Fieldwork: What Do TESL Trainee Teachers Benefit?

Abstract

How does real classroom experience provide essential experience for TESL trainee teachers? This paper illustrates the experience gained by TESL trainee teachers through classroom observation and in-depth interviews with the observed teachers. This study was conducted to fifteen secondyear TESL trainee teachers from the education faculty of University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) who enrolled in the curriculum and pedagogy course. The trainee teachers observed and reflect teachers' teaching in schools. The findings showed that classroom observation is an important element in teacher training. It improves teacher trainees' knowledge of the job scope for English teachers at secondary level in Malaysia. Moreover, it could give them some clues and serve as guidelines on how to relate the lessons learned in the university to the real teaching practices. The findings could also help teacher training institutions to provide trainee teachers with pertinent information, knowledge and relevant skills to be effective and dynamic teachers.