Teach English in Dongyang Jiedao - Chongqing

Teacher self analysisTeacher self analysis has been defined in one article as ?the process of self examination for the purpose of instructional self-improvement?. In other words, the method in which a teacher examines his or her teaching in order to identify areas for improvement. The idea is that all tefl teachers, whether experienced or starting out in their teaching careers, can identify and improve classroom teaching methods and behaviour through self analysis. Furthermore, it is important that they do. As Mike Rose points out on the ITTT website, without some degree of reflection on their work, tefl teachers will never be aware of how effective their lessons are. Just as students are evaluated throughout their tefl course, be it a placement test at the start of their English course or a progress test at regular intervals, teachers too can undergo a process regular evaluation. Shalini Narayanan suggests that areas to analyse are how well tasks and exercises worked in class, classroom observation as a whole and a form of self conscious self analysis in the lesson itself. Rose and Narayanan both agree that one of the most important and effective methods of self analysis for tefl teachers is to ?reflect in action?. In other words, to reflect on one?s teaching not only before and after the lesson but during the lesson itself. The benefits of tefl teachers examining their teaching practice are plentiful. Gerald Bailey, who wrote an article called ?Teacher Self Assessment: A means for Improving Classroom Instruction? suggests that teacher self assessment can enable the teacher to become aware of personal classroom teaching effectiveness, understand how to control classroom instructional behaviours and become self-directed in instructional improvement activities. So as with Rose and Narayanan, Bailey believes that self-reflection is paramount. It is also important that the teacher realises the control that they have over instructional behaviours and how this impacts the students. This is particularly important with teachers of English where the language spoken by the teacher will not be the students? native language. tefl teachers must then be especially careful to communicate with clarity for minimum confusion and miscomprehension. Bailey?s third point is an important one ? that teachers must become self-directed in improvement activities. Through undergoing a process of self analysis a tefl teacher might then deduce that there is too much teacher and not enough student-talking time in their lessons, they do not use enough visual stimuli and the learners are not actively involved in the teaching process for example. Rather than filing this information away the teacher needs to use the findings from their self analysis as action points for the future. New lesson plans can be written using better teaching methodologies and encouraging greater student interaction for instance. Perhaps there is a particular stage in the ESA lesson where the teacher has weaker teaching methods, be it in the study or activate stages. It might be that there are more experienced tefl teachers that can be called upon for advice or websites and resources that can be utilised for improved teaching going forwards. There are a variety of methods for tefl teachers to choose from when deciding how to go about self analysis. There are websites that offer checklists for Self- Assessment and existing self-critique forms that the teacher can adapt as they please. tefl teachers should bear in mind that just as they critique course materials and tests for their students, they should do the same for any teacher self assessment tests that they find. Some self assessment forms will have boxes to fill out (as with ESA lesson plans) where the teacher can fill in learning objectives, observational tools used (e.g. a video camera), observation notes, the next area of study and the date for the next self-analysis session. It is important that self analysis is carried out regularly, especially for tefl teachers. With teaching English as a foreign language it may be that a teacher will move countries to teach or switch frequently between teaching students of a variety of different competency levels. A tefl teacher might also teach classes that vary from classes for Business English, classes for young learners and so on. With self analysis then it is important to recognise that learning objectives for self analysis may change constantly as new challenges arise. However, despite the difficulties of this never ending process it is vital that a tefl teacher recognises the importance of self analysis and schedules regular sessions for this assessment so that it becomes an integral part of their teaching career.