Today I observed Vicky Golen with her Foundations class. It was a small group of 4 (however one came in late and had to wait in the lobby until next class), so it was very intimate. The students were quite shy, but Vicky did her best to be patient and active. Before class started, she introduced me to everyone and asked that I join the table with the students. I liked that her first priority was to make the students (or anyone else for that matter) comfortable.
They had a quiz today on the verb "to be," but just before they started, Vicky went over a quick review of how to use the verb and made examples out of the students, such as, "Sarah is tired." The quiz took up the entire class period, but I watched Vicky circulate around the table to make sure her students were writing proper sentences. She pointed out a few of their mistakes and gave them a little more time to look over before they turn it in.
With a few minutes left of class, Vicky partnered me with a student while the other two partnered together and practiced conversing with one another. I liked that I was a part of the classroom experience because I got to know one of the students--even if it was just for a little bit.
That proactivity seems to be really helpful for a class, but it can feel so hard as a more introverted person. Sounds like a great classroom experience.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. I noted I should put more effort into making my students comfortable rather than myself--I'm a pretty introverted person.
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