Reflection
This class was smaller than the other classes I have observed. It was similar to the other classes in process and exercises. I found with this class, like the first class I observed, that when the icebreaker activity is more physical, the class energy level is higher, as is the engagement level for the beginning exercises.
My main point of reflection today is around the use of set phrases. They are an important tool for the beginner learner to be able to have some immediate interaction in their L2, but the downside is that they leave no room for personal expression.
The two things that I have been thinking about in the STHC context is that these students are in a multi-year EFL program, so I wonder whether they will have much opportunity to use the set phrases they are learning. Secondly, although many of the students are young, they are still in this program as young adult learners, and their identity and willingness to communicate may suffer without the ability to express some aspects of their own personality in their L2.
I think a possible resolution to the problem would be to offer some alternatives with the set phrases. While teaching the phrase “Do you like …?”, you could also teach “Do you play …?” for sports, instruments and games, “Do you watch …?” for sports and movies, “Do you listen to …. ?” for music and podcasts for example. With the responses, while teaching “Yes, I like …”, you could teach “Yes, I do”. These ideas offer the student a choice in expression with minimal additions to vocabulary learning.
If there is a concern because with learning the extra verbs, there are extra concepts to learn, I believe that could be offset as well with the use of translanguaging. If the more complex ideas were connected or defined in the L1 as well as the L2, then it relieves the stress of the additional lexical learning and makes connections between the L1 and the L2.