The Language Teacher
04 - 2003
Changing Teachers in Midstream
Louise Haynes and Brad Deacon
Nanzan University
QUICK GUIDE
Key Words:Class exchange, alternative learning
Learner English Level: Any
Learner Maturity Level: Any
Preparation Time: Varies, depending on topic and colleague
Activity Time: One or more classes
Materials: Varies depending on the lesson
Imagine for a moment you are in the latter half of the school semester. Some of your students are feeling either the rainy season blues or anxiety before their final exams. You know each other well, have expended many of your activities, and are both ready for something new. Your colleague next door is also ready for a change and suggests switching classes for a week. She has a fresh topic to share with your students. You have a theme that you are eager to share with her students, too. The students are now growing curious about learning with another teacher. Suddenly excitement and anticipation are overshadowing those mid-semester blues.
Once Upon a Mid-Semester Day . . .
Early in the year we popped in and out of each other's classrooms to say a friendly "Hi" or to have a short conversation. Our students, in their Action Logs (feedback journals students use to regularly share their learning experiences from each class with us), commented that they enjoyed listening to the "other teacher" and looked forward to our next visit. We seized upon this insight and continued to visit each other's classes.
Later in the semester, I (Louise) had just finished a week on AIDS with my class. During that week I'd stopped by Brad's class to tell him what I was covering. His students, after listening to our conversation, expressed strong interest in learning about AIDS, so we decided to swap classes for a week (Brad had prepared a unit for my students on Canada). Afterwards, the comments about the teacher-swap in both classes were overwhelmingly positive. "I really enjoyed learning about AIDS and I am glad I had the chance to learn with another teacher" (Yasuhiro). "It's useful to study with another country teacher since I didn't have this chance before and I want to visit Canada now" (Miyuki). Similar comments encouraged us to continue the teacher swap again in the second term. We then grew excited to conduct similar exchanges with other like-minded colleagues in our department.
Why Change Classes in Midstream?
Why would anyone want to change teachers during a course deliberately? For one, it gives students and teachers a bit of a break from the usual routine and provides a fresh spark of energy for both. Students gain a valuable opportunity to experience another teacher's style of speaking, including exposure to diverse intonation and pronunciation patterns, experience another teaching style, and learn new topics. Teachers learn more about other students in their department and can feel the fresh energy of a new group.
Procedure
The following steps will help in setting up, conducting, and following up the classroom switch routine.
Setting-up the exchange
- Find a colleague who is willing to switch classes with you for one or more lessons.
- Visit each other's classes spontaneously or pre-planned for a short time to accustom students and gauge their receptivity to outside visitors (of course this micro-version of the exchange works well too).
- Brief your colleague on important points such as awareness of students with special needs (e.g., ones who need to sit near the front due to vision limitations) or homework assignments you need collected from the previous lesson.
- Give each other any handouts beforehand for distributing to students in order to prepare them for the actual exchange lesson.
- 5. Let your students know that they will have a visitor in lieu of yourself next class. (Note: In our experience, students are extremely excited to learn with other teachers and at the same time we offer the switch as a choice and explain the rationale which we feel is a necessary step.)
Teach your exchange lesson
- Spend some time introducing yourself and what you will be learning together before the actual lesson. Students will be curious about you and what you will do. It might be a good idea to remind them why you are switching classes with their regular teacher.
- Teach your lesson.
- Thank the group for the opportunity to learn together.
Follow-up
- Invite student feedback on your lesson in general and the exchange experience in particular.
- Set aside time and discuss the experience with your colleague. What was the experience like through your eyes and your students' feedback? Be sure to cover successes and challenges. Consider ways that you might have performed more effectively and any new insights that you would like to carry forward into your regular teaching.
- Plan to switch again in a future lesson, if appropriate.
- Consider repeating the exchange with other like-minded colleagues.
Conclusion
Where it is possible and appropriate, we advocate teacher swapping. We enjoy the challenge of sharing content that we are passionate about with new groups of students. Students, like Kenji, tend to agree: "I think it is important to learn from many different teachers. It helps my listening and is interesting!" We view switching classes as a refreshing chance for teachers and students to polish their respective skills, learn more about topics from those who are the most knowledgeable about them, and try something new for a change. How about introducing a little midstream change in your classes?
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