Tuesday afternoon, March 4th, I was a class observer for Mr. Ryan Flemming's intermediate level listening class. The class began on time with roll call and a quick overview of the agenda.
As a warm-up exercise Mr. Flemming had his students review an exercise from the previous day. Students paired off and began quizzing each other in English on the meaning of newly learned vocabulary. There was a positive buzz in the classroom as the students worked with one another. Once this drill was complete, Mr. Flemming transitioned to a listening exercise which he had begun during the previous day's lesson. Once the audio recording was complete, Mr. Flemming introduced a series of helpful hints, ideas and best practices for note taking during listening exercises, including the Cornel Method. The students then repeated this process by participating in several types of listening exercises for the rest of class. Throughout the duration of class, Mr. Flemming taught using the coaching model and worked primarily as a facilitator for class exercises.
The students came to this class extremely goal oriented and demonstrated a real sense of purpose when trying to learn English. I think this successful behavior is a product of the instructor's own positive attitude and focus. Mr. Flemming is a proactive coach; constantly walking among his students and closely monitoring their progress. He carefully inserts himself into a learning situation to provide guidance or help and just as quickly removes himself once the students are back on target. His teaching style demonstrates that learning English can be both a challenging and an enjoyable experience.
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