Peer Reviewing Lesson Plans Spring 2017-2018
I was really grateful for the peer review assignment this semester. I went through and peer reviewed three lesson plans and they were all very unique. I've particularly loved peer reviewing fellow UTAs because it's refreshing to see their styles in just their lesson plans. As this is my third and last semester being a UTA, I didn't have the observation assignment to do so I was excited to be involved in ENGL388V through peer review. Especially because peer review is one of my favorite things about ENGL388V and ENGL101S.
The first was Dena's Position Paper presentation where she gave her tips and tricks on how her ENGL101 students can be successful with their upcoming big paper. Being in my third semester as a UTA, I felt a little too comfortable with my routine so once I peer reviewed Dena's lesson plan, I immediately felt inspired to do one like that with my own twist. I feel very grateful that peer review is part of the ENGL388V curriculum for returning UTAs because it still creates a connection to those that are attending the seminar. When I peer reviewed Dena's lesson plan, I felt as though although we had never met before I was still a part of the classroom involvement, which I think is great for returning UTAs.
The second lesson plan that I peer reviewed was Israel’s. He made a lesson plan that involved watching a film and then writing an ELMS Discussion board post about it. What I really enjoyed about this lesson plan was that it was a different change of pace for me; the film was very history-based as it focused on the Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia. Since I knew nothing about this, I was very happy that Israel included a lot of history context as well as a very clear, step-by-step timeline of the regime’s history. The questions that he included were very thought-provoking and challenging for his students, which I thought was very impressive.
The third lesson plan was Olivia’s. I did this one later after the assignment due date as an extra submission just because Lyra knows how much I like doing peer review and I was happy to give someone else feedback. I really enjoyed giving her some more suggestions along with praise for her lesson plan.
Overall, I had a great experience (again) doing peer review for first-semester UTAs. I think it's really important for them to get feedback from not just the professor but also returning UTAs because we can offer some insight with our recent experiences doing lesson plans ourselves. I think this is a great part of the online course that only returning UTAs are a part of because it keeps us involved with what's going on in the weekly seminar, which I have definitely come to miss.
The first was Dena's Position Paper presentation where she gave her tips and tricks on how her ENGL101 students can be successful with their upcoming big paper. Being in my third semester as a UTA, I felt a little too comfortable with my routine so once I peer reviewed Dena's lesson plan, I immediately felt inspired to do one like that with my own twist. I feel very grateful that peer review is part of the ENGL388V curriculum for returning UTAs because it still creates a connection to those that are attending the seminar. When I peer reviewed Dena's lesson plan, I felt as though although we had never met before I was still a part of the classroom involvement, which I think is great for returning UTAs.
The second lesson plan that I peer reviewed was Israel’s. He made a lesson plan that involved watching a film and then writing an ELMS Discussion board post about it. What I really enjoyed about this lesson plan was that it was a different change of pace for me; the film was very history-based as it focused on the Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia. Since I knew nothing about this, I was very happy that Israel included a lot of history context as well as a very clear, step-by-step timeline of the regime’s history. The questions that he included were very thought-provoking and challenging for his students, which I thought was very impressive.
The third lesson plan was Olivia’s. I did this one later after the assignment due date as an extra submission just because Lyra knows how much I like doing peer review and I was happy to give someone else feedback. I really enjoyed giving her some more suggestions along with praise for her lesson plan.
Overall, I had a great experience (again) doing peer review for first-semester UTAs. I think it's really important for them to get feedback from not just the professor but also returning UTAs because we can offer some insight with our recent experiences doing lesson plans ourselves. I think this is a great part of the online course that only returning UTAs are a part of because it keeps us involved with what's going on in the weekly seminar, which I have definitely come to miss.