Class Observation
Observing Professor Koning’s English 115 class was an informative experience. Her class is composed of twenty-seven students and one SI leader. She begins by greeting all the students individually as they join, and asking everyone to share how they are doing in the Zoom chat, utilizing a one to five scale. Some students simply give a number, others provide an explanation for why they scored themselves the way they did. There’s an open and friendly environment right off the bat, and she sympathizes with those who are struggling while getting excited for students who are doing well. Afterwards, she provides an outline of the day’s agenda and jumps into the lesson for the day.
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Professor Koning gives her lectures through screen-sharing slides that are largely image and quote-centered, which she uses as visual aids and explains in greater detail. The day I was observing, she showed the class a video titled “Human Looking Faces on Animal Bodies”, which tied into the book they were reading and doing an essay on, Citizen: An American Lyric. The book of poetry includes many images and references to other media, including the artwork of Kate Clark who was featured in the video. Students could respond to either the poetry itself in their essay, or one of the many multimodal elements it contained, and this video was one of many options that she made available to them. The essays itself could also be formatted in different ways, such as including a reflective letter or even alternate modes.
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After the video, Professor Koning discussed the complicated issue of model minorities and how Asian people are often wrongly excluded from the label “POC”, having students read the highlights of a New Yorker article. She then asked students what was their own understanding of the term, treating it as a “Waterfall Activity” where everyone types in their responses but only hits enter on the Zoom chat once she says so, creating a waterfall of answers that she then notes and responds to. The lecture closes with some final helpful tips about essay-writing and answering any questions students may have.
There were many elements of Professor Koning’s class that I’d love to incorporate in future teaching endeavours. She clearly seeks to create engagement and inclusivity for her students, asking for their opinions on complicated topics and responding constantly to the chat. Something I appreciated is that she included trigger warnings specific to the video and article for anyone who needed it, providing students with an exit that they could take. The “Waterfall Activity” is also an interesting concept, because it lets everyone state their first impressions without being influenced by what others have already said in the chat. Unfortunately, when it comes to freshman classes, it seems difficult to get them to vocally discuss their opinions further when the floor is opened to them, but using the chat means there is still some engagement and I don’t think it’s wrong to always create space for more student voices.
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I also would like to incorporate how flexible the essay assignment of the course was. Professor Koning not only lets the class write on whichever topic relating to the book that they’d like, she encourages it, telling her students “For a good paper, pick what’s interesting to you… it’s really your journey.” Combined with both the multimodal content and the multimodal options for the essay, it feels like a very democratic class in which student interest dictates the path taken. For a freshman class like this one, I think it’s a good approach to promote multimodality through both the content of the course and low-stake assignments, while still allowing students to choose whatever format makes them most comfortable when it comes to larger essays. This way, students are gently introduced to different modes and encouraged to experiment without having to feel anxiety or frustration.
Professor Koning’s essay tips suggest to me that she is utilizing a process-focused pedagogy instead of a product-focused one. She lets people know that the steps to writing an essay are nonlinear, references “Shitty First Drafts” to emphasize that they have permission to write a bad draft and that the stakes of the draft assignment are very low, and models how to implement different technologies that can enhance the process, such as using Jamboards for organizing ideas and outlining. Overall, the way she provides information lowers anxiety and seems to empower the student, and I’d definitely want to incorporate that within my own class. It feels there’s an understanding that freshmen writers in particular need room to experiment and a boost to their confidence, and the way the assignments are formatted ensures that gets to happen.
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Lastly, as somebody who has SI’d for Professor Koning before, I think her “Community Hours” are a great idea that I’d love to get to use. They’re similar to office hours, but they function as a sort of study hall, where people are encouraged to come work, interact with one another, and seek help if they wish to. The framing of “Community Hours” makes the stakes of it seem much less high and serious than office hours, which many students are afraid to attend. It also allows not only for enhanced connection between teacher and student, but also an enhanced connection to one’s classroom community.
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Overall, my key takeaways from observing Professor Koning’s class was to find ways to increase engagement and interaction with an online class, be flexible and democratic when it comes to important assignments, and aim for positivity and inclusivity. Professor Koning not only frames her course around social justice issues, she aims for equity and justice within her own classroom, and it really shows in her work. I hope I can implement these positive qualities seamlessly within my own course, while still centering student choice.