Not all learners develop at the same rate. Monitoring offers the opportunity to assess the progress of individuals, and can also provide an indication of what to re-teach or practice further.
Monitoring shouldn’t only happen when students are doing group activities or pair-work. Active monitoring should take place throughout the duration of the class to facilitate learning, especially for the students sitting at the back, who often need more individual attention and support.
After the teacher leading the activity (T1) teaches new language or sets up an activity, the assistant teachers (T2s) can move around the room, helping the students sitting far from the front to do extra practice, such as:
- getting students to say the target English words;
- checking individual students’ pronunciation;
- helping students practice the dialogues;
- getting students to give the answers to what T1 is asking.
This way, more students get the opportunity to practice speaking English. Don’t forget: during monitoring, each T2 should be in a different part of the classroom, to ensure maximum student coverage.