The aim is to explore the handling of classroom dynamics through the lens of reflective practice.

We will be:

Exploring different forms of giving and handling feedback: both how these may affect student motivation and how their response to teacher feedback may affect teacher motivation.   

Finding out how speed and improvisation can be used as didactical principles to adopt more flexible approaches in the Business English classroom.

By the end of this part of the week:

You will have considered how reflective principles could be used in your teaching environment

You will have learned more about how the use of an explicit reflective approach can foster fruitful feedback and thereby help support learner and teacher motivation.

You will also have considered how a more flexible approach to lesson plans and classroom activities may be conducive to more effective learner development.

Task One: Warmer (ongoing)

Welcome to Developing Business English Teachers! Whether this is your first time participating in EVO or you are a seasoned veteran, we know you are going to have a great experience learning, sharing, and connecting with educators from all over the world who are as interesting and passionate about teaching as you are.

We hope to build a vibrant learning community by the end of the course. What is a learning community? It is a just like any community - a place where people share with, help, encourage, support, and learn from one another.

To get the most out of this course, we encourage you to contact with your fellow participants as well as the moderators. Therefore, Task One is a warmer and you can post this at any time during the course.

3 - 2 - 1

Post to the Edmodo group:

3 interesting facts about your hometown or place of residence

2 things you enjoy about teaching Business English

1 tip for getting your learners excited about English

Task 2 (30 minutes; Monday - Wednesday)

Keeping learners motivated is key to leading successful Business English course. While some learners are intrinsically motivated meaning they are keen to learn English for their own benefit but many others are extrinsically motivated, meaning they have to learn English to meet external goals such as company expectations, program requirements, or navigating professional tasks successfully in English. These varying sources of motivation can have dramatically different impacts on the classroom and its content.

Yet what about teachers? What motivates you to teach? How do you keep yourself not only engaged but also feeling just as exhilarated by the profession as you did when you started out?

Task 3 (10 minutes; Wednesday - Thursday)

Roy on Reflection

(This link will take you to a Vimeo page where you can just click play. Please post your comments in our Edmodo group) 

Task 4 (25 minutes; Thursday- Friday)

Read the pdf document below. When the link opens, click on the preview page to get the full text. It has two statements on some basic principles of reflective teaching. I have added my own comments with some didactical implications. Write your response to the statements and consider the questions I have put along with the comments. You could also give a concrete example from your own teaching to illlustrate your views. Keep in mind that there is no golden rule here.

TWO STATEMENTS ON REFLECTIVE PRACTICE.pdf  

Task 5 (35 minutes; Friday - Saturday)

Read the pdf file below. When the link opens click on the preview page to get the full text. The document has some observations on student and teacher feedback and motivation. Please consider the points and questions I have added in your response.

FEEDBACK AND MOTIVATION.pdf

Joint Live Session. Please attend the live session that Roy and Kristen will be giving on Sunday 19 January at 15.30-17.00 GMT.  Please check your local time http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/