Mentored teaching project
FRN 201 : Exchanging preferences with a partner
Summary
I have been a Teaching Assistant in French for a year at MSU. I have taught FRN 201 for 3 semesters to 4 classes of 15-26 students and I am currently teaching 2 sections of FRN 101, which is a hybrid course with pre-class and post-class activities online.
My supervisor, Matt Kanefsky, who is also my mentor and the coordinator of the basic language program in French in the Romance and Classical Studies department, has helped me along the way in planning classes, implementing activities, and assessing students.
I have been recorded for a class session in Spring 2015 for departmental evaluation purposes. This recording is the basis of my mentor teaching project described below. This represents a 50 minute class session from January 30th, 2015 in FRN 201 (section 1, with 24 students). The goal of the class session was for the students to exchange preferences with a partner.
6-step outline
Teaching and Learning Goal: What skill or ability do you want students to acquire? What behavior do you want to change? What knowledge do you want to test? What assumptions (either students’ or the instructor’s) do you want to test? Focus on only one such goal.
One of the most important teaching goals in a French basic language program is communication, both between students and teacher and also among students. Because of the particular proficiency goals we have aligned our program (based on ACTFL 2012), this takes the form of oral communication. Under these goals students need to interpret (comprehension) and express (production) meaning by the use of the French language.
Teaching Question: Adapt the teaching and learning goal to a specific course. Make this question narrow and focused so that it can be measured.
Course: FRN 201, January 30th 2015
Communicative task (Activity K p.312 of the textbook): Students need to be able to exchange preferences with a partner.
Are they able to use demonstrative pronouns in order to exchange preferences on TV channels with a partner?
Those are questions that will help answer the specific objective of the class session:
Could they spend an hour watching TV together with a partner (based on preferences)?
Assessment Technique: What instrument are you going to use to collect information? Is it simple enough that you know how to analyze the results? Will the information it provides answer the teaching question?
First, while students are discussing, I will listen, walking by the different groups.
Second, after the discussion among students, I will ask a few groups to answer questions (what TV channel do you prefer) and to conclude either they can or not watch TV together.
The assessment takes the form of an oral assessment: whether students can (or can’t) address the communicative task.
Classroom Practice: What assignment or activity are you going to use in the class to try to test the question? When are you going to do it? Who will conduct it? Will it be graded? Will it be anonymous or will students sign their names? How long will it take? How will students know what to do with it? Who will explain it? How will the relationship between this assignment and activity and the course be explained?
To lead to this goal activity, students, need to know some vocabulary and grammar. These points are addressed in the first 35 minutes of class. Input is given to talk about TV programs with a focus on form (demonstrative pronouns).
The goal activity and the feedback should take around 15 minutes and will not be graded. Students will have directions on a power point and explanations from me before starting. After a few minutes, I will help them address one of the challenges of the activity (the good use of demonstrative pronouns).
The goal activity will be presented at the beginning (also stated in the syllabus). A succession of well linked activities should lead smoothly to this final task.
Summary of Results: What does the information you collected through the assessment instrument tell you about your teaching question?
Students were able to correctly choose a TV viewing partner according to these preferences and from having orally polled different students.
The goal of every activity in my classes is the exchange of information – all activities are designed to achieve this goal. The fact that students were able to find a partner with whom they share preferences shows that the goal has been achieved.
Conclusion: What have you learned? What surprised you? What would you do differently? What implications does this have for your future classroom practice?
At the end of the class session, most of the students are able to perform the communicative task. The grammar and vocabulary introduced during the class through input have been sufficient.
I have learned that I need to delegate certain things to my students. For example, they could have written the names of some TV channels on the blackboard directly which would have saved some time. It is something I will do next time I have a similar activity. Also, to explain unknown vocabulary, I can give examples and draw, instead of taking time to create circumlocutions. I will think about it in the future.
Documents
- My teaching sample video shows the 50 minutes class session in which a performed this mentored teaching experience.
- A self-evaluation, completed with my supervisor or mentor reflects on my practice.
- The Power point of the class reminds all the steps used during this session (input and output activities).
- The Syllabus FRN 201 illustrates this session in the semester and announces the goal for the day (p.11).
- The letter of support from my Mentor summarizes my strengths as a teacher.
FRN 201 : Exchanging preferences with a partner
Summary
I have been a Teaching Assistant in French for a year at MSU. I have taught FRN 201 for 3 semesters to 4 classes of 15-26 students and I am currently teaching 2 sections of FRN 101, which is a hybrid course with pre-class and post-class activities online.
My supervisor, Matt Kanefsky, who is also my mentor and the coordinator of the basic language program in French in the Romance and Classical Studies department, has helped me along the way in planning classes, implementing activities, and assessing students.
I have been recorded for a class session in Spring 2015 for departmental evaluation purposes. This recording is the basis of my mentor teaching project described below. This represents a 50 minute class session from January 30th, 2015 in FRN 201 (section 1, with 24 students). The goal of the class session was for the students to exchange preferences with a partner.
6-step outline
Teaching and Learning Goal: What skill or ability do you want students to acquire? What behavior do you want to change? What knowledge do you want to test? What assumptions (either students’ or the instructor’s) do you want to test? Focus on only one such goal.
One of the most important teaching goals in a French basic language program is communication, both between students and teacher and also among students. Because of the particular proficiency goals we have aligned our program (based on ACTFL 2012), this takes the form of oral communication. Under these goals students need to interpret (comprehension) and express (production) meaning by the use of the French language.
Teaching Question: Adapt the teaching and learning goal to a specific course. Make this question narrow and focused so that it can be measured.
Course: FRN 201, January 30th 2015
Communicative task (Activity K p.312 of the textbook): Students need to be able to exchange preferences with a partner.
Are they able to use demonstrative pronouns in order to exchange preferences on TV channels with a partner?
Those are questions that will help answer the specific objective of the class session:
Could they spend an hour watching TV together with a partner (based on preferences)?
Assessment Technique: What instrument are you going to use to collect information? Is it simple enough that you know how to analyze the results? Will the information it provides answer the teaching question?
First, while students are discussing, I will listen, walking by the different groups.
Second, after the discussion among students, I will ask a few groups to answer questions (what TV channel do you prefer) and to conclude either they can or not watch TV together.
The assessment takes the form of an oral assessment: whether students can (or can’t) address the communicative task.
Classroom Practice: What assignment or activity are you going to use in the class to try to test the question? When are you going to do it? Who will conduct it? Will it be graded? Will it be anonymous or will students sign their names? How long will it take? How will students know what to do with it? Who will explain it? How will the relationship between this assignment and activity and the course be explained?
To lead to this goal activity, students, need to know some vocabulary and grammar. These points are addressed in the first 35 minutes of class. Input is given to talk about TV programs with a focus on form (demonstrative pronouns).
The goal activity and the feedback should take around 15 minutes and will not be graded. Students will have directions on a power point and explanations from me before starting. After a few minutes, I will help them address one of the challenges of the activity (the good use of demonstrative pronouns).
The goal activity will be presented at the beginning (also stated in the syllabus). A succession of well linked activities should lead smoothly to this final task.
Summary of Results: What does the information you collected through the assessment instrument tell you about your teaching question?
Students were able to correctly choose a TV viewing partner according to these preferences and from having orally polled different students.
The goal of every activity in my classes is the exchange of information – all activities are designed to achieve this goal. The fact that students were able to find a partner with whom they share preferences shows that the goal has been achieved.
Conclusion: What have you learned? What surprised you? What would you do differently? What implications does this have for your future classroom practice?
At the end of the class session, most of the students are able to perform the communicative task. The grammar and vocabulary introduced during the class through input have been sufficient.
I have learned that I need to delegate certain things to my students. For example, they could have written the names of some TV channels on the blackboard directly which would have saved some time. It is something I will do next time I have a similar activity. Also, to explain unknown vocabulary, I can give examples and draw, instead of taking time to create circumlocutions. I will think about it in the future.
Documents
- My teaching sample video shows the 50 minutes class session in which a performed this mentored teaching experience.
- A self-evaluation, completed with my supervisor or mentor reflects on my practice.
- The Power point of the class reminds all the steps used during this session (input and output activities).
- The Syllabus FRN 201 illustrates this session in the semester and announces the goal for the day (p.11).
- The letter of support from my Mentor summarizes my strengths as a teacher.