Molly McQueeney CO#3

Class: Dr. Pollock Speaking Group 3

Date: May 11, 2020

          1:00 - 1:50

Topic/Skill: The first half of this class was focused on "table topics". The students were randomly given a question, and then had to speak for one minute on that topic. The professor then reviewed their pronunciation and grammar and gave the students an opportunity to correct their own mistakes. The questions that were asked are questions that could arise in conversation with others, such as "What is a good strategy to motivate others?", or "Why do you think people have money problems?". The second half of the class was used for students to work on their presentations that are due on Wednesday. The students must pick one song that represents three different parts of their lives: life before quarantine, life during quarantine, and life after quarantine. In their 5-7 minute presentations, the students must explain why the lyrics of each song represents that aspect of their life. The students were separated into breakout groups where they could discuss their song choices with one another. 

Materials: Computer, stopwatch, questions

Student Participation: Student participation was great during the table topics section of class. The students seemed a little bit nervous to speak on an unknown topic in front of the class, but once they started they did very well and were very receptive to the feedback provided. Student participation was lower in the breakout groups, at least in my group, as the two students did not seem to collaborate very much. Instead, they seemed to prefer to work by themselves, only discussing with one another when the professor came to check on them. 

Feedback Provided: The feedback was provided really effectively during the table topics. Instead of interrupting the students when they made a mistake, the professor took notes on their speaking and waited until they had finished to address the issues. The professor also allowed the students to correct their own mistakes before telling them the correct answer. 

Lesson(s) on teaching: Observing this class showed me the importance of being involved and engaged in the class during breakout groups and individual work. This seems to be much harder during online classes, as the professor can only work with one group at a time. However, I think it would have been beneficial to the group I observed to have the professor come in sooner to facilitate more dialogue between the two students.