- how the teacher introduces scientific terminology
- hwo the teacher uses scientific terms that students should already know
- which language and how langugage is sued by the teacher
- which language is sue by students and how it is used
- any foreign students present and how these are addressed/integrated
- any language difficultors observed, any specific anecdotes
Task 1: Use of language in the classroom
There are 8 students in the class, with all the students being Maltese, though it must be noted that whilst all the students can understand Maltese, not all of them feel comfortable speaking in Maltese. One of the students has shown some signs of struggle when the lesson was explained in Maltese as he comes from an English speaking family.
During the observed lessons, the teacher introduced a number of different concepts, including the introduction of the chapter of separating mixtures, how to write a practical and revising the chapter of solids, liquids, and gases by correcting the homework.
On introducing the chapter of separating mixtures it was immediately noted that the teacher was switching between Maltese and English, mainly to make sure that all of the students could understand the new concept and some of the new definitions. This enabled all of the students to be able to understand the concept of the new chapter, giving them a good base to understand future lessons. On explaining the concept of dissolution the teacher made a reference to the Maltese version of ‘tinhall’, which is the translation of melting. Mr Cassar explained that whilst in the Maltese language students might be using this term at home, this is not the correct terminology when it comes to chemistry.
When talking about the dissolution of gases some students could not understand how gases can dissolve in water. After trying to re-explain this concept in Maltese, as this student was more fluent in Maltese, the teacher used two short real-life examples. The first was reaffirming the simple fact that fish can breathe underwater and that therefore oxygen must have been dissolved in water. The second example was an actual story that happened to the teacher a few years prior. Whilst he was swimming he saw this metal rod underwater. Since he loved fishing he decided to dive and get the rod to the surface, expressing his relief that the rod had not rusted. The following morning this rod had rusted, showing that whilst oxygen can dissolve in water, this is not done in large amounts.
When analysing the most common mistakes found in the homework the teacher spoke only in Maltese, as this was the language that both him and most of his students feel most comfortable with. This allowed the teacher to help students understand what they did wrong and what could have been done better in a way they could understand. In fact, it was easily noticeable that all students, irrespective of their mark in the homework, felt that they were satisfied with the explanation, and left the classroom knowing that next time, they could do better.
After the lesson, I had a meeting with my mentor and we had a small discussion about the language used in classroom. This allowed me to be able to discern on the language used in my classroom, especially in the areas where I differ from the teacher that I was observing. During the conversation, I questioned the use of the Maltese language during the lesson, especially when considering that the exam will be in English. My mentor pointed out that whilst the exam is in English it is important that the students first understand the concepts prior to being able to answer questions in an exam. In fact, after this conversation I realised hat code-switching from Maltese to English and vice versa should not be frowned upon during a lesson, but rather be used as a tool to ensure that all students are given the same opportunities to understand all the concepts that I am putting forward during the lesson.