Jillian CO #1

Date: May 9, 2017
Professor: Felicia Ciappetta
Class: Reading

I sat in on Professor Ciappetta's class and was immediately thrown into a class activity. The students previously read a couple paragraphs in an article and were asked to answer corresponding questions for the reading. I was partnered up with a student and she summarized the reading to me. I spent the rest of the class time partnered up with her and I loved it. She was very friendly and spoke clear English and only needed a little help with some of the more difficult words. It was actually a great opportunity.

What I loved most about the class is that the students--for the most part--weren't afraid to speak up. Some of the students were eager and immediately tried their hand at answering any questions or stating their opinion. The best thing was that Professor Ciappetta would not immediately correct the student or define a word. She expected them to try and figure out the meaning or sentence themselves. She would try and pull in the quieter students, but she did her best to make sure nobody felt singled out or pressured.

My greatest experience, though, was what one of the students said to the class. He asked, "If I don't understand, why should I still try?" And I was glad that I was there for that moment. It's a question that many of us may face and I think Professor Ciappetta was extremely patient in her rationale. She explained that no matter how little you understand, you can figure it out whether with a partner or by yourself. She told the class that they know more than they think and that they should always try to understand.

The class was great and I didn't even realize an hour had passed. The students were friendly and most of them were very engaged in learning.