Miles CO#3

Tuesday June 9, 2015 - The class that I observed today was Group 4A Listening, taught by Felicia Ciappetta. There were six students in the class and Professor Ciappetta immediately paired the students up into groups. To begin the class and get the students thinking, she asked the students, "What is anthropology?" The students were aloud to use their books and discuss the possible answers in their pairs. After a few minutes, Ciappetta asked the groups to answer the question aloud. Some of he students knew what anthropology was, but Ciappetta went ahead and gave the definition to the entire class. Next, she read a few quotes associated with anthropology from the first couple chapters of the textbook. One quote was by James Frazier, a Scottish anthropologist, and another one was by Albert Einstein; the students were asked to discuss the meaning of the quoted in their pairs. Next, Ciappetta explained each quote in detail. The class then moved a group discussion on the differences between race, ethnicity, and nationality. Ciappetta also discussed Puerto Rico and the debate over independence. Finally, the last half of the class was spent listening to audio clips on anthropology. The students were required to take notes while listening and answer comprehension questions afterwards. I enjoyed this class because it included a lot of student involvement. The students were able to contribute ideas and even influence the discussions.