31. Lessons From a Practical Exam

[Kerala University English Teacher Educator’s Forum - KUETEF]

September- October this year had been unique in every respect for members of KUETEF. Most of us could visit a minimum of three institutions as an external examiner. It was indeed refreshing to learn from the Chairman of several Practical Examination Boards, that there was very little disagreement among the English Teacher Educators regarding expected trainee performance. Let us all..., the English Teacher Educator fraternity of Kerala University, give ourselves a pat on our back for a job well done! This is a clear evidence of the success of our workshops and networking, particularly through email and mobile phones. I gathered with great satisfaction from fellow teachers that whenever teacher educators were in doubt regarding instructional pracatices, they did not hesitate to contact our Forum members.


During the Practical Examination while serving as an examiner, I did notice a few areas which most of us tend to overlook. They are listed below:

•Some trainees during the examination, taught the first Unit of the Course Book. This being the middle of the school term, most pupils knew the content which was being taught and so assessing the ability of the trainee was difficult.

•The performance of the trainees with regard to teaching skills in most cases appeared to be only slightly above average. Perhaps it would be a good idea to begin the academic year with practice of Micro Teaching.

•There were instances where trainees failed to prepare their Achievement Test based on Mental Process. Some trainees did not have a good idea about Mental Process.

•The entry made by some trainees in their diary did not seem to be a ‘reflection’ of teaching, but a record of the list of things that happened.

•Very few trainees had a good idea about Problem-based Practicums.

•In some colleges, instead of the actual demonstration of a lesson by an expert, a recorded video of a lesson by an expert was shown.

•The use of teaching aids- particularly pictures, flashcards etc. was limited.

•Non- availability of atleast three trainees in the same school during Teaching Practice resulted in the Shared Practice Lessons of the First Semester being limited to two.

•In some teacher training colleges, the teachers who observed classes of trainees during Practice Teaching (the Headmaster of the school, the local Supervising Teacher, the Teacher Educator and the teachers of General Papers) made an entry in the Diary details of the trainees’s classroom performance. This was particularly useful for the external examiner who usually observes the actual teaching of a trainee during the Pracatical Exam only for 20 to 25 minutes.

I hope in future workshops of KUETEF, we would be able to address some of the issues I have identified above.


Best Regards

C.Praveen
Secretary,KUETEF