Emilie CO #1

 Date/Time: October 21st, 10:00-10:50 | Group 4 Grammar w/Ryan Flemming

The goal of this class was to review perfect gerunds (having + past participle). The teacher started with a review of the construction of the phrase and gave examples using regret/proud of sentences, e.g. "I regret having gone to the concert" or "I am proud of having lived in the U.S." Then the class did a grammar-in-use activity using a round-table style discussion (with the teacher listening/taking notes). Using perfect gerunds, each student provided 2 sentences about themselves that were true, 2 that were false, and one that was unrelated. Their partners then had to guess whether their statement was true or false. At the end of the exercise, the teacher brought up points about when he had been confused by a student's phrasing and explained any misconceptions. The class also used an online dictionary to look up examples/meanings of some tricky words. The class ended with an assignment for students to draw on their notes to write sentences of similarities or differences between themselves and other students, and a longer writing exercise reminiscing about their life here and what they regret or are proud of.
Key takeaways/things I liked/what I would like to do as a teacher: I appreciated how the teacher says that something can be grammatically possible rather than just saying that something can or cannot be, as English is rarely so straightforward; I also like that he phrased mistakes as things he was "confused" by rather than right/wrong (implying that the priority is communication). The students also tend to ask "is it true?" rather than "is it right/wrong?" I like that any troublesome errors were discussed and that the teacher keeps a "bank" of errors to quiz. This not only ensures errors are tracked but that students are exactly well-prepared for the quizzes.