Course: Practicum in TESOL, G. Analysis of Practicum Experience - Essay Example

As the final requirement for the Practicum in TESOL course, during the Spring of 2013, one was assigned to observe and subsequently be accorded with the opportunity to teach a lesson on Reflexive Pronouns. The current discourse would hereby document a reflection on the manner of interacting with the students, the lessons and activities that were designed, and assessment tools that have been utilized to gauge the learners’ understanding of the materials, as well as detail the knowledge or learning that has occurred during the short period of one’s practicum experience.

In short, the paper would document the transformative journey into becoming and being a (language) teacher. Finally, one would include proposed ways to make the practicum experience more meaningful for future students, as needed. 2. 0 Description of Practicum Context, Supervisor and Students 2. 1 Description of the Practicum Context The practicum class, ALI3600: Intermediate English Grammar I is taught by Mr. Mike O’Bryan and scheduled every Thursday. . The main textbook, an audiobook with audio CD, required for the course was Fuchs, M.

; Bonner, M.; and Westheimer, M. Focus on Grammar 3,4th ed. Pearson Longman, 2006. 2.2 Description of the Practicum Supervisor In a previous observation class, Mr. O’Bryan provided a short biographical statement indicating that he had actually been teaching ESL/EFL course for 30 years, both in the United States and in other countries abroad. While at ALI and IUP, he disclosed that he has taught various courses in reading, writing, listening, oral communication, grammar, and TOEFL preparation.

Likewise, he has allegedly served in various administrative positions; including processing applications, advising students and serving as the director of the program. In the early 1980s, he noted that he spent some time in France; where he reportedly taught conversation class at a language institute in Toulouse. As such, his expertise in the field of teaching ESL/EFL is highly commendable and exemplary given his length of experience in this particular and specialized field of endeavor. As a practicum supervisor, Mr.

O’Bryan manifested a traditional lecture-example teaching approach which predominantly relied on the textbook and answering specifically identified exercises. He uses questions and answers as the main instructional method with the use of the projector through applying the MS Word to type answers for exercises in the textbook. It was noted that the audio CD that comes along with the textbook was never utilized; which one believed to be a potentially useful tool for certain grammar exercises. 2.3 Description of the Students Being of the same cultural background to me, the students were