I am going to write this then listen to the 60 minutes of tape I recorded and add changes in brackets.

This lesson was a lot easier as I didn’t have the 3 tape recorders & OHP to bring in in the 10 minutes between the previous class (3C) or 10 minutes after lunch (3D). I told the class that I would be reverting to recorders next week, but will I really?

I decided to follow talk about things I’ve always wanted to talk about because it was what interested me but didn’t feel I was justified in taking time to discuss. I decided to discuss with them the language, language learning and language teaching issues I always wanted to have teacher ed classes so that I could discuss.

See JournalZero

3C March 22

I started out by just talking for 12-15 minutes about taping & how this was for Tim [Newfields] & how me, Tim and them could study this together. I talked in Japanese, my & their first L2, はげむために.

Then I started talking about who was the best English speaker, giving examples of Ruby, who most interactive, Linda, whose pronunciation was good but I hadn’t noticed (For me this meant this was an indication that what best speaker meant was an opinion) & someone else (was it Warren) Bobo, who did well on tests but didn’t do much in class. Who was best?

I said I would givethinking who was best was important because it was important to think about what good speaking is. Deciding who was best required some sort of criteria. I said consensus was I said in the groups we would decide who was best. I didn’t explain my scoring scheme very well, but I said wrote I would give a high score if many other people agreed with your choice & a low score if they didn’t. The idea was to get them to talk about criteria again. Others’ criteria would probably be right? I hadn’t thought this thru too clearly but I was have been thinking about answer weighting in other courses. So your score was the number out of 12 groups who agreed with your choice of best speaker.

They then moved into groups (looking at gradebook at same time?) & voted. Scores were Warren. I said there were no right answers. I didn’t interact very much with Warren. I should have talked to her in front of class & ask about what this meant for language learning.

Remember in connection with breakthru/difficultyfailure of telephoning homework.

Then I said we’ll do the same for Japanese speaker.

This time it was Sara. I don’t think I talked with her in Japanese, or asked her what this meant. I didn’t feel I was wasting a golden opportunity at that point. I was happy as a that the students seemed interested in the activity & wondered why it was unsuccessful remembered, thinking here or in 3D the fact that class surveys generally work was the reason are interesting & pride in having thought of an interesting ACTIVITY connected to the project of having students think about language, Chinese, pronunication/grammar/fluency.

I had intended (see rare lesson plan [at end]) to go on to discuss who was best Chinese speaker & to ask them to rate importance of fluency, pronunciation and grammar (see if it agreed with my rating) for points ), but this ended first hour. In second hour I went on to book, p106. Did it same way as always, tried to do 2 sides of room. I got Ruby, talkative to be B: good. With other student, not success. I got caught up in explaining “aloud”, a homonym of “allowed” in the text, but felt I was confusing them, but didn’t know how to get out of explaining half-way thru. Some people did pair drills but not many. I wonder if that was recorded on tape. Then in groups, p107 exercise on answering

A: Are you allowed ..
B: Yes/No

depending on sign [from me].

Then moved them back to seating they use in other classes & gave listening quiz p107, choosing right sign to go with conversation. Said I would grade them myself because they hadn’t been doing it very well. Gave homework of when (what day, time) did they do taping, Where?, Who else was there?

3D March 23 written March 28

Similar. Seemed to leave something out at start so felt I was moving more quickly, but perhaps wasn’t. I got straight in to who was best speaker & why doing this was good to think about. I wrote scoring scheme on board. I think they were already sitting in groups. I forgot. I already told them about taping before all this of course & spoke Japanese about Tim. Talking about who was best speaker, I mentioned Maggie and Sabrina, Meka?, who ask questions a lot, Katy, who doesn’t ask but is good (as an example of it not being clear who is best). I think they were already in groups. They chose Sabrina.

Sabrina looked worried. I’ve forgotten what questions I asked her. Do you think you’re the best? I realized there was an opportunity here more than after doing 3C, but I didn’t know how to use it if I used it. Then we did Japanese and they chose Renee. I talked with her but again didn’t make much of it. I remarked to everyone she had a nice voice!

This was the end of the first hour again. In the second I did the same as with 3C. I avoided the “allowed”/“aloud” problem. Some people did the listen & repeat. I got two one student Who? to b be

B: Yes you ~~I am~~ are./No you aren't.

OK but not great. I tried to use “Lights. Camera. Action.” but not with much success. Groups working on exercise p107 not really a success. Listening exercise p107 I did back in other class seating & I will grade. And told them the homework. I think I forgot to check attendance in this class. I have to ask attendance record holder who was absent, I think.

Lesson plan

Pre-class notes for March 22-23

What is best?

What is most important: intonation, grammar, fluency

Do quiz before giving answer?

Finally my order

Skill getting/using activities

Ambiguity

Which are more Which come first

Finally

Exercises

17. Repeat dialogue after the teacher

2. Call teacher on telephone
3. Talking to teacher after class
4. Do Substitute new words in dialog