Brian Kilgo-Kelly

Verb tenses and grammar. Improved both reading and auditory comprehension as well as my speech and vocabulary.

3 tests, final project, final exam, 3 compositions (400 words)

3 exams during the semester, 3 compositions (2 drafts of each), a presentation and final exam, as well as homework for each class that usually included reading a chapter or two in French, book work and sometimes other grammar exercises.

If you want to learn more about french grammar and vocabulary you will achieve that in this course 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2021 Course: FRENUN1102_002_2021_1-ELEMENTARYFRENCHII : FRENUN1102_002_2021_1 - ELEMENTARY FRENCH II Instructor: Brian Kilgo-Kelly

I would say Brian is a good professor, you just have to know what learning style is best for you. The syllabus that he handed out at the beginning of the semester made him seem really strict, but he's actually a pretty chill guy. He assigns a lot of homework sometimes and expects you to teach yourself the grammar for homework as well. He goes over it in class, but he is also helpful in office hours if you need more one on one time. His test aren't too difficult because he gives a very similar practice test two classes before the exam.

This is the third semester I've taken french with Prof. Kilgo-Kelly. He is an effective teacher: I usually find his grammatical explanations clear and helpful. However, he isn't particularly timely in returning work, which can be particularly frustrating for compositions which you are asked to revise often with a class or two as turn around time. Additionally, every semester I have taken his class he has fallen behind. Instead of eliminating a test or presentation when we are out of time, he crams them in at the end of the semester. For this class, over the course of our last 3 classes we had a test, a presentation (worth a significant portion of our grades) and our final draft of a composition due. We also have a final in the class. Prof.

Complex French Grammar, Vocabulary, and Culture

Too much. Nightly homework from the workbook (busy work that doesn't help you learn, but you have to do it anyways because it is graded) 3 compositions 3 tests 1 Final 1 Oral skit/video/performance

- A better developed understanding of French in conversational and formal terms

This class was okay. Brian doesn’t really teach the grammar rules, which is a pretty big focus of this class, so you have to learn them from the workbook, which isn’t the most helpful book. He also assigns an excessive number of exercises from the workbook that don’t really help you learn/understand the rules because you just have to copy the model with different verbs, pronouns, etc. He is also very disorganized and always late, which is why we were very behind at the end of the semester and had to rush/do lots of work in a short amount of time. The tests are similar to the practice tests expect they are longer and have a writing section. His grading, especially on written work, seems to reflect how much he likes you/his mood when he is grading. There is no clear explanation of why you get one grade on one thing and a completely different grade on another, which is very unhelpful and irritating. The final didn’t have a writing or a listening section, which was really nice. If you have to take this class, you will probably be fine, but, if you have a choice, maybe pick a different professor because Brian doesn’t really teach and assigns too much (busy) work. Also, he talks in English a lot.