Suzanne-OB 3

During the second to last week of class, I had the pleasure of observing Michele Downie's advanced level reading class. I knew Michele's name from some of the CIES students I was interacting with,and I was excited to observe her class because she seemed to be a favorite. I was also excited to see what the most advanced students had to offer. I wasn't let down in the slightest. I think it's easier for us, as up and coming teachers, to positively judge upper level classes because the teaching process runs so much more smoothly, so this is no way meant to overshadow the other classes I observed, but Michele earned her positive judgment from me.

She opened the class by asking the students if they had any questions relating to the vocabulary from last class, and none did. She then put a worksheet on the projector to help the students better understand the concept of free will and how it relates to democracy, a topic they were exploring in this and previous classes - very advanced subjects, but ones that didn't seem out of reach to the students. Then she pulled out an article that the students had read in the class beforehand, an article debating different sides of free will, which was very advanced - a read even for me. But the students could handle it. They felt comfortable with Michele and each other and spoke without needing to be asked, with the exception of a few, and naturally, some students spoke out more often than other students. If a student asked a question, Michele would ask them to repeat it louder for the rest of the class - always a good tactic. She also had them try to define different vocabulary words instead of explaining them herself, which encouraged participation from within the class. In general, she had control over the room and commanded attention and the classroom environment was comfortable and engaged, but sometimes it felt more like a lecture and less like a discussion.

The "housekeeping duties" were done at the end of the class, which didn't seem to be as effective as doing them in the beginning, because the students' minds already seemed out the door - especially since it was the class before lunch AND the students had been drained from taking their TOEFL tests all week. But I liked that she talked about what the plan was for the next class - that way, students would know what to expect.