Tomomi Yuma October 30, 2013 Observation Statement Through the observation of English classes in this course, I found

what I had not noticed when I was teaching English in Japan. In the lessons, I experienced many different teaching methods which I had never experienced as a student. This experience made me reflect on my own teaching. The reflection of the lessons from the perspective of teaching and learning theories made me realize how to put a theory into practice in classroom. First, I discovered various teaching methods and techniques which I had never used or experienced in the classes. This experience will increase my repertoire of teaching strategies. Teachers tend to teach in the way they were taught at school because they do not know how to teach differently. Many methodology books and teachers workshops give us many ideas of teaching, but it is difficult to imagine how to use the ideas in the actual classroom. Teachers cannot do what they have not experienced. Therefore, observing teachers instruction or students reaction in actual classroom helped me practice new method or technique in my classroom. Second, I found what was lacking in my teaching by comparing what I observed with my own teaching experience. Whenever I observed the classes, I reflected on what

I did in my class. When I watched a teacher explained what students studied in the previous lesson, what they are studying todays lesson, and what they will study in the next lesson, I noticed that I did not give a clear explanation of the goals and schedules of each class to my students. My class was less organized compared to the lessons I observed. These reflections will help me improve my lesson in my future teaching. Finally, I learned how to combine teaching and learning theories with practice in actual classroom by writing observation reports. I had learned many theories at university, but I did not know how to use the knowledge in my class when I was teaching. I thought theory and practice were completely different things. Reflecting on the observation made me realize that what teachers did in the classroom was certainly related to theories. For example, using music in class is good not just because it is fun, but because it helps learners lower their affective filters and leads to better learning. Connecting theories with my practice in the classroom will help me teach more effectively. I want to continue to observe English classes when I start to teach again. I will observe my colleagues classes to learn new teaching techniques and reflect on my own teaching. Teachers are always busy, but sometimes we need to stop and think about what we do in class to be a better teacher.