Final Assignment complete!

I've just completed my final assignment.  I then had to go back and fix a section of the previous assignment that missed the mark.  So, I think I'm finished with the written assignment portion of the lessons.  I've included the "what have you observed/learned" section below.

The ten most beneficial things I’ve observed in the classroom are as follows:

• Using imperatives with a gentle voice promotes efficiency in the classroom, and is more clear than “I would like you to…” for students.  It’s hard to get used to, but I’ve gotten to the point where I hear myself do it and I’ve been able to correct myself.
• When to sit versus when to monitor.  I’ve seen the value in sitting and allowing students to work.  It’s always important to be available to students, but there are times to monitor and correct, and there are times when it’s best to be a “fly on the wall.”
• How to handle late students.  I’ve learned that late students can provide a great opportunity for mini-reviews of lesson concepts. 
• Ways to give positive, constructive reinforcement I’ve seen Marian give gentle, friendly reinforcement like a thumbs-up or a smile. Bror has highlighted the importance of using a friendly, firm tone and terms like good/very good/better rather than “excellent.” 
• Personalization of lessons to make them meaningful. It’s important to give students the opportunity to relate to the material. 
• When to use questions for a teachable moment and when to deflect questions for a later time. There are times that it’s good to veer off for a minute, and there are other times where you need to see the potential for derailing the lesson.
• Having the students use the white board.  When you know students have enough of a grasp of a concept, it’s good to turn things over to them to write on the white board.
• Determining what vocabulary is essential to teach before the lesson.  Bror effectively taught vocabulary before his model lesson.  A student in our group taught a lesson about Australian barbeque without teaching the word “Barbie” and the whole listening exercise used that word.
• Allow/guide students to self-correct mistakes.  It’s vital to give students the room to correct their own mistakes.  Other students can also jump in to help their peers correct mistakes.  Teacher doesn’t have to be the source of correction.
• Ways to effectively have students practice pronunciation whole group vs. individually.  Bror gave us the opportunity to practice pronunciation teaching during an input session and we saw what worked and what didn’t.  We learned to invite students to speak instead of pointing at them.