My final practicum teaching experience was conversation club on November 23. The focus of the conversation was a show and tell of an item near students in the room they were located. Kathy and I chose this topic as we felt that students would be comfortable speaking about a personal item within their vicinity and it would provide an opportunity for Kathy and I to get to know the students quickly.
At first it felt like Kathy and I were talking a lot as the students seemed to be nervous. In order to get the conversation started I called on specific students to introduce themselves in order to break the ice. After a couple of the students introduced themselves it seemed the tension subsided and many students wanted to engage.
We proceeded with the lesson, explained the activity and shared an item from the rooms we were located in; students responded really well to this. So many students wanted to turn on their cameras and share their item! Other students commented in the chat about each of the items and overall it was an extremely positive way in which to end our practicum teaching experience.
This experience reminded me of the importance of sharing a little about yourself as the teacher in order to create a connection with the students. This small act of sharing built trust between the students and teacher and helped to create a virtual safe space for students to engage with.