Chris H. - CO 1

I met with Ron Garren for the first of my class observations. The class was a composition English class directed towards a more elementary level of proficiency with the language. He was an enthusiastic, motivating teacher, and the classroom dynamic was informal, in which students were encouraged to speak amongst each other (in English) throughout the entire class. He began the lesson with a discussion on varies verb tenses, using the projector and going through fill in the blank questions one by one, with voluntary answers from the students. Then, the class was split into small groups and passed a worksheet with more on the subject. Ron gave me one and, as I later mentioned to him, I liked the way the comprehension questions did not provide options for ver tenses, structurally challenging the students to say the sentence and find the correct tense. This method encouraged both a more methodical reading and focus from the students, but also facilitated debate between students, and further discussion on tenses and verbs. I participated in my group and offered suggestions when inquired, however adhered to the method of the assignment and did not simply supply the answers. The students then offered their answers to each of the questions, using the projector; this allowed for teacher-student feedback, however not in the immediate after of the assignment. I liked this approach to composition, as it helped students be creative, analytical, and confident throughout the assignment.