Debra was a very inviting and warm person, and she shared so many personal details about herself it was easy to relate to her. Her style was very informal. She also had a good sense of humor. By teaching the class in a non-threatening, positive manner where the emphasis was not on grades or acheivement, she helped put everyone at ease. Group activities that are fun (like the ones she taught) help to break the ice between not only teacher and student but student to student as well. Everything about her was open, and it was hard not to respond to her infectious enthusiasm. The more comfortable a student feels in class, the lower the affective filter.
Debra pointed out that sharing personal details about yourself is a very good way to get students to feel at ease and begin sharing themselves with each other. Her high energy was contagious and just a few minutes into the lecture everyone was laughing and having a great time. She was also extremely well prepared, obviously from many years of practice, which allows for that energy and enthusiasm to come through since she was using tried and true activities that she's comfortable executing.
Debra has the happy virus, she was humorous, warm, inviting, and you can tell she really cared. She started out by being really open, and so she sort of set an example for the students to be like her (it encourages them to talk the same way she talked about herself, to be active, to participate, etc..). I think her personality really helped students adapt quickly (not feel awkward, or left out, or put on the spot, etc..), and so they can focus more on the actual learning and activities rather than be worried about how to act in the classroom. Another thing also was her positive attitude, and how well prepared she is (you can tell she has plenty of experience by how naturally she did everything).
Debra made a lot of jokes, opened up her personal side to us, wasn't afraid to act silly, made efforts to learn students' names (making connections with her students), showed enthusiasm for the topic, and was generally open. She set a model for students to do the same in her class in order to lower affective filters so we'd feel more comfortable and less anxious speaking openly and engaging with the material.
Debra’s activities could easily be adapted to any targeted level. Also, teachers can design two sets of material for law and high- level students in one activity. For example, “who I am” activity allows for simple and complex answers in the same time. Also the “pennies” activity could be adapted for low level students by changing the instruction from present perfect to simple past or simple present so the students would say “I did not do this” or “ I do not do this”. Moreover, the “tri-bond” activities allows for simple and more advanced type of construction, and the teacher can place each type in a certain place that would let him choose the one that suits each student proficiency level. The same could be applied to the other activities.
Debra's demeanor was extremely positive and excited. She was clearly interested in what she had to show us and therefore, I feel that we were interested in what she had to say. In the same way, students will respond to a demeanor. Like attracts like, and if we are positive, encouraging, and proactive in demeanor, the students are more likely to noy only stay focused, but also get excited about the language. Excitement leads to passionate work. I think the activities themselves helped lower filters. Even though we were not ESL students, I felt like doing the activities helped me get to know some of my other classmates. Seeing the work and ideas of other groups also showed a different view of the activity and the language, which allows diversity and lets students feel more comfortable about coming up with different ideas.
Debra's demeanor allowed for her students to feel much more at ease because she addressed them as though she were having a normal conversation with them, not as though they were the subordinate and she the superior. She set the pace for a relaxed and informal atmosphere. One of the key ways she did that was through personal details about herself. Knowing more details about your teachers makes them seem somehow more human and less intimidating. I think you all probably have experienced that awkward moment of seeing a teacher outside of class at the grocery store or a restaurant. It's a shocking moment because you are faced with the realization that outside of being your teacher, that person is a PERSON! Weird! What Debra did was immediately humanize herself with the "Who am I?" activity. Letting your students know more about you than your English-speaking ability helps make your classroom a safer place for them and puts students at ease.
Debra is easy-going and humorous. In the “who am I” activity, she told lots of interesting things about herself, which makes students feel comfortable and relaxed and want tell their own stories. She can quickly know about her students and encourage them to answer questions or pick the questions suitable for different students’ levels. She is also good at controlling the rate of class progress and guarantees her students master the most knowledge in the least time. And importantly, for a language teacher, Debra considers about the culture differences and avoids some controversial issues so that her students can cooperate and communicate well.
Debra's demeanor was warm and open. And when she starts to share things about her personal life (for example her surgeries or her marriage) or stories of her past this helps lower student's affective filter. Students then get to see that "oh she's just like me" and not some "teaching god" at the front of the room. When students get to know their teachers they tend to talk more and ask more questions. Learning is easier for both the teacher and the student.
Debra's demeanor was warm and inviting. She readily offered up personal information about herself to help students feel more comfortable with her. She also calls students by their name which I think is really important in the classroom. She was excited, energetic, and focused which I'm sure helps to motivate her students in the classroom. She also used several strategies to help lower her students' affective filters. For example, she did a lot of group work but the groups were strategically formed. She would ask for a certain number of people per group depending on the activity thereby assuring that it was an appropriate amount of people for the assignment. She also made sure that groups didn't get too big. She explained that groups of 6 or more are always too big because students will naturally form into two small groups of 3. She also payed close attention to seating arrangement when it came to group work. For example, when I was working in a group of 4 she made us physically get up and move so that we were in a more apprpriate seating arrangement (closer to a circle vs sitting in a line), that way we could easily talk to one another without anyone feeling left out. She also strived to have students work with other students that they didn't know as well. To help this, she would assign groups at random using color coded ribbons, stickers, or popsicle sticks to ensure that students work with a different group every class. With students who have different cultural backgrounds(like women who aren't used to working with men, or aren't comfortable with it), she would slowly introduce the student to new groups. She wouldn't just throw a student into a situaion they were uncomfortable with, she would do it slowly and gradually until the student was comfortable. She also did a lot of "ice-breaker" activities at the beginning of a new class. For example, she had a puzzle activity where students work together to finish a puzzle as quickly as possible. This allows the students to work collectively in a friendly competition and help them feel more comfortable with eachother and in the classroom. These are just some of the strategies she used to help her students feel more open, comfortable, and confidant in the classroom.
Debra's demeanor was really relaxed and personable even from the very start of class. Her openness and willingness to reveal personal information really brought the class in toward her, and the atmosphere was lightened by her ability to incorporate humor into her teaching. Throughout teaching she interacted with individual students (even while lecturing she would address a single student at times as if eliciting emotional feedback from them). She also moved around the classroom a lot and kept our attention by moving quickly but clearly through information. Another technique she employed from the start was to put only students with whom she was familiar on the spot so that those who didn't know her as well didn't feel threatened - then later, as students became more comfortable, she began to call on others. The groups that she had us form also encouraged lowering of filters since the activities were non-threatening and groups were small enough that no one could be intimidated. Debra really has an infectious enthusiasm in her teaching style that I think most students would respond to positively.
Debra’s demeanor was extremely outgoing and positive throughout the lecture. At one point as she went up the steps to hand out handouts she seemed to be struggling physically and mentioned that she was running out of steam. Yet she kept going full steam. She has a pretty positive attitude and she engages students and with her activities has the students engage her and other students in the room as well. I can see how having her as a teacher over several weeks would lower affective filters in her students and increase student learning and ability. Loved the whistle.
Debra was very personable and approachable and this probably relaxes the students and makes them less intimidated in approaching her. In addition to this, the group work was very student friendly and communicative which would also cause the students to lower their affective filters with each other but also the teacher. If a teacher can bring a positive and upbeat attitude to the classroom, it will have nothing but positive effects on the students.
Debra first of all started out very open with us by playing a game and sharing her life with us. She then throughout the time made sure that everyone was participating in the games. Also, with the games that we were playing, there was no way that you could be quiet and done the task at hand. Even our class was getting a little rowdy because we all were caught up in the games. I think then people's competitive side overides the nerves that they may have about speaking!
Debra was very outgoing and lively and loud, though not in a bad way. She isn't timid or shy about sharing her life with her students to make the material relevant. She makes her lessons fun and makes sure she engages the entire class, not just the talkative people. She somehow makes it impossible to not want to talk, which at that point the students affective filters are already lowered. She makes it ok to make mistakes, but isn't afraid to correct either which is really quite helpful.
Debra’s demeanor is something I aim to be: engaging, spontaneous, and warm. She can think on her feet quickly, make a joke when necessary, and reel everyone in when needed. She shared details about her life, so it made it more personal. She felt appropriately comfortable at the head of the classroom, and she used good body language. Lastly, she didn’t fret when we hit a snag and readjusted something for our class. I think that are characteristics of all good teachers, no matter the subject.
Debra’s had a warm and friendly demeanor. She told jokes and joked with individual students which made the class feel more relaxed. In telling of some of her own mishaps or other such problems that she faced, she helped us have real-life examples of problems and also helped us to see that even someone who is being presented as a great teacher can sometimes face situations they feel are difficult. She also gave real life examples and useful tips of what might occur if we used what we were learning; which helps the one better understand what one is learning and how to use it, and also what to expect when using it.
Debra is very warm and humorous person. As an English teacher, these are very nice characteristics. During the lecture, she sometimes smiled and talked like usual conversation with family or friends. This kind of her speech was not formal or stiff, so it helped that students took part in the activities and announced their opinions freely. Moreover, she has a good sense of humor. This is a very important element of teachers, but only veteran teachers can use humor in their class. Because the beginner teachers are also nervous in class, they cannot think about humor. However, one obvious fact is that teachers’ humor can help lower students’ affective filters.
Debra was a very inviting and warm person, and she shared so many personal details about herself it was easy to relate to her. Her style was very informal. She also had a good sense of humor. By teaching the class in a non-threatening, positive manner where the emphasis was not on grades or acheivement, she helped put everyone at ease. Group activities that are fun (like the ones she taught) help to break the ice between not only teacher and student but student to student as well. Everything about her was open, and it was hard not to respond to her infectious enthusiasm. The more comfortable a student feels in class, the lower the affective filter.
ReplyDeleteDebra pointed out that sharing personal details about yourself is a very good way to get students to feel at ease and begin sharing themselves with each other. Her high energy was contagious and just a few minutes into the lecture everyone was laughing and having a great time. She was also extremely well prepared, obviously from many years of practice, which allows for that energy and enthusiasm to come through since she was using tried and true activities that she's comfortable executing.
ReplyDeleteDebra has the happy virus, she was humorous, warm, inviting, and you can tell she really cared. She started out by being really open, and so she sort of set an example for the students to be like her (it encourages them to talk the same way she talked about herself, to be active, to participate, etc..). I think her personality really helped students adapt quickly (not feel awkward, or left out, or put on the spot, etc..), and so they can focus more on the actual learning and activities rather than be worried about how to act in the classroom. Another thing also was her positive attitude, and how well prepared she is (you can tell she has plenty of experience by how naturally she did everything).
ReplyDeleteDebra made a lot of jokes, opened up her personal side to us, wasn't afraid to act silly, made efforts to learn students' names (making connections with her students), showed enthusiasm for the topic, and was generally open. She set a model for students to do the same in her class in order to lower affective filters so we'd feel more comfortable and less anxious speaking openly and engaging with the material.
ReplyDeleteDebra’s activities could easily be adapted to any targeted level. Also, teachers can design two sets of material for law and high- level students in one activity. For example, “who I am” activity allows for simple and complex answers in the same time. Also the “pennies” activity could be adapted for low level students by changing the instruction from present perfect to simple past or simple present so the students would say “I did not do this” or “ I do not do this”. Moreover, the “tri-bond” activities allows for simple and more advanced type of construction, and the teacher can place each type in a certain place that would let him choose the one that suits each student proficiency level. The same could be applied to the other activities.
ReplyDeleteDebra's demeanor was extremely positive and excited. She was clearly interested in what she had to show us and therefore, I feel that we were interested in what she had to say. In the same way, students will respond to a demeanor. Like attracts like, and if we are positive, encouraging, and proactive in demeanor, the students are more likely to noy only stay focused, but also get excited about the language. Excitement leads to passionate work. I think the activities themselves helped lower filters. Even though we were not ESL students, I felt like doing the activities helped me get to know some of my other classmates. Seeing the work and ideas of other groups also showed a different view of the activity and the language, which allows diversity and lets students feel more comfortable about coming up with different ideas.
ReplyDeleteDebra's demeanor allowed for her students to feel much more at ease because she addressed them as though she were having a normal conversation with them, not as though they were the subordinate and she the superior. She set the pace for a relaxed and informal atmosphere. One of the key ways she did that was through personal details about herself. Knowing more details about your teachers makes them seem somehow more human and less intimidating. I think you all probably have experienced that awkward moment of seeing a teacher outside of class at the grocery store or a restaurant. It's a shocking moment because you are faced with the realization that outside of being your teacher, that person is a PERSON! Weird! What Debra did was immediately humanize herself with the "Who am I?" activity. Letting your students know more about you than your English-speaking ability helps make your classroom a safer place for them and puts students at ease.
ReplyDeleteDebra is easy-going and humorous. In the “who am I” activity, she told lots of interesting things about herself, which makes students feel comfortable and relaxed and want tell their own stories. She can quickly know about her students and encourage them to answer questions or pick the questions suitable for different students’ levels. She is also good at controlling the rate of class progress and guarantees her students master the most knowledge in the least time. And importantly, for a language teacher, Debra considers about the culture differences and avoids some controversial issues so that her students can cooperate and communicate well.
ReplyDeleteDebra's demeanor was warm and open. And when she starts to share things about her personal life (for example her surgeries or her marriage) or stories of her past this helps lower student's affective filter. Students then get to see that "oh she's just like me" and not some "teaching god" at the front of the room. When students get to know their teachers they tend to talk more and ask more questions. Learning is easier for both the teacher and the student.
ReplyDeleteStefani Goode
Debra's demeanor was warm and inviting. She readily offered up personal information about herself to help students feel more comfortable with her. She also calls students by their name which I think is really important in the classroom. She was excited, energetic, and focused which I'm sure helps to motivate her students in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteShe also used several strategies to help lower her students' affective filters. For example, she did a lot of group work but the groups were strategically formed. She would ask for a certain number of people per group depending on the activity thereby assuring that it was an appropriate amount of people for the assignment. She also made sure that groups didn't get too big. She explained that groups of 6 or more are always too big because students will naturally form into two small groups of 3. She also payed close attention to seating arrangement when it came to group work. For example, when I was working in a group of 4 she made us physically get up and move so that we were in a more apprpriate seating arrangement (closer to a circle vs sitting in a line), that way we could easily talk to one another without anyone feeling left out. She also strived to have students work with other students that they didn't know as well. To help this, she would assign groups at random using color coded ribbons, stickers, or popsicle sticks to ensure that students work with a different group every class. With students who have different cultural backgrounds(like women who aren't used to working with men, or aren't comfortable with it), she would slowly introduce the student to new groups. She wouldn't just throw a student into a situaion they were uncomfortable with, she would do it slowly and gradually until the student was comfortable. She also did a lot of "ice-breaker" activities at the beginning of a new class. For example, she had a puzzle activity where students work together to finish a puzzle as quickly as possible. This allows the students to work collectively in a friendly competition and help them feel more comfortable with eachother and in the classroom.
These are just some of the strategies she used to help her students feel more open, comfortable, and confidant in the classroom.
Debra's demeanor was really relaxed and personable even from the very start of class. Her openness and willingness to reveal personal information really brought the class in toward her, and the atmosphere was lightened by her ability to incorporate humor into her teaching. Throughout teaching she interacted with individual students (even while lecturing she would address a single student at times as if eliciting emotional feedback from them). She also moved around the classroom a lot and kept our attention by moving quickly but clearly through information. Another technique she employed from the start was to put only students with whom she was familiar on the spot so that those who didn't know her as well didn't feel threatened - then later, as students became more comfortable, she began to call on others. The groups that she had us form also encouraged lowering of filters since the activities were non-threatening and groups were small enough that no one could be intimidated. Debra really has an infectious enthusiasm in her teaching style that I think most students would respond to positively.
ReplyDeleteDebra’s demeanor was extremely outgoing and positive throughout the lecture. At one point as she went up the steps to hand out handouts she seemed to be struggling physically and mentioned that she was running out of steam. Yet she kept going full steam. She has a pretty positive attitude and she engages students and with her activities has the students engage her and other students in the room as well. I can see how having her as a teacher over several weeks would lower affective filters in her students and increase student learning and ability. Loved the whistle.
ReplyDeleteJarrod Duarte
ReplyDeleteDebra was very personable and approachable and this probably relaxes the students and makes them less intimidated in approaching her. In addition to this, the group work was very student friendly and communicative which would also cause the students to lower their affective filters with each other but also the teacher. If a teacher can bring a positive and upbeat attitude to the classroom, it will have nothing but positive effects on the students.
Jarrod Duarte
Debra first of all started out very open with us by playing a game and sharing her life with us. She then throughout the time made sure that everyone was participating in the games. Also, with the games that we were playing, there was no way that you could be quiet and done the task at hand. Even our class was getting a little rowdy because we all were caught up in the games. I think then people's competitive side overides the nerves that they may have about speaking!
ReplyDeleteDebra was very outgoing and lively and loud, though not in a bad way. She isn't timid or shy about sharing her life with her students to make the material relevant. She makes her lessons fun and makes sure she engages the entire class, not just the talkative people. She somehow makes it impossible to not want to talk, which at that point the students affective filters are already lowered. She makes it ok to make mistakes, but isn't afraid to correct either which is really quite helpful.
ReplyDeleteDebra’s demeanor is something I aim to be: engaging, spontaneous, and warm. She can think on her feet quickly, make a joke when necessary, and reel everyone in when needed. She shared details about her life, so it made it more personal. She felt appropriately comfortable at the head of the classroom, and she used good body language. Lastly, she didn’t fret when we hit a snag and readjusted something for our class. I think that are characteristics of all good teachers, no matter the subject.
ReplyDeleteDebra’s had a warm and friendly demeanor. She told jokes and joked with individual students which made the class feel more relaxed. In telling of some of her own mishaps or other such problems that she faced, she helped us have real-life examples of problems and also helped us to see that even someone who is being presented as a great teacher can sometimes face situations they feel are difficult. She also gave real life examples and useful tips of what might occur if we used what we were learning; which helps the one better understand what one is learning and how to use it, and also what to expect when using it.
ReplyDeleteDebra is very warm and humorous person. As an English teacher, these are very nice characteristics. During the lecture, she sometimes smiled and talked like usual conversation with family or friends. This kind of her speech was not formal or stiff, so it helped that students took part in the activities and announced their opinions freely. Moreover, she has a good sense of humor. This is a very important element of teachers, but only veteran teachers can use humor in their class. Because the beginner teachers are also nervous in class, they cannot think about humor. However, one obvious fact is that teachers’ humor can help lower students’ affective filters.
ReplyDelete