Educational Studies

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

610 E. UNIVERSITY AVE., ROOM 1228

ANN ARBOR, MI 48109
April 2018

To whom it may concern,

I have been working with Ayla Wing as her field instructor since September 2017. In that
capacity I have observed her teach 6 times in 2 different placements. In the fall, I observed her
teach 2 short lessons. At this time, her love of Latin was already evident. And it was also clear
that she really wanted to share that passion with her students. But because the fall semester
places students in a classroom for only a half day, two times a week, it is difficult to establish a
routine or get to know the students.
In the semester of student teaching, students are in the classroom all day every day. When I
went for the first observation of the semester, it was immediately obvious to me that Ayla is
meant to be a teacher. She knew the students and differentiated her lesson for one student who
needed that special attention. She acted out some of the events she was presenting to the
students. The students were clearly engaged and enjoying the lesson. And she made a point of
calling on all the students. From then on, it was only a question of developing a few more
techniques to further enhance her teaching.
I have seen her daily lesson plans for her classes and she consistently creates lessons that are
interactive and imaginative. She includes a variety of activities that engage the students. There
is apparently a big debate in the Classics world as to whether to teach Latin simply by
translating or by also including speaking. She has developed a combination that is very effective
and fun for the students. She consistently evaluates the students’ skills and knows how well
they are doing and who works best with whom. She makes a point of having the students
participate daily in class and gives them positive reinforcement. Her lessons are well developed
and she uses technology effectively to enhance her lessons.
It has been very clear from the beginning that Ayla has a passion for Latin and loves to share
that passion. Her knowledge of grammar and history is strong and she continues to build on
that knowledge. She explains concepts clearly to the students and often adds tidbits of fun
information in reaction to student comments. The students are engaged and motivated and
enjoying themselves in Latin.
Ayla has developed a number of techniques to get the students to be quiet and pay attention.
Her rules and expectations are clear and she gently reminds the students of these as needed. She
encourages the students to respect each other and work well together. In one class, she actually
had some of the students ‘teach’ a sentence translation and the other students were very
respectful and listened. She can tell when a student is not fully engaged or not feeling well and
makes a point of checking in on them.
 Ayla has also attended a number of workshops and conferences to further her knowledge of
teaching and Latin. She reflects on her practice continuously and is very open to ideas and
suggestions from colleagues.
Ayla is already a good teacher and has the skills and desire to become an excellent one. I
strongly recommend her.

Isabelle Carduner, DML

University of Michigan
School of Education