Andrea begins class by saying hello to everyone and introducing the TESL Students. She makes students aware that we are observing her and not them so as not to worry. I thought this was smart because then the student might either participate to put on a good show, or those students that might be nervous about having strangers in the class might feel a little bit better knowing that they are there not to judge them. Andrea starts by letting Fernanda know that this is her last chance for presenting her presentation. I loved the topic for these presentations even though I only got to see one. Andrea was getting students to present about a university of choice which is great because that is something that would interest the students. It also allows the teacher to know the student’s goals and plans for their future careers so she can taper lessons to that.
When the lesson begins it starts with a discussion about heroes. She mentions that it is a Continuation from yesterday and is the week’s theme. I never thought of having a week with a theme like heroes. I think this could be an interesting idea because it allows students to fully diverge into the topic that would be interesting. It also gives her a base for the lesson while making sure to be teaching what they need to know. The first set of questions are fun and good for getting people to talk. She gets people to go on camera if they can. In an online environment I love this I think this makes it easier for teachers and students to connect when they can see each other. Another reason why this is a good topic is that heroes are a universally understood idea. Andrea leads them in conversation but does not correct their answers allows them to talk freely while being supportive. Some students overtake convo does not call out those who have not spoken. Which I am torn between because as a student I hated being called on to talk, but at the same time it was also nice to get the shove to speak. I love that students are using real-life examples like the recent women’s march in Mexico. I honestly did not know about this, so it was very neat that the students ended up teaching me. Students start to get more involved as time goes on which is great to see. Andrea asks students what they would do in certain heroic situations. She uses questions like what makes a hero, are you a hero? There is a great debate happening and these are in a way hard questions making the students think. They go through quotes from important people about heroism as the class ends. Overall, I enjoyed watching this class I learned some very good ideas and tools from Andrea.
