Delta Module Two: meeting the teaching criteria | Section 9

implement and adapt the plan
manage the environment
instructions
focus

The criteria explained

Running like clockwork

The criteria under section 9 are headed:
classroom management.
None in this area is to do with planning – the criteria are to do with you as a manager of learning.
To meet these criteria, you do not need to show that the lesson runs like oiled clockwork but you do need to demonstrate that you can implement and amend a plan, manage the space and equipment, set up and vary groups and activities and keep the focus on your targets.

Successful candidates demonstrate that they can effectively:

implement the lesson plan and where necessary adapt it to emerging learner needs
manage the classroom space, furniture, equipment, materials and resources
set up whole class and/or group and/or individual activities, as appropriate
ensure the learners remain focused on the lesson aims and the learning outcomes.

implementing and adapting the plan

What assessors sometimes say:
The candidate taught the plan, not the learners.
When it was clear that the learners were not skimming the text as intended, the candidate did not intervene to re-focus the learners and demonstrate the task.
Although feedback was taken from the controlled task, it was clear that the candidate needed to insert a more focused drilling and modelling phase because the learners had clearly not understood.
Candidate feedback to the learners was too often not relevant to the targets of the lesson but focused instead on peripheral matters.

One good reason you have a plan at all is to keep you focused and make sure the lesson develops in an orderly and purposeful way. Consider:

Checking learning and acting when you discover a problem. If you have detected a problem, be sure that the observer has, too, so make sure you do something.
Being concerned with learning, not timing or implementing a plan.
Avoiding red herrings and going off on irrelevant tangents.

managing the physical environment

What assessors sometimes say:
The candidate's classroom management was fussy and often came with unclear, frequently rephrased and confusing instructions.
Boardwork was untidy and confusing and the candidate failed to exploit the interactive whiteboard to focus the learners on key issues.
The layout of the classroom, with learners sitting in a row, did not allow them to interact effectively in groups of four. Consequently, some learners disengaged from the task.
The candidate did not manage the class assertively and re-grouping learners was inefficient and overly time consuming.

Some of this actually is a preparation issue. Think carefully about the layout of the classroom and whether it suits the grouping and activities in the lesson. Change it, or be prepared to in the lesson, if it doesn't.

Two guides on this site may help (new tabs)
classroom organisation	this is a guide to selecting the appropriate layout for various task types
grouping learners	a guide to ways to group learners depending on task type and targets

Ask yourself:

How will I manage the space and equipment to achieve the aims of each stage in the most efficient way?
Am I completely comfortable with using the equipment or do I need to rehearse and practise?
Have I prepared to change the layout and/or focus of the room when I need to and do I have a prepared set of instructions to do this without wasting half the lesson?

instructions

What assessors sometimes say:
The candidate did not wait until she had everyone's attention before instructing.
The candidate's instructions were wordy, unclear and too frequently rephrased and repeated.
The procedure for the final speaking task was explained (lengthily) but not demonstrated so the candidate was forced to stop the activity and re-focus the learners.
The candidate did not check that all learners knew what to do or why they were doing it.

Make sure:

You have scripted or at least thought carefully about the form of your instructions.
That you have a way to demonstrate how more complicated activities should be done.
That you have scripted or at least thought carefully about your instruction-checking procedures.
That you know who you will nominate to question or get to repeat instructions back to you and the class.
That you use check monitoring for all tasks so you know immediately if the learners are or are not doing what is required.

focus

What assessors sometimes say:
Focus was lost in the final phase because the learners had not been explicitly reminded of the strategies they were meant to be deploying.
The candidate failed to give the learners an opportunity to see the benefits of using the subskill for the final tasks.
The candidate needed to re-focus the learners on the target patterns before the practice activities.

The first thing to do is to look again at your procedures, activities and materials and make sure they all focus on the learning outcomes. Cut and replace anything that doesn't, even if it's a favourite activity that you and your learners enjoy.

Think carefully about:

Making sure learners know why they are doing something and where it will lead.
How you transition from stage to stage so the focus clearly shifts to the next sub-target.
Giving the learners the opportunity to think about and identify what they have learned.
Making sure your concept-checking questions are sensible and focused only on what you are teaching.
Maintaining focus but allowing yourself to depart from the plan if something important has clearly not been learnt as it needs to be.

The teaching criteria sections:

Section 6	Section 7	Section 8	Section 9	Preparing to teach
relationships	language	procedures	management	visualising the lesson