Observation Report

Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed

Name of Observer_ Wang Zhao______

Date
Observation Environment (include

Observation # 1_

Class Teacher Level/Number URL if the class was (Beg./Int./Adv.) online) 4/11/13 In-class (UCR Global business Advance extension) reading&discussion Patrick Wood Focus on relevant areas from the What Can Be Observed handout. Notice how the teacher handles these areas during the class. OBJECTIVE OF THE LESSON: Familiarize the students the basic concept of globalization How to: Critically analyze an article Support answers/response with examples/evidence Paraphrase and summarize Notes while observing: Teacher (T) begins the lesson with a general profile of the U.S. including population government, cost of living, education, communication etc. (The information is written on the board). T briefly explains each item. E.g. : cost of living : a loaf of bread :$3-$5/ gas: around $4/gallon T asks students (ss) to recall the title of the reading assignment Development without boarders: globalization in the 21 century T uses a childhood anecdote (a fight with his older brother) to explain boarder T lists 6 questions of critical analysis of article on the board and goes through each question with the ss ( T asks ss to use examples/evidence to support their answer) 1. What do you know about the author? 2. What does the title mean? 3. What is the purpose? 4. What is the thesis statement? 5. What evidence does the author give? 6. Key words T divides ss into three groups, asks ss to share their answers to the discussion question (homework of previous class) to each other. (Question: How can rich or strong countries help poor or developing countries to develop their brain power?) (15 mins) T asks ss to share their ideas to the entire class After hearing the sss answers, T proposes an additional idea : giving poor countries the technology they can use, like cellphone, ipad. Develop science/ technical mind in the country.

Class Skill/Content

T asks ss to think in real life if there are any countries are doing this S(a): Iran government offers subsidies to Egyptian government. S(b): Malaysia has help from England to build their education system so their standard of living is greatly improved. S(c): Turkey produced ipads and send them to the local schools. T shares his personal experience of volunteering to teach in the inner city of his hometown to poor children Education is the foundation to develop the mind of the talent. T asks ss to take out a sheet of paper and he gives ss a writing question to express their opinions. Explain to what degree you agree or disagree with this statement: Private companies, as well as government, have the obligation to consider the interest of the poor when making investment choices and when pricing their products. T explains the prompt to ss to make sure they understand the topic. After 15 mins, T asks ss to read their response to their classmates T circulates in the classroom to listen to the ss T asks ss to share their answers to the entire class. social responsibility of companies microfinance T gives ss a cartoon and asks them to work in pairs to paraphrase the dialogue (7 mins) T asks ss to summarize their paraphrase and write it down At the end of the class, T assigns and explains the homework

Observation Report
Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed

(continue on back) What did you learn about teaching or learning from this lesson? Consider your observation focus, and the theory you have studied in your TESOL classes.

In this lesson, the teacher created a great classroom dynamic by actively encouraging and engaging the students in teacher-student talk and in discussion among their own peer. There is basically no error correction and the focus is on getting the meaning and opinions expressed and understood by the others instead of addressing pronunciation or grammar problems. Hence, the teacher lowered the students affective filter by reducing their stress and giving them confidence and motivation at the same time. Additionally, the teacher provides an authentic learning environment through using text that has a real-life connection. The article globalization in the 21 century is written by the former secretary-general of the UN Kofi Annan. The author persuades strong countries to help poor countries develop their technology in several ways. These are the problems we face everyday no matter which country you are from. It gives the students a great starter to talk to each other by offering their own opinion. The difficulty of the text is just a little above the students English level, so it challenges them and keeps them interested at the same time. Although reading and discussion are the main events of the lesson, the teacher also incorporates a certain amount of writing elements (homework and in-class writing). I think combining reading and writing is an efficient way to assess students comprehension because they have to use the ideas from the reading and incorporate with their own in order to produce a

written text. Especially for advanced students, writing is a crucial indicator of their level of proficiency in academic English.

What activities/techniques from this class do you want to remember for your own teaching practice? Consider specific ways in which you could apply the techniques and methods you saw. Consider your future teaching environment and your students needs and goals.

First of all, the teacher has a good sense of humor and is a great storyteller. I think it depends on the individuals personality and it can hardly be learned simply through observing. I just want to point out that this aspect sometimes can set the tone of the entire class. A teacher who is cheerful, passionate and humorous can win the students attention more easily. Hence, making the students enjoy being in the class and engage actively. Moreover, the power of peer feedback is indispensible in a language classroom. By putting students into groups or pairs, it essentially empowers them as teacher to share their opinions, knowledge or even correct each others mistake.

Observation Report
Forms for inclusion in the Observation Notebook must be typed

Lastly, as I have mentioned in the previous section, the choice of the reading text is a universal topic that everyone has some knowledge of and can offer their opinion. It teaches me to keep in mind that not all topics can spark the same discussion as I have seen in this class. It is the teachers job to not only consider the students English level, but also their age, background, previous knowledge of a certain topic, country of origin and also their interests.