This is a resource designed for English teachers working with large classes in secondary schools in Sub Saharan Africa, consisting of a series of ten videos of model lessons filmed on location in some of the participating countries in the English Connects programme with selected local model teachers to demonstrate best practice. It can be used directly by teachers as a self-access resource for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or by and with teacher trainers.
Supporting Secondary EFL Teachers – A Video Teacher Training Series
Unit 1: Continuous Professional Development for teachers
The aim of this module is to provide teachers with strategies and techniques to pursue their own Continuing Professional Development.
This unit complements the professional practice of Taking Responsibility for Professional Development from the CPD Framework for teachers.
By the end of this module the participants will be able to:
- understand the reasons behind pursuing their own professional development
- identify strategies and techniques teachers can use to enhance their own teaching within their own professional development
Unit 1_Cpd for teachers (Video)
Unit 2: Observing teachers part 1 - Anderson
This unit has the following aims:
- to help us observe Anderson’s lesson supportively and critically
- to allow us to analyse different activities in Anderson’s lessons
- to reflect on various teacher procedures and on whether we ourselves would be happy to use them
- to form and opinion about the effectiveness of Anderson’s lesson and about whether his students seem to have benefitted from the things he asked them to do.
Unit 2_Observing teachers part 1_Anderson (Video)
Unit 2_Observing teachers part 1_Anderson_participant handbook (pdf)
Unit 2_Observing teachers part 1_Anderson_trainer notes (pdf)
Unit 3: Observing teachers part 2 - Elsie
This unit has the following aims:
- to help us observe Elsie’s lesson supportively and critically
- to allow us to analyse different activities in Elsie’s lessons
- to reflect on various teacher procedures and on whether we ourselves would be happy to use them
- to form an opinion about the effectiveness of Elsie’s lesson and about whether her students seem to have benefitted from the things she asked them to do.
Unit 3_Observing teachers part 2_Elsie (Video)
Unit 3_Observing teachers part 2_Elsie_participant book (pdf)
Unit 4: Giving Instructions
The aim of this module is to provide teachers with strategies and techniques to ensure that the instructions they give in class are effective and easily understood by students.
This module covers the professional practices: Giving instructions in class and Differentiation
By the end of this module the participants will be able to:
- Understand the reasons behind giving students simple, clear effective instructions to complete class tasks and activities.
- Identify strategies and techniques they can use to make their instructions simple clear and effectively understood by students
- Explain the strategies and techniques used by teachers in the video footage to make their instructions simple, clear, and effectively understood by students
- Reflect on how the strategies and techniques shown, could be used in the classroom.
Unit 4_Giving_instructions (Video)
Unit 5: Managing the lesson
The aim of this module is to equip teachers with techniques and activities that help them to manage interactive and communicative tasks successfully in class.
This unit complements the professional practice of Managing the lesson from the CPD Framework for teachers
By the end of this module the participants will be able to:
- Identify a number of techniques and approaches, linked to learning activities, that support successful classroom management.
- Understand better the link between classroom management and successful learning.
- Analyse techniques used by the teachers in the video footage.
- Compare the approaches shown with their own classroom practice.
Unit 5_Managing the lesson (Video)
Unit 6: Using teaching aids
This unit has the following aims:
- to help us think about how to best exploit available resources
- to help us reflect on the range of teaching aids which we use regularly
- to help us think about the teaching aids we would most like to experiment with
- to decide which teaching aids are most appropriate for which types of activity
- to look for information about teaching aids we have not yet used in order to find out which we would most like to try out if we could.
The video which accompanies this worksheet asks the viewer to:
- Identify which teachers use which teaching aids.
- Identify what individual teachers employ their teaching aids to do.
- Reflect on our own use of teaching aids.
This unit complements the professional practice of Managing Resources from the CPD Framework for teachers.
Unit 6_Using teaching aids (Video)
Unit 7: Observing teachers part 3 - Jules
The aim of this module is to show teachers a full lesson (edited) to enable them to evaluate the techniques and approaches seen and apply them in their own classes, as appropriate.
This unit covers the professional practice: Knowing the Subject
By the end of this unit the participants will be able to:
- Give a simple definition of the Competency-based Learning and Teaching (CBLT) approach.
- Identify a number of techniques, approaches and activities that align with CBLT.
- Understand better the rationale behind the techniques and approaches shown.
- Analyse techniques used by the teacher in the video footage.
- Compare the approaches shown with their own classroom practice.
This unit complements the professional practice of Taking Responsibility for Professional Development from the CPD Framework for teachers
Unit 7_Observing Jules (Video)
Unit 8: Making classes interactive
The aim of this module is to equip teachers with techniques and activities to maximise communication and participation by students in their classes.
This unit complements the professional practice of Managing the lesson from the CPD Framework for teachers
By the end of this module the participants will be able to:
- Identify a number of techniques, approaches and activities to increase the amount and quality of the teacher-student interaction in their classes.
- Understand better the rationale behind the techniques and approaches mentioned.
- Analyse techniques used by the teachers in the video footage.
- Compare the approaches shown with their own classroom practice.
Unit 8_Making classes interactive (Video)
Unit 8_Making classes interactive_participant handbook (pdf)
Unit 9: Teaching Grammar
The aim of this module is to equip teachers with approaches and activities to teach the use of language (grammar) to students in their classes.
This unit complements the professional practice of Planning Lessons and Courses from the CPD Framework for teachers
By the end of this module the participants will be able to:
- Identify a number of techniques, approaches and activities to give meaningful grammar practice to their students.
- Understand better the rationale behind the techniques and approaches mentioned.
- Analyse techniques used by the teachers in the video footage.
- Compare the approaches shown with their own classroom practice.
Unit 9_Teaching grammar (Video)
Unit 10: Giving Feedback
The aim of this module is to provide teachers with strategies and techniques to give feedback to students.
This unit complements the professional practice of Understanding Learners and Managing the lesson from the CPD Framework for teachers.
By the end of this module the participants will be able to:
- Understand that giving feedback depends on whether the teacher is focusing on accuracy or fluency in class.
- Identify strategies and techniques for giving feedback.
- Explain the strategies and techniques used by teachers in the video footage for giving feedback.
- Reflect on how the strategies and techniques shown could be used in the classroom.
Unit 10_Giving feedback (Video)