This week I observed one of my pre-service teachers in an English lesson. It was the student’s first observation, and I was eager to see how she is progressing.
I thought I knew what to expect; after all, this is my third year working with students in their school practicum. What did I know in advance? I knew the student would teach via Zoom, as she teaches in another school and because of COVID 19, can’t be exposed to other groups of pupils. She has never met the pupils face-to-face. After reading the lesson plan and giving feedback twice, I knew what material the class would learn and how. I knew that the mentor teacher had also read and responded to the lesson plan. I knew that the lesson was for grade four pupils and that this was their second year learning English. I thought I had a reasonably clear picture of what I would see in the lesson.
When I asked my student when the lesson was to begin, she told me that it was supposed to start at 8:00 am, but it takes time to get everyone organised. I entered the Zoom room at eight o’clock, and only then did I begin to comprehend the complexity of what I was about to see.
The grade four class is divided into two stable ‘capsule’ groups that never meet due to social distancing. Each group met in a separate classroom, and a homeroom teacher accompanied each. The pupils sat, wearing masks, at individual desks spread out throughout the room. My student, who can’t meet the pupils or even enter the school, taught the lesson from her bedroom at home. The grade four English teacher was at school, but she attended the lesson from another room as she has too many class groups and isn’t allowed to meet all of them face-to-face. Two students were in quarantine, and each of them joined the lesson from home. I observed from my house as the Ministry of Education has forbidden pedagogical advisors to accompany their students and enter schools.
Recap: Who joined the lesson?
Grade 4 capsule 1 with their homeroom teacher
Grade 4 capsule 2 with their homeroom teacher
English teacher observing
The pre-service teacher teaching
Pedagogical advisor observing
Two quarantined pupils in their homes
In total: Two class groups, two students and five teachers.
As my student opened the lesson, greeting the pupils in English, it became apparent that the teacher’s laptop had an audio problem in one classroom. That problem was quickly solved, but then the teacher noticed that the projector was not working; half of the pupils could not see the attractive PowerPoint my student had prepared for the lesson. Luckily the vocabulary and illustrations appear in the textbook.
After a long wait, during which the pupils were remarkably patient and quiet, and my student was surprisingly calm, the lesson began.
With the homeroom teachers’ help, my student led the pupils through an introduction to new vocabulary with oral work and a short written task. When a pupil wanted to answer a question, he or she raised their hand. Both classroom groups shared opportunities to respond. It was challenging to hear some of the answers, and at times pupils approached the microphone on the teacher’s desk to answer.
What are some of the things my student and I learnt from this bizarre experience?
1. The show must go on! As teachers, we need to be there for our students, no matter how unexpected and bizarre the conditions are.
2. If we sit and wait for ideal practice teaching conditions to appear, we will lose this crucial academic year.
3. Pupils and their teachers are far more flexible than expected.
4. From every teaching experience, it is possible to reach understandings that will be useful in the next lesson and relevant in the future.
5. Some lesson planning and classroom management principles are relevant in all interaction between teacher and student.
6. Even in impossible conditions, teaching observation can contribute to the development of pre-service teachers.
7. The flexibility required of my student now will be a gift to her in her first years of teaching.
8. Seeing is believing. Without actually observing this lesson, I could never have comprehended its complexity.
I am proud of my student for successfully facilitating the lesson with confidence and commitment despite the nightmarish conditions. I am proud of the three teachers I saw; they are redefining their professional roles every day. I indeed experienced a lesson I will never forget; I am grateful to all involved for allowing me to peep in.
