In October 2024, Annie Cowen, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) at SMA Xaverius Bandar Lampung, focused on integrating interactive classroom activities to enhance student engagement during her first full month. Annie executed lessons with engaging activities alongside her co-teachers and incorporated innovative learning strategies. These lessons encouraged and relied on active student participation by requiring students to move around the classroom and collaborate with others to practice their English.

In her lessons, Annie incorporated interactive activities she learned at the Fulbright ETA Orientation in Yogyakarta the month prior, such as charades, four corners, and fly swatter. One of her favorite activities was implemented during a grade 10 unit on sports, where she divided students into teams and turned the classroom into a basketball game. After correctly answering sports English vocabulary questions, students took a crumpled piece of paper as a “ball.” They attempted to shoot it into a trash can “basket” from various marked spots around the classroom. If successful, they earned points, and the team with the most points won. This creative approach fostered a fun and competitive atmosphere while reinforcing new sports vocabulary.

Annie hopes that by continuing to design creative lessons, she will motivate students to practice English excitingly and interactively.

Annie Cowen is currently teaching at SMA Xaverius Bandar Lampung, Lampung.