Learning by doing!

EunHee teaching a class.

Anya brought snakes and lizards to class.

I went to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, as I went there they kept emphasizing "learning by doing". I really liked this way of thinking and have been applying it to many ways I teach. This weekend was the last day of my December class in San Francisco. This class was a unique class in many ways. First, one student brought in reptiles, a couple of snakes and lizards, and taught the class using those as props. The other first in the class was a non-native speaker that came in to be an ESL student taught a class. I often invite people that are learning English to come to my class so my students have a realistic experience. I have my students teach classes as often as I can so they can make mistakes and I can give them suggestions on how to improve. I have had over 100 ESL students come to my classes, I have taught more than 25 classes. This month I advertised on Craigslist asking anyone that wants to come to join us for a win/win situation. EunHee answered my ad and brought 2 friends with her. All three came the first day, then only Eunhee came the second day. The next week Eunhee came both days. By the third weekend she was part of the class. I asked her if she would like to teach during the finals like every of the students. She agreed and taught a class on the Korean alphabet. She did a great job. She learned a lot by doing the teaching. She learned how it feels to be a teacher, which will help her be a better student. She is the reason the class was successful for everyone.

The snake loves Eunhee too!