Dr. t. lee

Reflecting about my Teaching Performance

While there are many positive aspects and strengths demonstrated in this portfolio, it is also important that teachers act as lifelong learners that continually consider ways to improve the Craft. In this section, I will consider three of the areas of my teaching experience in Georgia that needed development.

My biggest barrier was my limited Georgian language proficiency and the fact that the Ministry restricted me to working with lower proficiency elementary grade level English Language Learners. My limited Georgian proficiency was even more of a hindrance in classes where the co-teachers delivered simple instructional commands solely in Georgian and students were unaccustomed to hearing any instructions delivered in English. It will be a benefit to all if teachers of beginning English language learners begin to take a more dual language approach from start to finish, and always deliver instructions in both Georgian immediately followed by English so that students begin to make connections between the sound of classroom instructions in English. In the interim, Figure 137 provides a list of instructional words/phrases will help incoming TLG volunteers bridge the barrier with students who have limited English proficiency.

Figure 137. Instructional words and phrases for translation that will assist TLG volunteers.

Increased Georgian language proficiency would have served to help me reach my Teaching Philosophy goals of dual language development. While several resources such as translate.ge, translate.google.com, and my temporary host family were used to develop the vocabulary lessons contained in this portfolio, increased language proficiency and the ability to translate concepts and ideas I wanted to discuss with the students would have made an even stronger impact on the learning process given the lower levels of speaking and listening proficiencies of the students in the elementary grades I was assigned to teach.

The second needed improvement was more time to co-plan lessons with teachers. I was assigned to work with three co-teachers that each taught unbelievable teaching loads with a limited number of preparation or common planning time. Two of my teachers were teaching six to eight grade levels with only one planning period allotted to them. This type of master schedule leads to a lack of specialization and unplanned classes because teachers are overwhelmed. Initially, I had one planning period with each co-teacher. However, schedule changes implemented by TLG during week three left me with only one planning period with one co-teacher. More time to co-plan lessons with teachers would have considerably benefitted all of us.

The final needed improvement was simply more time to engage with my co-teachers and students. There are so many more activities I would have loved to do with my students from literature circles to civic research projects to creative writing units to a host of other activities that encourage the development and expression of student voices. Alas, it is hoped that my semester at least triggered a spark to generate excitement about language development.

_Go to Reflection on the TLG Experience