McKenzie- Observation- 1

I observed Marilyn’s elementary composition class. Everyone in the class was able to communicate with relative ease. She started the class asking about their evening. Some of the things I noticed about Marilyn’s teaching style included: She recalls prior knowledge a lot, tying lessons to past lessons and information. Marilyn stopped to go over words in the assignment that the students might not understand (such as lack and virtual). She called on students by name to get them to participate. Marilyn was good at time management, for example, telling students exactly how long they had to work on assignments and handing back paper as they did individual work so as not to waste any time. She spoke very slow and used simple language, providing comprehensible input. When students answered something correctly she said, “Thank you, _________.” She probed them for the correct answers if they answered something wrong.

The assignment was to a write a compare and contrast essay on Gainesville and Tallahassee using statistics on size and population provided to them. The students did not seem very enthusiastic about the subject, but it was something in the workbook they had. Perhaps if the topic had been to compare and contrast their favorite bands or restaurants they would have been more interested. A few of them had their phones out under the table but for the most part were involved.