On Tuesday, November 13, 2012, I had the privilege to
observe Jennifer Babjak’s speaking class with the TEFL students that were
labeled Advanced Elementary to Lower Intermediate. I initially noticed the instructor’s
confident and direct attitude as I entered the class. I also couldn’t help to notice that she was
hip, yet incredibly professional. I also
noticed that Jennifer had facial and hand gestures that conveyed a level of
enthusiasm. She was loud and clear, but also laughed as she joked playfully
with her students. I was introduced as the observer and directed
to a chair near the back of the class.
The instructor took care of housekeeping duties efficiently by looking
around, saying hello to everyone, calling people by their first names, and marking
those students down who were not currently in class. The pace was very quick which allowed for a
good bit of time to be saved for the actual speaking activities. I felt like the atmosphere in the class was
relaxed and friendly. It appeared that
the students really enjoyed being in the class.
Jennifer was also walking around the room from the beginning of class. She never sat down or hid behind a desk or pedestal. This kept her engaged in the engagements of
all the groups, yet certainly not as a central, dominated figure.
To
begin the lesson, Jennifer wrote down difficult words on the board and utilized
them in a sentence to give students an idea as to the context. She told the class that these words would be
helpful to use within their debates.
Vocabulary was also provided in the student’s textbooks regarding how to
debate. I liked the structure of the
groups. Two people from different languages
were paired together and these two pairs argued a point of view against a
different pair. I noticed a few things
that I appreciated: difficult phrases
were constantly re-worded; students were given reminders regarding vocabulary
often; controversial topics received a great deal of planning and excitement; and
overall, the students were confident in their discourse. Students occasionally tried to finish each
other’s sentences if one person seemed lost, though they didn’t always clearly
understand the intended messages. I
noticed that Jennifer took notes and monitored the conversations, and later, I
learned that the errors were presented as a teaching aid that formed an error
document. Overall, I think that I
learned valuable strategies from Jennifer and I would highly recommend for everyone
to observe her if they are looking forward to watch a talented and motivated English
teacher!
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