Learning to Teach in Secondary College

Xu Lihong

【Abstract】English teaching in secondary colleges is quite different from the others. The individuality of the students and the vocational oriented training goal are the chief features. The key issues for the teachers in secondary colleges are learning to teach and make it a collaborative effort， reflective process， situated experience and theorizing opportunity.

【Key words】collaborative effort； reflective process； situated experience； theorizing opportunity

Teaching in secondary colleges has often been thought of as having a somewhat lower status than that in top universities. Certainly， students in secondary colleges vary greatly from individual to individual in grades and personalities. Most of them entered college at a relatively low grade， but they have the curiosity and enthusiasm for the world， and they observe what others do not. For them， persistence， discipline and their own initiative are required in English study. Then how can we become an effective secondary college English teacher？ What do we need to be able to do？ I believe what we should do is to develop their interest and passion for English and keep it， be their guide and supervisor， and help them live up to their true potential. It is always easier said than done. So what can we do to ensure realization and success？ I think the key quality of all the secondary college teachers is the ability of going on learning. And thats what determines whether we are a qualified teacher， not the degree， rank or titles. Teaching is a job at which one will never be perfect； there is always something more to learn it.

Learning to teach is a collaborative effort for both teachers and students. The true education is the education of the whole person， and that is best acquired through full and active cooperation between two people – the teacher and the learner. In the traditional yet dominant mode of instruction， teachers always present formal lectures and students take notes. But now in many universities， students in humanities are often required to solve problems in groups， design projects， make presentations， collect comments， and make a summary or finish a report. In this way， practice and involvement are stressed. This mode of teaching and study has also been successfully applied in English class in some secondary colleges. With the given subjects， the students can work in groups which should be formed according to the diversity and community. As for the teacher， we must give clear instructions at the beginning， supervise the whole process in case theyll make any language mistakes， and make some pertinent comments on the results and also give suggestions for improvement. So long as we devote our attention and effort， both the teacher and the student will definitely benefit from the course.

Learning to teach is a reflective process. The notion of reflective teaching and reflection on the learner originates from the work of John Dewey. Dewey argued eloquently for the importance of developing teachers reflective attitudes， including being open to multiple perspectives and alternative possibilities， paying attention to learners and their interests， critically examining the teaching context， and making deliberate and informed decisions. Using analogies of nutrition and growth in analyzing the relationship between the learner and the curriculum， Dewey emphasized an active role of the learner in the learning process， the teachers knowledge about the learner， and using that knowledge in instruction to achieve good teaching. In secondary colleges， practice and reflection are quite essential to the teacher and the student. The goal of English language teaching in the secondary college is to make students to be proficient in the language and prepare them for the future occupation. They are obliged to get some qualifications like TEM-4 or BEC. For the teachers， the classroom observation and reflection can enable us to refine the theory we applied and adjust teaching practice. We can help students to find out their deficiencies in each aspect in English language study and make some practical proposals， ask students to make plans and keep to the schedule， supervise all the improvements， then get students to achieve the qualified standard. There are also some other ways to assist the teacher in carrying through the process of reflection， like peer observation， video or audio recording lessons， student feedback， etc. All in all， practice and reflection continues throughout a teachers career. In the process of reflective practice， teachers become listeners， observers， thinkers and researchers who listen to their students， observe students behaviors and response to instruction， and reflect on their students previous experiences and ways of knowing. （Schon. D.A. 1983） It requires the expenditure of time and effort， yet worthwhile.

Learning to teach is a situated experience. Although there are formal lectures during which the student has a passive role like listening and taking notes， many courses are organized around classroom discussions， student questions and informal lectures. The teacher has a “managerial” role and the students make presentations and lead discussions. The students do the actual teaching， and it helps the interaction between the teacher and students， and between students and students. With rules， a disciplined classroom can be formed； with interaction， an efficient class can be completed. Only in the real situation， and through mutual interaction， can the teacher identify with the students in the language study， and reform the methods and curriculum to arise the students interest and hence the learning efficiency. In secondary colleges， the teacher may control the whole process， or guide the class without dominating it. But what we should do is to encourage students to questions and challenge our ideas. Confronting with the students who make assertions that contradict our points of view， we must be well-prepared. Thus we can learn more， and actually improve our teaching.

Learning to teach is a theorizing opportunity. To some extent， a classroom can be regarded as a kind of laboratory where the teacher can relate teaching theory to teaching practice. Concepts that the teacher acquires through academy education and professional development are absorbed into the theory and tested in the practice of teaching. Basically， all teaching is guided by theory developed by the teachers in the beginning. Teachers may not know how to begin their teaching without some knowledge of the context of their practice and without ideas about what can and should be done in those circumstances. In this sense， teachers may be guided more by personal， practical methods that structure their activities and guide them in making decisions. But without the practice， experience and years of study， the teacher could not lay the foundation for the theory. Nowadays there are more opportunities for the teachers to go on study and do some research in secondary colleges. During the current transitional period， more issues and problems in language teaching in secondary colleges will expose themselves gradually. The recordings and discoveries of our teaching can help us to find out problems from our experiences and observations， and the evaluation and reflection can help us to learn to teach better and get the correct direction of research. Be cautious yet creative， we can serve as both a teacher and a researcher.

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