Kelley Bratcher

FL 694
Dr. K. Angus
October 18, 2016
Analysis C
1. Overview
A)
Where: Wilkes Community College
Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Who: Adult ELA Students- Intermediate/Beginner
Learning Situation:
My class has been focusing on career and personal development in preparation for the
National Career Development Center's 'Career Development Week' and their annual
poster/poetry contest. According the NCDC, "This week and day is designed to highlight
the importance of life-long career development and the personal empowerment of all
people. Events and activities should be planned to help examine lives, careers, and the
alternatives available to increase everyones personal success and happiness."
Total Class Time: 36 minutes

B)
Objectives:
To understand how vocabulary and rhythm contribute to language.
To identify the differences between stories and poems.

To share their personal interpretations of the poem

Background:
This lesson explores the poem, "The Dream" by Tishani Doshi. The poem is about what
immigrants do to create a sense of home in a new place. It discusses the preconceptions
and realities of immigrants. Students are exploring poetry in order to prepare for their
own poetry assignment.

C)
Outline:
Discuss famous poets or their favorite poems
Discuss unknown vocabulary
Identify the differences between stories and poems using a Venn Diagram
Share their personal interpretations of the poem

D)
Statement
I plan to carry on class as normal so that when viewing I can see things that I may want to
improve upon. I plan to analyze the ways in which I provide feedback by counting the
number of times I provide a specific type of feedback, how the learner responds and what
other impacts my feedback had.

2. Pre-viewing / Recounting

The lesson seemed to go well. I felt that we ran out of time and I wish I could've
covered the poem in more detail. Some of my students seemed more concerned about
note-taking than in exploring the poem. This made me realize that we need to spend more
time on efficient note-taking skills. By the time they were finished copying down
material from the board, they had missed valuable discussion time. This relates especially
to a few of my older students and those who are 'perfectionist' types. The variety of skill
and language levels in this class, made for a fun, but challenging, lesson. Their
knowledge of poetry and poems was definitely lacking. The majority of my students do
not have much formal education. Ten minutes did not seem to be enough time for the
students to read and analyze the poem. My more advanced students seemed to dominate
the class. Only about half the class participated orally. They all knew the poem,
"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" which seemed to grab their attention. One student
surprised me with his knowledge of abstract ideas.

3. Viewing Analysis
00:00 - 2:21 Pass out poems and explain objective for lesson (preparation for NCDC
Poster/Poetry contest)
2:21 Discussion of popular poets, famous poems, Venn Diagram comparing poems and
stories
11:49 Students listen to a recording of the poem with video, discussion of unknown
vocabulary and poem theme

19:00 Students break into groups to discuss poem (underlying feelings, theme, figurative
meanings
29:43 Whole class discussions begins, each group has an opportunity to take the floor
35:55 Class ends

4. Reflection
I addressed errors in my classroom in student speaking through clarification
requests and repetitions. I used the clarification method a total of three times and the
repetition method a total of four times throughout the 36 minute class period. I belive it is
appropriate because I never seemed to make anyone uncomfortable or embarrassed.
Students seemed to listen, repeat the correction and move on seamlessly. Error correction
did not seem to hinder conversation flow. To change my pattern of addressing errors, I
would include more variety in my types of feedback so that I can better gauge what kinds
of preferences my students have in regards to error correction. I intend to utilize methods
such as recast, metalinguistic feedback and elicitation as a means of error correction.
My error correction involved the following:

Clarification Request - the teacher asks for clarification/repetition

-'The words are what now?"
-When they [the words] make what?
-Concordancia? Oh, rhyme?
Repetition - the teacher restates the learner's speech with emphasis on the correction
being given.

-mispronunciation of safety
-affirmed correct word choice of 'descendants'
-help with pronunciation of 'glittering'
-So are you saying we take a lot of words and combine them?

Given my understanding of second language acquisition and my readings on

interlanguage and discourse development, I would build patterns of corrective interaction
that will benefit my learners over time by varying eye contact among students. I noticed
during the video that I tended to make more eye contact with my higher level students.
Obviously, this discourages my lower level students from speaking and having the
confidence they need to participate in class.
I would also like to focus more on the timing of my corrections. We know that,
Immediate correction depress[es] both childrens self-correction and their accuracy
(Cazden, 2001, p. 144). This is something I need to keep in mind while my students are
speaking and writing. I should focus on encouraging the learner's self-corrections.
Lastly, I would like to take more time to affirm student questions and comments
as quality contributions. During one part of the lesson, a lower level student with a severe
speech impediment made a comment. I could not understand what she was saying and
instead of addressing the comment, I glazed over it in an attempt to not embarrass
anyone. I need to realize that if she is comfortable enough to speak up in class, I need to
be patient in trying to understand her. I should praise any student who asks a substantial
question in order to promote quality participation from everyone. I believe it empowers
them to take charge of their own learning.

Works Cited
Cazden, C. (2001). Classroom discourse: The language of teaching and learning. (2nd
ed.). Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH.