In the beginning, the professor, Shawn comes into the class and says hello. Right away, we see that he seems to have a friendly demeanor. Shawn writes his full name on the board and makes a joke about his last name being like a chocolate bar name in Japan, which makes the students laugh. I like this because it shows that he is personable and inviting. It might relax the students a bit as well. Another thing, he does after is making sure that the students can understand him. I like how he doesn’t just go in expecting that the students should understand him. He checks in and makes sure that everyone is comfortable. He also lets them know that he can tend to talk fast and that if they need to, they can ask him to slow down. As a fast talker myself, I think that this is a good idea. I find that when I am talking in my native language, it can be hard to recognize when you are talking fast. He tells the class that he is from Otaru University and that he is here to do a demo lesson that they would experience at his university and talk about how to become a better English learner.
He then moves on to his lesson, where he hands out a chapter of a book they use at the university. He is very charismatic, and as he passes out the chapter, he asks how they are and jokes around with them. He is building a relationship in such easy steps. One thing that he does that I like is Shawn will say something, and then he repeats it but in a different way. I think this is a good tactic allowing students who perhaps didn’t understand how he said it the first time to understand it the next. I notice that he is clear when talking, which I think is important when teaching ESL students. He puts them into groups and asks them to talk about the answers in English. He walks around the class but isn’t intrusive, allowing the groups to do the work. I can’t tell if the students are talking in English or not, but if they aren’t he doesn’t seem bothered. As he talks to the students about the questions and their answers, he easily converses with them. He seems easygoing and not too serious, which makes the environment very welcoming and open. I also like that he gives a lot of good advice on how to learn English by using their examples and expanding on them. He is very supportive as he talks to the students and sounds very encouraging.
After the demo class, he then moves on to talking about the entrance exams and how they can prepare, which he ties into also things they can do to be a better English language learner, which I like. He tells them that universities want to have them produce language. He gives three tips being that you must use language, read everything, and learn to think in English. I like these concepts, especially the last one. I have never thought of language learning in that way, but when he explains the concept it makes a lot of sense. He finishes off the class by giving a final question that presents an example of two different students and the point being to not be afraid to make a mistake. The best students try. I love this mentality, and when I think about my language learning, I wish someone had said that to me.