AlMutairi 1

Abeer AlMutairi
Professor Rebecca Agosta
UWRT 1101 035
November 11, 2015

Observation of ELTI Community especially listening/speaking class

Guiding Questions
Q1) Did you try of being stricter in the class? If not why? Is there any
purpose for that?
Q2)
What is your goals in this community?
Q3)
Are there any things that challenge you being in this community?
Q4)
How long have you been teaching in the ELTI?
Jottings and Description
The observation was on Tuesday, 11/10/2015 at 230 pm for a 45 min in
CHHS building. In the class, they were view girls student around 3 girls and
the majority of the class were boys. It was a listening/speaking class. Casey
is the teacher. She has been teaching English for six years but one year in
the IELT.
Casey teaches her student in a unique way which different from the
usual classes where the teacher explains the material and ask some
questions then the students who know the answer were raised their hands.
The lecture was very diverse and unique in terms of way of teaching and
activities to the tools used to engage the students and pull their attention.
Casey were strict in certain things, for instance, they do not allow to speak a
different language other than English but other than that it not necessary.
When I entered the LS class, everyone was laughing and smiling to each
other. The students were more comfortable and confident during learning
and the teacher was friendlier and made some jokes. It wasnt like a regular
class everyone were free to talk and express his/her answer of something or
as a question.

AlMutairi 2

I saw some activities in the class during my observation. One of them

is basically a team of 4 or 3 student gets some small green paper which were
a punch of adjective clauses key. So the student has to come up with a
clause sentence that have the vocabulary that the teacher added it on the
board and ask each group to use this word to form sentences. One of the
verbs was odds and she gave the student times to come up with the
sentences. During this, Casey goes around and helps each team. One of the
team answer what is the odds of passing IELTS test. When they answer it
correctly without any grammatical error, the team will reward with 1 point for
each member. The round 2 word was vast with the other forms like adverb
and noun as well. A student answered, which city is vast?. The last round
vocabulary was Miracle also with the other forms of this word. Students
took about 4 minutes to come up with a good answered and one student
answered, I believe that penicillin is a miraculous serendipity. The teacher
notice or remember that it was my sentence as I use it before when I was
ELTI student. She laughed and give the team points. There were doing more
rounds and learn how to use all the form of the vocabulary in an adjective
clause.
After that, the teacher gave the students a 10-minute break. Then the
students came back from the break and Casey decided to show the students
an Adele the new song which called hello and has lyrics on YouTube. They
learn grammar and find the error through song. It was fun and learn
grammar as well. In Adele song, she use it dont instead of it doesnt. One of
the students answered, the reason of using it because of the song rhythm
and it sounds better to use it that way.

Analysis
I think the way they teach the student is unique, I love that theyre
learning grammar through songs and in other activity as a grammar is a very
dry subject and tough. Also being not strict make the student more likely
interested and being more attention with the teacher. I saw that using these
tool are related to the 6 characteristics of discourse communities. Theyre
learning through songs which I consider it as a goal where their purpose to
learn grammar error in a different way other than the usual in most classes.
Further, as intercommunication, the mechanisms that they use to teach the
student. Also as a genre, and participation.

AlMutairi 3

As Casey being gentle and flexible on the student making them more
comfortable so they can share their idea or answer the question freely even
if it were wrong. This way will make the student confident and learn from
their mistakes without any pressure or think what other would say if their
answer were not correct.
I notice during the team activity that each group members are working
together and help each other to build a correct sentence or answer without
any grammatical error. This will build up a teamwork skill that will help them
later in the academic.

Reflection
I had a lot of fun during the observation, even I played with them and
try to help the student to build a strong, correct sentence. I know how they're
feeling about learning English and being foreign. As I was a member in the
ELTI, it wasnt strange for me the way they teach the student. Also I was on
of Casey student and I love her class, she makes learning English and
grammar so easy.
Further, she so funny which make the class environment so relaxed
and comfortable to say whatever they want even if the sentence structures
were wrong. So my attention was on the activity that she had it in the class,
for instance, learning through songs. I think that even if the grammar taught
but because of these techniques or the ways theyve teaching the students
to make them more attention in the class. It was a successful observation for
me as I realize that the teacher does whatever it takes to pull their attention
even if it a dry subject and makes it so easy and fun as well.