ASSIGNMENT 4: LESSONS FROM THE CLASSROOM

NAME: Mina Houshmand Sarvestani DATE:06.12.2025

SIGNATURE: Mina Houshmand Sarvestani

WORD COUNT: 985

Criteria for Assignment 4: Lessons from the classroom Met- yes/ no

noting their own strengths and weaknesses in different situations in light of

feedback from learners, teachers and tutors

identifying which ELT areas of knowledge and skills they need further
development in

describing in a specific way how they might develop their ELT knowledge and
skills beyond the course

using written language that is clear, accurate and appropriate to the task.

Tutor comments:

Tutor signature:

Pass: Resubmit: Date for resubmission:

Tutor comments on resubmission:

Pass on resubmission: Fail:

Double marking tutor’s signature:

Assignment 4: Lessons from the classroom
750-1000 words

This assignment is linked to your own experiences and progress in teaching practice, your observation of
peers, your ‘live’ observations of experienced teachers and the filmed lessons. Please organise your
assignment under the following headings.

1. Your teaching strengths

Identify at least three areas of teaching which you have improved on during the course and state how you
have achieved this progress. You should include specific examples from lessons you have taught and
feedback comments from trainers, other trainees and your teaching practice students.

1. I have always enjoyed language and learning about it, but during the course, I developed a particular
interest in language analysis. I started researching grammar and lexis in preparation for lessons. I
learned how to thoroughly analyse the meaning, form, pronunciation, and appropriacy of target
language, and I became more confident in presenting this information clearly and systematically to
learners. In TP4 I got a compliment from my tutor saying that “your engineering background is helping
you in analysing the target language very well”.

2. From Teaching Practice 3 onwards, I began to develop a clearer understanding of the different
stages involved in various lesson types, whether skills-based or language-focused. As a result, I
gradually improved my ability to design coherent and effective lesson plans and deliver structured
teaching practice sessions. We always talk about our next TP after each TP session and show what we
have prepared for the next TP and if the stages we designed are standard and from the feedbacks I
received from my tutors about my next TPs and on my LPs, I realized that I developed a clear
understanding of different stages of various lessons.

3. Before starting the CELTA course, my teacher talking time (TTT) was quite high, as I had little
understanding of what a student-centred lesson should look like. Throughout the course, I learned how
to reduce my TTT while still delivering lessons that were educational, practical, and communicative.
This shift allowed students more opportunities to engage actively and take ownership of their
learning.in most of my TPs, especially the ones with the upper-intermediate groups, I had positive
feedback from my tutors about low TTT.

2. Areas for improvement

Identify at least three areas of teaching you need to work on and make action points on how to improve
on in future lessons. Give examples from your teaching and include comments from trainers, other
trainees and your teaching practice students to justify your suggestions.
First of all, I’d like to describe my journey before and during the CELTA course through a short
poem by Abu Ali Sina (Ibn Sina/Avicenna), the renowned Persian philosopher and physician:
“Though the heart raced far across this desert wide,
It grasped not a hair — yet split that hair with pride.
A thousand suns within my soul did shine,
Yet not one ray could reach the atom’s spine.”
To me, learning and teaching English is like navigating a vast ocean — and I feel I am still just a
single drop within it. That said, if I were to identify specific areas for improvement, I would
highlight the following:

1- One thing I still want to work on is making my lessons more student-centred by reducing my
teacher talking time. I got better at this during the course and was sometimes complimented on
it, but I know I can be more consistent and give students even more time to speak and interact.

2. Giving clear instructions, especially to lower-level students, is another area I want to improve. I
sometimes spoke too fast or used too many words. What helped me was scripting my instructions,
examples, and CCQs/ICQs in my lesson plans. I’ll keep doing this to make my instructions clearer.

3. Time management is also something I’ll keep working on. In some of my TPs, I went over time, and
even though I improved, I sometimes spent too long on certain parts. This meant rushing or skipping
other important stages. I’ve learned to plan for this by noting parts I can skip or shorten if needed.

3. Observations of other trainees and experienced teachers

Identify particular strengths and skills you have observed, commenting on both your peers and
experienced teachers. You should include specific examples of skills and techniques you would like to
use in the future and say how you will incorporate them into your own teaching.

1- Watching my tutors, Jane and Sinem, as well as professional teaching videos, was extremely
helpful in understanding what an effective and communicative lesson looks like. The recorded
lessons, especially those by Nick Hamilton, were very instructive. I was particularly impressed
by how clearly every stage was linked to the target language and context, and how smoothly
the teachers managed timing while covering all key elements. Nick’s lessons on teaching
listening skills to lower-intermediate learners were especially useful when I was preparing my
own listening-focused TP for the same level. I took several ideas from his approach and tried to
apply them in my lesson. I used Nick Hamilton’s approach to setting clear listening tasks by
giving simple, focused questions before playing the audio.
2- Observing my peers during their TPs helped me a lot. In the early part of the course, I learned
from how they managed timing and kept the lesson focused on the main aim. I also
appreciated their effort to keep lessons communicative and student-centred. In the second half
of the course, I could clearly see everyone improving, and I learned more from how they
clarified target language and dealt with errors effectively.

3. Online videos also gave me practical ideas for lesson planning. Seeing how professional teachers
like Jo Gakonga, structure their lessons gave me inspiration and guidance, especially when I was
unsure how to connect different stages or introduce new language. These examples helped me
improve the way I designed my own lessons and made me more confident in planning around both
language and skills aims. I used Jo Gakonga’s approach to setting clear grammar tasks by giving
simple, focused CCQs.
4. Further development after the course
Say how you intend to increase your knowledge of ELT after the course. State which sources you intend
to use to find out information about new methods and approaches. You should also say how you intend to
develop your teaching skills in the future.

1- My first goal after completing the CELTA course is to become eligible for the DELTA program,
which I know will be a challenging step. I’m motivated to pursue the DELTA not only to deepen
my understanding of language teaching, but also because I hope to become a tutor in the
future. However, I don’t want to limit myself to working only with CELTA centres. My long-term
aim is to deliver lessons and workshops for teachers, especially public school teachers who
may not have access to CELTA training. I believe the principles and practices taught on the
CELTA should be available to all ESL teachers, as they are essential for delivering effective
language lessons. For this reason, I have registered on an online webinar about Learning
Strategy Theory and Materials Design presented by Kirstie Jackson Wilms on IATEFL
platform which can help me to gain knowledge about learning strategies and material design
which are two important parts of the DELTA program.

2- There are several books I plan to read as part of my ongoing development. These include
Learner English by Michael Swan, Teaching Practice by Roger Gower, and Learning Theories
by Dale H. Schunk. These texts will help me build on the practical skills I developed during the
course and also support my academic studies, as I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in
Education, focused on both primary and secondary education.

3- I have a strong interest in science, especially in understanding how the brain works and how
this affects learning. During one of the live CELTA input sessions, I was introduced to the field
of "Mind, Brain, and Education" (MBE) and read an article about it from the Harvard Graduate
School of Education. Although I couldn’t find a suitable online course on this topic, I plan to
read Mind, Brain, & Education: Neuroscience Implications for the Classroom by David A. Sousa
to explore how research in neuroscience can impact my teaching practice. My other plan is to
learn more about CLIL methodology because I’m also interested in teaching science, more
specifically teaching astronomy and astrophysics through English. For this aim, I’m planning to
join the Certificate in Content Language Integrated Learning course by OxfordTEFL in
close future.

Word count (total minus 510): 985

Assignment checklist- avoiding resubmission

It is sometimes necessary to resubmit assignments, often because parts of the task have not been
answered or the criteria have not been met. In fact, re-doing the assignment can be a useful part of the
learning process. However, some common mistakes can easily be avoided, and the list below shows the
main reasons why candidates have to resubmit Assignment 4:
● there are not enough examples of teaching strengths and areas for improvement. Include at least
three examples of each.
● the self-appraisal is not very realistic. Remember that excessive negativity is not evidence of self-
evaluation.
● there are no examples of teaching skills from observations of peers and experienced teachers
which candidates would like to incorporate into their own teaching.
● there are no examples of appropriate resources which could be used to help with professional
development, for example, reading journals or attending conferences