I have to conduct a 15-minute demo lesson as part of a job interview. This will be an advanced group of about 6 students (17, 18 years old).
During those 15 minutes I have to show all my abilities as a teacher.
Any suggestions on how the lesson should look like, what topics / exercises to avoid, etc.?
Thank you.
DEMO LESSON
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Yes.
But what does that have to do with my question? Did they tell you what to do during a 15-minute demo lesson with a group of 18-year old advanced students at teacher training? Did they tell you what interviewers look at, what to do / what not to do? Did they tell you what type of activities are best for such a lesson?...
I do have a general idea of what I want to do during this "performance", I just wanted to hear some of your opinions.
But what does that have to do with my question? Did they tell you what to do during a 15-minute demo lesson with a group of 18-year old advanced students at teacher training? Did they tell you what interviewers look at, what to do / what not to do? Did they tell you what type of activities are best for such a lesson?...
I do have a general idea of what I want to do during this "performance", I just wanted to hear some of your opinions.
Perhaps if you explain what your plans are, you may get some useful comments that might be helpful. I don't think anyone wants to do the work for you, but most people here are happy to comment. I take it you were given no information whatsoever about what kind of "class" to conduct? (focus, skills, content, etc.)
Well, I didn't like the tone of dduck's question.Hi
dduck was just asking? I really did not like the tone of your letter responding to him.
Marta
I didn't ask for a whole lesson plan. I didn't even ask for any activities. I just wanted some tips from people that have already conducted a 15-minut demo lesson.I don't think anyone wants to do the work for you,
Actually, no, they didn't say anything about that.I take it you were given no information whatsoever about what kind of "class" to conduct? (focus, skills, content, etc.)
I was thinking of doing a lesson on the weather. First a short brainstorming activity - associations they have with the word "weather". They would write their words on the blackboard (1'). Then, they would get cards with various words used to describe the weather (eg. scorching, damp, hail, mild, drizzle, etc) (one word per card; some words will be repeated); they would have to put them under the headings:spring/summer/fall/winter. (2')
Next, I would show them a video (1') of the weather forecast with the sound turned off. In groups of 3, they would have to write the forecast for that clip (4'). Then, they would get the script with some blanks and while listetning to the forecast, they will have to fill those blanks (3') In pairs, they will compare their own forecasts to the original (2').
Lesson Closure: I will ask volunteers to talk about the weather they mostly enjoy.
NOTE: the forecast clip is rather difficult.
Any pros and cons of that?
amj,
It sounds to me like you are trying to over-prepare for this demo lesson. Figure it's going to go well in the first 3 minutes or not at all.
Therefore, even though you are have to show all your abilities as a teacher (and this is impossible, as you know, even in the "full" 15 minutes), the interviewers are going to look for two basic things:
1. your personality/charisma/chemistry with the students
2. your ability to plan a lesson that is clear and easy to manage without the teacher taking up a lot of time speaking (assuming that this is a conversation based class)
Do you know for certain that your students are really going to be that age, or will the interview staff pose as such? I wouldn't feel comfortable giving my interviewee a chance to demonstrate his/her skills in front of live students, but stranger things have happened.
Whether you have real teens or not, here are some pros and cons of the lesson plan you have designed, as I see them.
Cons
1. Brainstorming doesn't always work well. What are you going to do if students sit silently (for whatever reason)? And, for advanced level students to brainstorm on something as easy as weather seems a little beneath them. The clock is ticking....
2. You haven't said how they will know the definitions of the words on the cards. Explaining such vocabulary will be smoother than giving students a chance to match them with seasons. Besides, some of those seasons may not always work with the weather words, depending on what part of the world they are from! And, if these are really advanced students, your list of simple weather words may prove to be far too simple for them. By now, I predict more than half of your time is up....
3. How long is the video clip, and can you guarantee that you will have the facilities to show it at the interview? Writing takes time, even if this activity is at their level. Videos or audios are usually played, as you probably know, 2 or 3 times before the students get them completely, and even then, not always. This section is a real time burner....... I predict you won't even finish this part.
4. I suggest using the cloze exercise only, if at all. Your activity seems to put the cart before the horse. Put another way, I mean that it gives them the harder part first.
5. How did you plan to compare the scripts in pairs? I'm not clear on this.
6. Just asking people, even advanced ones, to "talk about" something, even as innocuous a topic as weather is opening yourself up to silence. I suggest giving them something more specific to do. Give them Q cards or something related to the topic to ask each other.
7. Seems to me that for advanced learners, the chatting section that you put last ought to be the warmup.
8. The biggest "con" of all is that your lesson has really taught them very little English. As I wrote, the vocabulary for advanced students seems quite simple. There is no grammar, or idioms, or colloquialisms, etc. that advanced learners may want or need to learn.
Pros
1. You are trying to get them to work on something in pairs or small groups at some point.
2. You have some sort of listening section from realia that may test their acquisition/comprehension skills.
I'm sorry, but that is about all I can come up with.
For advanced learners, I would suggest a lesson on phrasal verbs, maybe half a dozen at most.
It sounds to me like you are trying to over-prepare for this demo lesson. Figure it's going to go well in the first 3 minutes or not at all.
Therefore, even though you are have to show all your abilities as a teacher (and this is impossible, as you know, even in the "full" 15 minutes), the interviewers are going to look for two basic things:
1. your personality/charisma/chemistry with the students
2. your ability to plan a lesson that is clear and easy to manage without the teacher taking up a lot of time speaking (assuming that this is a conversation based class)
Do you know for certain that your students are really going to be that age, or will the interview staff pose as such? I wouldn't feel comfortable giving my interviewee a chance to demonstrate his/her skills in front of live students, but stranger things have happened.
Whether you have real teens or not, here are some pros and cons of the lesson plan you have designed, as I see them.
Cons
1. Brainstorming doesn't always work well. What are you going to do if students sit silently (for whatever reason)? And, for advanced level students to brainstorm on something as easy as weather seems a little beneath them. The clock is ticking....
2. You haven't said how they will know the definitions of the words on the cards. Explaining such vocabulary will be smoother than giving students a chance to match them with seasons. Besides, some of those seasons may not always work with the weather words, depending on what part of the world they are from! And, if these are really advanced students, your list of simple weather words may prove to be far too simple for them. By now, I predict more than half of your time is up....
3. How long is the video clip, and can you guarantee that you will have the facilities to show it at the interview? Writing takes time, even if this activity is at their level. Videos or audios are usually played, as you probably know, 2 or 3 times before the students get them completely, and even then, not always. This section is a real time burner....... I predict you won't even finish this part.
4. I suggest using the cloze exercise only, if at all. Your activity seems to put the cart before the horse. Put another way, I mean that it gives them the harder part first.
5. How did you plan to compare the scripts in pairs? I'm not clear on this.
6. Just asking people, even advanced ones, to "talk about" something, even as innocuous a topic as weather is opening yourself up to silence. I suggest giving them something more specific to do. Give them Q cards or something related to the topic to ask each other.
7. Seems to me that for advanced learners, the chatting section that you put last ought to be the warmup.
8. The biggest "con" of all is that your lesson has really taught them very little English. As I wrote, the vocabulary for advanced students seems quite simple. There is no grammar, or idioms, or colloquialisms, etc. that advanced learners may want or need to learn.
Pros
1. You are trying to get them to work on something in pairs or small groups at some point.
2. You have some sort of listening section from realia that may test their acquisition/comprehension skills.
I'm sorry, but that is about all I can come up with.
For advanced learners, I would suggest a lesson on phrasal verbs, maybe half a dozen at most.
Dear Glenski,
Thank you for all your points. I don't really think that teaching grammar would be a good option, as this school puts an emphasis on communication and incorporating bits of grammar into that (not devoting a certain part of a lesson to teach a grammar point); their lessons are based on using technology (computer programs, the Internet, videos, etc), therefore , I would think that they'd like me to prepare something around that.
To answer your questions:
The students will be "real" 18 year olds, not staff posing as such...
The weather forecast clip is really short (under 1'). Yes, there are facilities to show the video.
The vocabulary is from a CAE textbook, therefore I don't think that the words would be that easy (yes, I agree, "hot" is easy, but not all CAE students know what "scorching" means...; and the vocabulary from the clip is rather difficult).
Thank you for all your points. I don't really think that teaching grammar would be a good option, as this school puts an emphasis on communication and incorporating bits of grammar into that (not devoting a certain part of a lesson to teach a grammar point); their lessons are based on using technology (computer programs, the Internet, videos, etc), therefore , I would think that they'd like me to prepare something around that.
To answer your questions:
The students will be "real" 18 year olds, not staff posing as such...
The weather forecast clip is really short (under 1'). Yes, there are facilities to show the video.
The vocabulary is from a CAE textbook, therefore I don't think that the words would be that easy (yes, I agree, "hot" is easy, but not all CAE students know what "scorching" means...; and the vocabulary from the clip is rather difficult).
Good, it makes a big difference to the advice, depending on whether you've been trained or not. In your case you have a lot of possible resources to draw upon.amj wrote:I do have a general idea of what I want to do during this "performance", I just wanted to hear some of your opinions.
I gave a 30-minute presentation at the start of my current (and first) job. Now, I think about it I was almost in a blind panic thinking about what they'd expect from me, I searched desperately around the internet for a while looking for useful lesson plans. In the end, I stopped looking around and wrote a complete 30-minute lesson from scratch. I decided to teach 'job' vocabulary - no rocket science. A large part of my lesson was roleplay: having the students interview each other. This was great for filling up the alloted time.
I would like to point out that as long as the material is suitable, it's not that important. At a demo lesson, the observers are watching to see how you manage a class, how effectively you organise your board work, are you receptive to the students needs and other interpersonal skills like that. As they'll have told you on the training course, spend lots of time preparing (for a 15 minute demo lesson, at least an hour), and when discussing your lesson it's better to put forth your own ideas and have other teachers say if it's a good idea or not.
Wishing you the best o' luck.
Iain
I used to teach a lot a lot of business people and I quickly found that my reputation as a trainer (and hence any possibility of more contracts...) was formed early in the first lesson.
One thing I always tried to achieve in the first lesson was that the students would say 'Ah! This is useful!'. It could be something that required a lot of preparation (an aide-memoire, for example) or just a really useful expression.
Thinking about your ideas, it seems to me that you have a lot of material for just 15 mins. I would be inclined to simplify things and aim for something practical. For example, what is the question we use to ask about weather? This would be useful, students could use it when they communicate with people on chat boards, by e-mail, by phone. (What's the weather like where you live?)
And once they can use the form 'What's the weather like?', they have a terrifically useful expression in English (What's the new Tom Cruise film like? What's your girlfriend like? What's the food like in the canteen? etc, etc)
Please let us know how it went!
One thing I always tried to achieve in the first lesson was that the students would say 'Ah! This is useful!'. It could be something that required a lot of preparation (an aide-memoire, for example) or just a really useful expression.
Thinking about your ideas, it seems to me that you have a lot of material for just 15 mins. I would be inclined to simplify things and aim for something practical. For example, what is the question we use to ask about weather? This would be useful, students could use it when they communicate with people on chat boards, by e-mail, by phone. (What's the weather like where you live?)
And once they can use the form 'What's the weather like?', they have a terrifically useful expression in English (What's the new Tom Cruise film like? What's your girlfriend like? What's the food like in the canteen? etc, etc)
Please let us know how it went!