Struggles While Teaching Lesson

Speech Lesson

We quickly realized that it is very difficult to teach while being informed by all the learning theories. Our first activity was allowing each table group to discuss how they would go about making a speech to the one of the two speech questions. First off, there maybe could have been a better way to go about this activity. Instead, we could have let them try a quick impromptu speech in front of their own small group. This would allow speech exploration in a “safe” environment with people they feel comfortable with (it would also be a concrete activity). I also realized the importance of questions that require higher-level thinking. Many of our questions could be answered with one or two words instantly. We didn’t have any questions that would take the students a few seconds to process. Some possible questions could be, why is it important to have good impromptu speech skills? How could you get back on track after having a bad start to a speech? Both of these questions may have multiple answers, and they could foster some classroom discussion. I also now see the importance of flexibility because students may not always volunteer if they don’t feel adequate for the task. We will have to work on our “thinking on the spot” skills as teachers, being ready to react to the way that our students respond to a planned lesson.