Lauren CO #2

High Intermediate Listening Class Group 3 Observation, Professor Olivia James

Date/Time: Wednesday, June 25th, 2:00-2:50pm 

Topic/Skill: Listening and Discussing Non-Traditional Families

Class Summary: 

    To begin class, the professor displayed the syllabus for the session. They are going to explore a wide variety of topics, such as, modern families, the deaf community, fairytales, the loneliness problem, and the qualities of a great leader. 

    The professor outlined the necessary assignments and exams the students will complete to advance to the next level or group. She explicitly mentioned the grades the students need to move from level five to six or seven. Group 3's listening goals include comprehending a "TED Talk"-style lecture, analyze information, take notes, summarize, and state main ideas and details. 

    Then, each student brought out their "Multiple-Listening Lecture" packet, a workbook designed for the topic of "Modern Family". After, students activated their background knowledge by answering questions like, How have families changed over time? Are there more traditional or non-traditional families in your country? The U.S.? The professor taught family vocabulary, stepparents, adopted parents, parental figures. 

    Students watched a clip from "Full House", a popular American sitcom from the 1980s and 90s, to illustrate how many families are not "typical", and people become parts of your family even when they aren't biologically related. They watched twice, with subtitles and without. 

   The final activity was to listen to a 4-minute CIES podcast on adoption, featuring Dr. Angel Rios, a father of five adopted children. After they listened, the professor worked with her students to define unfamiliar vocabulary.

Lesson(s) on teaching you've learned: When teaching English language learners, begin to discuss a new topic by relating it to their home culture or a familiar topic. For example, students explained how their home cultures have more traditional families than the United States.  It helps to engage students with fun and engaging clips.

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