Oct 1/2020
Today’s observation took me back to Mexico to watch another synchronous virtual class of advanced high school seniors. However, it was a different teacher and class from my previous observation. The teacher had a good rapport with the students. She spent several minutes in casual conversation with the students while waiting for class members to arrive.
The topic of the class was professions whose members could be considered heroes. The lesson was about listening for gist and listening for details using a TED talk by Mark Bezos about being a firefighter. The teacher introduced the TED talk briefly and led a discussion about what is the difference between a superhero and a real hero. The students were engaged and on-topic when the video was played the first time. There was a multiple-choice question for the students to answer that was about the gist of the video. The first run through was followed by another discussion, this time about kindness and heroes and the students’ personal values.
The second time the video was played, the students were listening for details. Prior to the video being played, the teacher gave detail-oriented questions to the students and checked for comprehension as well as making sure the students understood the different types of questions they would see on the IELTS listening exam. After the video, the teacher had the students hand in their answers, but also went over each answer, calling on a specific student to read a question out loud and give their answer.
The lesson was communicative, focused, and gave the students a chance to develop their listening skills while evaluating their own beliefs and reviewing their understanding of the structure of the IELTS exam. It was well managed and flowed smoothly from general ideas to specific concepts. The only thing I would change has to do with technology.
The teacher had two places where the students would submit answers to questions. The students were permitted to submit their answers by any means possible. They could send in an attachment via email, MS Teams, What’s App, or a photo or screen shot from their phone. They were also permitted to ask questions via the class chat, What’s App, or messaged through their phone. The teacher was monitoring and using dual screens, her phone and her ipad, all at once, while trying to teach. As much as I admire her ability to keep track of all the input and allow the students as wide a range as possible to connect with the class, she was a little distracted from the substance of the class.