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Student Teaching Experiences
August 2016Â - May 2017
French Student Teaching
Mount Nittany Middle School
State College Area High School
State College, Pennsylvania
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Cooperating teacher: Mrs. Brogan Goeller
Tackling the Classroom
Stepping into the role of High School French Teacher for the first time
Fun with Flags
This lesson is modeled after a lesson that my mentor teacher had used. I took the lesson and stepped it up by incorporating real-world flags of Francophone countries and adding a mapping activity. In the subsequent years, "Fun with Flags" has become a staple of my French classes.
Teaching English in Sweden
Student Teaching: Text
May - June 2016
EFL Teaching Experience
Sandagymnasiet
Huskvarna, Sweden
Student Teaching: Experience
After my study abroad semester in France, I had the opportunity to participate in a new partnership program between Penn State University and Jönköping University. The program, developed by the coordinator of the World Language Education program at Penn State, allowed participants the opportunity to work in a Swedish partner high school to explore second language acquisition in foreign countries. In this particular experience, I would be working to teach English at the request of middle and high school level teachers. Working with one of my Penn State colleagues, we developed an interactive and engaging L2 (English) lesson for students about the American Electoral System and the 2016 Presidential Election and Candidates.
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The lesson included a breakdown of candidates' stances on important issues (in addition to why the issues are important), an explanation of the different sides and opinions of issues, as well. After the discussion, we held a mock caucus between Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The winner of the caucus would compete in a mock general election against Donald Trump, who had won the Republican nomination at the time of the lessons. Students were actively engaged, asked questions, and discussed the various view points of the topics, all in their L2: English. It was designed in part to use Drama Based Instruction, a teaching strategy which focuses on imaginative play to learn language.
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During this "Maymester" course, we were also fortunate to have one-on-one experience in working with refugee students from Syria. This humbling experience was unique because these students were not only learning in our English classes, but were also immersed in intense Swedish language courses as a part of their schooling. Being foreign ourselves in Sweden, we were able to develop a connection with some of these students in particular and help them feel more welcomed in their classrooms.
English Teaching Internship in France
Student Teaching: Text
January - May 2016
English Teaching Intern
Assomption de Montpellier
Montpellier, France
Student Teaching: Experience
During my study abroad semester, I enrolled in a course designed to give American students the opportunity to have a professional internship. As an education major, I was able to be partnered with the English Department at a private middle school called Assumption de Montpellier.
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At this school, I worked closely with two English teachers - Véronique and Emmanuel - to create lessons, games, and presentations about the English language and American culture. In many classes, we played Jeopardy-style games where students worked in small groups to answer questions in English. In other classes, we discussed elements of American culture and compared it to French and European cultures. The students really enjoyed having an American intern (and they were even more surprised to learn that I spoke proficient French!) and they were not shy in asking questions about life in the United States.
Elementary Field Experience
Penn State University
Student Teaching: Text
For the fall semester of 2015, World Language Education majors complete a 6-week elementary field experience. During my experience, all four of us who were focusing on French worked together with a group of elementary school students ranging from 1st through 4th grade.
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Over the course of the experience, we worked 90-minute sessions after the elementary school day had completed, twice a week for six weeks. During our lessons, each teacher would have a specific activity or event to lead for the students. When not acting as the lead teacher, we would act as co-teachers, support teachers/support staff, or as model students.
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The content of our lessons was left to us for planning and organization. We focused on the alphabet, numbers, animals, food, and geography. We attempted to use drama based instruction in at least one part of each lesson with varying degrees of success.
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