Abby CO #1

I observed the Intermediate Speaking class on June 24th with Olivia James. Students learned about the "Music of English" and how native speakers intonate their words and sentences. I really enjoyed how Professor James incorporated relevant holidays into the curriculum to educate students about U.S. culture while practicing their speaking skills. At first, I was taken aback with how she would speak with her students. It was very direct and she did not hesitate in correcting her student's pronunciations and speech patterns. However, it became clear that while it initially seemed brash to me, it was helpful to the students and there was still a friendly atmosphere in the classroom. She wanted the students to get it right! Additionally, When Professor James noticed that one student was having trouble concentrating, she made a point to ask a student what their favorite rap song is as part of an activity that contributed to the lesson.  I admired Professor James' quick thinking skills, relentlessness in her corrections, and commitment to the students. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Samar TS #18

  Date: 8/26/25 Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Listening and reading comprehension Feedback: This was a listening and reading comprehension activity inspired by Jean’s lesson. I talked with Hyobin about some American traditions surrounding the 4th of July. She told me about her experiences with it, which got her engaged in the topic of the content for the lesson. We watched a Crash Course video on the 4th of July, then she read the script for it, and then she did a comprehension quiz. I gave her feedback on her answers at the end, and we left some more time for discussion about other parts of American culture. Lessons learned: Having a variety of learning media is a great way to mix up the classroom. The warm-up discussion got Hyobin interested, the video solidified her interest and entertained her, and the script kept her focused. 
Read more

Samar TS #19

  Date: 8/27/25 Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Creative writing Feedback: Essay writing isn’t the only kind of writing, so I decided to teach Hyobin a bit about creative writing. She has a pretty active imagination, so we talked about how she could implement that into writing. We talked about some creative topics and then discussed each to see how creative we could get. I then had her try out some writing of her own, which I gave feedback on after.  Lessons learned: I learned it’s good to throw in some topics of interest to keep students engaged. Hyobin mentioned she liked writing, and I knew creative writing was something that could combine interests with an educational opportunity. I asked her how the lesson was, and the response was positive (proving my thoughts correct).
Read more

Samar TS #14

Date: 8/14/25 Location: Zoom Topic/Skill: Writing practice Feedback: In this session, I had Hyobin write an essay based on the sources she read in the previous session and the outline she came up with. Most of the session was dedicated to this, but I would give her feedback throughout when she brought questions to my attention. At the end, we had a few minutes for discussion, where I was able to give feedback as well. Lessons learned: I think I needed to give more time for writing, because expecting a lengthy essay isn’t entirely possible for a 1-hour session. We ended up needing to give more time to writing in the next session.
Read more