Three Additional CO Blogs From Earlier - Noah

 Ryan Flemming (2nd visit):

I attended Ryan Flemming's class on effective communication. This session stood out as it was focused on a grammar exercise that not only sharpened linguistic skills but also created a positive and engaging atmosphere which showed the dual purpose of the exercises. The students were visibly engaged, actively participating and, more importantly, smiling when they got things right. I could tell that the interactive nature of the exercise was very helpful from the energy in the room. Flemming also weaved current events and local community in the discussion, inviting his students to attend the woman's soccer game and also doing a map activity where students used directional vocabulary to familiarize themselves with FSU's campus. 

 

 Olivia James Visit:

I went into Olivia James' advanced listening class with students who were considerably more fluent. The atmosphere seemed much more at ease because of the student's assumed familiarity with the language. Students delved into a complex, scientific topic centered around the ocean, which showed the advanced nature of the group. So far it was already a great lesson in differentiation between beginning and advanced students. The class went ahead with an exploration of the Deepwater Horizon, a listening exercise which included a lot of advanced and scientific language. By now, James was speaking over the video in a much faster pace, calling out the meanings of one or two hard words that appeared in the video such as "intriguing." The class tuned into an episode of "60 Minutes" also on the ocean, but showed a diverse range of source materials that James incorporates into her teaching. Something I observed was that the students were very focus and showed minimal, if any signs of frustration. This shows how their attitudes and proficiencies are different than beginners. The atmosphere was one of intellectual curiosity, where the content not only captured interest but also spurred a desire to delve deeper into the nuances of the language.

 

Felicia Ciappetta visit: 

I pushed into Ciappetta's class on composition where I was able to observe how students learn to write in English. Her teaching style was very engaging, I noticed she spoke at a loud, clear volume. I also noticed that the composition class is a great setting for students to be engaged, because it requires that they create something in the target language where they have more time to think about what they want to say and how they want to say it as opposed to having the pressure to speak it usually right away. Ciappetta was encouraging and engaging, and really helped students to understand the assignment when they had difficulties. I also participated, and was able to help students when I was able to complete faster because I am a native speaker.