For my second observation, I sat in on an intermediate-level listening class. During the beginning, the teacher reviewed the prior lesson and the content that had been learned. She went over the specific listening tricks that were taught, such as taking notes of the main ideas and then summarizing at the end.
Before the class could transition into the first activity, there was a minor disruption caused by cell phone usage. The students were allowed to utilize their handhelds for academic purposes, such as researching the definition or translation of an English word. But, of course, many of them were using their devices for off-task behavior. Some were just blatantly on Facebook or texting. This is obviously unacceptable. The instructor threatened a ban on cell phones, which seemed to cut the nuisance down.
For the first exercise, the class was shown a clip of native English speakers conversing. Prior to it playing, the teacher wrote key vocabulary on the board and reviewed each. This provided a convenient visual aid, which many of the students referred to. At first glance, the clip was a bit fast for intermediate-level comprehension. Surprisingly the students could answer many of the formative assessment questions correctly... so who cares what I think?
In the next task, the pupils were passed worksheets. On it was key vocabulary for them to keep an ear for during the listening activity about an African tribe. Preceding it, the students paired up with the goal of filling in as much of the worksheet as possible. They could recollect many of the simpler words, like cow, but terms like grazed proved more difficult. Following the clip's playing, they worked with the same collaborator and this time much more was filled in. It was obvious that the visual cues had been beneficial.
Overall, I thought it was a well-organized lesson. The teacher provided numerous aids, integrated different skills, and assessed the students and their errors frequently.
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