Hi everyone!
In my previous blog post I shared the link to a quiz that I had created on Kahoot (also available on the Quizzes section this website). Today, I was given the opportunity to test this will a group of beginner level English students, which also served as my very first "real" teaching experience with genuine English language learners! In this post I'll talk about how the quiz was received, and also give you an insight into how it felt to stand at the front of the classroom as "teacher" for the first time!
My tutor, Sumeya, kindly introduced me to the class to explain who I was and why I was there. Both Sumeya and the usual teacher of the class, Rob, sat in on the quiz to offer support and feedback throughout.
After a couple of technical issues (I didn't know how to work the digital display - lesson one learnt!), I set the quiz up on screen and ensured the class all had the Kahoot app open on their smartphones. Luckily they had all used the app previously, so it was quick and easy for them to all get started. I was relieved to see that all learners were participating, and there appeared to be a good mix of correct and incorrect answers coming through. From my point of view the quiz ran well; the learners were all engaged and looked to be enjoying the competitive element of the activity. After each question was answered, Kahoot provided a leaderboard of the top five correct and quickest contestants, which is great to be able to encourage competition between the learners. It also injected some additional energy into the lesson, adding variety to the media offered to the students, and appealed to those with a more visual learning style.
In my previous blog post I shared the link to a quiz that I had created on Kahoot (also available on the Quizzes section this website). Today, I was given the opportunity to test this will a group of beginner level English students, which also served as my very first "real" teaching experience with genuine English language learners! In this post I'll talk about how the quiz was received, and also give you an insight into how it felt to stand at the front of the classroom as "teacher" for the first time!
My tutor, Sumeya, kindly introduced me to the class to explain who I was and why I was there. Both Sumeya and the usual teacher of the class, Rob, sat in on the quiz to offer support and feedback throughout.
After a couple of technical issues (I didn't know how to work the digital display - lesson one learnt!), I set the quiz up on screen and ensured the class all had the Kahoot app open on their smartphones. Luckily they had all used the app previously, so it was quick and easy for them to all get started. I was relieved to see that all learners were participating, and there appeared to be a good mix of correct and incorrect answers coming through. From my point of view the quiz ran well; the learners were all engaged and looked to be enjoying the competitive element of the activity. After each question was answered, Kahoot provided a leaderboard of the top five correct and quickest contestants, which is great to be able to encourage competition between the learners. It also injected some additional energy into the lesson, adding variety to the media offered to the students, and appealed to those with a more visual learning style.
After the quiz I asked the class for feedback. They felt that the quiz was useful, and said they enjoyed the fact that it helped them to learn together, which is useful at beginner level. They enjoyed the competition, but suggested that there should be fewer questions than 15. Observational feedback from the teachers indicated that the questions were targeted at the right level for the group, and that it was a fun and interesting addition to the class. They suggested that the time limits were made shorter to motivate faster participation and better flow for the quiz - something I'll be editing in the quiz shortly!
After each question you can quickly see where students struggled with certain aspects. The teacher therefore needs to make a decision to tackle the issue there and then, or wait until the end of the quiz to cover problem areas. I only addressed the questions where hardly any of the class were correct in order to keep the pace and excitement of the quiz, however, depending on your group, you might wish to explain each answer before continuing, or use the quiz as a platform to tackle particular errors in the next section of the class.
As for teaching experience, I really enjoyed it despite first time nerves! The group were great and engaged (which helped) as did knowing my tutors were there for support. I wasn't prepared for the follow up grammar questions from the students after the quiz, which I should have anticipated. It was great to generated further discussion, so in future lessons I'll be sure to preempt potential queries and be ready for them.
It was a really beneficial experience, and I'd advise all trainee teachers to grab an opportunity to do a short activity slot whenever possible. It's great practice and will offer invaluable feedback for the future - I'll be incorporating the things I've learned into my Teaching Practice lesson plans!
After each question you can quickly see where students struggled with certain aspects. The teacher therefore needs to make a decision to tackle the issue there and then, or wait until the end of the quiz to cover problem areas. I only addressed the questions where hardly any of the class were correct in order to keep the pace and excitement of the quiz, however, depending on your group, you might wish to explain each answer before continuing, or use the quiz as a platform to tackle particular errors in the next section of the class.
As for teaching experience, I really enjoyed it despite first time nerves! The group were great and engaged (which helped) as did knowing my tutors were there for support. I wasn't prepared for the follow up grammar questions from the students after the quiz, which I should have anticipated. It was great to generated further discussion, so in future lessons I'll be sure to preempt potential queries and be ready for them.
It was a really beneficial experience, and I'd advise all trainee teachers to grab an opportunity to do a short activity slot whenever possible. It's great practice and will offer invaluable feedback for the future - I'll be incorporating the things I've learned into my Teaching Practice lesson plans!