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Two Templates for Demos
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9 thoughts on “Two Templates for Demos”
First of all, thank you so much to everyone who contributed tips, ideas, or just well-wishes for my demo lesson today. I hate that I didn’t have time to respond to each person, but I just didn’t have time the day before my demo. It’s directly because of all your help that I went into my demo today confidently, at ease (as much as I could be while being observed by strangers), and not stressed about getting through some kind of 100-step lesson plan.
Thank you!
In response to Ben’s request above, I’ll post this weekend about what I did for my demo today, and also how it went. I can also share the power point I made with my agenda, structures, and mini-reading, in case that can help anyone in future interviews.
I was not overly ecstatic about how my lesson went today (probably just being overly self-critical), but the supervisor and principal in the follow-up interview had nothing but positive feedback about my lesson. The supervisor said she would be in touch one way or another in a week or so when they are done with demos, then after saying that she looked my in the eyes and said “you had a very solid lesson.” The principal also said it was a “solid lesson.” So, I left feeling hopeful. Also, they asked how I would feel about not using a textbook, and I of course said “I love not using a textbook” which they were pleased with.
I’ll post more this weekend in response to Ben’s request. For now I have to get some sleep before starting a maternity leave replacement tomorrow on last minute notice. I took my question words from my demo and posted them in the school I start at tomorrow and I just bought my first laser pointer this afternoon, so that’s ready. And I’ll be posting my rules in the morning and referring to them BIGTIME since these kids are at the end of their year and have had subs for two weeks. But, I don’t have time to ask for tips like I wanted to. My plan is just to do CWB because that’s the only way I know how to start with new groups. And I’ll let it morph into mini scenes about different kids if that’s what happens. But tomorrow my objective is to establish ground rules…so I have to hold myself to that and stop every time for rule infractions, point to the rule, and smile. I hope it works! Wish me luck!
And I have to say again, this PLC is the best. I was thinking today after my demo and going into the maternity replacement tomorrow how lost and stressed I would be if I was trying to do all of this based around grammar and thematic units, etc. It’s so nice being able to walk into this school tomorrow and interact for real with students I’ve never met and not be stressed.
Nice, my brother. Very nice. Speaking for the group, I am sure that we are all very proud of you for doing what you did today. I call that success. And, remembering our first phone call a year ago, I am very happy with what you have done. It takes courage to do this job, to do the interviews, to accept those difficult assignments with burnt out kids in the spring like you will bright and early tomorrow morning. Ours is no profession for the weak or faint-hearted. Good for you, Greg. And welcome back home!
Wow, this is so great to hear!! If they have any common sense, that job is yours. Can’t wait to hear all the details tomorrow – you’re coming, right?
Brigitte are you guys in New York meeting tomorrow? Send details so we can give a reminder to those in the PLC in your area.
Yes, we are meeting tomorrow at 1:00pm at the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria. So excited to finally meet some of us face-to-face :-)!
Hurrah for Eric!
I enjoyed my day as well, though the teacher in the class where I was demo-ing insisted on standing by me and “helping” her kids. The next time I demo, I will ask the teacher to watch, not to participate. It doesn’t help me teach if she is answering first.
My first class, with seventh-graders, went better than the second one with eighth-graders. I made a classic TPRS beginner mistake: I went too fast, and before going too fast, I didn’t take enough time to connect with the kids. I cut out some connection time because the host teacher took almost ten minutes of my 45, and I was trying to “get to the lesson.” It’s more important to get to the kids.
Here’s what worked with the seventh-graders.
1. Kids write their names and draw a picture of something they want on a name tag. I circle, making sure that I comment on every single kid’s picture at least briefly, while they’re drawing. This starts to connect us and gives me ideas for what I can draw.
1.1 Establish norms for responding. Let them get it wrong and self-correct a couple of times.
2. TPR a few verbs or structures to get them moving. This leads into a three-ring circus.
3. Three-ring circus. Yesterday, the first class chose “she is going.” It turned out that Sydney was walking to Africa like a penguin. I could ask “who,” “where to,” and “how.” Dillan was singing quietly. (“who,” and “how”) Melody was sleeping loudly at school. Applaud the actors.
4. Explain norms of answering again.
5. Pick the best kid-and-wanted object combination. Have one student draw three of them. (Whisper your request, and then when you get them, hand them secretly and mysteriously to the three who were in the three ring circus.)
6. Ask who wants what…end by announcing that Robin-Anne wants chocolate. She goes to Sydney, Dillan and Melody. The first two don’t give it to her, because they are otherwise occupied. She takes it from the sleeper. Drama ensues! Applause.
7. Give the kids a quiz (true/false).
I didn’t have a quiz writer or an artist. It turned out okay in the first class, and I should have taken the time in the second class to talk with the kids instead of hurrying into a story.
It’s amazing to me that such a plan can fill 45 minutes. I feel lucky that we have two days each week of 85 minute classes! That gives me lots of time to start vocabulary, to do a song, to add dictation, drawing, pair work, write a quiz, and still connect with the kids. On our two short (50-minute class) days, time seems to fly.
Kids in the demo classes went home and told their parents about the lesson, and by the time I got to school today, students whose siblings are in the other school were bursting to tell me that their brothers and sisters wished I could be their teacher. I’m sad for the school but pretty much knew that would be the case if the teacher was just doing rote memorization of poems and demonstrating verbs, hoping the kids would remember them. I feel incredibly lucky that I “discovered” Ben’s book on line six years ago. I am sure that I would have been retired with the feeling that I had never really succeeded by now. Instead, a kid who had six years of Russian in another program (and is now in my Russian 1) told my class today that she can’t believe how much they know already. I forget how awesome comprehensible input is sometimes.
Michele said:
…it’s more important to get to the kids….
That’s totally it. That’s what PQA is, besides getting reps. We go to the kids with whatever the structure is and we talk about the kid in the most complimentary ways, always comparing them favorably to celebrities and inflating what they do up to the level of the bizarre and the wonderful.
Oops. Greg, not Eric!!
Congratulations, Greg!!
Thanks for following up with us, Michele and Greg!