The first class observation I had was Mrs. Vick Ledbetter's Reading class. The lesson comprised of a vocabulary quiz review, a passage reading on stalkers and how they affects their victims, and two post activities that students could choose from: reading a passage from their class novel or practice phonics/phonetics. The lesson schedule was written on the board and she took attendance before starting the class. The vocabulary review tested students on their knowledge of correct pronouns and it was made-up of circling correct answers, fill-in-the-blanks, and multiple choice. Some students had difficulty differentiating male/female names (i.e. an Arabic student did not know if 'Anna' was male or female), so Mrs.Ledbetter wrote examples of American male and female names and explained that a female name usually ends in 'a', 'te', or 'ie'.
During the reading lesson, the students had to read a passage on stalking and victims of stalking. They had about ten minutes to read the passage and then answer the follow-up comprehension questions. Some examples of their comprehension were "What percentage of people are stalked a year?" and "What percentage of people did/did not fear being stalked?" The latter was a tricky question for most students because it could have had two potentially correct answers from their multiple choice (a. 71% did not fear being stalked; b. 29% did fear being stalked). And it could be phrased as meaning the same thing for either fearing or not fearing stalkers. To resolve the issue, Mrs. Ledbetter decided to research it and follow-up with the class in the next lesson.
The last lesson activity was left up to the students to decide, and they decided to work on phonics/phonetics. Using a board and dry-erase markers, the objective was to hear the vowels in the words the instructor would sound out. They had to write down the word and determine (write the X symbol on the correct letter) if it was a long or short consonant sounds. As Mrs. Ledbetter sounded out the consonants, she also modeled them by doing an eating motion for apple to show the short vowel 'a' and arcing her arms into a 'u' to reflect the 'u' sound. She also modeled 'o' with an 'o' face expression.
As for Mrs. Ledbetter's teaching, I really enjoy observing her because she is very enthusiastic and interactive with her class. If students need help she is quick to respond and maintains alertness while watching the class as they take a quiz or complete an assignment, just in case they become confused or stuck. She also makes sure to speak slower, articulate every word, and give clear instruction for each lesson (i.e. "I want everyone to write the word and consonant it makes on their dry-erase boards."). In addition, her class is very organized and student structured. Students are advised to pay attention and will have their cellphones taken away if they use it during class. Furthermore, each activity is structured to where students do the most speaking and answering questions. Plus, she keeps all of her lessons in a neat binder, each with a divider for the pre-lesson, active lesson, and post lesson. When the class timer that she puts on runs out, she moves to the next portion in her binder and begins to teach the students. Last and my favorite aspect of her teaching, is that she always gives the student praise. Praise is the best tool for intrinsic motivation because it makes a student feel accomplished, which in turn makes them happy and willing to continue making progress. A language takes years to master, and she is making that a fun experience rather than a difficult one.
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