Wow! The first hour is complete. Today was an introduction, we went through Big Blue Button, and had a couple of activities planned. The main focus in this class was to get the students talking frequently as well as begin to build a relationship between us the teachers, and them the students.
Initially I was really nervous but as the lesson went on I was able to relax as the students and I had some dialogue. I think I am able to talk at a good pace for the students, I don’t talk very quickly and take my time on each sentence. I also don’t talk too slowly. Another thing I think I was good at was body language. Fortunately, it’s something I have always incorporated when talking so it came naturally in the lesson. It was something I noticed while observing teaching and had wanted to make sure I incorporate it as well. Body language is really important in engaging in a conversation and I think it is especially important when there is a language barrier between the participants.
One thing I struggled with was changing my vocabulary. There came one instance where a student was struggling with my explanation on one of the activities, and I had a hard time trying to change the language while still getting the message across. I know in the future I will come up at least three different ways to explain an activity beforehand to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Another thing I think I can work on is making the transition from one activity to the next smoother. I think this will come naturally with experience and relaxation on my part.
The students seemed well engaged in the lesson today, I hope it continues. I will have to try hard to make sure that it happens!
