February 21, 2019
UTA: Erin Allen
Professor: Kelsey Kurr
ENGL101
Environmental:
Rolly desks and chairs and the students sit in rows. Blank board to start with
Three different whiteboards
Classroom is very big
I came in talking full volume, but Erin whispered to me, signaling that I should also lower my voice because the students were not talking amongst themselves
No projector set up
Pre-class questions:
UTA showed up first and typically sits with the students in the first row, except she is giving the lesson today so she leaves her things at her usual desks and brings her laptop to the front of the room
I decide to sit right behind her usual spot in the second row
Prof ask questions at start, signaling the beginning of class
Not a lot of interaction before class with prof and students or between prof and UTA
Students do not interact with one another but seem to be all set up as soon as the get there
A lot of students showed up late (up to 10 minutes after the start of class)
Student engagement:
Students answer questions almost immediately about the article that Erin sent them for assigned reading
Students share their own experiences with internal biases
Students are very engaged and seem comfortable with one another
Students get into groups to discuss the reading and prof and UTA talk during the break
They talk quietly during the breakout sessions, as they did when class began, but they stay on topic with professor’s help
Some students participate a lot more than others, but these students feel comfortable to share their opinions
Students are allowed to use their laptops
Students raise their hands and Erin calls on them if they want to ask or answer a question, but some just jump in when they have something to contribute
No white noise in the classroom so silence from students can be pretty painful, but this doesn’t happen too often
Toward the end, students feel comfortable to joke with one another
Facilitation:
Erin talks about theses for their rhetorical analysis .
Breaks down thesis statement into simple parts based on article
Uses her own examples
They held a mock trial in the last class and she referred back to it in this class
Asked opinions on the TedTalk video she sent out
She doesn’t have a projector going, but she has notes on her laptop
Subject is on rhetorical analysis
Asks for questions from students about the assignment
Second activity: creating rhetorical theses
UTA and prof go around to different groups to check in
Students write the theses they came up with on the board so that the whole classroom can edit their theses
This takes a little time to accomplish, so Erin does her best to hurry them along
Toward the end of class, the students edit each other’s theses that they came up with in groups
UTA questions:
Today, Erin is leading the class for the whole time. I don’t think this happens often, but it is nice to see her taking charge of the classroom as a UTA
Prof gives brief introduction for Erin to get her going on the lesson plan
Teacher/UTA relationship is pretty formal but they have side conversations during the groupwork which feels less formal
The UTA is an authority figure on par with the instructor
She is able to ask for advice from the professor during her breakout sessions
Prof even answers some of the questions about the theses
She asks detailed questions and pushes for clarification from her students when they answer questions, making them think a little deeper in their responses
UTA: Erin Allen
Professor: Kelsey Kurr
ENGL101
Environmental:
Rolly desks and chairs and the students sit in rows. Blank board to start with
Three different whiteboards
Classroom is very big
I came in talking full volume, but Erin whispered to me, signaling that I should also lower my voice because the students were not talking amongst themselves
No projector set up
Pre-class questions:
UTA showed up first and typically sits with the students in the first row, except she is giving the lesson today so she leaves her things at her usual desks and brings her laptop to the front of the room
I decide to sit right behind her usual spot in the second row
Prof ask questions at start, signaling the beginning of class
Not a lot of interaction before class with prof and students or between prof and UTA
Students do not interact with one another but seem to be all set up as soon as the get there
A lot of students showed up late (up to 10 minutes after the start of class)
Student engagement:
Students answer questions almost immediately about the article that Erin sent them for assigned reading
Students share their own experiences with internal biases
Students are very engaged and seem comfortable with one another
Students get into groups to discuss the reading and prof and UTA talk during the break
They talk quietly during the breakout sessions, as they did when class began, but they stay on topic with professor’s help
Some students participate a lot more than others, but these students feel comfortable to share their opinions
Students are allowed to use their laptops
Students raise their hands and Erin calls on them if they want to ask or answer a question, but some just jump in when they have something to contribute
No white noise in the classroom so silence from students can be pretty painful, but this doesn’t happen too often
Toward the end, students feel comfortable to joke with one another
Facilitation:
Erin talks about theses for their rhetorical analysis .
Breaks down thesis statement into simple parts based on article
Uses her own examples
They held a mock trial in the last class and she referred back to it in this class
Asked opinions on the TedTalk video she sent out
She doesn’t have a projector going, but she has notes on her laptop
Subject is on rhetorical analysis
Asks for questions from students about the assignment
Second activity: creating rhetorical theses
UTA and prof go around to different groups to check in
Students write the theses they came up with on the board so that the whole classroom can edit their theses
This takes a little time to accomplish, so Erin does her best to hurry them along
Toward the end of class, the students edit each other’s theses that they came up with in groups
UTA questions:
Today, Erin is leading the class for the whole time. I don’t think this happens often, but it is nice to see her taking charge of the classroom as a UTA
Prof gives brief introduction for Erin to get her going on the lesson plan
Teacher/UTA relationship is pretty formal but they have side conversations during the groupwork which feels less formal
The UTA is an authority figure on par with the instructor
She is able to ask for advice from the professor during her breakout sessions
Prof even answers some of the questions about the theses
She asks detailed questions and pushes for clarification from her students when they answer questions, making them think a little deeper in their responses