What do I learn from the training (Sarah)

Hello everyone!

For the training session, I was in the same group as Esther, in which we played the game of Endless Story. In my opinion, the game has a very interesting concept and I was looking forward to play it with the rest of class for the training session. The session was, however, slightly different then what I imagined it to be (nervous laugh). This is because halfway through the game, the atmosphere became somewhat tense because the participants seem to be a bit uncomfortable by the fact that sentences made by them will be corrected in front of all to see. Looking back, I understand why they would feel that way, but in my opinion, the corrections are essential for the students to be able to learn what their mistakes are.  All’s well that ends well, though, as I think the participants still manage to enjoy the game even when they are being nervous about the possible grammar mistakes they might do.

As such, the lessons I have learnt from the training session is that what we imagined from writing the lesson may not be translated exactly when it is carried out in reality. This is because the way in how we handle the class and the participants are factors that can turn your ideal lesson plan haywire if not handled properly. Another thing I have learnt is that the participants may feel that they are not confident if they are being evaluated based on grammar or speaking skills, so the teacher have to be aware of this and assures them that it is normal to feel that way, but they don’t have to feel that way as we learn by mistakes. The teacher should also give encouragements to them in order to make them feel secure and confident when participating in games that require them to come up front or grammar based games that might make them feel embarrassed about themselves.