teaching plan for next week class

Jason’s teaching activity

Activity: Find Someone Who

Level: English Majors, Freshmen

Time: 15-25 minutes

Materials: forms for the interview

Procedure:

1. Prepare questionnaire forms for the whole class, which should like the following one but maybe with more specific questions:

Find someone who	name	details
has won medals or special prizes
has a girl friend or boy friend in high school
came to the university and enrolled all by himself/herself
(ten such questions)

2. Ask the whole class to talk to each other, following the lead in the above form, and taking notes.

3. This can help the students to practice their speaking abilities, and to know each other better, since they are in a new class.

4. After class, a written assignment will be given, which is a description about one of the classmates you have known better.

informal summary

After 5-week study in Yale, I have improved myself in organizing teaching activities, deepen my understanding of American culture, collected up-to-date articles and books for my research project, and successfully lost some weight.

Thanks to Siggy and Carrie’s hard work and meticulous planning, we have various teaching activities here, including pedagogy classes, peer observation, and the opportunity to put the theories and methods into practice. Meanwhile, I always tried to connect what I saw and learned to the coming semester’s teaching for the freshmen, and had some brilliant ideas which will not be discussed in details.

I also have the chance to get in touch with local people and places frequently, and enlarge my horizon during the cultural exposure. I visited museums, gave lectures in the public library, exchanged ideas about teaching with our peers in America, attended churches and had a taste of various difference here. I have to admit that what I experienced in Yale enhance my knowledge of the country, which is only got from books.

My best memory of Yale definitely is the time spent in libraries, Sterling and Bass. I felt comfortable and fulfilled there, and enjoyed great convenience of borrowing, scanning and downloading books, articles and other academic studies. I am also happen to share with my colleagues the tips about how to use the libraries services and online resources, and excited to see them have great fun in libraries.

Last but not least, my beer-belly is less obvious, and my wife will be very happy to find out. In those days, I eat less, seldom drink, keep a healthy diet and walk all the way to class. The improvement in my physical shape will, in turn, make me more confident in teaching performance.

words without pictures

This summer, my wife has to babysit alone, again. 

Once she told me, after an exhausting day, not in a complaining way, that I had been busy every summer vacation and left her alone to take care of our son since he was born. That is true and I felt guilty.  After that, I tried to decline and put off appointments and affairs during the summer vacation and accompany them, but there would always be several weeks I was away from them.

This summer, I had the opportunity to study in Yale and my wife encouraged me to apply for it. So I did, here am I, and leave them again. My wife is a college teacher, having over 16 classes each week, and also a mother and wife, taking care of us and doing family chores almost singlehandedly. She is a gifted dancer, has a good taste of life, but for the family sacrifices herself. 

My wife also told me that I should spare more time with our son while he is still a child. Time flies; once he grows up and has his own family, the time spent with him as a little boy will be one of our best memory. That is true.

I am blessed to have a happy family, and must cherish what I have.

I've got a haircut

Having been here for over 4 weeks, I desperately need a haircut. To have a hair salon adventure is also on my to-do list, so I went to the Yelp, and found one with excellent comments, which happens to be on my way from the classroom to the apartment.

I first called Nancy, the hairdresser, and made an appointment of 1:00 pm. After the morning class, I swallowed down my lunch and hurried to the Hair Niche. To my disappointment, I made a mistake about my appointment, which should be two days later, that is, on Friday. But Nancy said okay, and made an exception for me. Great!

outside of the Hair Niche

The next problem to solve is to explain to her how I would like my hair be done. fortunately, my wife has sent several pictures to my phone beforehand, and I downloaded the picture to show her, and explained that I wanted to cut the sides and back very short and left the top long.(I have learned from Siggy about how to say such words.)  

models to explain my wanted hairstyle

The communication is good, and Nancy is very patient and stopped several times to ask my opinion. We also had a very pleasant little chat over my stay here.  After all was done, she swiped my credit card, and charged me just 20 dollars. I realized that I didn't tip her, and I was very satisfied with her job, so I pay her extra 3 dollars as gratuity.

the lady after me is supposed to have today's 1:00 appointment, THS

It is a great experience to have such a nice haircut in America, and I look forward to the other adventures on my list.

selfie again!

Saturday morning

After traveling around almost whole week, I decide to spend this Saturday in the libraries. 

Since I became a teacher, I just occasionally visited libraries to grab several have-to-read books and teaching references. this summer, I have the opportunity  and plenty of time to lavish in the world's best libraries, which definitely will be my most precious memory of Yale.

Sterling, 9:35 am

before Sterling

panoramic picture of Sterling and Bass, my favorite

the met

Yesterday, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York city. I have heard about it for a long time,  and it is one of my must-visit spots in NY. I did some research the night before, planning to spend 6 hours in the Met and focus my time and energy in three galleries, namely Egyptian, Asian, and European paintings.

After a 2-hour ride, we finally stood at the gate of the Met. Selfie first. 

going through the security exam, I did not wait in the line to rent a audio guide but use my phone to visit Met's website, which provides a convenient and free guide service. 

that is me before the Egyptian Temple which I don't know how to spell its exact name. It is unbelievable to visit an authentic temple outside Egypt. 

then upstairs, I went into the Chinese section of the Asian gallery, where a special exhibition is attracting hundreds of native Americans. to tell the truth, I does not like the way they exhibiting ancient Chinese artifacts, just as I did not like Zhang Yimou's movies, but I also realize that the curator does succeed in finding how to display and narrate in the American way.  I have to admit that this exhibition is very successful, though I am little disappointed by the lack of Chinese paintings there.

European paintings gallery is the essence of the trip. I am lost in the maze of masterpieces from different ages and countries. very little i knew about oil paintings, and before the visit i read something from the blog about how to appreciate them. this time, the audio guide played a vital role. sitting on the bench, gazing at the painting, and listening to the art experts' comments, that is the way to visiting an art gallery. 

in order to prove I have been in the Met, I took another selfie under the Diana, which, I just knew, use to be on the top of the madison garden. 

at last, I have to say that it is amazing for the Americans to move the statures and even stairs, like those of Chicago Exchanges, into the museum and combines them harmoniously. 

the Beach, Carrie's House and others

blue sky and clouds

July 21, Tuesday, New Haven is getting warm and the weather is perfect for a beach trip. We had a great time along the Hammonasett, taking pictures, walking and swimming. It is my first time to swim in the Atlantic. 

arnald and me

then, we went to Carrie's home at Clinton. It is a decent community and Carrie put a lot of love into her lovely house. what I love most is the yard attached to the house, with lofty trees, scented flowers and even fossils. 

hammock

Next day, we went to the Clinton premium outlets and made our contribution to the American economy. That's me trying on a Ralph Lauren which, unfortunately, is bought by Ana and not mine. 

Friday evening, I went to the New Haven green to attend a lawn concert.  Accustomed to the American way of listening to the concert, I took a seat on the lawn and occasionally stood up to swing my body with the music. 

we did so many things together and never realized the passage of time. It's only two weeks left in New Haven, and it's meaningful to keep a record of what has happened.  

food trucks along the New Haven Green

recollections in tranquility

It is really a bliss to recall those happy moments in my solitude. sometimes I am so overcrowded with the trivial things that forget to comb my thoughts. during the weekend, i finally have this chance to look back what had happened. 

last friday, we went to the Thimble Island with Carrie and Siggy, and had a lot of fun there.

selfie, again

we had a cozy boat cruise around the Thimble Islands, and got quite a few interesting facts and stories from our tour guide.

photo taken by Arnald

Last Saturday, some of us went to Boston and Rhode Island, while I visited the Natural History Museum of Yale. I spent the whole morning there, and was especially attracted by the special exhibition, which is about Japanese samurai culture.

samurai's swords

return of the broken laptop

Back in China, I am not a fan of laptops and even don't have one, for I prefer the desktop computer, and just use my smartphone and hotel computers while on business trips. Before leaving for New Haven, I had to brought with me a laptop for the assignments, so I borrowed my wife's ACER. She, however, backuped all her personal stuff on that laptop before giving it to me, and implied that her Acer maybe would not return to China safe and sound, since I had "accidentally" ruined one laptop and one iphone in the past two years. 

unfortunately, her prediction came true ten days ago. I poured a glass of water on the working laptop, and failed to shut it down in the first time. minutes later, there was smoke out of the laptop, accompanied by the strong smell of burning plastics. my heart sank down with it. 

to some extent,  I was optimistic and tried to make it up by getting a new one, so I went to the apple shop, and found this one.  

mac Pro with its retailing price shown on the screen

the price is good, but the state tax made me think twice. why not try to live without a laptop, and read more? consequently, in the past ten days, i spent my time in Bass and Sterling, using public desktops and roaming among the book shelves.

the information center in Bass

selfie, in 2m Sterling

the day before yesterday, I, believing the water inside the machine has been dried,  rebooted the laptop. to my great surprise, it is working as perfect as before. 

If I am going to buy a laptop next time, it must be an Acer!

public library show (part II)

It was almost two weeks ago, but I really enjoy the time and appreciate the opportunity given by Carrie.



:before i began to tackle this huge topic, i would like to share with you a hit song.

[EngSub] Where the Time is Gone? 王铮亮 时间都去哪了 [CCTV Chinese New Year's Gala 2014]

it was first heard on 2014 Chinese New Year's Gala,  and then became popular overnight across the country. I 'm not an expert on politics or economy, and I just want to share with you one song and two stories. 

introducing the hit song from 2015 CCTV new year Gala

our group working together

answering questions

public library show

yesterday, we had a dressed rehearsal for the Thursday speech, and I got many insightful ideas from Carrie and other group members. As a result, I deem it necessary to write my speech down here, so that I can make it more mature and polished.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, we are teachers from the Central South University, which has approximately  70,000 students, faculty and staff, and we are studying in Yale. It is a great honor for us to be invited to join this program, and we would like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to program director Xia Feng, Public Services Administrator, the  lady who has done so many things for the library and community. we also want to thank our tutor Carrie Allen for her coordination and ingenious ideas. and we want to thank all of you for being here.

tonight, five of us will share with you what has happened, is happening and will happen in China. we are not experts on politics or economy, but we will tell you our own experience and help you to understand that remote mysterious oriental country.

first of all, Arnold will trace the friendship between two countries back to the WWII; then, Lauren and Jennifer will introduce China's family planning policy; after that, I will share with you my understanding of China's Aging society; at last Joyce will show you the everyday life of the senior citizens in China. we sincerely hope that you would enjoy it. thank you.

a glimpse of CSU

a crazy trip to Boston

After returning from Mark Twain's house in Hartford, four of us had a wonderful pizza night, over which we talked about how to spend the weekend.

 in MT Museum

brick-oven pizza, italian style

then we went back to my apartment and did some research on the internet, and the idea of going to Boston popped out: how about taking the 4:40 am train to Boston and returning to New Haven the very night. 


4:40 am, yes, on Saturday morning, seven of us, who live off-campus, were on board the Amtrak train to Boston. we left in such a hurry that did not have time to buy tickets in advance. with the help of Greg, the warm-hearted conductor, we finally solve the problem of buying tickets online and had a comfortable ride. everything on the train was new to me: the way to insert tickets on the rack, the quiet car sign, etc. 

three hours later, we arrived in Boston and started our trip with the prestigious Harvard. here are we:

Boston is an amazing city, with the modern elements and colonial heritage mingled together. we visited Harvard, MIT, Bunker hill and other historical sites, and took a twenty-minute nap on the common park lawn. 

if you don't know where to go, never mind, just follow the red brick line.

it, however, was exhausted for all of us to travel in such a compact and intensified way. i haven't been a backpacker and traveled like this since college years. this experience is crazy as well as memorable.

In Susan's Class

This week we began the observation and discussion of the summer session teachers' organization of class activities. On Monday and Tuesday, I attended Susan's class, and summarized my reflection as follows.

the textbook Susan using in class

what Susan's teaching impressed me most is her constant usage and illustration of the American idioms, some of which, such as "wishy-washy" and "sol", are new to me. In doing this, she tries to immerse her students into the real-life environment of the target language and emphasize the pragmatic function of the language.

her class is also well-organized and fully-prepared. i took several pictures of the textbook and handouts used by her. she also recommended william Zinnser's On Writing Well and the sausus to us, which i believe will be quite useful in my own class. and the samples she used to illustration her points are carefully selected and closely related with the students'everyday life.

in her class, i learned several useful expressions as well as her teaching philosophy, among which are "teachers teach you crutches", "to be personal to your students" and referring her relationship to students as "mother first, teacher second". i also came across such American icons as John Wayn, Ironman, and Star Trek. it is changeling and interesting.

assignments for the class

a glance of the classroom

 

a fully-occupied Tuesday

Today is a busy day. 

In the morning, we had a 3-hour seminar, which had no breaks during to our enthusiasm for learning. I tried to summarize the teaching methods I have learned in the past two days.

After a quick lunch, I went to the Temple street to finish my registration. (The coffee in OISS is good, by the way.)  On my way, I took a selfie before a cathedral.

After the class, I read some articles on translation competence in the Calhorn College.

I walked a long way to the observatory to enjoy an amazing show, after attending an interesting lecture on new resources of energy which reminds me of the hydrogen-power tram in my country.

First Impressions

After the 13-hour flight, we, ten teachers from Central South University, finally landed on the Amercian land on May 26. I have never been flying for so long a time, but I was quite comfortable with the trip, and hardly felt the jet lag.

the first meal in New Haven

After unboarding the plane, passing through the custom, and fetching my luggage, I stepped out of the JFK airport, and had the first close and real look at the country.  Frankly speaking, the Big Apple, to some extent, disappointed me. Just on the road before the arrival gate, traffics were heavy, and unorganized; pedestrians, especially the local pepole ignored the red lights; drivers horned at each other. The sky was that bule as I had imaged before, so was the air. The highway or interstate connecting New York City and New Haven was crowded, bumpy and scattered with litterings.

However, the friendliness of the Amercians impressed me most. Back at the airport, the shuttler driver, Nisheet, waited for us nearly 2 hours. He was patient, polite and warm-hearted, and we had a good talk along the way to New Haven. In New Haven, residents are friendly to the new faces. We were encounted with smiles and hellos all the time.  

a lot in the rented apartment