Last day of the final semester...

Time really flies...

It seems as if only yesterday I entered the classes for the first time... meeting new faces staring intently waiting and anticipating of what you'd be saying... such a warm atmosphere full of positive vibes as the starting of the semester began to take charge...

And now... it's already the last week for T&L after which next week will be their study week and the subsequent weeks - exams...

Usually we lecturers would be discussing past years' papers and giving last minutes tips to the students in the last few weeks of T&L. And after a while, we could see that the students were rather exasperated with all the last-minute-dos' and don'ts not just for English but all the subjects that they are taking.

The last day of the semester is the day where I would not be actually teaching anything in particular. Instead it'll be the time for story-telling sessions (from me of course!) capitalising on whatever interesting / bizarre / mind-boggling themes or issues which are worth sharing. This time around, no stories - I chose to do it differently. Well, it's an old hat for most but perhaps it could be of some use to some...

The aim was to leave a positive atmosphere when the students reflect on their learning throughout the session. So I asked them to choose ONE statement from the given few below and write their responses on a half-cut  A-4 paper supplied. The statements were:

a) The most memorable English lesson that I had
b) The most difficult thing I learnt and mastered in the English lesson
c) My most noticeable improvement in English

Students were told to express themselves freely without being too bogged-down by grammatical errors and the likes. They could choose to be anonymous if they preferred. What is important was - I wanted them to be honest with themselves and their own progress.

After about 15 minutes, the students folded the paper and put it in a box. Then we sat in a circle and each one took turn to pick one from the box and read it aloud for everybody to listen and comment on. They seemed to be enjoying the session greatly where each one was very eager to share what their friend has written about the subject. Some read comments were met with giggles and nods and whispers. It was obvious that they tried to guess who wrote which comments, etc - everybody laughed. Everybody seemed to be enjoying the "reflection" session.

As from my perspective, I learned what aspects of the lessons throughout the year were well-received and enjoyed so I could utilise these and improve on them for the benefits of my future students.

I'm sure each of us has our very own favourite last-day English lesson. Would you care to share it with the rest?

Thanks.

-Rizal-