Teaching History in Georgia (Co-teaching)
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Additional Explanation: Breadth and Depth of Teaching Experience in Georgia |
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Summary of Time Span
I was a volunteer teacher at Tbilisi Public School Number 144 during the Fall Semester 2011; I arrived for TLG orientation/training in September 2011 and departed in December 2011.
Instructional Context
Volunteer teaching with the TLG program took place at Tbilisi Public School Number 144 in the Ortachala district (Figures 1-4 provide a visual representation of the school). While the Ortachala district is surrounded by opulent construction endeavors, it is one of the most severely underfunded districts in Tbilisi; many of the residents face extremely challenging living conditions.
Though man-made and natural conflicts have long afflicted the people of Tbilisi, they remain creative, resilient and determined. In 2008, Tbilisi was rocked by bombs resultant from the ongoing Georgia-Russia conflict; several large political protests have occurred in the city since 2008 demanding governmental transparency, increased democratic processes, and the protection of basic human rights. In May 2012, the Ortachala district was struck by severe flash flooding resulting in the loss of many homes and endangerment of lives that many believe was directly precipitated by numerous infrastructural failures.
Figure 1. The façade of Tbilisi Public School #144.
Figure 2. Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia plaque for Tbilisi Public School #144.
Figure 3. The entrance hall of Tbilisi Public School #144.
Figure 4. A typical classroom in Tbilisi Public School #144.
Summary of Instructional Resources
· During the Fall 2011 semester The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia mandated the use of English World Program in English education programs throughout the Republic of Georgia.
· There is a dearth of instructional resources available at the school; the school does not provide chalk, paper, pencils or any resources to teachers (teachers must purchase these items from their own funds) and the physical plant is in need of extreme constructive repair; many of the classrooms lack power and/or adequate lighting for instruction.
· The school library computers were in disrepair with no internet access, the technology room was not available for English language instructional use.
· By December 2011 teachers had still not been provided with the necessary materials and training for effective instruction and implementation of the English World Program with instructional fidelity. The only items that the school had been provided with were one Level 1 teacher’s guide, one Level 1 Pupil’s Book, one Level 1 audio CD, one Level 1 DVD, one Level 2 DVD, one Level 3 DVD, and one Level 4 DVD, one set of Level 3 posters, and one set of Level 4 posters; I was only provided with one Level 1 teacher’s guide, one Level 1 Pupil’s Book, and one Level 1 audio CD.
· Many students did not have student workbooks or textbooks.
o In many of the classes, teachers were not using the student workbooks with consistency so lesson plans were developed that incorporated the usage of the student workbooks.
Co-teaching
· By mid-October 2011, the teachers were just beginning Unit 1 of the English World Programs.
· Initially, Georgian teachers often seemed to plan lessons on the fly; lessons had no clear beginning, middle and end and homework assignments were often stated to students as the bell is rang.
o Perhaps this lack of planning was because they had not been provided with Teacher’s Guides, meaningful training, or other necessary instructional resources to implement the English World Program.
· Multiple co-teaching models were used: a) one teach, one assist, b) one teach, one observe, c) station teaching, d) parallel teaching, e) alternative teaching, and f) teaming. In addition, I conducted demonstration lessons for my co-teachers.
Breadth and Depth of Teaching Experience in Georgia
Although my teaching experience and expertise is with pre-adolescent students and in middle grade and secondary education, the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia restricted me to working with elementary grade levels 1-6; subsequently, Table 1 summarizes the breadth and depth of my teaching experience in Georgia.
Additional Explanation: Breadth and Depth of Teaching Experience in Georgia
· The modes of instruction used in Georgian classrooms varied widely; initially, there were few common practices beyond the use of memorization and recitation of teacher assigned materials and extensive copying of materials from the blackboard. Later, some of the common processes of instructional activities, rituals, and procedures that I introduced became more common practices for Teacher One and Teacher Two.
· There was a lack of instructional resources available (teacher’s guides, student’s books, chalk, etc.) that contributed to poor lesson planning and structuring.
o For the bulk of the semester, the only resources available to me and the co-teachers were: one Level One English World Teachers Guide, one English World Level One Pupils’ book, one English World Level One Audio CD, one English World Level 2 DVD, one English world Level 3 Poster Set, and one English World Level 4 Poster Set. No other teacher’s guides or resources were available; we borrowed books from students to engage in co-planning.
· Class sizes greater than 20 negatively affect the teacher’s ability to increase English Language proficiency levels.
· Teachers assigned to multiple levels without adequate window/common planning time negatively affects the quality of instruction.
· Student absenteeism negatively affects English language proficiency levels; in numerous classes the number of students enrolled does not match the number in attendance on a regular basis; the numbers contained in Table 1 reflect the number of students enrolled in each course section.
· The classroom management skills of my Georgian co-teachers was emergent. I attempted to remedy this by discussing strategies with teachers when appropriate in my capacity as a co-teacher and by continually modeling how to structure learning activities and convey expectations to students.
· All three co-teachers will benefit from extensive practice with levels of questioning, methods of increasing active listening and student engagement, practicing wait time, facilitating student collaboration, providing meaningful feedback, using and teaching the Writing Process, and using strategies for structured student dialogues such as Socratic Seminars and/or Philosophical Chairs.
· The co-teaching models used were a product of each Georgian teacher’s communicated preferences and comfort levels.