Taylor CO #1

Date/Time: Monday, January 11^th, 1:00-1:50pm

Topic/Skill: Speaking (Group 2) – Syllabus & Cultural Differences

Teacher Presentation: For the first approximately 15 minutes of class, the teacher handed out the worksheet from the week prior to any newcomers and had the students separate into two groups to discuss it. The worksheet was about certain aspects of a country’s culture and deciding whether or not each “rule” is unconsciously known or actively spoken about. Following this, the teacher reminded the students to sign up for a conversation partner if they wanted one, and gave them a few minutes to do so. The next 15 or so minutes was an overview of the syllabus, where the teacher described common activities they would do in class, such as “Table Topics” (impromptu speaking for 2-3 minutes on a selected topic), in order to reach their goal of improving their conversation skills. The teacher used the syllabus as an opportunity to then cover some of the more difficult words used in it, having the students first try to define each word and use it in a sentence before then explaining it himself. He then put a sentence up on the board that one of the students had used in their discussion earlier that used incorrect grammar (without naming the student) and helped them fix it.

Classroom Management: This class was pretty well-run, as the teacher did his best to move them along through their scheduled activities. He did run out of time at the end (wanted students to be able to hold discussions in pairs), but otherwise managed the class well. While in class, the students clearly made an effort to speak English with one another, and the teacher kept the mood light with jokes and a generally positive attitude.

Materials: White board, computer, projector, worksheet

Student Participation: Students were able to discuss with one another over the worksheet and thus share their own cultures in the process. Students were also given the opportunity to first define the vocabulary before the teacher clarified the meanings.

Feedback Provided: During the worksheet discussion, the teacher sat with both groups and joined in on discussion, guiding them in understanding the assignment if certain concepts seemed unclear and sharing his own experience as an example. In defining the vocabulary, the teacher encouraged the students to form example sentences using the vocabulary rather than just listing the definitions. For the final grammar correction, the teacher assured the students that the sentence they were now fixing was a “beautiful mistake” and helped them to see what was causing the error in it.

Lesson(s) on teaching you learned: This class reiterated to me the idea that humor and a friendly demeanor, while still retaining command of the classroom, can go a long way in making the students feel welcome and willing to share, as well as showing them that learning English doesn’t have to be purely dull exercises. I also liked the “Table Topics” activity that the teacher introduced in the syllabus, as it would be very helpful in gauging and improving students’ ability to communicate without memorizing something beforehand.