Observation: The Practice of English Language Teaching

Final Project

Observation

Hamiddin, S. Pd., M. Pd

By

Achmad Muzayyin (2120730045)

Indah Nuraini (2120730047)

Muhammad Rifa’I (2120730032)

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

MALANG ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

ACADEMIC YEAR 2015

Introduction

This is the final project of TEFL lecture the observers have this semester, semester V. the observers are Achmad Muzayyin, Indah Nur Aini, and Muhammad Rifa’i. The observers did an observation in a school. This observation was done on 14 January 2015, started at 07:15-09:15 AM. The observation was done to first grade students of MTs AlMaarif 01, Singosari. The class was exactly in the VII F that consists of 42 students and a teacher. The English instructor was Abdul Rohim. We, as, the observers, did the observation by the time the English instructor was teaching in the class. There are many things the observers could directly learn from this observation, especially was about how the observers could understand more and verify about TEFL lecture the observers have learned in the class with the lecturer, Mr. Hamiddin, in the classroom teaching activity in VII F of MTs AlMaarif 01, Singosari. From this observation, the observers could know the weaknesses and problems the classroom teaching activity has and classrooms equipment are.

This observation will help the observers much in the future by the time to be a teacher/ English teacher. The observers didn’t only observe the classroom learning activity relating to the observers’ materials that have been learned in TEFL lecture and find the weaknesses or problems, but the observers could also directly learn from this observation about teachers’ and students’ rules to be used in the future. Before proceeding to the next chapter, the observers will say thank a lot to the lecturer, Mr. Hamiddin, who have taught the observers about TEFL materials that are really useful for the observers’ future. The observers will also appreciate Mr. Hamiddin much about making the observers do this observation in the real condition or school.

Discussion

            In this part, the observers try to include the problems happened in the classroom learning activity of the VII F students at  MTs AlMaarif 01, Singosari based on the observers’ materials that have been learned on TEFL lecture in English Education Study Program at Malang Islamic University. The problems happened in the class and appeared due to not implementing the materials on the TEFL lecture are the following:

1.      Organizing students and activities

The observers evaluated as long as the observation in the VII F at MTs AlMaarif 01, Singosari that English instructor didn’t organize the students and design the interesting activities that support the students to be active all during the classroom learning activity. The observers saw that the students who were active in the class like answering, coming forward to write the answer of the teachers’ question on the white board, and correcting the other students’ mistake were several students only. The observers thought that this case was the teacher didn’t think much about this problem to achieve the classroom learning activity. As the observers learned from The Practice of English Language Teaching Book, Fourth Edition, written by Jeremy Harmer in 2007, p. 111, he stated in his book that the first thing we need to do when organizing something is to get students involved, engaged and ready. In most cases, this means making it clear that something ‘new’ is going to happen and that the activity will be enjoyable, interesting or beneficial.

2.       Large classes

The class that the observers observed consisted of 42 students. The problem that the observers found related to this class size is the less of effective learning activity in the class. As the observers have learned in TEFL lecture that on large classes. Harmer (2007, p. 125) stated that there are a number of key elements in successful large-group teaching. They are be organized, establish routines, use different pace for different activities, maximize individual work, use students, use worksheet, use pair work and group work, use chorus reaction, take account of vision and acoustics, and use the size of the groups to your advantage. The problem that the observers found in the classroom learning activity related to these key numbers was there was no organization in the classroom learning activity. That’s why the class was so crowded and the learning activity was not effective. The instructor didn’t care of much about the big groups in the class. The instructor didn’t organize first before starting the classroom learning activity knowing the amount of the students. The another problem happened due to not organizing the students into groups was there was no good tack or respond to individual in the class learning activity with the instructor.

3.      Managing mixed ability

It also happened in the classroom learning activity about the managing mixed ability. The observers found several students out of 42 students in the class were silent maker students and passive students who were not active at all even they talked each other by the time classroom learning activity was going on. Harmer (2007, p. 127) said that, “Indeed, mixed-ability classes are a major preoccupation for most of us because they appear to make planning- and the execution of plans in lessons – extremely difficult. Many teachers see mixed-ability classes as especially problematic.” Form this explanation; the observers can how difficult the instructor to manage the students in the class was! It’s not actually the reason because the instructor had to know how to manage the students based on the level of proficiency to gain effective classroom learning activity.

4.      Behavior norms

The observers saw and evaluate the classroom learning activity in the class had no good interaction between the students and instructor. Many of the students in the class spoke by themselves ignoring the instructor’s explanation. From this fact happened in the class, it means that the students had no good behavior as long as the classroom learning activity was going on. In addition, when the instructor asked the students to answer to his question, the students answer as the wanted without one or several of them put their hands up. These problems could be related to the materials in TEFL book that Harmer (2007, p. 155) stated that all groups – whether in education or anywhere else – have ways of behaving and quickly establish norms for this behavior which delineate the ways things are done in the group.

5.      Having no LCD and projector

There are no the LCD and projector could create problems in the classroom learning activity. It also happened in the class where the observers did the observation. The class had no LCD and projector. It affects the students who have visual learning style actually on how they can study and understand the teacher’s explanation by being supported by showing the materials on the LCD.

Conclusion

            Based on all problems and weaknesses above that happened in the class that the observers observed in, the observers try to include the problem solving in each problem point (5 problems) above in this final chapter. Before stating the problem solving in this final chapter, the observers will come to a conclusion that what the observers have already learned in the TEFL lecture with the lecturer, Mr. Hamiddin, are not totally implemented in the real condition/school as what the observers observed. Of course, the materials that the observers mean here are about the classrooms activities, about the teacher rules, students’ rules, the interaction between students and teachers, and the class equipment.

Here are the problems solving the observers try to solve 5 problems happened in the classroom observation above taking from TEFL lecture as the observers have already learned:

1.      One of the most important tasks that teachers have to perform is that of organizing students to do various activities, give students information, tell them how they are going to do the activity, put them into pairs or groups and close down when it is time to stop.

a.       The first thing that teachers have to do is that teachers should engage students to follow what teachers are going to say or do.

b.      Give students instructions about what they are going to do the activity about.

c.       Initiate the activity and it will be follow up by students.

d.      Close the class by giving or saying something that must be remembered by students (e.g. assignment or homework).

2.      Even though because of large classes, teachers should give students’ personal attention, get students interacting with other and make a smooth and effective organization.

a.       Teachers should give students’ personal attention to avoid students of making crowd.

b.      Appoint students a number of different responsibilities as a class monitor to get interacting with others. For example whose job it is to collect homework or handout worksheet.

c.       Use pair work or group work, in large classes, pair work or group work play an important part

3.      The problem solving which is compatible for managing mixed ability is doing exercises like this encourages students to use their scientific, geographical and practical knowledge to practice their English. It engages students as it is a realistic problem that needs to be solved rather than merely a language problem such as a grammar exercise. So the students will more interesting to study and do not feel bored anymore.

4.      Behavior norms are important to establish in all classrooms and especially important in diverse classrooms where views about acceptable behavior can be very different because norms are part of the culture. According to Weinstein, Curran, and Tomlinson-Clarke (2003), “teachers need to be explicit about their expectations, engage students in discussions about the class norms, model the behavior and provide opportunities for students to practice” (p. 2). There are many ways an instructor may choose to establish classroom norms. The observers give the steps for the instructor that can be used for this class , those are: clarify and discuss, making sure all students understand the listed norms, eliminate any norms not agreed upon by all (with the exception of the nonnegotiable items), let students know that everyone is responsible for following the norms and helping others remember to follow the norms, then the last Periodically review the classroom norms to make sure they are still working.

5.      Knowing these weaknesses in the classroom while the classroom learning activity was running on, the observers want to come to a problem solving. The school actually has to provide LCD and projector to support the classroom learning activity in the class. The school and especially the teacher have to pay attention to the students learning style. Let’s say students learning style with visual style. They really need such as visible things related to the materials being explained by the teacher to make them easier to understand the materials.

Reference

Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching (4th. Ed.). China: Longman.