Classroom Mentoring

Eisenman and Thornton (1999:81) define mentoring relationships as the assistance of a more informed person towards a less informed one. While classroom observation alone may be quite different than an experienced teacher’s mentoring, a few certain crucial lessons can be acquired. As I observed grades ranging from 1 to 6 at the Colleges Des Peres Antonins School and Sagesse Brasilia School, I acquired numerous points that can assist my growth towards being a more skillful teacher.

To begin with, regarding the environment, it is undeniable that is essential to be comfortable and sanitary. However, the most noticeable environmental factor is the importance of the material at hand. The active board was widely used and assisted in a fast and more

Passing on these thinking skills to students is the best I can do as a teacher. This not only aids the acquisition of the English language but similarly any future language as well. The famous proverb “give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime” apply to a great extent to think aloud strategies in language teaching. Concerning engagement in teaching as well, it was noted that teachers seldom sit down. Even when assigning an independent activity to students, teachers still walk around the desks and monitor the students’ efforts. As a teacher, it is a somewhat of a preferable requisite to be energetic and constantly active. Further, repetition is indispensable. Even if the teacher opts to disregard recycling previously explained words, students themselves would bring them up such as the observed weekly recurring question of “what is a knife?”. Ensuring that new words will occur again in fitting contexts is a must. The word “knife” in particular which is not a complex or low-frequency word for young students should appear more often. When it comes to questions in the classroom, it has come to my attention that

This resulted in my acquisition of methods and approaches I would like to maintain with my students. To start off, a teacher is not defined by being a person that keeps control of a classroom and recites information. A teacher is a friend, a parental figure, a role model, a confidant and a good listener just as much as he or she is a good speaker. The teachers observed would simply ask a question relating to the students’ opinions or lives and based on these answers they would introduce or explain any concept or linguistic feature. Students are egocentric by nature and relate new ideas to themselves. Teachers I have observed took that into consideration and it is crucial I do as well. However, the teachers observed at one school resorted to building a strong sense of competition among students to push them forward. This has being a highly ineffective approach. Students were more focused on bringing the others down than they were interested in improving themselves. In a similar manner, students did not only lose vision of the importance of their personal academic achievement but they also lost the chance to grow as cooperating and helping members of society. Therefore, as a teacher I would aim to improve relationship among students and build a sense of unity. The most effective tool I have observed that brought students together is songs. Students would enjoy their time completing a