Table of Contents
1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 2
1.1 Preface ............................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 The Kenyan School System .............................................................................................. 3
1.3 Description of the School : Precious Blood Secondary School Kilungu .......................... 7
2 Classroom Observation Tasks .................................................................................................. 9
2.1 Attending to the learner ..................................................................................................... 9
2.2 The Learner as a Cultural Being ..................................................................................... 12
2.3 Grammar as lesson content ............................................................................................. 15
2.4 Classroom Power............................................................................................................. 17
2.5 The Board as a Resource ................................................................................................. 19
3 Lesson Plans ........................................................................................................................... 20
3.1 Lesson Plan: Modal Auxiliary Verbs .............................................................................. 20
3.3 Lesson Plan: The German School System ...................................................................... 25
3.3 Lesson Plan: Practice for the Oral Examination ............................................................. 30
4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 37
5 Index ....................................................................................................................................... 39
6 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 40
7 Erklärung ................................................................................................................................ 41
1 Introduction
1.1 Preface
I did my teaching practice at Precious Blood Secondary School Kilungu in Kenya; this is the
school in which I worked as a volunteer for one year in 2003/04. During that time, I assisted in
teaching German and - contrary to my expectations - enjoyed this experience very much. It
was one of the factors which motivated me to choose to become a teacher.
This time, I spent six weeks in Precious Blood Secondary School Kilungu. During the first
two weeks, from 20th July to 2nd August 2006, the students were doing their end of term
examinations. I was involved in the examinations in various different ways: I assisted the
school secretary in typing and stapling the examinations; I invigilated German oral
examinations and helped to mark exams in German and English. Additionally, the German
teacher and I drew up a plan to prepare the Form Four students for their final examinations:
she was to teach grammar and composition, while I was to prepare the students for the
German oral examinations. This involved choosing texts, pictures, and topics for discussion,
meeting the girls in small groups, going through the material with them, and giving them
feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. During the first two weeks of my teaching
practice, I spent about ten hours practising with the Form Four students.
The German teacher and I also worked together in order to prepare about 20 students for the
National Music Festival; their contributions included reciting German poems and giving
German speeches. During the weekends, I attended student Masses and club meetings.
In the four weeks after the holidays (4th September to 6th October 2006), I attended English
lessons and worked on the classroom observation tasks. I taught ten German lessons in Form
One and four lessons in Form Three, while continuing to prepare the Form Four students for
their oral examination. My work with the Form Four students took about 20 hours. The
German teacher also gave me Form Four German grammar papers and compositions to mark.
As oral comprehension has been newly introduced into the final examination and there are not
yet many tapes available in Kenya, the German teacher and I recorded a tape with dialogues
and texts for use in class.
During this time, I took part in the whole school day, beginning with morning assembly and
including teachers’ meetings. In my spare time, I assisted the school librarian in the library.
2
In the first part of this report, I will give a brief introduction to the Kenyan school system. This
introduction is necessary to understand the information about Precious Blood Secondary
School and elements of my lesson plans.
For the classroom observation tasks, I observed English lessons from Form One to Form Four.
I decided to observe English lessons rather than German lessons for the classroom observation
tasks because there are four English teachers and only one German teacher. Thus, focusing on
the teaching of English gave me the opportunity to gain an insight into different teaching
styles.
In my reports on the classroom observation tasks, I will first give a short description of a
lesson I observed and then analyse it according to the questions given by Wajnryb 1 and
including the results of my discussions with the teachers. My lesson plans are concerned with
the teaching of German. However, the topics I chose seem to be transferable to the teaching of
English.
1.2 The Kenyan School System
The Kenyan school system is an “8-4-4-system”: it consists of eight years of primary school,
four years of secondary school, and four years of university. The school year begins in January
and ends in December; it is divided into three terms. Each term is three months long, followed
by a month of holidays.
Kenyan children usually begin school at the age of five or six years. However, in the course of
the last years, many older children have been coming to Standard One and the number of
primary school pupils has risen. The reason for this development is that the government of
President Mwai Kibaki, which came to power in 2002, abolished fees for primary schools.
This means that many children who could not go to primary school because their parents were
unable to pay school fees now have access to eight years of education. However, it is a
government regulation that students at all schools must wear uniforms; these uniforms have to
be bought by the parents. Additionally, parents may be asked to pay money for books, school
1
Wajnryb, Ruth. Classroom observation tasks: a resource book for language teachers and trainers.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1992.
3
trips and the facilities the school offers (e.g. computers or a school bus). This means that a
number of pupils are still cannot attend school for financial reasons.
Most Kenyan primary school pupils go to schools near their homes; there are both mixed
schools and schools only for boys and only for girls. Lessons begin at eight o’clock and end at
four o’clock. Due to the increased number of primary school pupils, the classes have become
very large: one teacher may teach 40 to 100 children. The children get their first reports and
grades (from A to E) in Standard One.
Many children in Kenya learn a tribal language as their first language and may only begin
learning English and Swahili (the country’s two official languages) in school. In tribally
homogeneous areas, the language of instruction for the first two to three years may be the
tribal language. From Standard Three onwards, all lessons are conducted in English; Swahili is
taught as a subject. The subjects taught in primary school are English, Swahili, Mathematics,
Geography / History / Religious Education, and Science. At the end of Standard Eight, all
students sit for an examination in order to obtain the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education
(KCPE). The National Examination Council, which is under the Ministry of Education,
centrally sets the examination. The KCPE consists of a written examination in the five
subjects taught in primary school; it is possible to attain a maximum of 100 points in every
subject. The number of points obtained in the KCPE is one of the factors which determine
whether the pupils will go to secondary school and by which secondary schools they will be
accepted.
There are three categories of secondary schools: District Schools, Provincial Schools and
National Schools. Schools are allocated to these categories by the government according to
their performance and their facilities.
District Schools accept students only from the district in which the school is situated;
Provincial Schools take 65% of their students from their district and 35% from the rest of the
province, while National Schools accept students from all over the country. District Schools
may be day schools, boarding schools or schools with both day students and boarders;
Provincial Schools and National Schools are always boarding schools.
4
The amount of fees for the three types of schools differs: a student at a District School pays
between 10,000 and 15,000 Kenyan Shillings2 (Ksh) for a school year; students at Provincial
Schools pay 25,000 Ksh to 30,000 Ksh, while students at National Schools usually pay more
than 30,000 Ksh.
Standard Eight pupils make four choices of secondary schools to which they would like to go;
there must be one District School, one Provincial School and one National School among
them. The students are allocated to the schools according to the number of points they
obtained in their KCPE Examinations. However, if students are chosen by secondary schools
their parents cannot pay the fees for, they will not be able to attend this school.
The National and Provincial Directors of Education fix the entry points for the various
schools. The number of points necessary for being accepted to a certain school differs from
year to year; it depends on the nation-wide KCPE performance.
Most boarding schools (i.e. all National and Provincial and some District Schools) are only for
boys or only for girls; day schools may be mixed. As not all primary school students go on to
secondary school, the classes are smaller; they may consist of 40 to 60 students. Lessons in
secondary schools usually begin at eight o’clock and end at four o’clock; this means that
students have up to ten lessons per day.
In Form One, the first year of secondary school, the students study up to thirteen subjects.
Mathematics, Kiswahili and English are compulsory; the students choose two to three sciences
(i.e. Biology, Chemistry, Physics) and two or three Humanities (i.e. History & Government,
Christian / Islamic / Hindu Religious Education, Geography). The optional subjects offered
differ; they include Agriculture, Home Science, Computer Studies, Commerce, German,
French, Arabic and Music.
In Form Three, the students choose the subjects in which they want to do their Kenya
Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations. Seven subjects are counted for the
KCSE mean grade; Mathematics, Kiswahili, and English are always counted. Students sit for
two or three written examinations in every KCSE subject. For example, the English
examination consists of three papers which are called “Grammar and Comprehension”,
“Composition and Functional Writing”, and “Oral Skills and Literary Appreciation”. The
students of foreign languages (i.e. German, French or Arabic) do two papers and an oral
2
Exchange rate (October 2006): 1 Euro ≈ 96 Ksh
5
examination. In Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Home Science and Agriculture, students are
required to do a practical examination; in Computer Studies, they have to hand in a project.
The National Examination Council centrally sets the KCSE examinations. The Form Four
students sit for the KCSE examinations in October and November; they receive their results
about three months later. The leaving certificates (i.e. the report on the KCSE results) are
usually issued about one year after the students have done the exam. The students who want to
attend university begin their studies two years after completing their secondary education.
The Joint Admissions Board, instituted by the Ministry of Education, is in charge of the
admission of students to public universities. There are seven public universities in Kenya;
about 10,000 students are admitted to university every year.
The government requirement for university entry is a KCSE mean grade of C+. However, the
requirements have been rising steadily in the course of the last years due to the increasing
number of secondary school students. In 2005, only students with a mean grade of B+ or
higher were called to university. Public universities are subsidized by the government;
students pay around 9,000 Ksh per year for tuition.
There are a number of private universities in Kenya (e.g. the Catholic University of Eastern
Africa); they accept students with a mean grade of C+ and above. Fees for private universities
may be as high as 80,000 Ksh per year.
The pupils who do not go to university may either go to a college (e.g. to train as a secretary or
a nurse) or to a vocational training school. Vocational training schools are also open to those
pupils who have not gone to secondary school. A significant number of pupils do not further
their education after Standard Eight; they may look for work or – in rural areas – go home to
work on their parents’ farms.
Primary school teachers are trained in colleges, where they do so-called Certificate Courses.
The training takes two years; the teachers qualify to teach all subjects in primary school.
Secondary school teachers either do a Diploma Course, which takes two years, at a Teachers
Training College or they go to university for four years to obtain a degree. Secondary school
teachers teach one or two subjects.
After leaving the college or the university, the teachers go for three to six months of teaching
practise. The Teachers’ Service Commission (T.S.C.), a governmental organisation, may
6
employ fully qualified teachers to teach in a public school or they may go to work in a private
school. Primary school teachers employed by the T.S.C. earn about 8,000 Ksh a month;
secondary school teachers earn around 20,000 Ksh.
Teachers who are employed by the T.S.C. can be transferred countrywide. If they are
transferred to remote districts with poor infrastructure, they are paid higher salaries, the socalled “hardship allowance”.
1.3 Description of the School : Precious Blood Secondary School Kilungu
Precious Blood Secondary School Kilungu is a girls’ boarding school situated in a rural area
of Makueni District in Kenya’s Eastern Province3.
The school was founded by the Catholic order of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood
as a primary school for girls in 1940 and converted into a secondary school eighteen years
later. It is a Provincial School run by the government; the headmistress has always been a
Precious Blood Sister.
The school motto is “Education for Service”; the “Vision Statement”, written and annually
updated by the Board of Governors and the teachers, asserts that the school aims “to bring
about holistic development through quality education, and so equip the student with skills and
values that will empower her not only to attain self fulfilment, but also to make a positive
contribution to her nation in religious and moral integrity”4.
Currently, the school has two streams with a total of 399 students; there are 50 students in one
class. The two classes in one year are called “West” and “East” (e.g. Form One West and
Form One East). The school employs 25 teachers and 25 non-teaching staff (e.g. matrons,
kitchen staff, watchmen, farm workers). In 2006, Form One students paid 10,000 Ksh in Term
1 and 8,000 Ksh in both Term 2 and Term 3. The fees for the first term are higher because the
girls have to buy the school uniform: maroon sweaters, white blouses, grey pleated skirts,
white socks and black shoes, and a P.E. uniform.
3
4
Map of Kenya: Index I
Mission and Vision Statement: Index II
7
The school’s physical facilities include eight classrooms, two laboratories, two Home Science
rooms, one computer room with 22 computers, a well-equipped library, a German room, a
History room, and a school hall.
The students sleep in 11 dormitory sections in four buildings. The girls in one building are
members of the same House. The Houses are named after Kenyan Lakes; they are called
Naivasha House, Baringo House, Bogoria House, and Nakuru House. Each of the four Houses
has a House Captain. The Houses compete in the areas of academics, extra-curricular activities
and discipline. The overall winner is rewarded with a party at the end of the year.
Water for the school is supplied through two boar-holes. The school is connected to electricity
and is equipped with a generator for the case of power failures; it keeps cows and plants its
own vegetables. Kikoko Mission Cottage Hospital borders the school compound; ill students
go there for treatment.
Beside the compulsory subjects Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, and
Kiswahili, the school offers Christian Religious Education, Home Science, Agriculture,
Commerce, Computer Studies, German and Music as optional subjects.
Twice a week, the students have the opportunity to do sports after classes. There are hockey
pitches, a badminton court, a netball field, a basketball field and a volleyball field; football and
handball are played as well.
Apart from sports, there are various clubs and movements, which meet once a week, for
example Ranger Guides, the Young Christian Society, the Science Club, a Drama Club, a
Debating Club and a Wildlife Club.
The school does well academically, though there are fluctuations in its performance. Last year,
students with 398 to 420 points (i.e. with results of 80-84%) in their KCPE examination were
accepted to Form One. The KCSE mean grade has been B and above in the last seven years.
The school has always been No. 1 in Makueni District and is among the top schools in Eastern
Province. Nationally, Precious Blood Secondary School Kilungu has been among the ten best
schools a number of times. In the last five years, 350 out of 474 Form Four leavers have been
admitted to university, i.e. the university intake level was 73.8%.
The students successfully participate in various competitions: Precious Blood Kilungu has
repeatedly been the best girls’ school at the Science Congress; students have gone through to
the National Level of both the Athletics championships and the Music Festival. The German
8
students have won the German Cultural Festival, in which about 25 schools participate, for ten
successive years.
Discipline is maintained with the help of a strong prefect body. The prefects are Form Four
students chosen by the headmistress. They are responsible for various areas of the school (e.g.
as Dining Hall Prefect or Library Captain); the Head Girl and the Deputy Head Girl guide
them. Punishments for not obeying the school rules5 or not following the daily routine6 include
demerits (this means that points are deducted from the House) and “bookings”. Girls who are
“booked” have to spend a certain amount of their free time working on the school grounds or
in the school field. There are no major discipline problems.
Former students of the school have formed an “Old Girls Association”. This association has
established a bursary fund, which sponsors 16 needy students every year.
The main problem faced by the school administration is poor fees payment. The majority of
the students come from arid districts. Many parents are economically disadvantaged; fees
payment is slow and incomplete.
2 Classroom Observation Tasks
2.1 Attending to the learner
This classroom observation tasks deals with the way the teacher reacts to the individual
learner. I observed lessons taught in Form One East and Form Four West for this task; these
classes are taught by two different teachers.
In Form One East, the teacher knew most of the students’ names and used their names to call
on them. However, she also called on the students whose names she did not know, calling
them for example “the girl next to Joyce”, “you” or “Charity’s friend”. When contacting a
single learner, the teacher often used encouraging non-verbal attending strategies such as a
nod or a smile. Students who had contributed information once were called on more often than
5
6
School rules: Index III
Daily routine: Index IV
9
others; students sitting in the middle of the classroom were not called at all. These patterns
could be observed in spite of the teacher’s attempts to involve as many students as possible
(e.g. “Let me hear an answer from somebody who has not spoken today.”). There seems to be
a danger of students, especially quiet or shy ones, being neglected.
The Form Four teacher knew all her students’ names and used them to call on the students
who raised their hands. In this class, students sitting in the front row, especially those sitting to
the extreme left and to the extreme right seemed to be out of the teacher’s field of vision.
Like in Form One, the teacher used nods, smiles, eye contact and the students’ names to call
on them or encourage them to participate in class. Reprimanding looks, frowns or shaking of
the head was only used to discourage two or three students from speaking to each other. These
disapproving attending strategies had immediate effect and did not have to be used repeatedly
towards the same students.
According to the teachers I spoke to, the use of strategies is not planned in advance, but rather
triggered by classroom events such as the behaviour of the students. The teachers
acknowledged that the attending strategies they use on a particular day in a particular situation
may be influenced by their own mood. A further aspect mentioned by one teacher is that she
feels she is more likely to use negative attending strategies when she is not well prepared.
Even though the choice of strategies seems to be unconscious, the teachers are aware of the
fact that their own attending behaviour may be problematic. They feel that they are not able to
pay enough attention to every single learner; this may be partly due to the size of the classes.
The teachers regard it as very difficult to “teach for everybody” and say that it is impossible to
call on every student every lesson. As the teachers know that they inevitably neglect some
learners, they collect the students’ homework regularly in order to be able to give them
feedback on their progress. The students are also encouraged to speak to the teachers during
break time of after classes if they have questions or problems.
The classrooms are full of desks from the very left to the very right, so it is impossible for the
teacher to have all the students in full view. This may explain why the teachers in both classes
I observed paid less attention to students sitting in a particular area of the classroom. When I
shared the data I had collected with the Form One teacher, she was surprised to see that the
students sitting in the middle of the classroom had not been attended to at all. She said that she
10
consciously tried to involve students sitting in the back and in the front and was not aware of
the fact that she seemed to be forgetting the students in the middle.
Learning and using students’ names involves a conscious effort on the side of the teacher. A
teacher I spoke to tries to learn the names of students as quickly as possible by making a
sketch of the seating arrangement, collecting homework frequently, and giving back
assignments and tests personally. Strategies like taking pictures of students are not practicable
in Kilungu, as the technical equipment is not readily available.
One of the English teachers said that knowing the students’ names makes her feel more
confident in class and that she considers it a matter of politeness towards the students to try to
learn their names. She said that she regards knowing the names as a precondition to
establishing a personal relationship with the students and thus creating a positive atmosphere
in class.
Students’ names were only used to call on students to participate in class. They were not used
to criticise a student or tell her off. The teachers agreed that the students seem more attentive
when they are aware of the fact that the teacher knows their names; this may be because the
students are motivated by feeling that they are perceived as individuals.
The Form Four teacher said that she makes a conscious effort to involve the students who
seldom volunteer information and those who do not seem to be following the lesson. She sees
the danger of discouraging active students through this strategy, but says that less active
students seem to gain confidence by getting positive feedback. She told me of several cases in
which attending to a student in class had been a factor which improved the student’s
performance.
No “pattern within a pattern” (Wajnryb, p. 30) was apparent to me as an observer, but students
complain that some teachers pay more attention to girls from the city and less attention to girls
from rural areas. Others feel that some teachers only pay attention to the bright students. This
shows that students are extremely sensitive in this respect and that they are quick to take note
of and interpret the teachers’ attending strategies.
Students attend to other students in various ways. One example which I found striking is that
while students correct each other in class and may even laugh at a mistake another student
11
makes, they seem to be very sensitive: they do not correct or laugh at weak students, but rather
look at the teacher when a weak student makes a mistake and wait for her to react. This shows
that the students seem to sense when it is appropriate for them to attend to each other and
when the teacher has to intervene. Students’ attending behaviour towards other students seems
to be an important factor in establishing a classroom atmosphere that is both lively and nonthreatening.
The attending behaviour I witnessed was mostly positive and encouraging, reprimanding
looks, frowns and shaking of the head had immediate effect. This is certainly due to the fact
that the students in this school are very well behaved, which means that the teacher does not
have to spend a lot of time and energy thinking of and implementing disciplinary measures.
Observing lessons with this question in mind has shown me how important it is for the teacher
to be aware of the attending strategies used in the classroom, as students seem to observe this
very carefully and may interpret strategies the teacher uses subconsciously as personal
criticism or encouragement.
2.2 The Learner as a Cultural Being
For this classroom observation task, I observed a series of lessons in Form Four about short
stories from the book Half a Day and Other Stories. It contains stories by authors from
Eastern and Northeastern Africa.
Before the lesson, I discussed the cultural composition of the class and the questions worth
focusing on with the class’s English teacher, who is a Missionary Sister of the Precious Blood.
The teacher herself is a Tanzanian; the students are all Kenyans: most of them are members of
the Kamba tribe, there are a few Meru girls, one Indian girl and a girl from the Kisii tribe.
The aspects we decided to focus on are the following (cf. Wajnryb, p. 40):
1) What do the learners learn about culture through this series of lessons?
2) Learners are cultural beings with a cultural perspective on the world. Which culturespecific expectations of the classroom and learning processes become evident?
3) How is the cultural dimension of the learner considered by the teacher and the students
among each other?
4) What does an observer learn about the students’ cultural background?
12
The lessons I will describe are about the short story “Heaven and Earth” by the Kenyan author
Wangui wa Goro7 (pp. 91-104); the lessons about the other short stories had the same
structure. The story “Heaven and Earth” deals with domestic violence.
First of all, the class discussed the title. The teacher then asked the students to comment on the
picture illustrating the story (p. 101). The students read the story aloud; each girl read a
paragraph. In the following lessons, students gave presentations on themes of the story and
characterizations of the main characters. Both the themes (domestic violence, the role of
religion in society, tradition, appearance vs. reality, alienation) and the traits attributed to the
various characters were discussed in class.
The following interpretations of the lessons I observed are results of a discussion with the
class’s English teacher.
The learners do not learn about the culture of a region totally foreign to them (e.g. Great
Britain), but read and discuss short stories written by authors from Eastern and Northeastern
Africa. Many of these stories deal with sensitive aspects of culture. By discussing and
analysing the short stories, the learners reflect on their own culture and learn about traditions
of other peoples within their country or region. Thus, they attempt to develop a personal
opinion and to position themselves in their culture.
The modes of address in class in Kenya are different from those in Germany: the students
address the teacher as “Teacher” or “Sister”; the teacher calls the students by their first name
(and not - as in the German Oberstufe - by their last name). This may indicate a certain degree
of respect the students have towards the teacher and a clear setting of classroom power, which
seems to be expected by the students. The students are active and well-disciplined in class;
they ask questions and participate in discussions. Even though they challenge the teacher’s
views (e.g. in a discussion) or tell the teacher when she has made a mistake, the students obey
the teacher’s instructions. They seem to accept that she has the right to make classroomorganisation decisions. When I asked the students about what they expect from English
lessons, they said that they want the teacher to structure the lessons well and to give them a
good preparation for the final examinations.
7
wa Goro, Wangui. Heaven and Earth: Index V
13
The choice of activities does not seem to show any particular consideration of the students’
culture; these activities can probably be found in many classes all over the world: a phase of
teacher questions and student answers was followed by the reading of the story, student
presentations, and a discussion among the students.
The teacher said that some issues that appear in the short stories have to be sensitively
discussed in class, as they are taboo topics which are usually not discussed openly. Such topics
include female genital mutilation, domestic violence, racism, tribalism, sexuality, and sexual
violence.
Concerning tribalism, the teacher has noticed that students are less open when discussing
aspects (e.g. marriage rites, values) of their own cultures or the tribes of other students in the
classroom than when they are talking about a tribe not represented in class. This shows that
cultural stereotypes are a reality which might constrict the open exchange of views in the
classroom. Discussing these topics in class requires cultural sensitivity on the side of the
teacher when planning which aspects will be discussed.
Cultural concepts which might be unclear to non-Africans but which were mentioned in class
without being explained (thus implying that there is a general consensus about their meaning)
were for example ancestral land, dowry, the value of children, the role of the gods, polygamy,
and infertility.
Regarding the fourth question mentioned above, the students’ description of the picture and
their reactions while the story was being read aloud were interesting. When commenting on
the picture (p. 101), the students said that a car stands for wealth. The woman entering the
church was described as “modern”, well-dressed and confident; the students associated a
woman with such an appearance with city life. In contrast, they described the woman sitting
inside the church as “simple” and said that she probably comes from “the village”.
While reading the text, the students laughed and whispered when certain paragraphs were read
aloud. For example, they laughed when the collection in church was described and when the
vicar had to fight for attention because of Mme. Lady’s behaviour in church (p. 94). A
sentence which the students commented on to each other was: “men and women each have
areas of responsibility designated by their biology” (p. 95).
The students’ contributions reflect the norms and the experiences they grew up with. They
show how the students perceive Kenyan society and which questions they think are worth
14
commenting on. The norms for acceptable behaviour, e.g. in church, are seem to be relatively
clear; deviation from these norms causes shock or amusement.
There was an animated discussion about the connection between dowry and domestic
violence. Before marrying, the man pays dowry to the woman’s family: the woman may feel it
is impossible to leave her husband because her family cannot repay the dowry; and some men
behave as if they owned their wives because of the money they paid. The teacher encouraged
the students to focus on possible solutions of the problem. The aspect mentioned by most girls
and agreed upon in class was that education is a means to achieve independence from men,
society, and cultural norms. This attitude of the girls might be a factor which explains their
commitment to learning and their disciplined behaviour in class.
2.3 Grammar as lesson content
In order to find out more about the teaching of grammar, I observed a series of grammar
lessons taught in Form Three West. I will give a short description of the lesson on
“Consolidation of adjectival clauses and complex sentences”; the other lessons I observed had
a similar structure.
After greeting the students, the teacher wrote the topic of the lesson and five sentences in
which relative pronouns were used on the board. While writing, she gave explanations on what
she was writing down. The students copied the sentences into their exercise books. After that,
the teacher dictated a short text from a grammar book she had brought with her to the students;
the text was about characteristics of defining and non-defining adjectival clauses. The teacher
then dictated a cloze-exercise with ten sentences to the students; the students filled in the
blanks in individual work. They were asked to exchange the books, read out the sentences
their neighbours had written and to mark them right or wrong. Another exercise followed.
Finally, the teacher gave the students more exercises on adjectival clauses as homework.
As I unfortunately did not have the chance to speak to the teacher about the lessons, I worked
on those questions from R. Wajnryb that seemed answerable on the basis of the lessons I had
observed (pp. 86f).
Grammar was the central focus and the only topic of these lessons. In fact, these lessons were
meant to be “grammar lessons”. Two of the five English lessons per week are designated for
15
the teaching of grammar. It was difficult for me to tell whether the students were involved in
thinking about grammar: the rules were presented to them; they were not asked work out rules
for themselves. However, the students seemed able to cope with the exercises without much
difficulty; they completed them quickly and all the answers they read out were correct.
The focus of the lesson was clearly on “knowing” rather than on “doing”. The students were
told how a specific aspect of the language works; they were expected to learn about the use of
pronouns and the differences between defining and non-defining relative clauses. The
language was only used in highly controlled gap-filling exercises. As far as I could see, the
students did not have to make inferences about the system of the language while working on
these exercises; they were only expected to apply the rules which the teacher had presented to
them.
The students listened to the teacher, took notes and worked on the exercises. There was no
evidence that the teacher was aware of different learning styles. The students, on the other
hand, all seemed to be following the teacher-centred lessons; so there was no observable
evidence of different learning styles on the side of the learner either.
Concerning the outcome of the lesson, I suppose that the students learned what the teacher
expected them to. The lesson’s objective was clearly stated at the beginning of the lesson: it
was meant to familiarise the students with adjectival clauses in complex sentences. It seems
likely that most of the students were already able to construct sentences like the ones
presented before the lesson, as their level of proficiency in English is very high and they have
been taught in English since Standard Three of primary school. Had the structure been
completely new to them, this lesson might not have provided enough practise or given enough
opportunity to ask questions. However, as it can be reasonably supposed that the students
already knew the structure, the lesson probably successfully introduced them to the technical
terms used to talk about the topic.
The teacher probably wanted the students to acquire the knowledge necessary to deal with
tasks concerning adjectival clauses in examinations; and it seems reasonable to suppose that
the students went away with that knowledge.
16
2.4 Classroom Power
I decided to observe several English lessons in different classes, focusing on different topics
and taught by different teachers in order to try to find whether patterns in regard to classroom
power are caused mainly by the age of the students, the subject matter or the individual
teacher.
The lesson I attended in Form One focused on reading comprehension. The teacher
determined the course of the lesson and wrote on the board; the students listened to the
teacher’s explanations, did written exercises and asked questions which were answered by the
teacher.
The grammar lesson I attended in Form Three was about phrasal verbs. The teacher wrote on
the board, cleaned the board, gave the meaning of unknown words, gave explanations and
gave dictation. The students copied what the teacher wrote on the board and dictated to them;
two students read out a paragraph from the textbook. Only one student asked a question,
which was answered by the teacher.
In Form Four, I attended a literature lesson. The class discussed the short story “The Hands of
the Blacks” by Luis Bernando Honwana8. The lesson was divided into three phases: first, a
student presented her findings on the stylistic devices used in the story. The presenter wrote
notes, which were later copied by her classmates, on the board. She cleaned the board, spelled
out unknown words and repeated what she had said if others had not heard it. The presenter
also asked her classmates questions and answered questions asked by them. During the second
phase, which only took a few minutes, the teacher asked questions about the stylistic devices
to be found in the story; the students also had the opportunity to ask questions which were
answered by their classmates or by the teacher. During this phase, a student asked a question
about racism, which lead to the third phase of the lesson: a discussion about racism, in which
various aspects were brought up. Both the students and the teacher asked questions, answered
questions and gave their opinions. Towards the end of the lesson, a student asked for one of
the revision questions to be discussed. When the teacher had given her consent, the student
read out the question and other students attempted to answer it. Students organised the lesson,
asked and answered questions, determined discussion topics, and discussed them among
8 Honwana, Luis Bernado. “The Hands of the Blacks”, in: Clarke, Ayebia: Half a Day and Other
Stories. An Anthology of Short Stories from North Eastern and Eastern Africa. Nairobi: Macmillan
Kenya Publishers. 2004. 115-120.
17
themselves. The role of the teacher was to supplement information found by the students,
direct attention towards aspects which had been overlooked by the students, and to correct
students if necessary. Comparing the three lessons, it becomes evident that the amount of
teacher control was considerably higher during the lessons observed in Form One and Form
Three. In Forms One and Three, all decisions (cf. Wajnryb, p. 120) were made by the teacher.
The students had a higher amount of control in the lesson I observed in Form Four; for
example, a student gave a presentation, cleaned the board, and answered questions. During the
discussion, the topic of which was determined by the students, the students answered each
others questions. Even though the teacher controlled the structure of the lesson (student
presentation, teacher comment, discussion), it can be described as student-centred within the
boundaries of the syllabus.
When discussing my observations and Wajnryb’s criteria for observing classroom power (p.
120) with the teachers, they suggested that the aims, language and skills focus, topics, and
materials are determined by the syllabus. The seating arrangements can also not be influenced
either by the teacher or by the students: the classrooms are full of desks; it would not be
possible to arrange them in any way except in straight lines.
The teachers agreed that two criteria influence the degree of student involvement: the age of
the students and the topic of the lesson. Grammar-lessons are generally teacher-centred. The
Form Three teacher said that new material was being introduced which had to be presented to
and learned by the students. Another reason which the teachers gave for given for the their
high degree of decision-making power was that they perceive many grammatical topics as
difficult and feel that the students might not be able to present them adequately. The teachers
also complained about the syllabus, which they feel is overloaded. They expressed the opinion
that they would not be able to cover all the grammatical topics in the given amount of time any
other way.
In literature lessons, the students often work on topics in groups and then present them to the
class; the teacher may supplement or correct information if necessary. However, this relatively
high degree of student involvement in the planning and realisation of the lesson is practised
during the students’ time in secondary school. In primary school, lessons are often teachercentred; they may consist only of teacher-presentations Therefore, the English department of
Precious Blood Secondary School tries to make students more responsible for their own
learning and to enable them to organise lessons and present material. However, this is an
18
ongoing process from Form One Form Four. Teachers of some other subjects place less
emphasis on student participation; lessons may consist only of teacher presentations.
2.5 The Board as a Resource
In Precious Blood Secondary School Kilungu, the board is one of the few resources which are
available in class, as there are no flipcharts, overhead projectors, or beamers.
The lesson I observed was a literature lesson in Form Two. The teacher had told me that the
lesson was going to consist of student presentations; each group had worked on one character
from the novel “Coming to Birth”9. I would have expected the teacher to ask the students to
write the most important points of their presentation on the blackboard.
The teacher wrote “Coming to Birth - The Characters” on the board at the beginning of the
lesson. She then asked the students to name the characters in the novel and wrote their names
on the board in four columns. The list of the characters may have served different purposes:
the students activated their pre-knowledge while collecting the names of the characters; the list
was also an overview of the work already done (as the teacher ticked the characters which the
class had already talked about last lesson) and an overview of the coming lesson.
As the students presented the characterisations they had worked on, the teacher wrote the traits
of two characters beside their names. It seemed as if this was done randomly; she did not
explain why she did not write down the traits of all the characters presented.
Contrary to my expectations, only the teacher wrote on the board. While writing on the board
in the beginning of the lesson, she commented on the role of the characters in the story or
asked one of the students to do so. When she wrote the character traits on the board during the
student presentation, the students did not seem to be paying attention to her; they were taking
notes on the presentation. It seems questionable whether it made any sense to write on the
board at all, or whether it may have even been distracting.
A point I noticed was that some items on the board were not legible to me (and to the students
sitting in the last row with me) as they were written too far down; the board can not be moved.
This means that teachers should not use all the space on the board.
9
Oludhe Macgoye, Marjorie. Coming to Birth. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers. 1986.
19
Wajnryb asks for comments on the comprehensibility of the items on the board (p. 124). If a
student had come to class late, she may have had difficulties in finding out what the class was
doing; it would not have been possible for somebody to recap the lesson on the basis of the
items on the board10.
On the basis of the lessons I observed, my own teaching experience and my experience as a
student, I would suggest the following rules (cf. Wajnryb, p. 124):
-
Have a fixed place for items like vocabulary and homework.
-
If the board is not moveable, do not write too far down.
-
Make sure your handwriting is big enough and legible.
-
Before wiping the board during the lesson, ask if everyone has finished copying.
-
Always use the same symbols and explain them if necessary.
-
Use short points, diagrams, sketches, mind maps; do not write long texts on the board.
-
Be prepared - plan in advance what you are going to write where.
-
Write the title or topic on the board.
-
Comment on the status importance of the items. Tell the students whether or not to
copy them.
3 Lesson Plans
3.1 Lesson Plan: Modal Auxiliary Verbs
Class: Form One East, 46 students
Duration: 80 minutes, 8:50 - 10:10 a.m. (2nd and 3rd period)
Topic: Modalverben “können, wollen, mögen” (Willkommen I, pp. 49-52) 11
Description of the Class
Forty-six of the Form One students are learning German; they are all in Form One East. The
girls are between 14 and 16 years old. They have been learning German for two terms; this
means that they have had a total of about 72 German lessons. German is their third foreign
10
11
Items on the board: index VI
Willkommen 1, pp. 49-52: index VII
20
language: their mother tongue is Kikamba or another tribal language; their first and second
foreign languages are Swahili and English.
I assisted the German teacher in marking the last term’s final examinations: some students do
very well, while others have difficulties even with reproductive exercises. Some teachers
complain that the Form One students are “noisemakers”; they have frequently been booked for
this reason. There are no discipline problems during the lessons.
Concerning the students’ motivation in German classes, their teacher has the impression that
many regard German as a difficult subject which is pulling their class performance down.
Some students complain that it is difficult to get good marks in German, while the Commerce
class (Form One West) is getting high marks with little effort. According to the teacher, more
than half of the class plans to drop German after Form Two. She thinks that this is a reason
why the class as a whole does not seem very motivated. She says that they are moving very
slowly and will not be able to cover the syllabus. The class has only reached the beginning of
chapter three, i.e. less than half of the book which should be covered in Form One.
In contrast, the English teacher says that the girls are bright, eager to learn and co-operative in
class.
Recent Work
Currently, we are in the second week of the third term. The girls have just come back from a
month’s holiday at home. During the two weeks before the holidays, the students did exams in
every subject; they were given C.A.T.s (Continuous Assessment Tests) in the first week after
the holidays. In the first lesson of the term, we revised the topic hobbies and did pronunciation
exercises.
Goal
The students understand the concept of modal auxiliary verbs in German; they learn the
conjugation of the verbs and the syntax of sentences with modal auxiliary verbs and secure
their knowledge through exercises.
Objectives
1) The students understand the concept of modal auxiliary verbs in German by analysing
the comic and listening to teacher’s explanation. (cognitive)
21
2) The students are familiarise themselves with the conjugation of modal auxiliary verbs
by comparing it to the conjugation of regular verbs. (cognitive)
3) The students learn how to construct sentences with modal auxiliary verbs by focusing
on the similarities to English and Swahili, familiarising themselves with the
visualisation given in the textbook, and doing an exercise. (cognitive)
4) The students secure their knowledge of conjugation and syntax by working on
exercises on the topics. (cognitive)
Time Phase / Step
Activities
2
8
Welcoming
Activity
Phase I /
introduction
18
Activity
Phase II
exercise
/
30
Activity
Phase III /
grammar
presentation
42
Activity
Phase IV
grammar
practice
/
Class
Media
Organisation
--A student (s) reads the text of the Class plenary Willkommen
comic; the students then explain
1, p. 49
what is happening on the pictures
and try to deduce the meaning of
“kannst” / “kann”.
The class works on exercise 9; first Class plenary Willkommen
t-question and s-answer, then & pair work
1, p. 49
students work in pairs and write
down three questions and answers.
The students have the possibility to
ask questions while working on the
exercise; six pairs then read out one
“exchange” each.
A student reads the first two Class plenary Willkommen
paragraphs of the grammar box; the
1, p. 49
teacher explains and writes notes on
& Blackboard
the board.
A student then writes the
conjugation of a regular verb on the
board. The teacher writes the
irregular modal auxiliaries on the
board (one form at a time) and asks
the
students
to
find
out
irregularities, which are then
underlined. The students copy the
items on the board into their
exercise books; they then read out
the forms.
The students do ex. 12 in individual Individual
Willkommen
work; they write the answers into work & class 1, p. 51
their exercise books. They then read plenary
out the answers, which are corrected
in the class plenary if necessary.
22
50
Activity
Phase IV /
grammar
presentation
57
Activity
Phase V
grammar
practice
/
65
Activity
Phase VI /
grammar
presentation
75
Activity
Phase VII /
grammar
practise
78
Finishing
Assigning
Homework
/
The class does ex. 11 in the class
plenary; the explanations and the
conjugation are still on the board;
ex. 11 serves as a comprehension
exercise.
The teacher writes simple sentences
from the book (p. 50) on the board
and lets the students analyse their
syntax (Which verb is in which
position?
Which
verb
is
conjugated?); she then points out
similarities to English and Swahili.
The students work on ex. 13, which
requires them to put elements of
sentences together in the correct
order; each pair writes five
sentences; the sentences are then
read out and corrected in the class
plenary.
The teacher writes complex
sentences from the book (p. 50) on
the board and points out the position
of extra information in sentences
with modal auxiliary verbs using the
bridge (p. 50) as a visualisation.
The teacher gives five signs to five
students and asks them to stand in
front of the class in three different
orders. The class then analyses and
discusses which sentence orders are
correct (ex. 14 & 15).
The teacher asks the students to
learn the conjugation and syntax of
the modal verbs and to do ex. 10
and 11 in their exercise books. T
writes homework on the board.
Class plenary
Willkommen
1, p. 50
Pair work & Willkommen
class plenary 1, p. 52
Class plenary
Willkommen
1, p. 50
Class Plenary
Willkommen
1, p. 52
Class plenary
Blackboard
Didactic Commentary and Reflection
I was sceptical about introducing a new grammatical concept and practising it in the same
lesson, as I thought this might be demanding too much of the students. However, their English
teacher encouraged me to challenge the students and said that they are able to grasp new
concepts quickly.
As the girls have only had German lessons for a relatively short time, I decided to introduce
the grammatical concept in English, while using German for “classroom phrases” and easy
23
instructions. I made this decision in line with the textbook, which gives explanations in
English. The decision to use English as medium of instruction was confirmed by the girls
themselves; they complain that the German teacher speaks only German with them and they
hardly understand anything and often do not know what they are supposed to do. This
understandably frustrates them.
The students found out the meaning of “kannst” in the comic without any problems and did
not ask any questions while we worked on ex. 9 in the class plenary. During the pair work
phase, many girls had questions about the meaning of words and the correct pronunciation.
This showed that it is important to include phases in which the students have the possibility to
ask each other and the teacher questions “privately”, as some of them might not feel
comfortable asking questions in front of all their classmates. Their reservation might,
however, also have been due to the fact that they did not know me very well yet and did not
know how I would react to questions.
Finding the irregularities in the conjugation of modal auxiliary verbs went quite quickly; the
girls were eager to participate. The girl who had volunteered to write the regular verb on the
board “got stuck” and was helped by her classmates, so the situation was not too embarrassing
for her.
While reading the conjugated verbs with the girls, I found that their pronunciation of the
Umlaut “ö” was not good. This is why I decided to do the pronunciation exercise for this
sound in the textbook with them (p. 64)12. The directions are a bit funny and nobody seemed
to get it right the first time, so it caused great amusement in class and may have been a good
relaxation phase.
Some students participated when I asked them questions during the phases in which I was
presenting new grammar; some even asked questions in class plenary in the course of the
lesson. Form One East was my first “big” class; before, I had only taught groups of 14 to 25
students. This lesson made it clear to me how difficult it is to keep all students in view and not
to work only with the bright and quick ones. In such big classes, it seems especially important
to include phases of pair work and group work to give all students an opportunity to talk.
12
Willkommen 1, p. 64: index VIII
24
When giving them homework at the end of the lesson, I asked the students whether they would
like to do a test on the conjugation of the modal auxiliaries in the following week. They said
that they would like to do a test, as external pressure made it easier for them to learn.
Contrary to my expectations, the students worked with concentration even towards the end of
the lesson; this may be due to the fact that they are used to lessons with a lot of input, or partly
because I was interesting to them as a new teacher and a native speaker.
I spoke about the lesson with the German teacher, Mrs. Mutuku. She commented that the
students seem to have understood the concepts I was attempting to explain and that they
seemed motivated to contribute to the lesson. She said that I had talked quite fast in the
beginning, which I had noticed myself, but that I slowed down (which took a conscious effort)
later on. She also told me that I mainly called on students sitting in the back of the class. This
may have been due to my classroom observations, during which I had the impression that the
students in the back were given less attention by the teacher than those sitting in front. This
showed me how difficult it is to eliminate a certain problem (e.g. the uneven teacher attention
given to students) even if one is aware of it; having ones own classes observed or getting
honest feedback from the students is probably the only way to become aware of one’s own
teaching mistakes.
3.3 Lesson Plan: The German School System
Class: Form Three, ten students
Duration: 60 minutes, 2:50-3:50 p.m. (9th and 10th period)
Topic: Schule in Kenia und in Deutschland (Willkommen 3, pp. 115-119)13
Class Description
The class consists of ten students from Form Three East and Form Three West. According to
the German teacher, they are highly motivated and very co-operative in class. Four of the
students are weaker than the others, but all of them work hard and are eager to improve.
13
Willkommen 3, pp. 115-119: index IX
25
Recent Work
The grammar topic the class is currently working on is “Deklination des Nomens”
(Willkommen 3, Lektion 12). The German teacher asked me to give the students an
introduction to the German school system, which is handled in Lektion 14 of the textbook.
Goal
The pupils gain an insight into the German school system and practice their speaking and
reading skills.
Objectives
1) The pupils practice their speaking skills by talking about schools in Kenya and asking
questions about the German school system. (cognitive)
2) The pupils develop a personal connection to the topic by asking questions about
aspects of the German school system that they find interesting. (affective)
3) The pupils collect and systematise basic information about the German school system
by asking questions, reading the text and filling in the table. (cognitive)
4) The pupils practice the skill of extracting relevant information from texts and diagrams
by gathering information about the German school system from the material presented
in the textbook. (cognitive)
Time Phase /Step
2
5
15
14
Welcoming
Introduction /
informing
students about
lesson content
Activity Phase I
/ activating preknowledge
Language
“Heute werden wir über das
deutsche und das kenianische
Schulsystem sprechen.”
Class
Media
Organisation/
Activities
Class Plenary -Class Plenary -/ t-information
- “Lasst uns zuerst über das
Class Plenary
kenianische Schulsystem
/ t-question, ssprechen. Stellt euch vor, dass ihr contributions
mit einer Deutschen über das
Schulsystem in Kenia sprecht.“ –
„Über welche Themen informiert
ihr sie?”
- T writes a mind map “Schule in
Kenia” on the board14
Blackboard
Mind map „Schule in Kenia“: index X
26
17
Transition /
preparing
Activity Phase
II
30
Activity Phase
II/ writing
32
Transition /
preparing
Activity Phase
III
47
Activity Phase
III/ collecting
results
49
Transition /
preparing
Activity Phase
IV
60
Activity Phase
IV / adding
15
- expected contributions:
• Schuluniform
• Internate, Tagesschulen
• Fächer
• …..
“Als nächstes werden wir über
das deutsche Schulsystem
sprechen.“
- T hands out the worksheet
- “Schaut euch bitte das
Diagramm und die Bilder an.“
- „Stellt euch vor, dass ihr für die
Schülerzeitung ein Interview mit
einer deutschen Person machen
wollt. Ihr wollt so viel wie
möglich über das deutsche
Schulsystem und Schulen in
Deutschland herausfinden.”
“Welche Fragen stellt ihr?
Erarbeitet bitte zu zweit ungefähr
10 Fragen und schreibt sie auf.”
- Students write down questions
in pairs.
- “Jetzt könnt ihr mir eure Fragen
stellen.“
- „Die Informationen schreibe ich
an.”
Expected questions:
- Was ist eine
“Hauptschule”? Was ist
ein “Gymasium”?
- Gibt es in Deutschland
auch Internate?
- Müssen die deutschen
Schüler Schulgeld
bezahlen?
- ……
- T. writes answers on the board,
students take notes
“Ihr habt schon viel über das
deutsche Schulsystem erfahren.
Jetzt werden wir mit Hilfe des
Buchs diese Informationen
ergänzen.”
- “Lest bitte die Stichpunkte auf
S. 116 in eurem Buch.“
Class Plenary Worksheet
/ t-information “Schulen in
Deutschland”15
Class Plenary
/ t-instruction
Worksheet
“Schulen in
Deutschland”
Class Plenary
/ t-instruction
--
Class Plenary
/ s-questions,
t-answers
Blackboard
Class Plenary -/ t-information
Class Plenary
/ s read and
Willkommen
3, S. 116 &
Worksheet “Schulen in Deutschland”  index XI
27
information
72
74
Activity Phase
V/
systematising
information
Finishing /
setting of
homework
- Students read the text on p. 116
aloud, one note at a time.
- „Überlegt, welche Punkte wir
schon aufgeschrieben haben.
Ergänzt die anderen Punkte in
eurem Heft.”
- Students say whether the
information given in each point is
new to them and write down new
information in their exercise
books.
„Versucht jetzt zu zweit, die
Informationen in Übung 3 (S.
117) zuzuordnen und in einer
Tabelle zusammen zu fassen.”
“Schreibt einen kurzen Artikel
(ca. 1 Seite) für die
Schülerzeitung über das deutsche
Schulsystem. Was findet ihr
besonders interessant? Was ist
anders als in Kenia?“
- T writes homework on the
board.
write
exercise books
Pair work / s
Willkommen
read and write 3, S. 117 &
exercise books
Class Plenary
/ t-instruction
Blackboard
Didactic commentary
The lesson is meant to equip the learners with basic knowledge about the German school
system; the idea running through the lesson is cross-cultural information about the school
systems. The students are asked to put themselves into the situation of Kenyan students
informing Germans about the Kenyan school system and sharing their knowledge of the
German school system with Kenyan students. This situation is similar to the “story” on which
the textbook is based; it deals with a student exchange between a Kenyan and a German
school. The German students visit Kenya in the first book; the Kenyan students go to visit
Germany in book three.
The mind map in the first phase of the lesson is meant to re-activate the students’ preknowledge of the Kenyan school system. They are asked to focus on the aspects they would
mention if they had to inform a German person about the school system in their country. In
this phase, the students also revise vocabulary which they need to talk about schools and
school systems in general. Hopefully the students can be encouraged to participate in class
through the choice of the topic, about which the students know more than the teacher. The
28
mind map, which is the product of this first phase, can be taken as a basis for formulating
questions in the next phase of the lesson.
In the second activity phase, the teacher hands out a worksheet with pictures and diagrams
about the German school system. The students are then asked to formulate questions which
they would ask a German interview partner if they had to prepare an article for the school
magazine. Many words and concepts mentioned on the worksheet are unknown to the
students, while others might seem familiar, so the formulation of questions should not prove
too difficult.
In the third activity phase, the students interview the teacher about the German school system.
The students can decide which aspects to focus on; other information can be added at a later
stage. As the spelling of many relevant words may be unknown, the teacher will take notes on
the board; the students take notes.
After the students have asked their questions, they are requested to read a text in the textbook
to supplement the information they have collected so far. They then systematise the
information by collecting it in a table in the textbook.
As homework, the students are asked to write an article (e.g. for a school magazine) about
points they found particularly important or interesting. The homework thus builds on the
interview questions the students asked in the second activity phase.
Reflection on the lesson
In Activity Phase I, the students were a bit slow to contribute at first; teacher-questions were
necessary to elicit answers. The students contributed more readily after a couple of minutes;
the mind map16 which was the product of this session gave quite extensive information about
the Kenyan school system.
Many aspects mentioned on the worksheet were unknown to the students. In the beginning,
they wanted to ask the questions immediately. They wrote down more questions than I had
expected, so the phase took five minutes longer than planned (up to minute 35).
When the students asked their questions, every answer seemed to lead to another question.
They asked about differences between the German and the Kenyan school systems and gave
their opinions about difficulties and advantages of both systems. The students mentioned
many more aspects than I would have expected, and since the discussion was very animated, it
16
Mind map “Schule in Kenia”  index X
29
took almost 20 minutes longer than planned. I decided not to break off the discussion and
continue with the textbook, because the students were obviously very interested in the topic,
and we mentioned many aspects given in the text book in our discussion.
The rest of the lesson plan had to be considerably shortened: we read some of the points
mentioned in the textbook (p. 116) and spoke about how this information fits in with what we
had already talked about. This means that we did part of Activity Phase IV and left out
Activity Phase V. As we had not systematically collected the information yet, I did not want to
ask the girls to write the magazine article yet. Their homework was to add the new
information from the textbook to their information in the exercise book.
I had given the lesson plan to Mrs. Mutuku in advance, so she knew that the lesson was
supposed to look different. During the feedback session after the lesson, we agreed that it was
good that the girls showed so much interest that an animated discussion became possible.
During the discussion with the students, I had switched to English when matters became too
difficult to express in German. Mrs. Mutuku said that this was understandable, because the
students’ questions demanded answers which were so complex that they could not have
understood them in German. She asked me to take over the next lesson as well to finish the
session about the German school system and - in the coming lessons - to concentrate on using
German as much as possible.
3.3 Lesson Plan: Practice for the Oral Examination
Class: Form Four, 6 students
Duration: 75 minutes, 4:45 – 6:00 p.m.
Topic: Familie
Description of the Class
The students are all girls; they are 16 to 18 years old. They have been learning German for
four years and have had three to four lessons a week every term. This amounts to a total of
about 500 hours of German lessons. The girls are learning German as their third foreign
language: their mother tongue is Kikamba; in school, they have learned Kiswahili and English.
The group is so small because German is an elective subject. Many students dropped the
subject after Form Two. Asked for the reasons, some of them said that they found it too
difficult and preferred to take Commerce; others dropped the subject because all German
30
teachers from Germany left the school and the students were not sure whether German would
continue to be taught.
Generally, the group’s performance is good. The students attained a mean grade of B+ in the
KCSE mock examinations. However, two of the students are much weaker than the other four.
The students are in their final term in school (Form Four, third term) and are preparing for
their KCSE examinations, which will begin in October.
Recent Work
Currently, the Form Four students are being taught by the Kenyan German teacher, and
myself. I am preparing them for the oral examination and the listening comprehension task;
the Kenyan German teacher is working on grammar and composition with them.
Goal
The pupils prepare for the oral examination by practising their pronunciation, reading and
speaking skills.
Objectives
1) The pupils practice the pronunciation of the ö-sound by doing the pronunciation
exercise. (cognitive)
2) The pupils reactivate the vocabulary from the word field “Familie” by collecting and
systematising words in a mind map. (cognitive)
3) The pupils practice concentrating on accuracy in reading through the reading exercise
“Fehlerlesen”. (cognitive)
4) The pupils develop a personal connection to the topic by exchanging their views on
“Familie” during the group discussion. (affective)
5) The students prepare for the exam situation by giving a short presentation to the class.
(cognitive)
Time Phase / Step
2
4
Welcoming
Introduction /
informing
Language
„Wir machen zuerst die
nächste Ausspracheübung,
Class
Media
Organisation /
Activities
Class plenary
-Class plenary / -teacher
(t)31
students about
the lesson
Activity phase I
/ pronunciation
exercise
9
11
Transition /
preparing
Activity Phase
II
18
Activity Phase
II / reading
20
Transition /
preparing
Activity Phase
III
30
32
17
dann sprechen wir über
das Thema ‚Familie’.”
„Holt die Blätter mit den
Ausspracheübungen
heraus. Lest bitte reihum
je ein Wortpaar vor.“
“Wir werden jetzt den
Text über “Familie” auf
dem Arbeitsblatt lesen.
Wir machen
“Fehlerlesen”. Könnt ihr
euch noch an die Regeln
erinnern?“
- Teacher (t) hands
out the texts
- if necessary, P
summarizes the
rules
Fehlerlesen
„Wir werden zunächst die
Wörter zum Thema
Familie an der Tafel
sammeln. Margaret hat
dieses Thema vorbereitet,
sie wird anfangen.“
Activity Phase
- Margaret writes words
III / collecting
on the board in form of a
vocabulary
mind map.
- Class adds words to the
list; Teacher assists where
necessary (e.g. supplying
unknown words,
correcting spelling)
- expected words:
Familienmitglieder,
Aufgaben von Familie,
Großfamilie /
Kleinfamilie…
Transition
/ - „Lest bitte die Fragen
preparing
unter dem Text.“
Activity Phase - S reads the questions
IV
aloud; Students (SS) have
the possibility to ask
comprehension questions.
- “Setzt euch in einer
information
Class plenary /
student
(s)contributions, tcorrections (?)
Class plenary /
t-instruction
Worksheet
1:
Ausspracheübung
Worksheet
2:
„Übung für die
mündliche Prüfung,
Thema: Familie“17
Class plenary / Worksheet 2
s-contributions,
s-corrections
Class plenary / Blackboard
t-instruction
Class plenary / Blackboard
s-contributions,
t-assistance (?)
Class plenary / Worksheet 2
t-instruction, pcontribution (?)
Worksheet 2: “Übung für die mündliche Prüfung. Thema: Familie.“: index XII
32
42
50
52
59
67
70
Gruppe
zusammen.
Diskutiert die Fragen.“
- „Macht nach der
Diskussion
bitte
Stichpunkte.“
Activity Phase Group discussion
Group work / pIV / discussion
discussion
Activity phase Students write notes on Individual work
V / collecting their personal view
/ note-taking
results
Transition
/ „Wer möchte uns seine Class plenary /
preparing
Meinung vortragen?“
t-question
Activity Phase
VI
Activity Phase S-presentation,
T- Class plenary /
VI / student questions
s-presentation,
presentation
t-questions
Activity Phase T-comment on the S- Class plenary /
VII / reflection presentation, questions / t-comment, sson
the comments from other questions
presentation
students
Finishing
/ - „Wer bereitet das Thema Class plenary /
Homework
„Berufe“ für morgen vor?“ t-contribution
- “Als Hausaufgabe könnt
ihr, wenn ihr wollt, einen
Aufsatz schreiben. Das
Thema steht auf eurem
Arbeitsblatt.“
Worksheet 2
Exercise books
--
--
--
Worksheet 2
Didactic Commentary
The goal of the lesson is to prepare the students for the oral KCSE examination. In the oral
exam, the students will be given a text, four discussion questions and a picture. They will have
15 minutes time to prepare to read the text, give a short talk on one of the given topics and
describe the picture. The aspects that will be assessed are pronunciation and intonation, the
students’ ability to communicate (e.g. by reacting to examiners’ questions), the linguistic
correctness of the students’ utterances and the range of vocabulary they use. The exam will
take about 15 minutes.
The students have spoken about all the relevant topics in class; the teacher has taught the
complete syllabus. Therefore, to prepare the students for the oral examination, we are revising
with them and trying to encourage them to speak as much German as possible. For instance,
we are attempting to reactivate the words and expressions the students know in connection
with particular topics. Mrs Mutuku and I went through the German exams of the last ten years
33
to get an idea of the type of question the students might be asked to discuss. We chose revision
topics from this list. We also work on sounds that the girls find difficult to pronounce, and
practise free speaking. Another aspect that we are practising is how to describe pictures,
graphs and statistics.
In this lesson we will focus on the topic “Familie” Unconnected to the topic we handle in the
lesson, we have been doing pronunciation exercises at the beginning of each lesson, as some
of the girls have problems pronouncing sounds that do not occur in English, Swahili, and their
mother tongue. The pronunciation exercises were compiled by a German teacher who used to
teach in Precious Blood Kilungu; they focus on the Umlaute (i.e. ö, ü, ä), the difference
between r and l (which Kikuyus find difficult to pronounce, as the “l”-sound does not exist in
their language), and the pronunciation of words beginning with a vowel without an “h” (which
Wakamba tend to find difficult). In this lesson, we will practice the long and short “ö-sound”
(i.e. /ø/ and /œ/).
The text18 we will read is connected to the topic “Familie”. It is meant to give the students an
introduction to the topic, but the main focus of the text is to give the students an accuracybased reading exercise. As the students are meant to focus primarily on the correct
pronunciation and intonation, they will read the text aloud. We will play the game
“Fehlerlesen”: one student starts reading, if the others hear a mistake, they give a signal (e.g.
by knocking on the table) and the next student continues. Thus, the students are motivated to
read correctly and to listen keenly. “Fehlerlesen” is not a game I would play with every group,
as some students might feel shy to read to a large audience and be embarrassed if they only
manage to read a few words before making the first mistake. However, this is a small group,
the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and the students know each other well. They are also
used to me, as I taught them for a year when they were in Form One and Form Two.
For each lesson, one student prepares to present words and expressions on the topic to the
class; she writes them on the board as a mind map. The mind map as a way of presenting
vocabulary seems appropriate for this group:
it enables them to collect the vocabulary
connected to a certain word field in a systematic way, which is useful when they present a talk
on the topic. They generally do not need the translation of the words, so vocabulary lists
would not be appropriate. However, the students are encouraged to write down every noun
18
Worksheet 2: “Übung für die mündliche Prüfung. Thema: Familie.“: index XII
34
with its definite article (indicating whether it is masculine, feminine or neuter) and its plural.
Verbs are noted down in the infinitive form; the participle is added if it is irregular. When the
student has written the vocabulary she has collected on the board, the other students will have
the opportunity to add words, assisted by the teacher if necessary.
The students will then read the questions given under the text („Wie wichtig ist deine Familie
für dich? Du kannst zum Beispiel über folgende Aspekte sprechen: Was für ein Verhältnis hast
du zu deinen Eltern? Brauchst du deine Familie? Wer gehört zu deiner Familie? Möchtest du
später heiraten und Kinder haben? Wer ernährt die Familie? Wie wictig sind Geld und
Karriere?”) and discuss them in two groups for approximately ten minutes. They will then take
notes on their answers to the questions for about five minutes as a preparation for presenting a
short talk on the topic.
One student will present her views on the topic; the teacher will ask her questions in order to
practice communicative skills and spontaneity. The other students will also be allowed to ask
the presenter questions or comment on the presentation. The student who presented will be
given corrective feedback after the lesson if the mistakes she made are not ones that the others
are also likely to make.
The lesson will end with an explanation of the homework. The students are told that they may
write a short composition on what they know about family life in Germany and in how far it
differs from family life in Kenya. The topic was handled in Form Three; as it is not possible to
revise every topic orally, the students are encouraged to write short compositions both in order
to practice their writing skills and in order to revise the facts they learned on various cultural
and social aspects of life in Kenya and Germany. The composition task is voluntary, as the
students have already been given the task to write two compositions every week in preparation
for the KCSE examination. One student will be asked to prepare a mind map on “Berufe”, the
next day’s topic.
In case one of the activities takes longer than expected, we will meet again in the evening.
This is necessary, as we have to handle one topic a day according to our exam preparation
schedule. In case we finish sooner than expected, a second student will present her short talk
on “Familie”.
35
Reflection on the Lesson
The pronunciation exercise showed that some of the students find the pronunciation of the ösound difficult. However, they were able to pronounce it quite well when reminded of the
position the mouth has to take.
The activity “Fehlerlesen” took slightly longer than expected. The students seemed motivated
by the competitive aspect of the exercise; they listened keenly and read slowly and
deliberately. I could observe that the four stronger students were quite strict with each other;
they enjoyed being able to knock for a mistake after a short time. In contrast, they were more
tolerant when the weak students were reading and ignored some quite obvious pronunciation
mistakes. This observation confirmed my opinion that the students in the group know each
other well and are very considerate.
While collecting ideas for the mind map, a point I would not have expected to be emphasised
so much is “Probleme in der Familie”. The girls collected many words and expressions to
express problems that can occur in families, what possible causes for these problems are and
which consequences they can have (e.g. Alkoholsucht, Drogenkonsum, Gewalt, Missbrauch,
Misshandlung, Arbeitslosigkeit, Streit, Scheidung)19.
The group discussion was very animated; the students seemed to have a genuine interest in the
topic. They expressed their views in German, consulting the dictionary where necessary and
challenged each other’s opinions. As the girls were still discussing after ten minutes, I decided
to let them continue. After twenty minutes, I asked them to come to an end and make notes.
One of the students volunteered to present; I asked her several content-related questions
during the presentation, which she was able to answer quite well. The other students did not
have any comments or questions relating to the presentation; maybe they had spoken about all
relevant issues during the group discussion. After the presentation, I wrote some of the
student’s mistakes on the board and asked the group to try to correct them. The students then
asked questions relating to the exam situation, e.g. what they can do if they do not understand
a question, if they can not remember a particular word or if they may use the Swahili word if
they are talking about a concept that does not exist in English or German. When I told their
German teacher about these questions, we decided to compile a list of “Redemittel” for the
students to increase their confidence and give them the feeling that they know how to react
appropriately in the exam situation.
19
Mind map “Familie”: index XIII
36
At six o’clock, we were still listening to the presentation. I asked the students whether they
wanted to continue for a few minutes rather than meeting in the evening to give feedback on
the presentation, and they agreed. We finished ten minutes later than planned.
4 Conclusion
My six weeks of teaching practice in Precious Blood Secondary School Kilungu gave me a
good insight into school life in a Kenyan boarding school and various aspects of being a
teacher. For instance, I experienced lesson preparation, teaching, giving marks, preparing
students for examinations, attending extra-curricular activities, and attending staff meetings.
Due to the fact that I knew the school, most of the teachers, and some of the students, I found
it quite easy to get used to my surroundings again. However, the perspective I had was
different due to the background knowledge of four semesters at university, the classroom
observation tasks, and the lesson plans.
I was given the opportunity to observe many English lessons with different teachers and thus
got an impression of different teaching styles. The classroom observation tasks were helpful in
focusing on aspects which I would otherwise certainly not have paid any attention to, for
example attending behaviour and feedback to mistakes.
In the lessons I taught myself, I appreciated the fact that the students were well-prepared and
interested; this made teaching very enjoyable.
There are hardly any discipline problems and the students are eager to learn, so teaching at
Precious Blood Secondary School is very motivating for teachers. One gets the impression that
the students value the good education the school offers to them and that they are determined to
make the most of this opportunity.
In spite of the high pressure, caused for example by the positioning of students in class, the
minimum grade of B+ necessary for university entrance, and the ranking of secondary schools
according to the KCSE results, the atmosphere in the classes is positive. For instance, I never
witnessed a student being laughed at in class, and teachers say that strong students go out of
their way to help weaker ones.
37
The teachers were all helpful and open; most teachers from the English department had time to
discuss the lessons I had observed. The other teachers were also ready to assist me whenever I
needed help, for example when I was collecting information about the Kenyan school system.
Unfortunately, the German teacher was sometimes not available for speaking about my lesson
plans in advance; she was also not always there to attend the lessons I was teaching. She
seems to be under a lot of pressure, because the other two German teachers have retired and
she only qualified as a teacher four years ago. The German teacher seemed reluctant to let me
observe her lessons; this is another reason why I worked on all the classroom observation
tasks in English lessons.
The experiences I made during my teaching practice strengthened me in my decision to
become a teacher. I also think that obtaining the secondary school qualification to be able to
teach abroad is a realistic perspective for my future.
38
5 Index
Map of Kenya.......................................................................................................................
Vision and Mission Statement..............................................................................................
School Rules.........................................................................................................................
Order of the Day.......................................................................................................…........
Wangui wa Goro: Heaven and Earth...................................................................................
The board as a resource: Items on the board........................................................................
Willkommen 1, pp. 49-52.....................................................................................................
Willkommen 1, p. 64............................................................................................................
Willkommen 3, pp. 115-119.................................................................................................
Mind map „Schule in Kenia“ ...............................................................................................
Worksheet „Schule in Deutschland“ ...................................................................................
Mind map „Familie” ............................................................................................................
Worksheet 2: “Übung für die mündliche Prüfung. Thema: Familie“ ..................................
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
XIII
39
6 Bibliography
Clarke, Ayebia. Half a Day and Other Stories. An Anthology of Short Stories from North
Eastern and Eastern Africa. Nairobi: Macmillan Kenya Publishers, 2004.
Dulin, Eberhard (Ed.). Willkommen. A German Language Course for Secondary Schools in
Kenya. Course Book 1. Nairobi: Kenya Institute of Education, 1995.
Dulin, Eberhard (Ed.). Willkommen. A German Language Course for Secondary Schools in
Kenya. Course Book 3. Nairobi: Kenya Institute of Education, 1995.
Ojany, Francis. Kenya, a Study in Physical and Human Geography. Nairobi: Longman.
Oludhe Macgoye, Marjorie. Coming to Birth. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers,
1986.
Wajnryb, Ruth. Classroom observation tasks: a resource book for language teachers and
trainers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1992.
40
7 Erklärung
Die/der Unterzeichnete versichert, dass er/sie die vorliegende schriftliche Arbeit selbstständig
verfasst und keine anderen als die von ihm/ihr angegebenen Hilfsmittel benutzt hat. Die
Stellen der Arbeit, die anderen Werken dem Wortlaut oder dem Sinne nach entnommen sind,
wurden in jedem Fall unter Angabe der Quellen kenntlich gemacht. Dies gilt auch für
beigegebene Zeichnungen, bildliche Darstellungen, Skizzen und dergleichen.
Der/den Unterzeichneten ist bewusst, dass jedes Zuwiderhandeln (Einreichen einer Arbeit, die
wörtlich oder nahezu wörtlich, ganz oder zu Teilen aus einer Arbeit oder mehreren Arbeiten
[publiziert im Internet, in Zeitschriften, Monographien etc.] anderer übernommen ist) als
Täuschungsversuch (siehe § 18 BPO) gelten kann, der die Bewertung der Arbeit mit „nicht
ausreichend “ zur Folge hat.
______________________________ _____________________________
Ort, Datum
Unterschrift
41