Tatum CO #1

Topic/Skill: Speaking Group 4-A

Teacher Presentation: In the class I observed, the students were preparing to work on powerpoint speaking presentations. After the time for correcting their speaking assignments, the instructor began explaining the presentation assignment. To do so, he handed out outlines for the students to fill in as they brainstormed their topic. The topic for the presentation was "an object that represents you," so students chose things such as their country, coffee, chocolate, and a variety of other objects. This is an interesting presentation as it engages students by allowing them to pick something of interest, while also encouraging them to think critically about abstract concepts in English. 

Classroom Management:  The instructor encouraged students to speak in class and answered questions very casually. Students would look up words on their phone and were allowed to use a variety of resources. I think this class period in particular was more casual because the students were working on a project.

Student Participation: As this was an upper-level English class, the instructor did not change the pace of speaking but he did make sure to articulate well when giving instructions. When students did not know what a word meant, he also asked other students to define the words instead of immediately defining them himself. 

Feedback Provided: At the beginning of the class, the instructor gave them time to correct a previous assignment. I noticed he walked around and answered students questions while also giving them time to self-correct. I think this is something I would like to implement in my future classroom because it makes students more self-aware of their mistakes. 

Lesson(s) on teaching you learned: I hope to use some of these techniques when I begin teaching English as I would like to give my students as much time as possible to speak in the classroom. Encouraging other students to answer questions instead of immediately answering them as the instructor is a good technique to let students practice their speaking skills while simultaneously providing feedback.