Sarah_CO_#1

CO#: 1

Date/Time: 10/22/14 at 2:00PM

Location: Hecht House, Room 213

Topic/Skill: Foundations- Listening

Teacher Presentation: Bell Ringer, Attendance, Listening Practice

Classroom Management: High energy

Materials: Projector, handouts, audio track

Student Participation: Active

Feedback Provided: Explicit Corrective Feedback

Lesson(s) on teaching you learned: Structuring activities, verbal and nonverbal engagement

"Capisce?", Foundations instructor Felicia Ciappetta asked the full class of CIES students after presenting the day's agenda. "Capisce," the class thunderously replied. From start to finish, I observed an instruction period with infectious high-energy that reverberated from instructor to student. The class warmed up with a bell ringer activity about describing a family tree based on an image projected onto the board. Next, a fill-in-the-blank listening activity took place. Students listened to audio and filled in missing words. An additional listening activity prompted students to write what they heard with "talking flash cards". With three opportunities to hear the audio track, students were allowed to first work individually, then compare answers with classmates, and ultimately finalize their work with the entire class. I liked that this activity focused on listening, but also incorporated writing and self-correction.

The next activity challenged students to work together to review the alphabet. After reviewing it as class, students were then instructed to recite the alphabet successively down each row. However there was a twist: one wrong letter forced the next person to start back at “A” until everyone successfully made it to “Z”. This game was perfect for Foundations-level students who already knew the alphabet but could benefit from a challenging review. I learned that making review games competitive, fast-paced and fun not only allows students to think on their feet (a crucial element of communicative competency in acquiring a second language), but it also allows them to build interpersonal bonds.

The class concluded with an exercise focused on verbal use of the simple present. First, partners shared with each other what they do every day. Finally, each partner shared one thing that their classmate does every day while the class took notes. I learned from this exercise that there are many ways to interactively teach the simple present. I learned an important teaching lesson—just one seemingly simple activity can yield several other activities.

 

Throughout the session, the instructor spoke loudly, clearly, and slowly. She was also very animated—motioning with her hands, miming activities, and using props to communicate ideas and instructions. At times students called out answers, but mostly hand-raising was encouraged and cold-calling was used for less participative students. She also helped during activities by checking in with student pairs and offering praise. Overall, I learned a great deal about engaging lower-level language learners from both the instructor’s nonverbal and verbal communication.