7/23/2019 Observation Letter Jo Anne Hernandez Spring 2015

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To: Department of English

From: Dr. Mary E. Sefranek

Re: Observation of Jo Anne Hernndez INGL 3104 (Section 032) Class

Date: November 25, 20151

On Monday, February 23, 2015, I had the opportunity to observe Jo Anne Hernndezs INGL 3104(IntermediateEnglish II) class from 9:30 a.m. 10:20 a.m. and found that both the content of her lesson and the methods sheemployed to teach this content were satisfactory. Jo Anneslesson focused on an introduction to poetry, discussionand analysis of Robert Frosts poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, an interactive activity in whichstudents were required to interpret possible indirect messages conveyed by poetry via drawing, then share theirinterpretations with each other to consider how they each read between the lines.

Organization (the overall organization of the class session and its relationship to previously covered material):

Jo Anne was very well prepared for the class. Not only did she send me support materials in advance of theobservation as required, but when I entered the room, she had already projected a PowerPoint presentation to

introduce the shift to a new unit of study in her class (poetry). This PowerPoint was thoughtfully prepared andincluded a series of quotations on varying interpretations of poetry, two formal definitions of poetry, biographicaldata on the poet Robert Frost, Frosts poem Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, images to accompany

the poem, and written instructions for an interactive in-class assignment. She closed the door promptly at the startof class and immediately took attendance, questioning the students present about the absence of a peer, andeffectively multitasking as she simultaneously reviewed studentshomework assignments. Jo Anne commenced theclass by writing Poetry at each side of the board and having students individually write down what words pop upwhen they hear the word poetry.During this warm-up activity, she strategically had students write on both sides ofthe board to save time, clarified that they needed to pass their marker to a peer immediately after they added theircontribution, and, perhaps most importantly, noted that they could not repeat the word another peer had alreadyposted. She then commenced her PowerPoint presentation, ensuring that unfamiliar, and especially difficult orabstract vocabulary terms were defined for (and by) students. These included "puny", "aesthetic", and "solstice".

She utilized a variety of instructional strategies during the class session including the sharing of homeworkresponses on the board, the above-described board activity and PowerPoint presentation, an in-depth question andanswer period to accompany PowerPoint slides, reading aloud, drawing, and the collective sharing of studentsinterpretations of their drawings.

Content and clarity (A description of the material covered and the strategies used to facilitate student learning):

1This observation letter is dated and signed significantly after the original observation due to time limitations on the part of theobserver during the semester in question and through no fault of the graduate student herself. Should it be necessary to verifyany of the reflections in this evaluation, the observer is more than willing to do so.

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISHFaculty of Arts and SciencesUniversity of Puerto RicoMayagez CampusPO Box 9000Mayagez, Puerto Rico 00681-9000(787) 832-4040 Ext. 3064

DEP RT MENTO DE INGLS

Facultad de Artes y Ciencias

Universidad de Puerto Rico

Recinto Universitario de Mayagez

Apartado Postal 9000

Mayagez, Puerto Rico 00681-9000

(787) 832-4040Ext. 3064

7/23/2019 Observation Letter Jo Anne Hernandez Spring 2015

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All material was arranged and discussed in a systematic, organized fashion. Jo Anne kept an even, fluid pacethroughout the lesson and related the daysmaterial to both previous class sessions as well as their upcomingpoetry-based explication essay. It is important to note that in doing so, she conceptually created a map of the dayslesson by explicitly making connections between past, present, and future classes. This is an important strategy thatpurposefully supports emergent bilingual students in their processing, understanding, and application of content tofamiliar and unfamiliar contexts. In addition, as she reviewed Frosts poem, she engaged students in a line-by-lineinterpretation, thus modeling what will be expected in their final essay for the unit. Moreover, she demonstratedvarious ways students might engage in analysis, pointing to the ways Frosts poem highlights civilization vs. nature

and questioning the students about the location of the author (or narrator) of the poem.

Interaction with students (The extent to which student participation is elicited and the ways in which theinstructor provides feedback and guidance to the students):

Jo Anne engaged well with her students, making familiar connections to popular culture, and allowing them tofreely call out responses to her questions. Indeed, she used frequent questions to engage her students and pushedthem to go beyond literal meanings conveyed by the poem to consider details and deeper meaning that

would lead them to a more profound interpretation. Jo Anne addressed her students by name, established andmaintained eye contact with them, provided appropriate feedback, and circulated around the room, clarifyingdoubts and keeping them on track. She did not hesitate to directly address an error a student had made as sheengaged in the in-class assignment (creating a direct illustration of the poem as opposed to a drawing of moreelusive meanings) and getting her back on track.

Delivery and style (A description of the instructors verbal and nonverbal communication strategies and therapport he/she establishes with the students):

Jo Annesdelivery and style were also quite good. She spoke expressively and emphatically, using appropriate bodymovements, gestures, and facial expressions. Her voice was loud and clear, her speech was neither too formal or toocasual, nor too fast or too slow. She clarified concepts in Spanish when necessary, but routinely responded in Englishto questions posed in Spanish, thus affirming their Spanish language contributions while providing an excellentEnglish language model with her own example and through the examples of other students in the class. Herclassroom environment was one in which students learning was cultivated and in which she displayed

professionalism in her teaching.

Recommendations/Suggestions

Jo Anne generally posed questions to the group-at-large and should work on also posing questions toindividuals. She should also prepare more probing questions in advance that push students to go beyondsuperficial, one-word responses. This did occur in her classroom, but should occur with greater frequency.

Jo Anne should repeat the responses of students who respond quietly so that everyone can hear andpotentially benefit from their contributions. This also positively affirms the participation of students who aretimid by conveying the value of their responses for the whole group.

JoAnne might work on physically moving to different sides of the room when working with her students to

even out their participation. Her physical presence was predominantly to the (her) left of the room whichwas also the side of the room where less students participated. To engage more of her students more often,she needs to intentionally shift her personal use of space.

Dr. Mary E. Sefranek, Ed.D. Jo Anne HernndezAssociate Professor Graduate Teaching Assistant

Date November 25, 2015 Date