KellyMichael - CO#1

On 9/9/2015 I observed Andrew Wilson's level 2 grammar class. This was a good experience for me because I was able to see a lot of the concepts we have discussed in class put to use. Mr. Wilson is a very engaging teacher. He began the class with a greeting and waited for students to respond, covered the daily agenda written on the board, and then collected homework. After that, Mr. Wilson dove right in to the topic of the day, past tense verbs. This was very coincidental because the grammar lesson plan I wrote for class was on past tense verbs. Seeing Mr. Wilson's way of covering the information in comparison to my own lesson plan was informative and a bit humbling. He used questions to illustrate the past tense, and posed them to the class. Their response was mostly in the past tense, and this helped them understand the topic. Mr. Wilson's method of engaging the student by asking them direct questions was very successful. He gave clear explanations and examples before trying to get the student to answer, something I think shows good forethought. Another thing I admired was before and after each subject, there was a summary of information and a reinforcement of practicing for mastery. Mr. Wilson covered 4 topics in a hour, even making a brief trip to the computer lab. He showed a excellent use of class time, while still explaining in detail. This was done by a liberal use of the blackboard and diagrams on the fly. I think a visual/auditory learner would do best in this class. In summary, observing Mr. Wilson and his teaching methods was very beneficial to me. Not only did it present new ways to consider when lecturing basic level subjects, it also helped me see how important it is to engage the students and get them actively participating.