheduling conflict in which every student has another class scheduled during our period. The standing rule (as the college figures things out) is that English class takes precedent; but exams, graduation requirements, and students' personal agendas dictate otherwise. Needless to say, late arrivals, after some students had been corralled from other classes, were disruptive and disjointing.

During the class, particularly during the lesson and activity 1 (describe the pictures), it seemed like students were not very challenged* or engaged. They quickly and accurately listed the verbs to describe peoples' activities, and after a few corrections, everyone was writing them as present participles. However, students were not using the whole phrase to describe the pictures (subject + helping verb + main verb/present participle), many were speaking in Vietnamese rather than English, and some were writing and not speaking at all.

I think part of the issue was commitment to the class. Some students had been pulled from other classes -- which may or may not be more important to their fields. And since I only see students once a week, we don't have enough of a relationship yet for them to necessarily want to work hard for me. Needless to say, it took a lot of attention, diligence, and energy to take the pulse of the room and individual students-- and to provide the direction, perspective, encouragement, and humor needed to get students on course for optimal learning. But I think by the end, I succeeded. The following is what I did to try to turn a flat and somewhat unwilling group into relatively happy and productive learners:

I used movement in activity 1: from group to group and around the room, providing reminders about using the present participle, the whole grammatical structure, and spoken English.

I practiced re-thinking rules in activity 2 (daily routine): first allowing students to put the sentences in order on the table, using mainly their reading skills; and then re-explaining the rules and purpose for round two after students had switched papers.

I tried giving students perspective in activity 2: "Listening and speaking are like muscles," I said. Before you play football, you have to practice and build your muscles; and before you listen and speak in English, you have to practice and build your skills. You should see me when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant to eat. I struggle to say the words and have to use facial expressions and gestures to supplement my speech (!), but I am trying and getting better. I know this activity is difficult for you, but you are up to the challenge. And in this class, we will work hard."

I commandeered two adolescent boys' jokes in activity 2 into shared, innocuous, and even productive jokes for the whole class: "Yes, of course, this is funny! You should hear me when I speak in Vietnamese! But that's how we get better. So it's good to laugh a little, but not to laugh so much that it distracts us from our work."

Finally, I facilitated extensive practice through the day's MVP activity 3 (speed ball). I adapted this activity in several ways. First, we followed different themes, starting with the ones from the homework assignment: "It is your first date. What are you doing?" etc. Then, I introduced a prize (homework pass) and rules for elimination, which accumulated and increased in difficulty in time. First, students could not drop the ball. Then, students could not repeat a phrase. Next, students could not make grammatical errors. Finally, students could not hesitate too long in their response. As it turned out, the game met the class's needs perfectly: they started using the grammar structure confidently and reflexively, and everyone had fun.

And lastly, a self-evaluation...

red=hindsight modifications


*The role of my class, according to the college, is to supplement an almost exclusively reading-and-writing-based language education with listening and speaking. Most grammar structures, particularly at the beginning of the year, will be review. The goal is to get students using and recognizing them in speech.

Level B: Conversation 1.1

Post-Class Feedback Survey:

The faculty class went really well yesterday, despite my concerns. The level was right on target according to post-class surveys, and people had many chances to listen and speak during the class. Students will be stretched in different ways: some will stretch for basic understanding, others will stretch to apply sentence structures to other things, and all will stretch to work together. My goal is to have them talking to each other as much as possible, so that they begin to see English as a communicative tool, not just with the rare foreigner, but with colleagues and peers (particularly when their fields deal extensively with English).

Faculty members really enjoyed moving around the room and talking to each other in English (activity 2). It was a low-stress way to apply the sentence frameworks and support each others' growth. Working in groups and presenting ideas to the class (activity 3) was effective, as well. The Dicto-Comp (activity 4) was too challenging for most students, probably because the vocabulary was advanced, the passage was long, and it was the first time doing a dicto-comp exercise. Nevertheless, I explained the concept of learning styles afterward by acting and asked students to talk to a partner about what their learning style might be (a substitution for activity 5, the journal).

It was energizing to see how students' confidence has grown already, particularly two of the most beginner students. Today one presented in front of the class and the other came up and asked what I thought was the most important thing for an English student to do: both very bold moves. Woo!

Last but not least, a self-evaluation:

Level A: Unit 1.1

Activity 3 (Question and Response): Cut questions and responses into slips. Do most cutting before class, but do not separate the questions from responses until you know how many students will be in class. This way, everyone will get a partner.

Activity 4 (Conversation Order): Cut into strips before class.

Overall, this lesson plan was very effective. For almost the entire time, students were engaged, visibly processing, and demonstrating progress. The most effective activities seemed to be 3 (questions and responses), 4 (conversation order), and 5 (writing). After a period of time, having students who had correctly completed activity 4 walk around the room to help peers worked well.

Several real-time modifications were made, some of which were less than ideal. First, we only had half a piece of chalk, so students could not write their answers on the board, and the written and oral review became simply oral. A written component would have been helpful for activities 1 (listening) and 2 (contest). Second, we got a late start due to a logistical problem, so had to cut activity 5 (writing) short and skip activity 7 (role-play) entirely. Third, I changed the journal homework to be the same assignment as last week's because new students had joined the class and many returning students had forgot theirs.

In hindsight, I would change the warm-up activity to be related to the day's lesson. I would spend a little more time explaining the grammar section; though today's class was mostly review. I would give students more time to speak in pairs and groups and present to the class, and I would make the homework assignment more specific (i.e. a topic similar to the one slated for role-play).

This said, the lesson plan and its execution facilitated some important student responses: Those who previously were scared, no longer looked intimidated. They even volunteered to speak in front of the class! Those who previously struggled to understand, no longer looked confused. People went at the activities with a palpable hunger. They were visibly proud of themselves for certain things, most of them grinning when they left the class. Feelings of progress and positive self-worth are important in language study (Oxford, 1990), so I hope to continue to foster them in my lessons.

Last but not least, a self-evaluation:


*Activity 2 was inspired by Stephen C, Fulbright ETA 2010-2011. Activities 3 and 4 can be found in "Look Who's Talking" by Mary Ann Christison and Sharon Bassano. The reflection chart was developed by Ginger R. Davis, professor of history at a university in Hanoi.

Communication, Expectations, Classroom Culture: Class 1

I presented these slides* on the first days of both classes. Many of my Level A students have little/no experience speaking or listening, so the red/yellow/green cards were almost essential. We practiced using them so students would understand and get comfortable with the idea. First, I said a sentence unusually fast and asked students to raise their cards. Students were bewildered by the speed, and I nodded and explained that the feeling was justified. The second time, I spoke more slowly, and students sighed with relief and raised the green cards. I specifically asked students to raise their cards many times during the class, and sometimes students raised them on their own accord. The tactic worked really well! Click to enlarge.

*Powerpoint is certainly not necessary to convey these ideas.

Student Survey: Class 1

I got this survey from Mikaela VS, Fulbright ETA 2010-2011. I gave it to A and B students after the first class. The most helpful questions were numbers 1 (motivation), 7 (future plans) , and 10 (how much they understood), based on how students answered. I asked students to elaborate on question 6 (goals) in their journals, after giving greater explanation about what a reasonable listening and speaking goal might be. If I were giving this survey again, I would ask students to tell me something interesting about themselves and the number of years they have studied English. Click to enlarge.

Syllabi: Listening and Speaking Levels A and B

Listening and Speaking A Syllabus:

Listening and Speaking B Syllabus:


These are the syllabi I designed for Listening and Speaking A and B. At my host's encouragement, I introduced western ideas like balanced and varied assessments, rather than simply the mid-term and final exam; public speaking opportunities; and activities that would engage students in the skills we want them to master (listening and speaking), rather than focusing too much on teacher-centered techniques.

While good in theory, adjustments will need to be made during the semester. For example, I have postponed the beginning of article presentations for Level A, as I continue to assess how much vocabulary and grammar students have to support speech.

Placement Test: Listening and Speaking Rubric

This rubric was used during placement tests for two college-level English classes: Listening and Speaking Levels A and B. The point system was modified so that students' total scores would be on a ten-point scale, which is standard in Vietnam.

Students were asked warm-up questions, such as "What is your name? How are you? How old are you? How many people are in your family?" and then more challenging questions such as "Where do you like to travel? What is your favorite holiday? What makes you feel happy?" The rubric worked well for gauging general ability. However, further breakdown of categories may be necessary depending on the circumstance. Click to enlarge.

Meet My Classes

I am teaching three classes of Listening and Speaking Level A to college students: Almost all students are beginners. Some have had several years of English with no emphasis on listening or speaking. There are between 25 and 35 students in each class.

I am also teaching one class of Listening and Speaking Level B to faculty members: The faculty members range in skill from beginner to advanced. There are approximately 20 people in the class.

My role is to supplement an almost exclusively reading-and-writing-based language education with listening and speaking. Some students and most faculty members would like to apply for scholarships to pursue further study abroad, and English is a requisite for these opportunities.

Welcome One and All

Welcome students, teachers, and friends to the Teaching ePortfolio! I am building a personal database of lesson plans, grading rubrics, surveys, and reflections to document and make use of my time as a first-year English teacher in Vietnam.

First, a little on my developing teaching philosophy: I believe that education should be collaborative. My materials build off of many that have come before, and I will try to give credit where credit is due (starting with Stephen C. who had the idea for a blog). I believe that education should be transparent, in the sense that students can understand the big picture of how and why they are learning, and teachers have processed enough to be able to give it to them. And I believe that education should be student-centered: taking into account different goals, limitations, and learning styles, and working with or around them to inform, inspire, and empower students.

By no means an expert educator, I am excited to share my stops, starts, and growth. Curl up and dig in--to what I hope will be useful, interesting, and maybe even fun. Enjoy!