Austin CO1

My first class that I observed (officially) here at CIES was taught by Karen Devick. At least officially, this was my first, for blogging purposes. I did covertly observe a few others, but they didn't know I was there. Ms. Devick's class was my favorite one to observe, and I have a feeling it is the student's favorites too. Out of all the teachers I have watched here, I have never seen one with as much energy and enthusiasm as Ms. Devick (and possibly Ramin). She made the class fun and entertaining, and really made me feel welcome. At least, until I told her I went to Switzerland and I payed 8 Euros for a bottle of water. She said I was stupid for doing so (I think she was kidding....I think.) She would not be the first teacher to say this, anyway.

This was a listening class, level 1. She had us listen to Prince William and his wife talk about how they met, and what life is like now that they're married. Than she asked us specific questions about what was said. If nobody answered, she gave the wrong answer just to see if they were paying attention. A shameless trick. For example, "So Kate thinks Prince William is an excellent cook, right?" "No," someone replied. "She thinks he is terrible." "Correct," says Ms. Devick. I thought this baiting tactic was a good idea, as it sometimes happens students will just smile and nod their heads, feigning comprehension.

She had me partner with one of the students. When I saw the look on his face, I knew what he was thinking. "Oh yea, my partner is American. I'm just going to get all my answers from him." I was not that easy. Whenever he wanted me to fill in the blank, I just repeated the question in a different way, making him have to think. "What did Prince William say. Does he think this way...or that way?" Even if the sentence was a little harder than he was used to, if presented with a 50/50 chance of of answering, he always got it right. This could be a reflection of his English skills, or just his test taking skills. Always eliminate any answers you know to be wrong before you guess. He knew this already.

All in all, I really enjoyed this class and I signed up for her class again later in that same afternoon.