Reflective Video-analysis - Teaching Journal

Overview

I have chosen Grammar for this teaching analysis course. Grammar is not an authorized as a subject in the Course of Study. Still, most of the senior high schools are giving students one or two grammar lessons in a week. Hyogo Senior high school also sets two lessons of Grammar in a week for students in the first grade.
Compared with English I and Oral Communication I, I am feeling less at ease with Grammar lessons. That is because they tend to be just a check-the-answer routine. Since there are a lot of exercises in one lesson, and the pace of lessons are strictly controlled, it is harder for me to change the lesson pattern. As a result, Grammar lessons are boring and painful both for students and for teachers.
Through this course, I would like to improve Grammar lessons within the fixed framework of the pace and the textbook. I hope that the continual analysis on Grammar lessons will make students happy, and take my agonies away.

Description of the teaching context

The academic level of the students and the parents' expectancy to them are one of the highest in Hyogo prefecture. Parents and students are both cooperative to school. Naturally, teachers are also highly motivated and studious. I can have a good relationship with them, and learn a lot from them.
On the other hand, since Hyogo SHS has a long history, the teaching method also tends to be traditional, in other words, old-fashioned. It seems to me that somehow it doesn't fit the students nowadays.

Lesson plan

Class: 40 students, 1-1, HSHS
Subject: Grammar
Textbook: Brushup your English grammar p/b CHART INSTITUTE
Allotment: "Gerund" pp. 52-55

Lesson objectives

1. Ss will learn how to read the sentences that include gerund and to-infinitive.
2. Ss will learn the difference of usage between gerund and to-infinitive.
3. Ss will get used to using gerund through exercises.

Teaching objectives

1. To avoid the monotonous atmosphere in the grammar lesson.
2. To create the interaction with Ss.
3. To visualize the grammatical points.

Outline of the procedure

1. Review of to-infinitive (10 min.): Give Ss 5 questions about to-infinitive. After five minutes, T will check their answers.
2. Introduction of the difference between gerund and to-infinitive (10 min.): Using the blackboard, T will explain the usage of gerund and to-infinitive distinctively. Ss will consider the meaning of sentences given by T.
3. Checking the answers of Exercise (10 min.): T will ask Ss to answer the questions for Exercise on page 55.
4. Composition practice (15 min.): T will appoint 8 students. They will write down the composition that is assigned to them. T will correct their compositions and indicate the important points in each sentence.

Post-class reflections

I have watched the whole of my own class in the video for the first time in my life to write this report. It was shocking because my teaching was much poorer than I had expected. I spoke too fast, which was too hard for students to listen. My eye contact was mainly to the blackboard, not to the students. Before watching the video, I had believed that I didn't have any problem about these basic points, which proved completely wrong.
What worked in this lesson was the time allocation of each activity, and visualization of the difference between gerund and to-infinitive. On the other hand, the lesson, over all, fell into the monotonous explanation and check-the-answer tasks. What most students did in the lesson was just to listen to T's explanation. Answering T's simple questions was all of the interaction in the class. Therefore, whether Ss will learn about the gerund and to-infinitive is not certain so far.
Let me look through the lesson in order of time.
At 1:30, the class starts on time, and at the same time, a quiz starts. I like this sort of punctuality. While Ss are answering a quiz, I check the absentee to save the time. A quiz includes the following five questions:

１．彼は金持ちのように見えた。（Itで始める）
２．彼は金持ちだったように見える。（Heで始める）
３．この本は子供が読めるほど十分やさしい。（to不定詞を使う）
４．同上（that節を使う）
５．He awoke to find himself famous. を日本語訳する。

During the test, I tend to give many directions to Ss, but is not clear. The direction should be minimum.
At 1:36, I check the answer of the quiz. I write the answer on the board, using three colors of chalk. It is easy and understandable. On the other hand, the oral explanation is too fast. I emphasize the important grammatical points with a loud voice and a slow speed, which is good. Other parts, however, are quite incomprehensible. Besides, I do not watch students while I am talking. Both deprives the persuasiveness.
At 1:39, the quiz is over. While collecting the paper, I erase the blackboard and give the next direction to Ss. This is good, but I look a bit restless because I am moving too much.
At 1:40, the review is over, and the class starts. The theme is the difference between gerund and to infinitive. I use the following sentences to introduce the difference.

OK: I like to sleep. OK: I like sleeping
OK: I enjoy sleeping. *I enjoy to sleep.
OK: I want to sleep * I want sleeping.

Again, I talk too fast. Besides, whenever I need to call Ss, I look at attendance book because I do not remember Ss' name yet. My eye contact is not to Ss. The blackboard is easy to see with three colors and pictures, though it is a bit rough.
I try to introduce the verbs that only take gerund as their object, using the next abbreviation:

MEGAFEPS (Mind Enjoy Give up Avoid Finish Escape Put off Stop)

Here, there is too much explanation. It can be simpler. I should talk much slower. I am restless. However, I wait for students to finish writing the note and to memorize MEGAFEPS. This waiting time is a good pause. Choral reading of MEGAFEPS is OK.
Now, ten minutes has passed since I started my explanation, but it still continues. It is rather too long. I try to introduce the verbs that take both gerund and to infinitive as their object but have different meanings, using the following sentences:

I forgot to eat breakfast.
I forgot eating breakfast

I use these sentences as if the old man with senile dementia talked to their son's wife, which is not proper. I add one more example for the confirmation.

I forgot to do my homework.
I forgot doing my homework.

This example is easy to understand.
At 1:55, all the explanation is over. It takes 15 minutes. Checking the answer of exercises starts. I pick up students who answer in seating order to avoid the loss of time, but this can be boring for other students. I make Ss say only the answer, not the full sentence to avoid the loss of time, but this seems monotonous to Ss. I repeat the correct answers over and over again, but every word I say is too fast to listen to. Besides, my speech tends to include fillers such as Ugh or Eh, which also hinders Ss' understanding.
I relate the answers with the content on the blackboard. I pick up students who are falling into sleep. I repeat and emphasize the important points to solidify their understanding. These are good points. I walk around the room to wake them up, but it is too fast.
At 2:01, checking the answer is over, and the composition practice starts. I check the remaining time and decide the number of composition exercise. After that, I divide the blackboard into nine blocks to make it easy for Ss to see. I assign one exercise to each S, and tell them to write the answer on the board. Ss have some time to prepare. I think that the procedure here has no problem.
At 2:06, the explanation of the composition practice starts. I use three colors of chalk. I write down the important points of each exercise, as well as collect their answers, so Ss eagerly take notes. However, I talk too fast again, and sometimes nod unnaturally. The correction for S's answer "It is bad for health taking too much vitamin" is not good.
At 2:14, the explanation is over. I tell them to prepare for the next lesson. Since Ss are still taking notes, I do not have a greeting at the end.

Summary

I have found that watching the video of my own lesson put me a torture. What is worse, the grammar lesson is my biggest headache among other lessons because they tend to be monotonous and boring as I mentioned at the beginning of this paper. I would like to improve my grammar lesson by keeping writing the journal twice a week from now on. I am happy if I can get advice from teachers in this course.