My portfolio teaching practice 2 training | Page 25

such cases, the success of TP depends to a great extent on how well the
group works together.
Teaching guidelines
The way teaching guidelines or teaching points are produced and utilized
depends on such factors as the Centre where training is taking place, the
length of the course, the way TP is timed in relation to input, whether the
students are volunteers or regular students in the institution. Your
eventual aim is to get the trainees to the stage, by the end of the course,
where they can plan a series of lessons based on a given syllabus usually
in the form of a course book which meet the needs of their students.
Who devises the TP guidelines?
There are various options: The institution, the overall teacher-training
course tutor or director, the regular teacher of the group, the trainees
‘supervisor, when they know the group of language students being taught
on TP.
The role of the TP supervisor
The role of the supervisor varies according to how TP is organized. In
many situations the supervisor may be the teacher-training course tutor.
With an apprenticeship scheme it may be the regular classroom teacher
and in other situations the supervisor may be someone whose job on a
course is primarily to supervise TP.
Often the supervisor must fulfil the dual roles of developer and evaluator.
On some courses supervisors not only set TP points but may also give
considerable help and support to trainees at the planning stage.
Giving feedback on lessons observed
What are your aims?
As a TP supervisor you may have a number of responsibilities. For
example, your assessment of the trainees’ performance may count to a
greater or lesser extent towards the decision as to whether they attain a
pass grade for the course.
The recruitment of volunteer students
Many teacher-training courses rely on recruiting students to take part in
classes specially formed for teaching practice. It can be quite difficult to
find and to keep enough students so that the class resembles a real-life
class. Here are some ideas you might like to consider.
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