On May 26, I was able to observe Hilda’s Conversation Club (CC). I had a couple of learning opportunities during this lesson and was able to reflect on my own teaching style. My first opportunity came when Hilda was having technical difficulties and asked me to take over leading the discussion. Maybe I did not have time to become alarmed or anxious, but I found that I was able to calmly begin the discussion and provide my own example as I felt Hilda might have done similarly. This was a good opportunity as adaptions sometimes have to be made in a lesson, and there is no time to become worried about it.
The second learning opportunity I had was in my choice to ask for volunteers to discuss their own friendships. No one did volunteer, and I found I had to call on students in order to begin a discussion. Whether or not students should be called on has been a topic of discussion in my other TESL classes and something that I still struggle with. As someone that does not always like to be called upon, I can easily understand the apprehension that others face as well when they know the possibility is looming. I like to give people the opportunity to make their own choice to speak, but I can also appreciate that waiting for a volunteer is not always feasible.
Once the lesson was over, I had the chance to have a brief conversation with Hilda about the lesson. I mentioned to her my choice to ask for student volunteers to speak and asked her if her choice to directly call on students is because that is her approach or due to the time constraint of having a shortened class. She explained that more often than not students, especially international students, will not volunteer, so it is easier to call on them. I would think that with time, students would begin to expect this from their teacher if calling on individual students became the norm for the class. Hilda also does it in a way that is smooth and does not draw additional attention to one student being singled out. She incorporates their name into the sentence, so it feels like the student being called on was part of the lesson all along.
Part of this struggle and learning for me may also come from my own cultural and societal norms where choice is so strongly valued. Just as allowing people the freedom and choice to voice their opinion or not may culturally be where I am coming from, it might be the case that the students are also coming from their own cultural and societal traditions and norms in which they do not speak unless someone directs them to. I think learning more about cultural norms in this area may help me to look past my own beliefs and find a way to engage the students in ways that are culturally appropriate for them. After reflecting about the dilemma of whether to call on students or not, I think I will continue to provide students with the choice to share independently. I will make sure that the moment is brief before I call on students by name to share. While some students may volunteer, I know I will also have to be aware that it is not the same students that are regularly speaking first. In many cases, calling on students may be inevitable, and I can only hope to be able to do so in a way like Hilda demonstrated during her lesson.