Flunk or float? My stressful experience of conducting a lesson for mature students

You clear your throat, you shakily hold the lesson plan you have formulated in your hand, it feels like you are giving a speech in front of the United Nations. Will you flunk it? Will you float? Only time would tell…

[1]

I have had one dream since I was eleven years old, and that is to teach. Since then, I have come to understand that the most crucial part of a teacher’s job ultimately lies in their ability to conduct lessons. Fortunately, I was asked by my placement tutor to formulate and complete a lesson in front of a group of mature students. Crucially, this was a completely new experience for me and did not go as smoothly as I had planned. Using Gibb’s Reflective Cycle, this blog post will reflect on my experiences of this challenging aspect of my placement, highlighting the vital lessons that it taught me.

[2]

Letting you know what happened: my description

For my Essential Skills literacy class, I was asked to conduct a lesson for the mature students during one of the evening sessions. For this lesson, I had to create a plan and a worksheet for the class to complete. While I had previously created a presentation for the class, I was not able to access it on the day of the lesson, which meant that I had to create new resources. Along with this, it was the first ever time I had conducted a lesson for students. During the lesson, I tried to focus on my plan as best as I could, but it took me a while to settle into the lesson. However, by the end of the session the students had learned something new.

As fine as Ross on that one episode of FRIENDS: my feelings

During this experience, I was conflicted with worry, nervousness and panic. For a start, I did not have any experience with mature students, which made me question the delivery of the lesson. Additionally, I was worried in case something else went wrong. I had already failed to access my original presentation. Furthermore, I also worried in case the students were questioning my ability because I was inexperienced. I also felt like I had to prove myself to my literacy tutor, who asked me to conduct the lesson in the first place. However, by the end of the session, I felt relieved and more confident in my ability to conduct lessons.

Reflections are a necessary part of life: what was good and bad about this experience?

As I could not access my original presentation, this made the experience a lot more stressful than it should have been. Additionally, this process brought out and perpetuated my feelings of inexperience. However, this process did give me real teaching experience, which is crucial, as it can “broaden knowledge and strengthen skills” [3]. This was the case for me, as I was able to build my communication skills in front of the students and understand the structure of a lesson on a deeper level, because I was able to create it myself. Furthermore, by following through with a stressful process, I was able to prove to my tutor and students that I was capable.

De-mystifying the fog: making sense of what happened

I believe that if I had created a backup plan for my lesson, the experience would have been a lot less stressful. Colorado State University suggest that it is “important to have a backup plan for every activity”, one that is not “dependent on technology” [4]. This way, it is a lot easier to switch if something does go wrong. Importantly, if I had researched this advice beforehand, I would have been more prepared. Additionally, I was not use to dealing with problems, which explains why I felt inexperienced in this situation. Experience, significantly, helps us “make better decisions” [5]. Experienced teachers would have been able to manage the situation better because they had encountered it before where as this is my first placement and my first time conducted a lesson in front of mature students. However, I was still able to push through the lesson because of my determination to prove myself. Determination can help you “stay motivated” even when times get hard [6]. My determination is what led me to prove my capabilities. Additionally, had I not been determined to get through the lesson, I would not have built a deeper understanding of lesson structure.

To do, and what not to do… that is the statement: conclusion

If I had not been as hard on myself, I would not have panicked as much as I did. Everyone who is a teacher now has been in my position. It was a good thing that I made mistakes because it means, once I am an experienced teacher, I will know how to avoid them . Furthermore, I should have had more faith in myself. If I did, I would have taken more control of the situation.

I’m the teacher but I still have lessons to learn: my action plan

“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because its trust is not on the branch but on its own wings”.

Charlie Wardle [7]

Instead of treating new situations as something to be scared of, I will treat them as an opportunity to learn something new. Mistakes, especially when you are learning, are not a bad thing, and I will not think of them as such. When difficult situations rise, I will think about my younger self, who would be happy that I am making steps to get me closer to my dream job. In the future, when I get stressed out about situations, I will take a minute to remember that the solutions to the problem will always be in my head. I just need to be calm enough to see it.

Word count: 960 words.

Bibliography

[1] Mashup Math. (2023) 51 Teacher Memes That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud. Available at 51 Teacher Memes That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud — Mashup Math (Accessed 20th March 2023).

[2] Gibbs, G. {1988) Learning by doing. Oxford: Further Education Unit. Available at How to apply Gibbs Model of Reflection – Association of MBAs (Accessed 20th March 2023).

[3] Indeed. (2022) How to Gain Teaching Work Experience. Available at How to Gain Teaching Work Experience | Indeed.com (Accessed 21st March 2023).

[4] Colorado State University. (2017) Always Have A Backup Plan. Available at Always Have A Backup Plan (colostate.edu) (Accessed 22rd March 2023).

[5] The Human Diver. (2022) The Importance of Experience: Expertise is different to Experience. Available at The Importance of Experience: Expertise is different to experience (thehumandiver.com) (Accessed 22nd March 2023).

[6] Enlightio. (2022) What’s the Difference Between Motivation and Determination? Available at Motivation vs. Determination: What’s the Difference? (enlightio.com) (Accessed 23rd March 2023).

[7] Goodreads. (2019) Charlie Wardle Quotes. Available at Charlie Wardle Quotes (Author of How to Sleep Better) (goodreads.com) (Accessed 10th April 2023).

Sources

Colorado State University. (2017) Always Have A Backup Plan. (Accessed: 22nd March 2023).

Enlightio. (2022) What’s the Difference Between Motivation and Determination? (Accessed: 23rd March 2023).

Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. London: Further Education Unit. (Accessed: 20th March 2023)

Goodreads. (2019) Charlie Wardle Quotes. (Accessed: 10th April 2023).

Indeed. (2022) How to Gain Teaching Work Experience. (Accessed: 21st March 2023).

Mashup Math. (2023) 51 Teacher Memes That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud. (Accessed: 20th March 2023).

The Human Diver. (2022) The Importance of Experience: Expertise is different to Experience. (Accessed: 22nd March 2023).