June 2nd: Impromptu Lesson : )

Today’s class session was an improvement from last week. Overall, the students were focused and attentive. Wynne and I attributed this to the small class size. About 6 students were absent from class, so there were fewer opportunities for arguments, disruption, and distraction. The class was also not as tiresome this week because a substantial portion of the morning was devoted to informing the students about “College and Certificate Programs” post taking and passing the GED examination. The presentation was conducted by another LAGCC staff member who focuses on advising students and helping them navigate the college world.

The students were very involved and engaged during the presentation. They had great questions about the difference between a certificate program and a college program, about using certificates to get college credits, how to select the best program, paying for the programs through scholarships and grants, and the like. The presenter made sure to ask students to sign-up for individual sessions with her so she could answer personal questions/concerns.

An extra special treat was that two students who "graduated" from the LAGCC GED program (they are still waiting on their test results) came to speak to the class. I thought it was awesome of Wynne to invite them. They provide hope for the other students, I believe. The two students talked about how the class was like a family after the first two weeks. I hoped the students in the current program heard this and would work on how they treat each other in class.

After the presentation we took our lunch break. Upon our return, we continued the lesson on paragraph development. Wynne set up the lesson and activity and asked the students to read a sample (“good”) body paragraph. Then she dropped a bomb on me. She asked me to execute and review the activity with the class. I felt like was on stage and the spotlight was beaming on me. I was not prepared for that since we had not discussed it during lunch. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous or anxious. (Maybe that was her strategy. Telling me during lunch would have given an hour to think about all the possible ways I could screw up the lesson/exercise. Being told impromptu allowed me to “think on my feet.” I think she did the right thing by simply asking me to do it while in class and in front of the students. Otherwise, I would have over thought the lesson and probably “freak out.” Brilliant!)

Because of the confusion in last previous weeks class, I decided to start the lesson by setting up ground rules. I told the students (which was very anti-Friere and oppressive in nature) that I would not acknowledge them unless they raise their hands; I would not stop talking/teaching if they blurted out random ideas, and I would not repeat myself. This required them to listen and be polite by waiting their turn to speak. In my opinion, that strategy worked well in terms of keep everyone focused. I do, however, think I alienated some students who participate by blurting out good ideas that come to mind and forget to raise their hands. One student in particular did this and I cut her off and said, “Your classmate is still speaking. Please wait.” When I asked her to add her point she said never mind. I felt sad on the inside and my face began to burn, but I kept moving along. (After class I told her not to take my cutting her off personally. I just wanted to make sure we had order in the classroom. She said it was fine, and the read she did not speak was because she forgot her point.) After setting up the rules, I began the activity by asking the students to define the word “paraphrase” in the first question. I used this tactic throughout the lesson to prompt interaction as well as to get the students to think and use their own knowledge to answer the questions. I was a one trick pony (constantly questioning the students), but I thought it was effective.

All in all, I thought the brief activity went well. The students were engaged and I did not stutter or pass out! : ) I did forget to point out one key thing I thought was important when developing a paragraph, but Wynne was able to add that it once she resumed her portion of the lesson. That’s one of the pluses of collaborative teaching! You always have someone to make up for your shortcomings.

Wynne used this impromptu lesson to tell the student that I would be doing a workshop with them the following week. I think she decided to have me do they activity with the class to not only get me used to leading the class, but also to get the class used to me being the “leader.”