To: Kay Ostberg and Tenure Committee members CC: Thompson Brandt RE: Kays Classroom Observation Date:

February 7, 2014 On February 4, 2014, Kay observed my English 121 class that meets at 9:30-10:45 and provided feedback from that observation via memo. She observed class number 2 of a roughly 8 class module on writing process essays. As suggested in Kays semester-start memo, I will respond to her evaluative comments in memo form. Teaching Style I would like to thank Kay for her positive comments about my teaching style. I work diligently to make my classes interactive, active, and fast-paced to promote student engagement in the material, and Im pleased that Kay stated that my students enjoyed my class and my teaching style. That is very important to me because my philosophy is that engaged students are the most likely to learn the course content. I also appreciate that Kay mentioned that my students write without fear because I actively encourage positive atmospheres in my classrooms. My goal is for my students to feel comfortable with their skills, their classmates, and me. When that atmosphere is achieved, I feel that my students are learning at the optimal level because they can leave their insecurities at the door and learn most efficiently. The level of comfort my students have in my class also extends to my lessons because I believe I need to meet students at their current level of ability. Meeting them where they are gives them confidence, and with that confidence, they are better able to build their skills and meet higher expectations when I ask it of them as the semester progresses. Teaching Content Kay expressed some concerns about the content of my lesson; she said that my lesson was somewhat below the level of Highlands standards. I appreciate her feedback and suggestions for making the lesson more in-depth. I will consider her comments when planning my lessons in the future. I would like to note that Kay observed my class on only the fifth class meeting. Because of the snow days, I have had fewer class periods with this group of students than I would normally have, and I am still learning their personalities and abilities when normally I would have a stronger knowledge of them as individuals and the personality of the class as a whole. My lack of knowledge about the students is something I plan to rectify in the coming weeks. Also, the pacing of the class was a bit off. I was unable to get through all of the material I had planned because I misjudged the length of my planned activities. Reviewing the pace of the class is an additional consideration I will need to make for the next time I teach that particular lesson.

Again, I would like to thank Kay for taking time to visit my class. I appreciate her feedback and look forward to honing my teaching style even further as my tenure process progresses.