THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

THE CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING

5 8 4 5 S O U T H E L L I S AVE N U E C H I C A G O , I L L I N O I S

60637

E-MAIL: TEACHING@COLLEGE.UCHICAGO.EDU
HTTP://TEACHING.UCHICAGO.EDU
TEL: (773) 834-4439

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INDIVIDUAL TEACHING CONSULTATION

FINAL REPORT
Date: February 16, 2006
Graduate Teacher: A.H
Course: History of Race
Consultants: C.S. and Erin Stapleton-Corcoran
Attendance: 16
Setting (Type of room, seating, lighting, etc.): Instructor sits in front of the class behind a desk,
students are seated around instructor's desk in a half circle
Summary: The class started with a short lecture by the instructor, then short student
presentations and ended with a lively discussion. Allyson is a strong teacher, a very compelling
lecturer and a great discussion leader. The students felt very comfortable to voice their opinions
and Allyson facilitated their discussion by helping students to focus on the topics under
discussion.
Observations

Comments/Suggestions

1. Before the class starts, instructor writes the 5

topics that will be discussed that day on the board.
The instructor referred to these points at the
beginning of class to tell the students what will be
covered during class.

This strategy is very effective; it helps the students

to get clear about what topics will be covered and
on what points the class will concentrate. The
instructor made clear from the beginning that the
class might not be able to cover all the material on
the board, which was the case; point 4 was only
broached and point 5 was not discussed. Five topics
seemed a lot to cover in one class session, it might
be a good idea to limit it to 3 points and mention
some points to students as possible essay topics
about which they can think about by themselves. It
might also be helpful to come back to the points on
the board at the end of class in order to review what
has been achieved and what has not been discussed.
The instructor could then either invite students to
think about the topics that were not covered on
their own, or inform students that these topics will
be covered in the next class section, so that students
can think about them ahead of time. Referring to
the notes at the end of class would also constitute a
nice way to close the class discussion and show to
students what they have learned on this particular
day.
The instructor's lecture style is very self-confident
and it is obvious that she is in control of her

2. During the first half hour of the class the

instructor provides a summary of the most

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

THE CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
5 8 4 5 S O U T H E L L I S AVE N U E C H I C A G O , I L L I N O I S

60637

E-MAIL: TEACHING@COLLEGE.UCHICAGO.EDU
HTTP://TEACHING.UCHICAGO.EDU
TEL: (773) 834-4439

important points from last week's topic. This

presentation is done in lecture form, with the
instructor sitting at the table and referring to her
notes. The instructor consulted her notes quite
frequently and even read directly from them at
some points during her lecture.
All the students are listening very attentively, but
only a few are taking notes.

3. During the instructor's lecturing, a student

interrupts her with a question, which leads to a
short discussion of the topic.

4. After lecturing on "Passing" in the first part of

the class, She first asked students if they had any
questions about the previous topic, answers these
questions and then begins lecturing on the next
topic (s) (Minstrelsy and Playing Indian).

During the second lecture section of this class

session the instructor again referred to her notes
quite frequently. She lectured for approximately
ten minutes. The students had a few questions on

FAX : ( 7 7 3 ) 8 3 4 - 0 4 9 3

material and knows the topic very well. It might

enliven the lecture a little bit if the instructor were
moving around the class room while lecturing. This
might shift the center of the class and keep the
students focused. Moving away from the table
would also remove the possible barrier that the
table might signify. She might have also opted to
stand in front of the table/desk or sit on a chair in
front of the table/desk while lecturing. Sitting
down and thus keeping in the background during
discussion seems a great idea because it allows
students to feel as equal partner in the discussion,
but during the lecture part it might create less
distance if the instructor were not sitting behind the
desk.
It is very obvious that the instructor is incredibly
knowledgeable and comfortable with the subject
matter and knows most (if not all) of the materials
well, without the aid of her notes. Less direct
reading and consultation of her notes would further
engage her students in the lecture.
The fact that students are eager to ask questions
during the lecture signals their great interest in the
material. In order to incorporate the students even
more into the lecture part of the class, the instructor
might include more questions into her lecture.
Rather than telling them what the main topic was
last week, she might start by asking students what
they remember and what they learned last week.
This would also provide an opportunity for the
instructor to assess students' learning.
It is very helpful how the instructor invites students'
questions before moving to the next topic. Not only
does that allow students to make sure that they have
understood everything, but it also clearly signals to
the student that a new topic will be discussed now.
The instructor also relates the new topic (playing
Indian) to the previously discussed topic (passing),
which allows students to see the connections
between the various topics that are being discussed
in this class.
Again, the instructors lecture notes were quite
thorough and she presented herself well. Since the

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

THE CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
5 8 4 5 S O U T H E L L I S AVE N U E C H I C A G O , I L L I N O I S

60637

E-MAIL: TEACHING@COLLEGE.UCHICAGO.EDU
HTTP://TEACHING.UCHICAGO.EDU
TEL: (773) 834-4439

FAX : ( 7 7 3 ) 8 3 4 - 0 4 9 3

the topic at the end of her discussion but were not

directly called upon to answer specific questions.

lecture on playing Indian related to the main

reading assignment of the day (Deloria, Ch 3 and 4)
she could have posed questions to the class
regarding the reading, placing accountability and
responsibility upon the students, while
simultaneously engaging them in the subject matter.
The section on playing Indian was very interesting,
albeit incredibly brief; perhaps this could be a topic
explored in more depth during class discussions.

5. After the instructor's lecture a group of students

give a presentation. They show a movie clip and
then pose a series of questions to the class for
discussion.

The instructor is very supportive of her students

while they are doing their presentation. She takes
notes and signals her interest to them. This
encourages the students while they are presenting.
The student presentations themselves are
interesting, but it does not quite become clear how
the material they present relates to the questions
they pose to the class. Yet the questions they pose
seem to be relevant to the class as a whole, for they
start a lively debate in the classroom.
The discussion was very lively and it was obvious
that the teacher had created a class atmosphere
where everyone felt comfortable talking and
voicing their opinion. When the discussion seemed
to get out of hand because students could not agree
about who was actually offensive about "black
face," the instructor helped the students to focus
back on the material under discussion by asking
what "black face" meant for the specific character
in the movie they had been watching. This also
allowed the instructor to tie the class back to her
original question, namely what these masks mean
for the formation of American identity. Maybe here
would also have been a point where she could have
referred the class back to point 4 on the blackboard
and compare "black face" masks with the idea of
"playing Indian." Although "playing Indian" was
part of the instructor's lecture and a question in the
students' presentation, it was not really discussed in
the actual class discussion. By referring back to the
blackboard in the end of class, the instructor might
have invited students to think more on the topic at
home or to think about it for the next class session.

6. After the student's presentations, a lively

discussion started. The instructor lets all students
voice their opinions.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

THE CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
5 8 4 5 S O U T H E L L I S AVE N U E C H I C A G O , I L L I N O I S

60637

E-MAIL: TEACHING@COLLEGE.UCHICAGO.EDU
HTTP://TEACHING.UCHICAGO.EDU
TEL: (773) 834-4439

FAX : ( 7 7 3 ) 8 3 4 - 0 4 9 3

INDIVIDUAL TEACHING CONSULTATION

CONSULTANTS FINAL MEETING REPORT
(to be filled in by consultants after the final meeting is held)

Consultants:
C. S., Erin Stapleton-Corcoran ____________________________________________________
Graduate Teacher:
A.H.__________________________________________________________________________
Date: February 16, 2006 _________________________________________________________
Summary of final meeting:
We met at 1:30, Wednesday Feb 22nd to discuss the teaching consultation. Ms. Hs class session
went very well overall. She is a very engaging and accessible instructor, especially when
considering that this course is the first she has taught on her own. She had a strong and clear
speaking voice, seemed comfortable in front of the classroom, was I great command of the
course materials, and had successfully created an environment in which the students felt
comfortable engaging in group discussion. We touched on some areas of her class in which some
improvement might be made, including 1) possible alternatives to her choice of sitting behind a
table while lecturing, 2) less dependence upon notes during lecture-driven portions of the class,
and 3) methods in which she might be able to further engage her students with the readings and
lectures, thereby creating a class session in which there is less delineation between lectures and
group discussion. Ms. H. seemed happy with our feedback and stated that she found our
suggestions helpful for futures classes.