Author: Deb Bullock | Publish on 1 March 2023
Question: Sometimes I can’t understand what went wrong in my lesson. What can I do?
Answer: Try working together with a colleague before and after lessons.
Colleagues can give you a different perspective on a lesson plan, a resource or a problem. They can help you to anticipate problems, too. Here are some ideas to try either face-to-face or on your phone, using audio or video.
1. Lesson planning
Discuss the best ways to teach a future lesson using a page or unit from the textbook.
2. Micro-teaching
Choose a difficult part of a future lesson. Practise teaching it to your colleague(s) (where they are the ‘learners’). Discuss what worked well and what didn’t.
3. In the learners’ shoes
Choose a difficult activity in a future lesson. Do it with 1 or 2 colleagues (as learners) within a time limit. After, discuss what was difficult about the activity, e.g. the instructions weren’t clear, it took a lot more time to do it, etc.
4. Playback
Choose a problem you had in class, e.g. bad behaviour, misunderstanding of instructions, etc. Tell a colleague about it. Role play the situation: your colleague is ‘you’; you are the ‘learner(s)’. Act out what happened. Then discuss what caused the problem and possible solutions, e.g. clearer instructions, different seating or grouping, different behaviour management strategies, etc.
Which of these activities would you like to try?