Dear Dr.

Cheryl Hoy,
On October 24, 2014, I had the privilege of observing Dani Howellsa Graduate Assistant in GSW
GSW 1110 composition course. Through my observations, I was able to focus on her pedagogical goals,
her teaching methods, and her overall demeanor in the classroom. As an overall observation, Ms. Howell
is an excellent instructor, and a great addition to the GSW Program.
Within the class, it was clear Ms. Howells pedagogical goals focused on the current essay, Analysis of a
Movie Poster, the students were working on for that particular unit. The main focus of the class was for
the students to become more analytical when looking at movie posters. Ms. Howells objectives of the
class period were to help the students understand analytical concepts, apply those concepts to breaking
down movie posters, and then developing thesis statements based on the analysis. All of Ms. Howells
pedagogical goals were clearly stated throughout the lesson, and she did a superb job of reaching all of
those pedagogical goals for the class throughout all of her teaching methods.
It was refreshing to see Ms. Howell utilize multiple teaching methods throughout the class to allow the
students to understand the pedagogical goals, while also adhering to the multiple learning styles of the
students. Throughout the class, Ms. Howell was able to utilize PowerPoint presentations, lecturing
techniques, inquiry based discussion, individual hands on work, larger group activities, and full class
discussion to progress the students through the analytical process of analyzing movie posters and creating
thesis statements. Each of these methods was developed very comprehensively in order to walk the
students as a class through the process and connect the concepts back to their own work they would be
doing within their own essays. All the techniques were very effective in reaching all the students,
allowing for participation and application, and creating a conducive learning environment.
Finally, I believe it was Ms. Howells strong teaching demeanor that allowed for much of the success
within the class I observed. Ms. Howell, from the start of the class, was very engaging with her students.
Even when viewing the PowerPoints and lecturing, Ms. Howell engaged the students with questions and
discussion. She continued to create a comfortable and safe environment for all of her students in allowing
their responses and discussion to be validated, praised, and also critiqued if necessary. Her strong
relationship with her students, as well as her complete control as authoritative figure, allowed for an
atmosphere where the students were engaging not only with Ms. Howell and the material, but also with
fellow classmates. This created an environment very advantageous for learning and application.
Overall, my observation of Ms. Howell allowed me to see her strengths within the classroom as a very
strong and capable GSW instructor.
Sincerely,
Stephen M. Boston
GSW Adjunct Instructor