2, February 2010: Teaching Class #1

Bonjour!

Yesterday was our group's first class session at the elementary school. We went over the alphabet, basic introductions, colors, and started body parts. I was in charge of the body parts and passed out handouts and brought the game Twister from home.
Overall, I thought it went pretty well for our first class. It was a little awkward at first because the kids didn't really know what to expect and I think we were nervous too. (I know I was!) But, then we got going and it much became smoother as we went and got into the groove of things. I was very impressed by the kids who often repeated back to us what we were saying in french without having to be asked. They seemed genuinely interested, making comparisons between french and what they already knew from Spanish.
Some were also very shy and I would love to find a way to help bring them out of their shells and get them more engaged in the activities. But games definitely seem the way to go. They all seemed to enjoy playing twister and I think it would be a good idea to play it again next week as a review of colors, and body parts.
Something I would like to improve on for next week is better time management. I feel like we ought to have spent more time on introductions, (maybe helping them practise talking back and forth to each other) and giving them more time to decorate and color the front of their alphabet books. Looking back, I also feel like I really rushed through body parts, just teaching them hand and foot in order to play the game. Maybe I should have gone into more detail and waited until next week to play the game instead of going over it so fast.
However I can honestly say I really enjoyed myself and I hope the kids did too. I can't wait to go back next Tuesday!

Au Revoir!