Site: King Elementary
Lesson Title: Let’s ask each other questions!
Date of Class: Mar 09, 2020
Time of Class: 6:00 PM
MC: PatrikKilpatrickEvolutionary
DJ: ShelleySincereLearner
Assistants/Shadowers/Auditioner: Sabrina
Module: “Census 2020” (off-curriculum today)
How Many Learners: 2
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): Gooood
Self Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 5
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 8
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 8
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 7
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 8
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 8
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): Today’s class was really cool. We did not talk about the census, it’s true… But! Today’s activity really upped learner engagement and connection.
While there was no specific lesson plan in mind at the start, Patrik worked up an open-ended yet structured activity on the fly that challenged learners (and facilitators) to produce short, authentic stories about themselves. This activity allowed both learners to engage with the lesson and challenge themselves despite having different strengths (listening vs writing vs speaking).
Initially we only had one (high-level) learner, and at that point, Patrik had hoped to focus the day on challenging them to work on the nitty gritty aspects of English production. The class started out as an authentic conversation between the MC, learner and DJ, and that conversational theme carried throughout the class even after the other learner arrived.
There were some surprising moments where one learner really locked into the stories they were telling and produced some strong narratives. It was really cool to watch, and it was a level of engagement I hadn’t yet seen from this learner. The two learners also connected with each other more than usual. A lot of their connecting conversation was not in English, but the energy level was high and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was a super fun class with a lot to take in.