Observation of Peer Eric Haas

My observation of Eric Haas was part of an assignment for ENG 580 in which we were
assigned to observe a peer's class and teaching methods for one class period. Although Eric is
teaching ENG 180 and I am teaching ENG 100, we do share the same MLAS major and are
colleagues who frequently confer on various matters for class. Likewise, observing the ENG
180 classroom is valuable in that this will be my assignment for next semester. The material
Eric is covering in the classroom today was covered in ENG 580 the previous evening, so I was
interested to see that he applied this information during his lesson for the day.
Eric Haas began his ENG 180 class with an announcement regarding signing up for
conferences for those who had not already done so. He had a freewrite assignment written on
the board which related to the day's assigned readings, and students entered the room quietly and
began work. Nineteen students reported, which was impressive; Eric later informed me that only
two students were absent.
Eric's students appeared to be accustomed to settling down to work. He began class
promptly at noon, and all but one straggler was on time or very nearly so, which I found
impressive. Eric took charge immediately and began speaking to individual students regarding
conferences while answering questions related to the freewrite. His manner was slightly formal
when speaking to the group, but seemed to be relaxed and approachable when they came to him
for assistance, as several did. It was clear from their interactions with him that they were
accustomed to doing so and felt comfortable with the process.
Eric went over the announcements, which covered signing up for conferences if they had
not already done so and to explain the freewrite. He went on to explain that he was aware that

some of them didn't have their printed article (which the freewrite covered) or perhaps did not
remember their thesis. Eric did a good job of explaining the clarifying the assignment for those
who were unprepared, reminding them of the article's content. He helped a few of them
remember their thesis statements and was very courteous with each one. Students worked
intently for ten minutes while Eric stood at the front of the class studying his plans for the class.
Eric gave the students a two-minute warning to wrap up their freewrite, and as students
handed them in he read each of them. He was clearly interested in what the students had written,
smiling as he read and looking intently at some of the responses. I was impressed with the way
he showed interest in the students' work, stopping to talk with a couple of the students as they
handed in their papers.
He then led the class on a blackboard presentation regarding thesis statements. In an
effort to show the difference between the main point and the thesis statement, Eric asked
volunteers to assist him in adding words to a main idea (This essay will examine the effects of
prohibiting fishing in the Otonabee River) and removing unnecessary ones to achieve a concise
thesis statement. Students were fairly well engaged in this exercise, as they were for the second
such example. However, the same few students were volunteering to answer, and by the third
such example of main idea vs. thesis statement, the response was lukewarm and several students
were either playing with phones or doing something other than engaging in the discussion. Two
were asleep. While I felt that Eric was doing a very good job of giving examples and leading the
students, he could have called on individual students. Still, most were alert and paying attention
during the exercise.
Once this was completed, Eric assigned the students into pairs and instructed them to
analyze each other's thesis statements for clarity in a mini-peer review session. The students

moved relatively quickly into their pairings and set to work. Eric moved around the room,
visiting with the students and listening in on progress. He was very engaged with them, though
he did go back to the front of the room a couple of times to refer to his lesson plan.
Eric had the students move back to their seats to discuss their reactions to this exercise
and to discuss their individual thesis statements and any questions they might have about them.
He remembered the topics chosen by a few of the students and spoke with them about those
topics, going over their thesis statements. He then moved into a discussion of their supporting
arguments for their thesis statements, speaking to students who had questions about their own
arguments and topics.
He then moved into a discussion of introductions and how they might best formulate
their own. Since time was running quite short, Eric wrapped up this discussion fairly quickly.
He reminded students of due dates for future assignments and to email him with any questions.
Students remained seated until Eric dismissed them. A few lingered after dismissal to speak with
him about their topics and questions they had.
I was impressed with Eric's manner in class, which was somewhat formal and very much
in control but yet friendly and approachable. Despite a couple who nodded off asleep or played
with phones, his students clearly respected his authority in the classroom, and he was very much
in control. While he did refer to his plans for class at the beginning and while his students were
working, Eric seemed extremely well prepared and well informed on his subject subject matter.