Gavin Byrd CO #2

Classroom Observation #2

This morning I observed an upper level reading class. We began the class with re-reading an article they were assigned the previous day. The article was titled Scientists Should ask Big Questions. It was an article that was addressing how Americans have a distrust of science for multiple reasons, and that they actually have a misconception about how the Scientific Method works. We were then told to write out the main points of each paragraph, go over new vocabulary within the article and then answer some comprehension questions. I found all of these things to be a bit too daunting for the students in the classroom. But perhaps that was just because I was not entirely familiar with the reading skill level of the students in the class.

I was partnered with a student during all of these activities, and I began to understand his biggest problem with reading English articles was not so much the actual grammar, but the format and his inability to connect ideas from previous paragraphs together. I think if I had the opportunity to tutor him, I would work on that. He was able to speak with me fairly easy, and was comprehending whatever was being said in whatever paragraph we were currently working on. But then we would hit a road block of him not being able to see how the workings of the article in its entirety. It was a very enlightening experience. It made me recognize that there will be times when I teach that I will not only have to teach English, but also actual critical thinking/reading skills.

I think reading is going to be one of the more challenging subjects for me to teach, but my next observation is going to be in an upper level speaking class so we shall see!