FSU CO #3

My third class observation was of a Grammar session. The format here was also discussion-based, and the teacher had an energy that felt as if she had a background in Theatre. The way in which she got grammatical concepts across to students was through student practice and speech, an approach I prefer to that of drilling grammatical rules. The beginning activity was focused on asking students what they did the day before. The teacher would take a guided approach to correction, either asking a question in relation to incorrect grammar, or writing a spoken sentence on the whiteboard and workshopping it. This was the most conversational of the class: in an exercise where students were asked what they had for breakfast, the teacher would respond with comments on the choice of food, in a way that she was both sharing her views and giving more room for the student to continue a discussion. I noticed how relaxed the students were in experimenting with grammar, and the class felt intimate in the way it engaged with students. I was very impressed, and my takeaway from this and the Listening session is to strive to find ways to connect with students so that they can remember, and have an interest in, learning further material.