Level A: Unit 2.1

Activity 2 (Daily Routine): Cut into strips before class. Some students will get more than one piece if others are absent. One option is to remove non-essential elements from the sequence.

This was the first class that I left feeling tired and somewhat unsure, as it took a lot of work to diagnose issues and redirect the energy of the class. Hindsight and positive feedback from my mentor teacher have lent a rosier lens, but this is how things developed:

Only eight of 30 students arrived to class on time due to a scheduling conflict in which every student has another class scheduled during our period. The standing rule (as the college figures things out) is that English class takes precedent; but exams, graduation requirements, and students' personal agendas dictate otherwise. Needless to say, late arrivals, after some students had been corralled from other classes, were disruptive and disjointing.

During the class, particularly during the lesson and activity 1 (describe the pictures), it seemed like students were not very challenged* or engaged. They quickly and accurately listed the verbs to describe peoples' activities, and after a few corrections, everyone was writing them as present participles. However, students were not using the whole phrase to describe the pictures (subject + helping verb + main verb/present participle), many were speaking in Vietnamese rather than English, and some were writing and not speaking at all.

I think part of the issue was commitment to the class. Some students had been pulled from other classes -- which may or may not be more important to their fields. And since I only see students once a week, we don't have enough of a relationship yet for them to necessarily want to work hard for me. Needless to say, it took a lot of attention, diligence, and energy to take the pulse of the room and individual students-- and to provide the direction, perspective, encouragement, and humor needed to get students on course for optimal learning. But I think by the end, I succeeded. The following is what I did to try to turn a flat and somewhat unwilling group into relatively happy and productive learners:

I used movement in activity 1: from group to group and around the room, providing reminders about using the present participle, the whole grammatical structure, and spoken English.

I practiced re-thinking rules in activity 2 (daily routine): first allowing students to put the sentences in order on the table, using mainly their reading skills; and then re-explaining the rules and purpose for round two after students had switched papers.

I tried giving students perspective in activity 2: "Listening and speaking are like muscles," I said. Before you play football, you have to practice and build your muscles; and before you listen and speak in English, you have to practice and build your skills. You should see me when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant to eat. I struggle to say the words and have to use facial expressions and gestures to supplement my speech (!), but I am trying and getting better. I know this activity is difficult for you, but you are up to the challenge. And in this class, we will work hard."

I commandeered two adolescent boys' jokes in activity 2 into shared, innocuous, and even productive jokes for the whole class: "Yes, of course, this is funny! You should hear me when I speak in Vietnamese! But that's how we get better. So it's good to laugh a little, but not to laugh so much that it distracts us from our work."

Finally, I facilitated extensive practice through the day's MVP activity 3 (speed ball). I adapted this activity in several ways. First, we followed different themes, starting with the ones from the homework assignment: "It is your first date. What are you doing?" etc. Then, I introduced a prize (homework pass) and rules for elimination, which accumulated and increased in difficulty in time. First, students could not drop the ball. Then, students could not repeat a phrase. Next, students could not make grammatical errors. Finally, students could not hesitate too long in their response. As it turned out, the game met the class's needs perfectly: they started using the grammar structure confidently and reflexively, and everyone had fun.

And lastly, a self-evaluation...

red=hindsight modifications


*The role of my class, according to the college, is to supplement an almost exclusively reading-and-writing-based language education with listening and speaking. Most grammar structures, particularly at the beginning of the year, will be review. The goal is to get students using and recognizing them in speech.