Carlton CO #3

Third classroom observation (second Ryan). Tuesday, March 11, 2-3pm
Ryan Flemming, Listening group 3, 13 students
Pace of Lesson: Starting quickly and adjusting to a slower pace during the main activity and getting busier trying to get a good start on the notes modeling homework.

Teacher Presentation: Begins with a new assignment, a listening log using Ted.com videos. Choose a main topic and describe with sentences including five new vocabulary. Demonstrate navigating the site. Then a timer is set for first activity, review a vocabulary list from the article "Sports Doping" including: to ban, to dope, to supervise, steroid, equilibrium, reproductive, cholesterol. Students quiz each other (peer assessment) and complete worksheet.

Main listening activity is an audio file about St. Patrick's Day holiday, about three minutes long. Play clip to introduce. Distribute handout and explain the task of transcription and the grading guidelines. Fill in the blanks, grammar must be correct but spelling errors that do not affect meaning are OK.  I was asked to read from a script for the third hearing because the clip was a bit noisy, even when slowed. The students appreciated this and commented.

The third activity was a new handout article "Alternatives to Antibiotics", a VOA special English Science report, clearly recorded for an ESL audience. Another great source for many topical listening activities. He distributed the transcript on paper and asked class to form groups of three. Today was a guided exercise in note taking, not transcription (dicto-comp?). Ryan circulates while groups work giving hints to the class: skip lines, numbers and dates with keywords, never alone. Record when the speaker changes, write negatives as symbols (+ -) and arrows for increase/decrease, use simple subject, verb, object notation.

Classroom Management: Uses vocal and on screen timer countdowns to keep groups on task. Even forming groups with "find a partner in five seconds, four, three…". One girl was intent on working alone all class. I asked about her and Ryan said he wondered about her but was not requiring her to work with others until he understood her situation better. We spoke about tragic events in her home country recently. Groups work quietly, not as noisy as some other classes. When alarm sound indicates the end of the timed activity, Ryan does not have to ask for the class to reform, to my surprise.

Teaching Aids: Ted.com is a site that includes complete transcripts of every video. Computer projection of slides and agenda. Internet based timer. Paper handout worksheet. Software to slow audio file playback for listening comprehension. Google image search to illustrate vocabulary "shamrock" and "plyc" bacteria.

Student Production: This group is much more confident and outspoken in class. Comments include "I want to change my partner" are not disruptive, there is more mixing, telling jokes, asking questions. Ryan collects all class worksheets. Self assessment on vocabulary and peer assessment, exchange and grade using the projected transcription key used for listening activity, reinforcing students exposure to common errors in others. Discussion of "beautiful mistakes" and explain vocabulary in context: Irish "descent", "famine."

Overall Impression: Ryan is a very efficient user of time and the class seems to respect his efforts and cooperates very well. He is assertive, but never pushy. He is not ambiguous about anything and explains every part of the class activity ahead of time. There are no surprises and expectations are very clear. He is very well prepared, and prepared for the unexpected question.