Date: September 22nd, 2022
ESAL 0370 is a level 3 class focused on intermediate English reading.
Observation:
- The teacher greets the class and reviews what they had due for homework. (~10mins)
- The teacher reinforces that some material will be on their test later in the week.
- The students are put into pairs to check their homework.
- The teacher walks around the class and helps students who have questions. (~5mins)
- The teacher checks the next homework but asks students directly for the answers. (~5mins)
- Activity 1 (~20mins)
- The students participate in a gap-fill exercise.
- Two groups answer different questions then meet and discuss.
- Activity 2 (~15mins)
- Students are given the meaning and must find the word.
- Break (~10mins)
- The teacher recaps the first half. (~5mins)
- Activity 2 (~35mins)
- 4 groups participate in a gallery walk activity.
- The teacher does a final recap and gives students a paper to fill out what they wrote during the gallery walk. (~5mins)
- The teacher explains the test format. (~5mins)
Reflection:
The classroom was very conducive to learning. Desks were already organized for students to work in groups of at least four. The teacher had also set up posterboards on the wall for later use to save time and gives students a chance to review if needed. Groups were set up so that there was no common language between them so they were forced to speak English.
The teacher constantly referred back to why they were doing certain activities in relation to the objectives of the lesson. From using synonyms and antonyms to new definitions and introducing phrasal verbs. At the start of class, after the break, and finally, at the end of class the activities were recapped and students were refocused on the tasks.
The teacher gauged what the students had known previously by assigning homework and asking students if they had any questions about the material. Assigning homework prior to the lesson allows students to either review known material or familiarize themselves with it before class. This is also important because it allows the teacher to gauge how students are doing in preparation for the test later in the week.
Due to the mid-high level of the class, the teacher felt comfortable using more challenging question techniques like wh- questions, and leading questions in order to elicit specific information.
This class focused primarily on speaking skills though all of their homework involves reading passages of text. Students were encouraged to discuss what they had read and the homework that was associated with it.
Students were very enthusiastic about the activities throughout the lesson, especially the final major activity. I believe this activity resonated with students since it involved the total physical response of walking around the classroom with their group and answering questions/ filling in the blanks on the poster boards. Getting students up and about not only provides another level of engagement for them but also wakes them up after an hour of lessons. Some students had difficulties understanding the full directions of the task and had to have them re-explained to them after the teacher noticed a mistake.
The atmosphere was very positive and light-hearted. Students were very comfortable asking their group mates questions as well as the teacher as they walked around the room. There was also competitive banter between the groups while they were moving around the room and writing on the boards since some groups stayed a few extra seconds to get their last point down.
Students were fully engaged in the lesson. Students showed competitive behavior as well as eagerness to ask questions when they were unsure about something. This was not limited to just asking the teachers but between classmates as well. Students were interested in the material and continued to discuss the reading even when they were allowed to go on break.
What I learned from this observation is that pre-planning student seating as well as setting up the activities before the lesson begins can save you a lot of time and allows the lesson to be more seamless. It was also the first time that I saw the total physical response strategy and was surprised by how well it works!
Since students had some issues understanding a part of the homework I would remind myself to clarify that part of the homework the next time I gave it to students or to provide a handout of clearer instructions. This lesson was very well made and one I would like to borrow from in my future teachings!