Starting Lessons

Challenges in Starting Lessons: Getting students to quiet down and pay attention at the start of the lesson.

Aim: Make lesson starts more effective and engaging.

The beginning of a lesson is crucial for setting a good atmosphere, re-establishing contact, and transitioning into the
main lesson content. A poor start can negatively impact the entire lesson.

Types of Lesson Starts:

1. Lead-ins:

 Activities directly connected to the lesson's main focus.

2. Warmers:

 Stand-alone activities, outside the main flow of the lesson.

 A cleverly planned lesson start can segue (an uninterrupted transition from one scene to another)
into the main lesson.

3. Icebreakers:

 Used at the beginning of a course to help students get to know each other.

Techniques for Effective Lesson Starts:

1. Gatekeeper:

 Stand at the door, greet each student, and give immediate instructions on seating and tasks.
Students will get the message that the lesson starts as soon as they arrive.

2. Don't wait for the right time for the 'lesson to start':

 Begin interacting with early arrivals and seamlessly transition into the lesson. By seamlessly
integrating lesson content into conversation, you eliminate the awkward 'lesson-start' moment and
keep students actively involved from the outset.

3. Greet Individually:

 Personally greet each student as they arrive, creating a more welcoming atmosphere.

4. Don't hide in plain sight. Stay Visible:

 Make eye contact with arriving students instead of being occupied with tasks.

5. Start at the very beginning:

 Set simple, immediate tasks as students arrive, such as comparing homework or following written
instructions on the board.

6. Board Welcomes and running Themes:

 Write a welcome message on the board or a running theme like a quote, joke, or puzzle to engage
students.

7. Focusing Starts:

 Use techniques that attract interest, such as revealing hidden items, reconstructing broken texts, or
solving little mysteries.
 8. Quiet Starts:

 Sometimes start with quiet, atmospheric activities like storytelling or intriguing puzzles to draw
students' attention.

9. Energizing Starts:

 Use movement-based activities to wake up and engage students, especially younger ones.

 Examples: Sequence memory, mirroring, acting out a story, and secret passing.

By implementing these techniques, teachers can create more engaging and effective starts to their lessons, setting a
positive tone for the entire class.

Using the Board:

Challenges in Using the Board: Teachers often find their boards messy and disorganized at the end of a lesson,
making it unclear if students have copied down useful information.

Aim: To make board use clearer, more organized, and more useful.

The board is a central teaching tool in many classrooms, yet it often receives little thought. Improving board use can
enhance lesson clarity and student engagement. Practicing in an empty room can help teachers improve their board
skills.

Techniques for Effective Board Use:

Divide the Board into Sections:

 Create distinct sections on the board at the start of the lesson to organize different types of content,
making it easier to access and keep organized.

Plan Your Board Use:

 Sketch a plan of the board usage before the lesson, indicating what will go in each section. This helps
maintain structure during the lesson.

Use Handwriting and Sentence Case:

 Avoid all block capitals. Use cursive handwriting with normal letter sizes to help students read and
copy more easily.

Check out the Clarity of Your Writing:

 Practice writing on the board and check its clarity from the back of the room. Adjust size, spacing,
and punctuation for better readability.

Use Graphic Organizers:

 Use tables, flow charts, bullet points, mind maps, and diagrams to structure text and make it easier
to read and copy.

Use Color to a Purpose:

 Use strong colors like black or dark blue for key items. Use other colors for specific purposes such as
underlining or highlighting.

Stand Back to Check:

 Regularly step back to review what you have written to catch errors and ensure clarity.

Review Post-Lesson:
  Take a photo of the board at the end of the lesson to review its readability and usefulness later.

Ask Learners Before Erasing:

 Make sure all students have finished copying before erasing the board content. Double-check with
the class.

Use the Board Creatively:

 Use Blu-Tack to attach pictures, student work, and other objects. Incorporate interactive and
engaging elements.

Writing 'Game-Show' Style:

 Write on the board while facing the class at an angle to maintain eye contact and communication. Practice
this position to become comfortable.

Using an Interactive Whiteboard (IWB):

1. Use It as an Ordinary Board:

 Write on it as you would a traditional board. Use special features when appropriate but don’t rely
solely on them.

2. Show Pictures:

 Project large images to introduce topics or provide context. Hide, reveal, and annotate parts of the
images.

3. Don't Assume the Board Will Do All the Teaching:

 Use the IWB to inspire interaction rather than just displaying prepared screens.

4. Project Texts:

 Project and annotate reading texts to aid comprehension.

5. Use the Internet Together:

 Integrate web searches and resources into the lesson for spontaneous learning opportunities.

6. Prepare Partially Filled Screens:

 Create screens with some missing information to complete with students during the lesson.

7. Revise Using Boards from Earlier Lessons:

 Save and revisit previous boards for review and reinforcement of material.

Students Using the Board:

1. Appoint Board Monitors:

 Assign students to set up the board and write headings or information.

2. Invite Students to Illustrate:

 Have students draw illustrations or write up simple texts.

3. Group Tasks on the Board:

 Let groups use the board for collaborative tasks and presentations.

4. Interactive Teaching:
  Frequently involve students in adding information, completing exercises, and solving problems on
the board.

5. Use the Vocabulary Column:

 Make vocabulary maintenance a student responsibility.

6. Create a Student Comment Section:

 Leave a column for students to add comments, questions, and thoughts throughout the lesson.

7. Plan Board Use in Presentations:

 Encourage students to incorporate board use into their presentations and reports.

8. Board Use:

 Make the board accessible to all students, fostering a collaborative classroom environment.

Using the Interactive Whiteboard:

 Encourage students to interact with the IWB by sending texts, using live messaging services, and integrating
technology into the lesson flow.

The Coursebook

Challenges: Teachers often face groans from students when they stick rigidly to the coursebook.

Aim: To better exploit the class coursebook.

Coursebooks often seem to demand a linear approach, starting from page one and moving sequentially through
exercises and units. However, they can be used more creatively to meet diverse teaching and learning needs.
Understanding the coursebook thoroughly and adapting it to fit the class can significantly enhance its effectiveness.

Techniques for Familiarizing with the Coursebook:

Get to Know the Book:

 Evaluate the book's appearance, balance of content, and suitability for students. Consider the book's
approach, balance of skills, and how it aligns with your teaching goals.

Introducing your class to their coursebook:

 students look the book to form initial impressions and expectations.

 Design a treasure hunt to explore different sections.

 Use varied exercises from different parts of the book to show non-linear learning.

Techniques: Ways to work with your coursebook:

Take Ownership:

 Shift your perspective to view the coursebook as a flexible resource rather than a strict guide. The
book is not the course.

Be Selective:

 Choose sections that are interesting and useful, and skip those that aren't.

Divide and Allocate:

 Assign different activities to different students based on their needs and interests.
Democratize:

 Involve students in deciding what to study and how to approach it.

Reorder:

 You are not restricted to the order pre-defined in the book. Feel free to jump around the book to
suit the class's learning path.

Adapt:

 Use material from the book in varied ways, such as turning a grammar text into a reading exercise.

Exploit:

 Spend more time on fewer activities, using them in multiple ways to deepen understanding.

Using the coursebook creatively and flexibly can make lessons more engaging and effective. Teachers should feel
empowered to adapt the book to fit their students' needs, ensuring deeper understanding and better learning
outcomes.

Time and pace

Aim: To set and vary the pace as appropriate through the lesson.

While time is constant, the perception of pace is subjective. Engaging activities make time seem to fly, whereas dull
tasks can make time drag. Teachers must skillfully manage lesson pace to avoid student complaints about the speed
being too slow or too fast.

Techniques:

Discovering Your Pace:

 Have a colleague observe your lesson and when you meet up afterwards talk about the lesson, have
a useful discussion about things noticed and both of your thoughts about those issues.

 Directly ask students if the lesson felt too fast, too slow, or just right.

 Identify parts they wished to speed up or slow down.

 Estimate and record time for each activity during lesson planning.

 Compare actual time taken to your estimates and reflect on whether adjustments are needed.

Technique: Playing with time limits

Stating Time Limits:

 Inform students of the expected time for tasks, which helps them plan their work pace.

 Adjust time limits based on students' progress; extend if they are struggling or shorten if they finish
quickly.

 Give students regular updates on how much time is left, helping them manage their work effectively.

Technique: Playing with pace:

Contrasting Tasks:

 Follow slow tasks with fast ones and sedentary tasks with active ones to keep students engaged.
  Tasks requiring a single answer encourage slower, thoughtful work, while those needing multiple
answers promote faster work.

Technique: Using Empathy to Judge Pace:

Subjective Pace:

 Understand that engagement makes time fly, whereas boredom makes it drag.

Relative Pace:

 Recognize that what seems fast to you might be slow for students, especially in activities like
listening exercises where repeated exposure may be necessary for understanding.

Balancing Teacher and Student Perceptions:

 Empathize with students' experience and match the lesson pace to their learning needs, rather than external
pressures.

Techniques: Getting to the 'Meat':

Lead-Ins:

 Keep introductory activities (lead-ins) brief to ensure enough time for the main lesson focus.

 Avoid using lead-ins as fillers or avoidance tactics.

Direct Engagement:

 Sometimes skip the lead-in and start directly with the main content if it's engaging and challenging
enough on its own.

Backward Planning:

 Plan lessons starting from the desired end result and work backward to determine necessary tasks
and input.

Timing and Adjusting Lead-Ins:

 Monitor and limit the time spent on lead-ins to prevent them from overshadowing the main lesson
objectives.

By understanding and varying lesson pace, teachers can create more dynamic and engaging learning experiences,
better matching the needs and perceptions of their students.

Handouts
Aim: To produce better, clearer, more usable handouts, and to use them more efficiently and effectively in class.

Handouts are important in many classrooms, serving various purposes such as completing tasks, recording lesson
content, and providing further reading. Effective handouts can significantly enhance learning, but poorly designed
ones can lead to confusion and require additional teacher intervention.

Technique: Preparing Better Handouts:

Use a computer:

 Use a computer to prepare handouts, allowing for easy saving, editing, and updating.

Handwritten Handouts:

 Use pre-printed frames or borders to improve appearance.

 Design:

 Use two columns for a cleaner look and better organization.

 Incorporate tables to organize text, making lines invisible if necessary.

 Include ample white space to make the page less intimidating and allow for notes.

 Use headings and sub-headings to help navigate the content.

Visual Aids:

 Add memorable graphics such as diagrams, charts, cartoons, or photos.

 Consider using colored paper for different themes or types of handouts.

Content Types:

 Summarize key points using bullet points or note form.

 Provide detailed notes sorted under headings for comprehensive summaries.

 Include texts with tasks (e.g., gap-fills or diagrams) to make students work on recalling the content.

Reading Texts:

 Add an introduction or questions to engage students and help them recall the lesson.

 Consider gap-fill activities for later revision.

Student-Generated Handouts:

 Have students design handouts and select the best ones to distribute.

Electronic Handouts:

 Use email or a Learning Management System (LMS) to distribute handouts electronically.

Techniques: Distributing Handouts:

 Assign students to distribute handouts.

 For rows of seats, pass a pile of handouts from the back to the front.

 For groups or semi-circles, distribute to one student in each section and have them pass the rest.

 Place handouts at the front and have students collect them row by row.

 Decide the best time to give out handouts (e.g., at the start, during, or end of the lesson).

Technique: Using Sorting Envelopes:

 Use envelopes to keep sets of small cut-up materials organized.

 Label envelopes with the activity name and contents.

 Distribute and collect envelopes to ensure materials stay organized and reusable.

 Consider laminating materials for durability.

Technique: Comb Cuts:

 If you don't have time to sort items into envelopes, one quick solution is to use a comb cut, to keep materials
attached until the last moment.

By implementing these techniques, teachers can create and distribute more effective handouts, improving
classroom management and enhancing student learning experiences.
Low-Tech Resources
Aim: To make good use of simple resources for lesson preparation and in class.

Despite the prevalence of digital tools like interactive whiteboards, traditional resources such as magazine pictures,
scissors, correction fluid, and flipcharts still hold value in education. These resources provide a hands-on,
collaborative learning experience that contrasts with the individualistic nature of digital work, making them engaging
and effective.

Techniques for Using Low-Tech Resources:

Posters:

 Create posters on current topics or language points in pairs/groups and display them.

 Use posters for needs analysis, planning, and tracking progress throughout the course.

 Utilize A3 paper as a group 'whiteboard' for collaborative tasks, then display results.

 Have half the class present their posters while the other half circulates to ask questions.

Flipcharts:

Flipcharts, are useful for group activities like brainstorming, planning, and discussions. They provide a tangible,
engaging medium for students, allowing easy review of previous notes.

Activities:

Class Flipchart: Set up a flipchart at the front or side to note key lesson points. Review these notes at the
end of the lesson or later in the course.

Group Flipcharts: Provide each group with a flipchart to focus discussions and share ideas.

Hidden Writing: Use the flipchart's ability to be turned away to let some students write without others
seeing, ideal for guessing games

Flashcards:

Flashcards, whether printed pictures or laminated images, remain an effective teaching tool for grammar,
vocabulary, and storytelling.

 Give students flashcards to find connections or create stories.

 Build a personal set of flashcards, collect and laminate pictures from magazines or the internet,
updating regularly to avoid outdated images.

 Ensure visibility by holding cards at chest height or higher, moving around the room, and ive
students enough time to observe and interpret images. Draw attention with questions or
statements.

4. Vocabulary Box:

Use a small box with blank cards. Write new vocabulary on one side and notes (meaning, pronunciation, etc.) on the
other.

 Usage:

Use cards for quick review sessions at the end of lessons.

Select cards for vocabulary games.

Encourage students to review cards during free time.

Have each student create and use their own vocabulary box.
Realia:

Real-world objects used in lessons.

 Uses: Teaching vocabulary, illustrating topics, and inspiring stories.

 Example: Vegetables for a vocabulary lesson.

Correction Fluid:

Correction fluid, essential for creating gap-fill exercises and spot-the-difference activities. It can engage students in
creating handmade exercises.

Activities:

 Students use correction fluid to gap out words in a text, then exchange exercises for others to solve.

Keeping Materials for Reuse:

 To reuse educational materials like pictures, texts, and instructions, laminating them is highly effective.
Alternatively, you can glue materials onto cardboard.

Audio (on CD, computer, podcast/music players or interactive whiteboard):

 Despite modern technology, traditional audio devices like CD players, DVD players, and cassette recorders
still have value in classrooms. To use these effectively:

 Position equipment and set volume for clear, non-intrusive sound.

 Learn to efficiently rewind and replay sections for better comprehension.

 Use individual headphones where possible for personalized listening speeds.

By integrating these low-tech resources, teachers can create a dynamic and interactive classroom environment that
complements digital tools and fosters a collaborative and engaging learning experience.

Working with Computers

Aim: To find efficient solutions for classroom use of computers.

Integrating computers into English teaching presents challenges, especially regarding room arrangement and student
control.

Techniques:

Room Arrangements for Fixed Computers:

1. Standard Rows: Efficient for teacher monitoring.

2. Rows with Teacher Space: Allows teacher visibility but limits student monitoring.

3. Around the Edges: Easy for teacher monitoring but reduces face-to-face communication.

4. Separate Zones: Designate areas for computer and non-computer activities.

5. Islands: Attractive but challenging for teacher monitoring.

Number of Students per Computer:

1. One Student: Maximum individual time but may reduce interaction.

2. Two Students: Optimal for collaboration.

3. Three Students: Uncomfortable and challenging for shared viewing.

4. Groups: Beyond three students, one acts as a secretary.

Working with and Away from Computers:

Using computers in lessons can be fluid and integrated, shifting between computer-based and non-computer-based
activities, known as 'blended learning'. This approach allows for varied groupings and maintains engagement.

Tablet Computers:

Tablets resolve many issues associated with desktops:

 Portability: Tablets can be used at students' desks.

 Communication: Students can easily share work and communicate with peers and the teacher.

 Efficiency: Teachers can distribute materials directly to each tablet.

 Security: To prevent theft, tablets might need physical security measures or be engraved with school
identifiers.

Discouraging Distractions and Misuse:

Students might misuse connected computers by surfing unrelated sites, chatting, shopping, or hacking.

1. Active Monitoring: Regularly walk around to observe student activity.

2. Ground Rules and Codes of Conduct: Discuss and agree on acceptable use.
3. Technical Restrictions:
 Create individual student accounts.
 Track usage and set filters or blacklists for certain sites.
 Block unnecessary programs and peer-to-peer sharing.
4. Preventing Hacking:
 Use password protection and limit program installations.
 Keep administrator passwords secret.
 Randomly use different classroom computers to spot issues.
 Track which students use specific computers.

By implementing these strategies, teachers can effectively integrate technology into lessons, maintaining control and
maximizing educational benefits.

Post-task
Aim: To use feedback stages after exercises and activities in a more productive way.

This phase often involves checking answers and give feedback on the answers students have come up with. Here are
the key points:

Techniques:

 Checking Answers:

When students complete exercises, there are various ways to check answers. Here are some techniques:
 Traditional Whole Class: The teacher goes through each question, asking different students to provide
answers and confirming them.

Student-Led: One or more students lead the answer-checking and feedback process.

Hold-Ups: Students write their answers on paper or tablets and hold them up for a quick assessment.

Student Response: Students confirm or challenge each other's answers without teacher intervention,
fostering class discussion.

Nominated Nominations: The student answering a question nominates the next student to answer.

Read Out Others' Answers: Students exchange answer sheets and read out answers from their peer's sheet.

Selective Checking: Focus on checking only the answers that students are unsure about or choose a few
questions to discuss.

Traditional Read to Check: Students check their answers using an answer sheet or the back of the book.

Lay Bets and Check: Before checking, students bet on how many answers they got correct, then check the
answers to see how close their predictions were.

Monitor and Skip Whole-Class Checking: If monitoring shows that students have no issues with the exercise,
skip the whole-class check and move on.

 Getting Students to Present Reports:

When students complete discussion tasks, adding a report-back stage can enhance the value of their work. This
allows them to present their conclusions and revisit the language used during the task. Here are some
techniques:

Preparation for a Report:

 Appoint a Secretary: At the start of the task, each group appoints a secretary to take notes on
discussions and conclusions.
 Review Time: Allocate time at the end of the task for groups to review their discussions and prepare a
report.
 Use Templates: Provide templates with questions or headings to help students organize their thoughts
and conclusions.

Students Report in Groups:

 Reassign Group Members: Assign letters to each student within groups (e.g., A, B, C). Have students with
the same letter form new groups to share their original group’s findings.
 Clockwise Movement: Have two students from each group move to a new group to report and listen to
other reports.

Students Report to the Whole Class:

 Oral Reports: Groups take turns presenting their findings to the whole class.
 Preparation and Role Assignment: Ensure groups prepare thoroughly and decide who will speak. You can
appoint speakers or require every group member to contribute.
 Positive Feedback: Listen actively and provide positive feedback, emphasizing encouragement and
acknowledging their efforts.

 Following on from role play or dialogues:

When concluding activities involving role play or dialogue practice, consider incorporating a "public
performance" to enhance the learning experience. Here are some strategies:
Public Performance:
  Invite to the Front: Have students come to the front of the class to present their role play or
dialogue.
Dividing the Class:
 Two Theatres: If students are uncomfortable performing in front of the entire class, divide the room
into two sections. Each half performs for the students in their section, creating a more intimate and
less intimidating audience.
Enhanced Rehearsal:
 Motivation through Performance: Informing students that they will perform can help them focus and put
more effort into their rehearsals, knowing they have an audience to present to.

These techniques can reduce performance anxiety and encourage students to engage more deeply with the role
play or dialogue practice, enhancing their learning experience.

Clossing lessons
Aim: To find satisfying and useful ways of closing lessons.

1. Teacher Summary:

 Provide a brief summary of the lesson's content and activities to reinforce learning and aid memory
retention.

2. Encouraging Student Reflection:

 Use techniques like board sentences, quick individual reflections, pair/group discussions, or
reflection against a syllabus to prompt students to reflect on what they've learned.

3. Avoid the Last-Minute Rush:

 Make micro-adjustments throughout the lesson to prevent activities from overrunning, and consider
extending current activities instead of starting new ones if time is running short.

4. Techniques for Engaging Closing Activities:

 Incorporate varied closing activities like reflection tennis, reflection feeding into action plans, regular
closing stages, and withholding information to keep students engaged until the end.

5. Better Fillers:

 Explore a variety of quick games or activities, such as anagrams, mixed-up sentences, or word
clouds, to use as fillers instead of relying on the same ones repeatedly.

6. Pause; Don't Stop:

 Instead of timing activities to conclude neatly at the end of the lesson, allow them to naturally pause
whenever the time runs out, seamlessly continuing them in the next class.

By implementing these techniques, teachers can effectively close lessons, leaving students with a sense of
accomplishment and anticipation for future learning.

Closing courses
To close a course in a meaningful and memorable way, it's important to acknowledge the time spent together,
celebrate achievements, and recognize the emotions associated with saying goodbye. Here are key techniques for
effectively closing a course:

1. Review Files and Portfolios:

  Encourage students to review their work throughout the course, tidy up portfolios, and reflect on
their progress using prepared forms or self-evaluations.

2. Tutorials:

 Offer one-to-one tutorials to summarize students' achievements and discuss their future goals,
providing a personal touch to course closure.

3. Separate Grades and Test Marks:

 Avoid combining grading discussions with the final goodbye, allowing students to focus solely on the
course's closure without the distraction of assessment outcomes.

4. The Ball of String:

 Use a symbolic activity where students pass around a ball of string, each sharing a positive memory
or experience from the course, creating a web of connections that symbolizes their time together.

5. Walking the Course:

 Take students on a symbolic journey through the course's timeline, allowing them to recall
memorable moments and reflect on their journey together.

6. The Course Museum:

 Role-play a reunion in the future where students reminisce about the course as if it were a museum
exhibit, encouraging them to share memories and experiences.

7. Drawing the Course:

 Have students draw four highlights of the course on large sheets of paper, then discuss and compare
their drawings with classmates to share experiences.

8. Handshakes, Thanks, and Gifts:

 Facilitate an activity where students give imaginary gifts to each other, expressing gratitude and
sharing memories as they say goodbye.

9. Design a Ceremony:

 Allow students to plan and execute a formal or ritualistic goodbye ceremony for the class, giving
them ownership over the closure process.

10. Getting Feedback:

 Employ various feedback techniques such as formal feedback forms, lucky-dip feedback, letters to
the teacher, and self-evaluations to gather insights from students about their course experience.

11. Keeping the Group Going Online:

 Establish online platforms or social networking sites for students to stay connected after the course
ends, fostering continued communication and community beyond the classroom.

By incorporating these techniques, teachers can create a meaningful and memorable course closure experience that
honors students' achievements and fosters a sense of closure and camaraderie.
Encouraging Quieter Learners to Speak in Pairs or Groups
Aim: To find interesting ways to get reluctant students to speak in their groups.

It's common for some students to be shy or less confident. It's important to create an environment where these
quieter students feel comfortable participating.

Techniques:

Conch Method:

o Use a symbolic item (e.g., shell, ball) to control who speaks. The holder of the item is the only one allowed to
speak.

o Set clear rules for speaking times and contributions.

o This method helps manage louder students and gives quieter ones a chance to speak.

Discouraging Passengers:

o Appoint quieter students as the chair: Assigning roles forces participation.

o Participation tokens: Give each student a set number of tokens. They must use a token each time they speak.

o Participation tables: Have groups fill out a table reflecting each member’s contribution.

o Close-up encouragement: Directly ask quieter students for their opinions during group work.

o Set task guidelines: Require each student to speak for a set amount of time before open discussion.

Random Selection of who will speak in groups:

o Wheel of fortune, dice, lucky dip: Randomly select who will speak next using spinners, dice, or drawing
names.

Participation Review:

o After group tasks, have one student lead a discussion reflecting on each member’s contribution.

Pyramid Discussion:

o Start with individual thinking, then pair discussions, followed by group discussions, and finally a whole-class
discussion. This gradual build-up helps increase confidence.

Start in Whole Class; Then Hand Over to Groups:

o Begin discussions as a whole class to generate ideas and excitement, then transition to smaller groups.

Use Information Gaps:

o Pairs or groups have different pieces of information, to complete the task they have to communicate.

Community Language Learning:

o Build conversations sentence by sentence with teacher support, recording each sentence to gradually build
up fluency.

These techniques aim to create structured opportunities for quieter students to participate, ensuring that everyone
has a chance to speak and contribute to group activities.

Monitoring Pair and Group Work

Aim: To use a range of monitoring techniques, in order to make pair and group work as effective and useful as
possible.

Teachers' approaches to monitoring vary widely, from minimal involvement to over-monitoring. Effective monitoring
should be adaptive, depending on the activity's stage and students' needs.

Techniques:

Varying monitoring through different stages of an activity:

1. Starting the Task: there is a vital need to check if they have really understood what to do and will be able to
do it successfully. At this stage you need to:

o Look: Make sure students understand the task by observing their initial reactions and readiness.

o Wander: Walk around the room unobtrusively to see understanding and participation.

o Support Quietly: Provide help to specific groups with misunderstandings.

o Stop and Reboot: If many students are confused, stop the activity to re-explain the instructions.

2. During the Task: Once you are sure that learners are working well on task, this gives you the chance to look
more closely at what different pairs/groups are doing. This could be discreet or participatory:

o Discreet Monitoring: Stay near groups to observe without interfering. Make notes for later feedback
or exercises. Be ready to provide minimal help if necessary but avoid taking over the task.

o Participatory Monitoring: Actively join a group to model the task, being cautious not to dominate the
discussion.

o Not Monitoring: Once students are deeply engaged, you vanish to reduce pressure and allow
independent work. You could go to your desk or a seat in the corner of the room and quietly read a
book. Stay alert for emerging needs.

Effective monitoring balances observation and intervention, adapting to the dynamics of the classroom to support
student learning without overwhelming them.