The explanation of concepts to the students was effective. I used relatable examples to make it easy to understand. I also used similar examples in different lessons to help students build on the knowledge from previous lessons. After the activity, I am confident that I met all the objectives I had set. In my teaching plan, I planned to have experiments after the second lesson. However, I made a decision to have an experiment in the first class. It was a simple experiment showing the multiple numbers of cells in plants and animals. I did that so as to increase the students’ interest. When teaching actual ELLs, I would encourage the students to be more interactive especially to ask for clarification on misunderstood areas. Seeking clarification would reduce the time spent on explaining the concepts again.
Team teaching allows the students and teachers to benefit from idea exchange. It helps them express their interest in a certain topic, and application of different interaction styles creates a more supportive environment for students (Merlot Pedagogy, 2014). The simulated teaching activity has taught me a lot on how to teach ELLs. The teacher should appreciate the different kind of audience. I have learned how to prepare and select the best teaching materials, and interact with the students to increase comfort so that they can ask questions and participate in lessons.
References
Greene, R. (2013, October 25). Key Strategies for ELL Instruction. Retrieved from https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2013/10/25/strategies-for-ell-instruction/
Merlot Pedagogy. (2014). Teaching Strategies. Retrieved from http://pedagogy.merlot.org/TeachingStrategies.html
