Shannon CO#1

I had my first class observation on Monday, March 6th. I observed the level 3A class taught by Ryan Flemming. He started the class with a brief review of the syllabus for the week and upcoming assignments. He used clear dictation and slow speech patterns to ensure the class fully understood everything. I found his ability to engage students interesting and appreciated the effort to check up on students to make sure they were not being left behind. He introduced an upcoming assignment which was a presentation of a controversial topic followed by a group discussion. I thought this method of engaging students through interests was well done. A debate is sometimes difficult for native speakers and introducing a debate to language learners is an interesting way to spark intrinsic motivation and participation. At the end of the class students were able to ask questions and speak amongst themselves. The conversations and questions had to remain in english though. I think that establishing the english classroom as an english speaking area supports continuous learning.