Holy Cow! I forgot to reflect on last week's class! From what I remember (bare with me it was a week ago) I got a lot out of the class session. We spent the first hour taking the Accuplacer for ESL that is used at M.S.U. It was funny because half the class had perfect or almost perfect scores on the writing and didn't know it. Had we read about the test we would have known that a score of 6 on the writing was a perfect! that illustrated the point that we need to be very familiar with the testing materials especially when using an electronic test that we did not create.
Honestly, the whole concept of assessments is very new to me from the perspective of a teacher. I remember when I was a student, I dreaded tests. now, as a graduate student I still dread them and i am a living testament that some people are simply, "Not test takers". I have a Spanish class that I am currently taking to keep my fluency and I am graded solely on my test scores! It is frustrating because my writing and reading skills are great but that fact is not exemplified in the tests.
Class was well spent reviewing the concept of assessment and coming up with valid ways to assess our students. I know as a teacher, in the future I am going to fun ways to assess my students and show that them tests do NOT have to be scary. Perhaps I could do research on the subject as part of my develop as a novice teacher.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Classroom-Based Assessment Readings
This week's readings were all about assessment in the H.D.Brown book. I noticed at the beginning of the chapter, H.D.Brown made reference to the fact that assessments and tests can be fun and that statement made me want to read even more about the subject that I knew so little about.
The chapter first differentiated between norm-referenced testing and criterion referenced testing. This is the way I understood the two terms:
Norm-referenced testing: The results of a student's particular assessment, evaluation, or test is placed on a scale in comparison with the other students' scores. The purpose of this test is to place students on a mathematical continuum for example, Joe got 90/100 as a numerical score and 90% is his placement among the other students, or he placed higher than 90% of the students. If the students have been differentiated and separated with scores than the goal of the assessment has been met.
Criterion-referenced tests: This test is centered on feedback from the teacher on whether or not the criteria for a particular course or lesson has been met. More responsibility is placed on the teacher to deliver meaningful feedback to each student.
I also took note of the strategies for before-,during-, and after-test strategies. It seems that all the steps are very important to facilitate and prepare students for success, however, the before-testing strategies are vital for students. I think it is important to consider that many students have anxiety when it comes to test taking and each teacher should take this into consideration.
It is also important to be very encouraging for the students and let them know that we, as teachers, have confidence in their abilities as students.
Finally, washback is very important and extensive and relevant feedback from the teacher is the important factor in washback. As a future teacher I plan to provide ample opportunity for my students to discuss their tests or assessments and I can then give them ideas on how to improve in some areas. I will also commend the students on the concepts that they did well. I think praise can go a long way with students also.
The cartoon below expresses how I think some of my first days of teaching in an elementary school. I think I will experience some things that none of my professors can prepare me for.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Reflection of Class on 4/13
Class on Monday started in the G.L.L. with a presentation by Ahmet which was his for his graduate research project. He talked about writing acquisition and other concepts around it. I found it interesting that many of the language learners that he surveyed admitted that they do not use language outside of the classroom! I also found that when a learner does not have good speaking skills that will transfer to both reading and writing skills
It was then time for Jodi to give her presentation about assessment. I thought she did a really nice job explaining assessment and I wish she had time to present everything that she wanted to.
We then got into groups and matched cars up with their definitions. I found that to be quite useful because all of the different terms of validity were at one point a little vague for me. We then had to create ideas about how to assess a certain skill. My group had writing skills and we came up with a few really good activities. We then swapped the activities and had to exemplify the idea behind one of the activities.
Finally, in our whole group discussion we talked about our teacher observations and the struggles that we sometimes had. I was both relieved and disappointed to hear that other students felt that E.S.L. teachers were not put on the same level as the other teachers. Also, some people thought that the E.S.L. teacher was a "fix-it" teacher and I could see all of that in my own experience.
It was then time for Jodi to give her presentation about assessment. I thought she did a really nice job explaining assessment and I wish she had time to present everything that she wanted to.
We then got into groups and matched cars up with their definitions. I found that to be quite useful because all of the different terms of validity were at one point a little vague for me. We then had to create ideas about how to assess a certain skill. My group had writing skills and we came up with a few really good activities. We then swapped the activities and had to exemplify the idea behind one of the activities.
Finally, in our whole group discussion we talked about our teacher observations and the struggles that we sometimes had. I was both relieved and disappointed to hear that other students felt that E.S.L. teachers were not put on the same level as the other teachers. Also, some people thought that the E.S.L. teacher was a "fix-it" teacher and I could see all of that in my own experience.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Readings for Week 14
This week's readings in P&B were extremely interesting and beneficial as usual. I like this book the most because it gives me a chance to think of activities that I would use some day in my future classroom.
A few things I wanted to keep note of:
The concept of rehearsing was not new but the label was somewhat unfamiliar. Rehearsing is used in post reading activities in groups and pairs and help students retain more of the information. Rehearsing can be done by speaking and writing with peers and helps students not only remember and reevaluate what they read but clarify certain points that were unclear.
I really liked the mapping idea presented on page 352, figure 9.2. I just used this strategy when studying for a test in Spanish. I think this type of mapping would appeal to visual and kinesthetic learners.
Learning logs seem to be a great way for students to ask questions and for teachers to continually assess their students. I suppose that is why we blog!
Finally, the idea of photo essays seems like a great way for students to enjoy the assignment and it seems the project could activate the intrinsic motivation of most students. The book gave examples in which the students took pictures of their families and presented them on a story board. In my opinion, students would enjoy this activity because they have a great platform to tell their stories.
Chapter 9 also talked about assessment and the most important idea that I learned from the readings is the fact that assessment needs to be ongoing and conducted in multiple ways.
A few things I wanted to keep note of:
The concept of rehearsing was not new but the label was somewhat unfamiliar. Rehearsing is used in post reading activities in groups and pairs and help students retain more of the information. Rehearsing can be done by speaking and writing with peers and helps students not only remember and reevaluate what they read but clarify certain points that were unclear.
I really liked the mapping idea presented on page 352, figure 9.2. I just used this strategy when studying for a test in Spanish. I think this type of mapping would appeal to visual and kinesthetic learners.
Learning logs seem to be a great way for students to ask questions and for teachers to continually assess their students. I suppose that is why we blog!
Finally, the idea of photo essays seems like a great way for students to enjoy the assignment and it seems the project could activate the intrinsic motivation of most students. The book gave examples in which the students took pictures of their families and presented them on a story board. In my opinion, students would enjoy this activity because they have a great platform to tell their stories.
Chapter 9 also talked about assessment and the most important idea that I learned from the readings is the fact that assessment needs to be ongoing and conducted in multiple ways.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Reflection of Class on 3/30/09
Monday night's class started with Bekir giving a presentation about writing and how it can be taught. He had 3 different groups come up with different pre, during, and post writing activities.
Chris then presented and broke us into partners and we had to demonstrate the different activities presented in the Peanut Butter book. I was so excited because I got the life mural, which I would LOVE to do in a classroom. I think it would work really well to activate the intrinsic motivation, background knowledge and the desire to expand vocabulary. The reason I feel so strongly about the activity and the writing opportunities it presents because people simply want to "tell their story". When students are presented with an opportunity to explain where they have come from, they want to tell it and as a future teacher I would want to hear it.
We then broke into groups to view our videos of us teaching. I spent some of the time having Thea help me fix my paper, as it seems I had it in the wrong lay out. Chris and Thea liked the students in my video and they gave me some really good feedback.
I think it would be helpful to sit as a class and discuss our teacher observations. I find that I had a lot of questions and there was no where to address them. I also learned a lot and again I did not have anyone to bounce ideas off of. I hope we talk about our observations a little next week.
Chris then presented and broke us into partners and we had to demonstrate the different activities presented in the Peanut Butter book. I was so excited because I got the life mural, which I would LOVE to do in a classroom. I think it would work really well to activate the intrinsic motivation, background knowledge and the desire to expand vocabulary. The reason I feel so strongly about the activity and the writing opportunities it presents because people simply want to "tell their story". When students are presented with an opportunity to explain where they have come from, they want to tell it and as a future teacher I would want to hear it.
We then broke into groups to view our videos of us teaching. I spent some of the time having Thea help me fix my paper, as it seems I had it in the wrong lay out. Chris and Thea liked the students in my video and they gave me some really good feedback.
I think it would be helpful to sit as a class and discuss our teacher observations. I find that I had a lot of questions and there was no where to address them. I also learned a lot and again I did not have anyone to bounce ideas off of. I hope we talk about our observations a little next week.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Readings for Week 12
This week's readings were all about writing. The Peanut Butter Book covered many things that I found to be new and useful information. First of all, I appreciated how the book explained the concept of process writing. It seems that process writing has not always been the way in which teachers taught writing. According to the H.D.B. book, teachers put an emphasis on the final product rather than the writing process.
Process writing presented an activity that I think can be used with all grades and ages. The "I remember" activity seems like a great writing activity and it activates background knowledge, to boot!
There were so many activity ideas that the Peanut Butter Book presented, especially under the beginner writing section that I want to keep this book for future reference. I like the idea of creating stories with pictures or using wordless books. I have a funny anecdote about my first encounter with wordless books. Last week at my teacher observation I was looking through my teacher's books and I came across a book titled, "Anno's Journey". That book was filled with beautiful pictures and I must say that I took longer "reading" that book than many of the other books on the shelf. I was completely engrossed and enthralled with what the main character must be doing. Finally, I concluded that he was travelling through time and I came up with an idea for a lesson that students could write their own stories based on the pictures.
I did have one question about concept books that were presented on page 228. The book stated that a teacher could have concept books for the students to look at and use as a basis for constructing their own. The book said that concepts such as big and little could be presented to help enrich the writing and vocabulary of the students. I learned in the past that presenting vocabulary opposites in English was a pedagogical faux pas.
I love the idea of any of the 3 types of journal ideas that were presented and I remember as a 1st and 2ND grader enjoying the writings I created in my journal.
To be honest, before I read these readings for the week I was somewhat leery of teaching writing because it is something I do not enjoy. After gaining all the new information I gleaned from the textbooks I realize teaching reading can be not only student centered but fun!
Process writing presented an activity that I think can be used with all grades and ages. The "I remember" activity seems like a great writing activity and it activates background knowledge, to boot!
There were so many activity ideas that the Peanut Butter Book presented, especially under the beginner writing section that I want to keep this book for future reference. I like the idea of creating stories with pictures or using wordless books. I have a funny anecdote about my first encounter with wordless books. Last week at my teacher observation I was looking through my teacher's books and I came across a book titled, "Anno's Journey". That book was filled with beautiful pictures and I must say that I took longer "reading" that book than many of the other books on the shelf. I was completely engrossed and enthralled with what the main character must be doing. Finally, I concluded that he was travelling through time and I came up with an idea for a lesson that students could write their own stories based on the pictures.
I did have one question about concept books that were presented on page 228. The book stated that a teacher could have concept books for the students to look at and use as a basis for constructing their own. The book said that concepts such as big and little could be presented to help enrich the writing and vocabulary of the students. I learned in the past that presenting vocabulary opposites in English was a pedagogical faux pas.
I love the idea of any of the 3 types of journal ideas that were presented and I remember as a 1st and 2ND grader enjoying the writings I created in my journal.
To be honest, before I read these readings for the week I was somewhat leery of teaching writing because it is something I do not enjoy. After gaining all the new information I gleaned from the textbooks I realize teaching reading can be not only student centered but fun!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
"You smell like a princess" Last Teacher Observation
I received one of the best compliments from one of the students yesterday, "You smell like a princess" I am not quite sure what that means but I am going to take it as a compliment!
Yesterday was my last official day with the teaching observation, although, I got invited back for my good-bye party with all the students.
The day was a crazy day with all the kids excited and full of energy. Some of them found it very hard to concentrate but when they did they really worked hard. I think it helps that Mrs. Becker put up a chart to map their positive progress and if they all do well they get a party.
It was more of the same as far as what we did for the day. We read books and wrote spelling word sentences. I really enjoy working with the students on the other subject areas because I learn something too! I have been really working hard at becoming more "teacherly" and I think I have been doing really well at it. I have been pretty good at keeping the students on task. I think that is the part that I do not like about it. It seems I almost feel like I am nagging the students when I tell them a few times in a row to do their work. I guess that is part of the experience and it seems like that is a small price to pay when working with such wonderful students.
Yesterday was my last official day with the teaching observation, although, I got invited back for my good-bye party with all the students.
The day was a crazy day with all the kids excited and full of energy. Some of them found it very hard to concentrate but when they did they really worked hard. I think it helps that Mrs. Becker put up a chart to map their positive progress and if they all do well they get a party.
It was more of the same as far as what we did for the day. We read books and wrote spelling word sentences. I really enjoy working with the students on the other subject areas because I learn something too! I have been really working hard at becoming more "teacherly" and I think I have been doing really well at it. I have been pretty good at keeping the students on task. I think that is the part that I do not like about it. It seems I almost feel like I am nagging the students when I tell them a few times in a row to do their work. I guess that is part of the experience and it seems like that is a small price to pay when working with such wonderful students.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Teacher Observation #8
I think that I have gone past my 20 hours but I just can't walk away from those kids! I am sad to say that this week is my last, however; my teacher is hosting a good-bye party for me. I have actually started calling Mrs. Becker "Mama Pam". She is so motherly and I can tell that she teaches with her heart.
Today I experienced my very first teachable moment!!!!!! It was like a gigantic light bulb went on above my head and some where Esther came into my head and said, "This is an example of a teachable moment". One of the students was reading a picture book about chickens. He came to almost the end of the book and said, "Uh, Oh, this book is missing the last page" Well, guess what his next task was?! Yep, write the ending of the story! I thought that was great because Mrs. Becker and I thought the same thing. In essence it forced the student to review his reading and recreate the ending of the book.
I then read to the kindergartners a story about the beach and then we all worked on a workbook together. I really tried to analyze what some of my faults were in my lesson that I videotaped and I tried to act more like a teacher and less like their fellow student. I think I did really well, well, hopefully I did. I apparently do wonderful farm animal sounds which is a huge plus for a future teacher.
Today I experienced my very first teachable moment!!!!!! It was like a gigantic light bulb went on above my head and some where Esther came into my head and said, "This is an example of a teachable moment". One of the students was reading a picture book about chickens. He came to almost the end of the book and said, "Uh, Oh, this book is missing the last page" Well, guess what his next task was?! Yep, write the ending of the story! I thought that was great because Mrs. Becker and I thought the same thing. In essence it forced the student to review his reading and recreate the ending of the book.
I then read to the kindergartners a story about the beach and then we all worked on a workbook together. I really tried to analyze what some of my faults were in my lesson that I videotaped and I tried to act more like a teacher and less like their fellow student. I think I did really well, well, hopefully I did. I apparently do wonderful farm animal sounds which is a huge plus for a future teacher.
Class time Reflection
Last night's class was interesting. We began with a discussion about if we thought there was a difference in the literacy development between boys and girls. I personally think that gender has nothing to do with the development of reading and writing skills.
We then watched 2 videos of literacy instruction and discussed what principals were used and which ones were missing. It seems like the instruction on developing students' literacy is never ending. That idea is both daunting and exciting and I think literacy is the foundation of an E.S.L. education.
Then came my favorite part of class which was getting into groups and finding materials and books that can be used to activate students' interests and help them practice good reading skills.
Can I just say that I loved many of the ideas that were presented in the Peanut Butter Book. This may seem "dorky" but I almost don't want to sell that book back at the end of the semester because I feel like it could help with my future teacher development.
We then watched 2 videos of literacy instruction and discussed what principals were used and which ones were missing. It seems like the instruction on developing students' literacy is never ending. That idea is both daunting and exciting and I think literacy is the foundation of an E.S.L. education.
Then came my favorite part of class which was getting into groups and finding materials and books that can be used to activate students' interests and help them practice good reading skills.
Can I just say that I loved many of the ideas that were presented in the Peanut Butter Book. This may seem "dorky" but I almost don't want to sell that book back at the end of the semester because I feel like it could help with my future teacher development.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Literacy with emphasis on Emergent Literacy
The peanut butter book sure packed in the information this week! I loved reading about the ideas presented in the book about how to surround children in a literature rich classroom and environment.
I always like to hear of ways in which I can develop as a teacher (which in turn helps my future students develop) and the book presented a table in which we can use someday to assess the progress of our students' literacy skills. Figure 5.6 on page 169 provided a sort of guide for assessing the literacy skills which began with "scribble writing" and progressed to "self generated sentences". I found it strange that "copied words" was higher up on the continuum because when I was in first grade my teacher told me I was plagiarizing!
I love the idea of having children surrounded in such a fun and text rich environment, such as a post office and bank. I think children are naturally curious about written language and it is up to the teacher to use that curiosity to spark that intrinsic motivation. The idea of combining learning into play is genius! Also, giving students a purpose for what they are reading or writing is a great way to keep that motivation high.
The book also explained the differences between oral and written speech and the ways in which children learn both. It seems both can be acquired to a degree but reading and writing take formal instruction.
I always like to hear of ways in which I can develop as a teacher (which in turn helps my future students develop) and the book presented a table in which we can use someday to assess the progress of our students' literacy skills. Figure 5.6 on page 169 provided a sort of guide for assessing the literacy skills which began with "scribble writing" and progressed to "self generated sentences". I found it strange that "copied words" was higher up on the continuum because when I was in first grade my teacher told me I was plagiarizing!
I love the idea of having children surrounded in such a fun and text rich environment, such as a post office and bank. I think children are naturally curious about written language and it is up to the teacher to use that curiosity to spark that intrinsic motivation. The idea of combining learning into play is genius! Also, giving students a purpose for what they are reading or writing is a great way to keep that motivation high.
The book also explained the differences between oral and written speech and the ways in which children learn both. It seems both can be acquired to a degree but reading and writing take formal instruction.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Class Reflection for Week 10
Last night's class was very, very interesting and informative and I found myself writing quite a bit of notes on things that I thought I needed to remember as a teacher.
The most important piece of information that I took away from class is, Give the students a purpose for what they are reading! I think many times students are told to read silently and most times there is no purpose behind this instruction. I think people by nature want to work towards goals and rewards and this fact can be used by teachers to activate his/her students' intrinsic motivation.
Adib and Lillian presented about the readings and I was really glad they presented and reviewed the reading because there was so much information in the 3 assigned books of reading. They both did a very nice job which leads me to believe they will be wonderful teachers! I found myself acting as a sponge to soak up, not only what the presenters were saying but also what my fellow classmates were saying.
We had a lengthy discussion about reading aloud and its disadvantages and advantages. I couldn't help but think of the students that I observe and how much reading aloud they do. I personally sit there and help them sound out words, but are they really "reading" or are they "speaking" the words out loud. I think it is a mixture of both now that I think about it and I think there could be a way to change that. One idea I had was read a page of the story and ask the student to guess what he/she thinks will happen. Also, to re-read portions of the story could be a good reading strategy to teach the students. As I sit there with the students while they are reading, I am going to make more of a conscious effort to engage their background knowledge and attempt to get some sort of hypothesis from the student to make reading have more of a purpose.
We analyzed text books and I was so glad we did that! I did not realize that a text book could be lacking so much as far as activating motivation and the use of reading strategies. I will no longer take a textbook for what it is and as a teacher I hope to investigate my future textbooks with a critical eye. I think that goes along with teacher development that we read about in H.D.B. a few weeks ago. It seems some teachers can simply teach what they are suppose to and other teachers (the better ones) can take an active role to ensure they are teaching material that is appropriate for their classroom. That is one of the advantages teachers have because it seems the profession encourages growth and questioning.
We then analyzed a video in which a teacher was leading a post-reading activity of "Esperanza Rising". I know it is easy to sit in a nice comfortable classroom and pick apart what she did wrong. I think the teacher had the right idea but it was not well prepared or executed. It seems that some people thought the book of Esperanza Rising would not be appropriate but I think it was a wise choice. It just seems the motivation was not present in students. The teacher could pick a book from each culture represented in the classroom and therefore activate motivation. Another idea is the students could pick from a list of books and read them. They could then be put into groups to discuss the books.
Overall, I was very excited to learn more about teaching reading because it seems the skill of reading is a good foundation to grasping a second language.
The most important piece of information that I took away from class is, Give the students a purpose for what they are reading! I think many times students are told to read silently and most times there is no purpose behind this instruction. I think people by nature want to work towards goals and rewards and this fact can be used by teachers to activate his/her students' intrinsic motivation.
Adib and Lillian presented about the readings and I was really glad they presented and reviewed the reading because there was so much information in the 3 assigned books of reading. They both did a very nice job which leads me to believe they will be wonderful teachers! I found myself acting as a sponge to soak up, not only what the presenters were saying but also what my fellow classmates were saying.
We had a lengthy discussion about reading aloud and its disadvantages and advantages. I couldn't help but think of the students that I observe and how much reading aloud they do. I personally sit there and help them sound out words, but are they really "reading" or are they "speaking" the words out loud. I think it is a mixture of both now that I think about it and I think there could be a way to change that. One idea I had was read a page of the story and ask the student to guess what he/she thinks will happen. Also, to re-read portions of the story could be a good reading strategy to teach the students. As I sit there with the students while they are reading, I am going to make more of a conscious effort to engage their background knowledge and attempt to get some sort of hypothesis from the student to make reading have more of a purpose.
We analyzed text books and I was so glad we did that! I did not realize that a text book could be lacking so much as far as activating motivation and the use of reading strategies. I will no longer take a textbook for what it is and as a teacher I hope to investigate my future textbooks with a critical eye. I think that goes along with teacher development that we read about in H.D.B. a few weeks ago. It seems some teachers can simply teach what they are suppose to and other teachers (the better ones) can take an active role to ensure they are teaching material that is appropriate for their classroom. That is one of the advantages teachers have because it seems the profession encourages growth and questioning.
We then analyzed a video in which a teacher was leading a post-reading activity of "Esperanza Rising". I know it is easy to sit in a nice comfortable classroom and pick apart what she did wrong. I think the teacher had the right idea but it was not well prepared or executed. It seems that some people thought the book of Esperanza Rising would not be appropriate but I think it was a wise choice. It just seems the motivation was not present in students. The teacher could pick a book from each culture represented in the classroom and therefore activate motivation. Another idea is the students could pick from a list of books and read them. They could then be put into groups to discuss the books.
Overall, I was very excited to learn more about teaching reading because it seems the skill of reading is a good foundation to grasping a second language.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Teacher Observation #7 (Teaching my lesson)
So as I am sure I have explained before, the classroom that I have been observing is somewhat of a study hall where the ESL students come into the classroom and receive help with their homework. Most of the difficult areas for these students is language related. This classroom presented somewhat of a problem as these students do not receive formal teaching in the classroom and the arrival of students is sporadic.
I decided I would "teach" my lesson on Friday which is also known as "game day". Mrs. Becker wanted me to come up with something that would get the students reading more. I thought of a dinosaur game that is quite similar to the game of Life. Each student picked a dinosaur for their game piece. They then had to read about their dinosaur on a card that was provided and prepared for their reading levels. I made sure to include interesting and fun facts about the dinosaurs. Once each student had a chance to read about their given dinosaur, they each got a chance to roll the dice and move their dinosaur on the game board. When they stopped on a square they had to choose a card and read the instructions about what to do next. For example, "You got stuck in quicksand! Pick a friend dinosaur to pull you out of the quicksand. Move 1 space backward. Your friend can move 1 space forward." The students really liked the game and thought it was fun.
I am nervous to do my analysis of the videotape from this lesson because I know there are a lot of things that I could have done to change the outcome of the lesson, but I suppose that is the point of the videotape, isn't it?
I decided I would "teach" my lesson on Friday which is also known as "game day". Mrs. Becker wanted me to come up with something that would get the students reading more. I thought of a dinosaur game that is quite similar to the game of Life. Each student picked a dinosaur for their game piece. They then had to read about their dinosaur on a card that was provided and prepared for their reading levels. I made sure to include interesting and fun facts about the dinosaurs. Once each student had a chance to read about their given dinosaur, they each got a chance to roll the dice and move their dinosaur on the game board. When they stopped on a square they had to choose a card and read the instructions about what to do next. For example, "You got stuck in quicksand! Pick a friend dinosaur to pull you out of the quicksand. Move 1 space backward. Your friend can move 1 space forward." The students really liked the game and thought it was fun.
I am nervous to do my analysis of the videotape from this lesson because I know there are a lot of things that I could have done to change the outcome of the lesson, but I suppose that is the point of the videotape, isn't it?
Week 10 Readings-"I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!"
This weeks readings focused on teaching reading and the different techniques that teachers can use when instructing in an E.L.L. setting.
H.D.B. talked a lot about teaching reading strategies such as skimming, scanning and reviewing. He also listed the many different genres and how teachers can use those different structures to make students aware of the text and discourse structure. There was a sequence given for reading that I had never heard of before called the SQ3R and it involves the different steps students should take when reading a text. H.D.B. also explained that teachers should not simply give their students a text to silently read but to explain why the students are reading the text, what strategies should be used when reading and finally using comprehension activities after the text is read.
The peanut butter book broke down the different reading strategies even more to top-down and bottom-up processing. It was concluded in the book that a mixture of both is best for students. It was also stated that readers take one of two stances on reading: efferent and aesthetic. An example of efferent is when graduate students read text books they are expecting to take away a certain amount of information. Aesthetic reading is different in the fact that reading is done for the experience and not for the specific purpose of gaining information (although that can happen on accident in aesthetic reading). I like the example the book gave of the boy listening to the story of Alice and Wonderland and when the rabbits says, "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!" he tells his dad that rabbits cannot talk. In this instance the boy missed the aesthetic purpose of the text by taking a efferent stance.
I gained a lot of information about reading and I think of the idea of teaching reading a lot differently. For one, reading is not simply about saying the words out loud but it is about the structure of the text and the background knowledge that students bring to the text. Also, the idea of cohesive ties can be very difficult to teach but with exposure to the words and their contexts students can learn about their importance in texts.
H.D.B. talked a lot about teaching reading strategies such as skimming, scanning and reviewing. He also listed the many different genres and how teachers can use those different structures to make students aware of the text and discourse structure. There was a sequence given for reading that I had never heard of before called the SQ3R and it involves the different steps students should take when reading a text. H.D.B. also explained that teachers should not simply give their students a text to silently read but to explain why the students are reading the text, what strategies should be used when reading and finally using comprehension activities after the text is read.
The peanut butter book broke down the different reading strategies even more to top-down and bottom-up processing. It was concluded in the book that a mixture of both is best for students. It was also stated that readers take one of two stances on reading: efferent and aesthetic. An example of efferent is when graduate students read text books they are expecting to take away a certain amount of information. Aesthetic reading is different in the fact that reading is done for the experience and not for the specific purpose of gaining information (although that can happen on accident in aesthetic reading). I like the example the book gave of the boy listening to the story of Alice and Wonderland and when the rabbits says, "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!" he tells his dad that rabbits cannot talk. In this instance the boy missed the aesthetic purpose of the text by taking a efferent stance.
I gained a lot of information about reading and I think of the idea of teaching reading a lot differently. For one, reading is not simply about saying the words out loud but it is about the structure of the text and the background knowledge that students bring to the text. Also, the idea of cohesive ties can be very difficult to teach but with exposure to the words and their contexts students can learn about their importance in texts.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Teacher Observation #6
My teacher observation began with my teacher requesting that I translate a letter that she had written in English to the parents of the E.L.L. students. I was a little rusty with my Spanish skills and that made me nervous but in the end it all turned out fine and I am so thankful that I have some language background in Spanish!
I then read a book with one of the students. I was happy that he was actually reading and not so distracted as he had been in the previous class time.
After that I gave a few spelling tests to the students and helped them study the sound 'ch' as in church.
I realized something today with the help of the teacher. Many of the students, although they come from a Spanish speaking background, are not bi-lingual. They cannot write or read in Spanish and many of them know select words in Spanish. I think that means that their first language is English but are still E.L.L. students. I know they have had a lot of exposure to Spanish but I think many of their parents are going through the same transition from Spanish to English or they sometimes use both. My teacher said many of the parents use a combination of Spanish and English. These facts can present some new difficulties but I have faith in all of them because they are so smart and bright!
I then read a book with one of the students. I was happy that he was actually reading and not so distracted as he had been in the previous class time.
After that I gave a few spelling tests to the students and helped them study the sound 'ch' as in church.
I realized something today with the help of the teacher. Many of the students, although they come from a Spanish speaking background, are not bi-lingual. They cannot write or read in Spanish and many of them know select words in Spanish. I think that means that their first language is English but are still E.L.L. students. I know they have had a lot of exposure to Spanish but I think many of their parents are going through the same transition from Spanish to English or they sometimes use both. My teacher said many of the parents use a combination of Spanish and English. These facts can present some new difficulties but I have faith in all of them because they are so smart and bright!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Teacher Observation #5
This teacher observation was a little more of the same. I started helping one student with the ever present spelling words. I think there can be other activities to learn spelling words besides writing sentences. Maybe the student could look for pictures that exemplify the meaning and then write a story about them integrating all of the words into the story. The students could then compile a book of short stories to share with their parents. (Who also need improvement on their English skills) That is just one idea that I thought of. I can see how the redundancy of the spelling words can affect the students.
I then read a story with another student about soccer. He was not in the mood for reading and it was evident he wanted me to read the entire story FOR him. I remained persistent and we finished the story but my was it like pulling teeth!
I think there is a major component missing in the classroom and I think that is a reward system. In fact, on one occasion one of the students asked for a reward system like he had in another classroom.
If anyone reads my blogs and if anyone has any ideas about how to teach a lesson where all the kids are constantly leaving and arriving, let me know. They range from 1st to 5th grade and are at all different reading levels which is what the teacher that I am observing wants me to concentrate on.
I then read a story with another student about soccer. He was not in the mood for reading and it was evident he wanted me to read the entire story FOR him. I remained persistent and we finished the story but my was it like pulling teeth!
I think there is a major component missing in the classroom and I think that is a reward system. In fact, on one occasion one of the students asked for a reward system like he had in another classroom.
If anyone reads my blogs and if anyone has any ideas about how to teach a lesson where all the kids are constantly leaving and arriving, let me know. They range from 1st to 5th grade and are at all different reading levels which is what the teacher that I am observing wants me to concentrate on.
Class Reflection of 3/2/09
Class on Monday began with Mariya giving her presentation about speaking skills. She led a discussion about accuracy, fluency, suprasegmentals and segmentals. It was nice to talk about the above aspects of speaking and to hear what everyone else thought of them.
We then got into groups and were given a context in which we were teachers and had to figure out how to integrate speaking into the lesson. Everyone in my group had marvelous ideas and so did the rest of the class. Mariya did a nice job presenting the material and I could tell she is extremely comfortable in front of a class.
We then went to the G.L.L. and looked up materials that could be used for teaching speaking. We then had to use one of those materials to teach a lesson. I think Rachel and I got Charlie's idea of a recipe and I absolutely LOVED that idea. Rachel and I thought of an Iron Chef lesson which sounds fun to me. We then started to peer review what each of us had found to represent the different standards of teaching.
I ended my night looking through the stacks of books to begin my Unit Plan that is due next class period.
We then got into groups and were given a context in which we were teachers and had to figure out how to integrate speaking into the lesson. Everyone in my group had marvelous ideas and so did the rest of the class. Mariya did a nice job presenting the material and I could tell she is extremely comfortable in front of a class.
We then went to the G.L.L. and looked up materials that could be used for teaching speaking. We then had to use one of those materials to teach a lesson. I think Rachel and I got Charlie's idea of a recipe and I absolutely LOVED that idea. Rachel and I thought of an Iron Chef lesson which sounds fun to me. We then started to peer review what each of us had found to represent the different standards of teaching.
I ended my night looking through the stacks of books to begin my Unit Plan that is due next class period.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Teaching Speaking
I am a little slow with my blog with respect to the readings but I did want to get my ideas out there about the readings for this week.
I quite enjoyed the H.D.B. chapter on speaking. The chapter started with research in the field of speaking, however, it did not seem any of the studies were conclusive. Next, the types of spoken language were reviewed, such as interpersonal and transactional. H.D.B. also offered some possible reasons why speaking could present a problem for E.L.L.s. Several of the points brought up were presented by Kizuna and Charlie last week, such as stress intonation and rhythm.
Finally, the implications for teaching were provided. One implication that was offered stated that teachers need to give opportunities for the students to initiate oral communication. What I am wondering is where does the teacher draw the line? I am constantly keeping the students that I observe and when you get them talking about dinosaurs or soccer, look out! I think to a point it is important for the teacher to let that natural communication flow, but on the other hand the teacher needs to make sure the students stay on task.
H.D.B. also talked about some of the factors that could limit a students pronunciation. He also noted that fluency and accuracy were to be taught. I liked the metaphor that was used in relation to these topics. He stated that spoken language can be viewed as learning to play tennis. Fluency gets the student onto the tennis court with a ball and racket, but accuracy is like the logistics of the game such as the scoring, etc...
I liked that analogy not only because I like tennis but because it makes a lot of sense. Students need both accuracy and fluency to be successful in their L2.
I quite enjoyed the H.D.B. chapter on speaking. The chapter started with research in the field of speaking, however, it did not seem any of the studies were conclusive. Next, the types of spoken language were reviewed, such as interpersonal and transactional. H.D.B. also offered some possible reasons why speaking could present a problem for E.L.L.s. Several of the points brought up were presented by Kizuna and Charlie last week, such as stress intonation and rhythm.
Finally, the implications for teaching were provided. One implication that was offered stated that teachers need to give opportunities for the students to initiate oral communication. What I am wondering is where does the teacher draw the line? I am constantly keeping the students that I observe and when you get them talking about dinosaurs or soccer, look out! I think to a point it is important for the teacher to let that natural communication flow, but on the other hand the teacher needs to make sure the students stay on task.
H.D.B. also talked about some of the factors that could limit a students pronunciation. He also noted that fluency and accuracy were to be taught. I liked the metaphor that was used in relation to these topics. He stated that spoken language can be viewed as learning to play tennis. Fluency gets the student onto the tennis court with a ball and racket, but accuracy is like the logistics of the game such as the scoring, etc...
I liked that analogy not only because I like tennis but because it makes a lot of sense. Students need both accuracy and fluency to be successful in their L2.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Reflection of Teacher Observation #4
Today was a good day with the students. I started the day helping students with their spelling words. One of the students if infamous for trying to take short cuts in writing his spelling sentences. For the word bake he wanted to write, "I bake". I worked with him and finally got him to write, "I baked a chocolate cake".
One of the students asked me if there were one letter words in English. I thought that was a VERY interesting question because one of the chapters that I just read for Linguistics covered that same topic! I asked the student what he thought and he said that he thinks that "I' and 'a' are words and I told him he was right. That was so smart of him!
I do not know if I have mentioned this in previous entries but one of the students has ADHD. I find him to be one of the most rewarding students to work with. He is so smart and kind and he really appreciates having one-on-one time with his teachers.
I find it difficult at times to keep the students on task but I think I have made a lot of progress in that area within the last week. It is refreshing because all of the students love to be in Mrs. Becker's room and this is going to sound cheesy but I can tell there is a lot of love in the room both from the teacher and the students.
Oh! I got to translate something for my teacher! I was so happy to do it because it gave me a chance to use some of my Spanish skills. She wanted me to translate a document that goes home to the parents of E.L.L. students about mandatory testing. She said she always wanted to know what it said. : )
One of the students asked me if there were one letter words in English. I thought that was a VERY interesting question because one of the chapters that I just read for Linguistics covered that same topic! I asked the student what he thought and he said that he thinks that "I' and 'a' are words and I told him he was right. That was so smart of him!
I do not know if I have mentioned this in previous entries but one of the students has ADHD. I find him to be one of the most rewarding students to work with. He is so smart and kind and he really appreciates having one-on-one time with his teachers.
I find it difficult at times to keep the students on task but I think I have made a lot of progress in that area within the last week. It is refreshing because all of the students love to be in Mrs. Becker's room and this is going to sound cheesy but I can tell there is a lot of love in the room both from the teacher and the students.
Oh! I got to translate something for my teacher! I was so happy to do it because it gave me a chance to use some of my Spanish skills. She wanted me to translate a document that goes home to the parents of E.L.L. students about mandatory testing. She said she always wanted to know what it said. : )
Friday, February 27, 2009
Teacher Observation Journal #3
Today, I went and saw my friends again or as I call them in the classroom "Mis Amigos". I was not in the classroom yesterday and they were all very happy to see me again. Well, because today is Friday it was "Game Day". The day started with the fabulous 5. Again, their grade levels are 1st to 5th. I played Guess Who and that was a great game to get the students familiar with question words which they have some trouble with (I will expand on that later). We also played with dinosaur models and I really LOVED that! The students were excited about the dinosaurs and wanted to hear all about them. Mrs. Becker and I read the facts about the dinosaurs. I find when the teacher is excited about something in the classroom it can be quite contagious! I absolutely love dinosaurs so I was reading everything I could about them. '
We also played animal bingo which is good for letter recognition.
After lunch the awesome kindergartners came into the classroom. They were very happy that it was game day. We played a matching game and one of the students did exceedingly well with it.
I had been thinking about questions that I wanted to ask the teacher and I got the chance to ask her at the end of the day. I asked her about needs assessment and how she keeps track of which students need improvement. She has such a variety in her classroom and I was curious how she figured out what they need. She told me it was through getting to know them and there was no formal process. I wonder how this works because as an onlooker I can see that going by memory would be difficult for me.
The next question I asked Mrs. Becker was why some of the students drop the final letter when they are reading. It has puzzled me for the last few days because I would listen as a student read and a whole letter would be dropped or a new one added. For example, the word 'will' is read as 'wilk' and 'continues' is read as 'continue'. Mrs. Becker explained that the students' parents and family are also learning English and are possibly less advanced than the students. The pronunciation is not as precise as it is in school. In other words today is the day I realized how important it is for teachers to ENUNCIATE!
I got some very wise words of advice from Mrs. Becker. I was telling her how much I just loved her students and she told me she felt the same way. She says her philosophy is to treat her students as if she were a mother to them (adults and children alike). She said the students are away from their families for more than 6 hours a day and need that in their lives. I remember that my most favorite teacher had this same philosophy.
We also played animal bingo which is good for letter recognition.
After lunch the awesome kindergartners came into the classroom. They were very happy that it was game day. We played a matching game and one of the students did exceedingly well with it.
I had been thinking about questions that I wanted to ask the teacher and I got the chance to ask her at the end of the day. I asked her about needs assessment and how she keeps track of which students need improvement. She has such a variety in her classroom and I was curious how she figured out what they need. She told me it was through getting to know them and there was no formal process. I wonder how this works because as an onlooker I can see that going by memory would be difficult for me.
The next question I asked Mrs. Becker was why some of the students drop the final letter when they are reading. It has puzzled me for the last few days because I would listen as a student read and a whole letter would be dropped or a new one added. For example, the word 'will' is read as 'wilk' and 'continues' is read as 'continue'. Mrs. Becker explained that the students' parents and family are also learning English and are possibly less advanced than the students. The pronunciation is not as precise as it is in school. In other words today is the day I realized how important it is for teachers to ENUNCIATE!
I got some very wise words of advice from Mrs. Becker. I was telling her how much I just loved her students and she told me she felt the same way. She says her philosophy is to treat her students as if she were a mother to them (adults and children alike). She said the students are away from their families for more than 6 hours a day and need that in their lives. I remember that my most favorite teacher had this same philosophy.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Teacher Observation Journal #2
Today I went to the elementary school again. I was so happy to see my new friends again and they all seemed happy to see me too! The morning started with working with one student on sentences from his spelling words. He thought up the sentences and then I wrote them down. After that he copied what I had written. I am unsure what the student actually gets from this activity.
Next, I helped another student with his spelling words. When he was finished he read me part of a story book he was reading. He got sidetracked and told me that he was only reading at a 2.2 level. I was not quite sure what that meant but I inferred that others in his class were at a higher reading level. He then showed me a sticker that was on the back of the book that said "2.6" He said he switched the stickers because he was sick of being made fun of. I felt so very bad for him and I am curious why there are the stickers on the books in the first place. I would hope the library could find a different system that is more anonymous for the students.
This student got bored of what he was reading so I asked him to find what he liked. He brought me his reading book about bats. We had so much fun looking up the different bats and how long their wing spans were. I asked Mrs. Becker for a ruler so we could look at just how long certain bats wings measured to be. I found it interesting that one species has a length of 5 feet while the smalled bat called the hog nosed bat has wings that are only 5 inches long! It was great to see this student actually want to read something and not just sit there and redundantly read because he has to.
After the 'boys club' (as Mrs. Becker calls them) came in we went and got the kindergartners. We reviewed the letters we went over yesterday and started a new letter "c". I got a drawing of a cat out of the deal which I love! I also got a drawing of me and one of the students together. I love children's artwork. I am a little puzzled with the kindergartners and I am going to ask Mrs. Becker how she assesses each individual child's needs. It is clear that there are some that struggle more than others.
I love being with the students and the funny thing is THEY have taught me so much already.
Next, I helped another student with his spelling words. When he was finished he read me part of a story book he was reading. He got sidetracked and told me that he was only reading at a 2.2 level. I was not quite sure what that meant but I inferred that others in his class were at a higher reading level. He then showed me a sticker that was on the back of the book that said "2.6" He said he switched the stickers because he was sick of being made fun of. I felt so very bad for him and I am curious why there are the stickers on the books in the first place. I would hope the library could find a different system that is more anonymous for the students.
This student got bored of what he was reading so I asked him to find what he liked. He brought me his reading book about bats. We had so much fun looking up the different bats and how long their wing spans were. I asked Mrs. Becker for a ruler so we could look at just how long certain bats wings measured to be. I found it interesting that one species has a length of 5 feet while the smalled bat called the hog nosed bat has wings that are only 5 inches long! It was great to see this student actually want to read something and not just sit there and redundantly read because he has to.
After the 'boys club' (as Mrs. Becker calls them) came in we went and got the kindergartners. We reviewed the letters we went over yesterday and started a new letter "c". I got a drawing of a cat out of the deal which I love! I also got a drawing of me and one of the students together. I love children's artwork. I am a little puzzled with the kindergartners and I am going to ask Mrs. Becker how she assesses each individual child's needs. It is clear that there are some that struggle more than others.
I love being with the students and the funny thing is THEY have taught me so much already.
Teacher Observation Journal #1
I went to my very first teacher observation at Maple River Elementary School in Good Thunder today. I most of the teachers and the principal and everyone was so nice. Many of the teachers asked me if I would stay longer because the teacher I am observing needs "another adult in that classroom". I went to the classroom which appears to be an old storage unit in the back of the library. It is a tiny little room but the teacher has every inch of it covered with letters and pictures. I like the room a lot and I did not realize how much I missed sitting in miniature chairs.
The day started with one student from the 1st grade come in for help with reading. The teacher wanted us to read the story Johny Appleseed together. We read it out loud and he followed along with my finger. I found he was getting bored so before we would read a page I would have him look at the pictures and guess what was going to happen next. That seemed to work because then he wanted to keep reading so he would find out if he was correct. He was then suppose to write three sentences about the story. I noticed while we were reading Johnny Appleseed, other children were wondering where the laughing an having fun was coming from. A that time all the morning students had arrived and it totalled to be 5 students ranging from 1st to 5th grade and they were all either cousins or brothers. That does not seem to be a lot of students but when the classroom is THAT small it is quite intense.
My first student went back to his main classroom and I worked with another student on reading. The teacher provided a basket full of little books that he could read. He was reading a story that was at beginning level but even I was bored with it. I told him to find a book that he really wanted to read. We found one about soccer and that was sooo much better. All of the kids play on the same soccer team and they get quite excited when talking about it. I didn't mind that they were telling me about soccer because at least they were talking. The main teacher did not want them to be talking so I directed them back onto the story. Every few pages he would stop to tell me something more about soccer. I really liked meeting those students! One of them saw my Spiderman notebook and drew me pictures!
The last group of kids to come in is 5 kindergartners. I had not realized but it is a big deal to walk down the hall so everyday one of the students gets to pick the "pattern" with which we walk. We finally got to the classroom and started to discuss the letters "a" and "b" and only after 30 minutes they were gone. It was not nearly enough time to help the kids with any of the language issues that they have.
Overall, it was a day full of learning, for me and for them!
The day started with one student from the 1st grade come in for help with reading. The teacher wanted us to read the story Johny Appleseed together. We read it out loud and he followed along with my finger. I found he was getting bored so before we would read a page I would have him look at the pictures and guess what was going to happen next. That seemed to work because then he wanted to keep reading so he would find out if he was correct. He was then suppose to write three sentences about the story. I noticed while we were reading Johnny Appleseed, other children were wondering where the laughing an having fun was coming from. A that time all the morning students had arrived and it totalled to be 5 students ranging from 1st to 5th grade and they were all either cousins or brothers. That does not seem to be a lot of students but when the classroom is THAT small it is quite intense.
My first student went back to his main classroom and I worked with another student on reading. The teacher provided a basket full of little books that he could read. He was reading a story that was at beginning level but even I was bored with it. I told him to find a book that he really wanted to read. We found one about soccer and that was sooo much better. All of the kids play on the same soccer team and they get quite excited when talking about it. I didn't mind that they were telling me about soccer because at least they were talking. The main teacher did not want them to be talking so I directed them back onto the story. Every few pages he would stop to tell me something more about soccer. I really liked meeting those students! One of them saw my Spiderman notebook and drew me pictures!
The last group of kids to come in is 5 kindergartners. I had not realized but it is a big deal to walk down the hall so everyday one of the students gets to pick the "pattern" with which we walk. We finally got to the classroom and started to discuss the letters "a" and "b" and only after 30 minutes they were gone. It was not nearly enough time to help the kids with any of the language issues that they have.
Overall, it was a day full of learning, for me and for them!
Reflection of Class on 2/23
Class on Monday night went well and it began with Charlie and Kizuna presenting about the subject of oral communication. They went over some of the problems that students may have when learning a second language such as rhythm, stress, and intonation. I liked hearing Kizuna's personal experience with the above areas of difficulty. We then discussed if a non-native speaker and a near native had the same oral speech. I think some non-native speakers are at an advantage, especially at the academic level because some do not have bad habits that native speakers do. We then got into groups and discussed a prompt that we were given. I was with Lillian and Chao and we discovered that we did not care a whole lot about the gowns that were worn at the Oscars (or was it the Academy Awards). We then talked about what we did over the weekend and what Lilian was going to do the upcoming weekend. Chao then said she has never flown and we got to talking about the word 'flown'. It is interesting how conversations begin. Charlie asked if we thought there were some differences in the way men and women communicate and I had never thought about it before but there were some very valid points brought up. I thought Kizuna and Charlie did a good job and with the time constraint they were in they actually handled it very well. I think I would have been a little stressed if I knew I only had 5 minutes to cram all that material in.
We then went to the G.L.L. and were going to watch a movie clip and analyze the speech of E.L.L. students but for the majority of the class the video did not work. We had the opportunity to go to the stacks in the back of the library and seek out materials that could be used in the classroom. We were suppose to think of activities that could get the students to speak. Mariya, Chao and I picked a ton of materials and I think I made Mariya go crazy with all the materials I kept picking up and wanting to use. We finally ended up with some really good materials, especially the organ suit that I wanted to keep!
We then went to the G.L.L. and were going to watch a movie clip and analyze the speech of E.L.L. students but for the majority of the class the video did not work. We had the opportunity to go to the stacks in the back of the library and seek out materials that could be used in the classroom. We were suppose to think of activities that could get the students to speak. Mariya, Chao and I picked a ton of materials and I think I made Mariya go crazy with all the materials I kept picking up and wanting to use. We finally ended up with some really good materials, especially the organ suit that I wanted to keep!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Reaction from Week 6 Class Period
So, Thea and I presented on Monday and it was so much FUN!! We played Simon Says and I did not realize that some of the international students had not played that game. I feel bad because I would have happily explained it. I hope everyone had fun with it anyway. We just used the game to illustrate the different types of listening that were engaged.
We then talked about the different types of listening activities we have experienced in our learning and teaching experiences. I shared the time I had in a high school Spanish class. We were all partnered up and one of us was blind folded. It was the partner's responsibility to direst their partner in Spanish. "Derecho, Izquierda, Derecha...etc..." I found it to be quite useful in remembering the terms because I was actually listening for fear of running into a wall. We also talked about horrible dictation is and how redundant and boring it is. Personally, I have never experienced it but I can see how out of place it can be. There seems to be no connection with what the students are listening to and the actual student. Like the M.C.M. book the students need to be able to connect with the material and it needs to be relevant. I think dictation goes against both of those items mentioned.
Solen came in and talked about his ESL 202 class. (I think it was 202 or maybe it was 101). I really enjoyed everything that Solen had to say and he seems to be very in tune with his student's needs. I hope I as good of a teacher as Solen seems to be. He seems to be constantly analyzing his students' progress and his development as a teacher along with the success that his class is having.
We also talked about the reason why some students never go to office hours. Honestly, I have never thought it to be a big deal. If a student is having trouble then they can go in and remedy the situation, however; it appears that it can be very intimidating. I bet it can be especially when learning a second language but I think it is important to be able to ask questions and receive help from our professors. I think I had a Spanish professor that was absolutely sick of me by the end of the semester. I was always asking questions before class, after class, in his tutor hours and office hours. When I do not get something I either give up or obsess about it. I suppose I would rather have the latter.
Towards the end of the class we went to the G.L.L. and talked about the assignment that is due in two weeks. I can't think about tomorrow let alone two weeks from now but hopefully I will get enough time in my busy schedule to work on it early. ]
Oh! I finally got my teacher assignment. She is in Good Thunder and I am really excited to get started!
We then talked about the different types of listening activities we have experienced in our learning and teaching experiences. I shared the time I had in a high school Spanish class. We were all partnered up and one of us was blind folded. It was the partner's responsibility to direst their partner in Spanish. "Derecho, Izquierda, Derecha...etc..." I found it to be quite useful in remembering the terms because I was actually listening for fear of running into a wall. We also talked about horrible dictation is and how redundant and boring it is. Personally, I have never experienced it but I can see how out of place it can be. There seems to be no connection with what the students are listening to and the actual student. Like the M.C.M. book the students need to be able to connect with the material and it needs to be relevant. I think dictation goes against both of those items mentioned.
Solen came in and talked about his ESL 202 class. (I think it was 202 or maybe it was 101). I really enjoyed everything that Solen had to say and he seems to be very in tune with his student's needs. I hope I as good of a teacher as Solen seems to be. He seems to be constantly analyzing his students' progress and his development as a teacher along with the success that his class is having.
We also talked about the reason why some students never go to office hours. Honestly, I have never thought it to be a big deal. If a student is having trouble then they can go in and remedy the situation, however; it appears that it can be very intimidating. I bet it can be especially when learning a second language but I think it is important to be able to ask questions and receive help from our professors. I think I had a Spanish professor that was absolutely sick of me by the end of the semester. I was always asking questions before class, after class, in his tutor hours and office hours. When I do not get something I either give up or obsess about it. I suppose I would rather have the latter.
Towards the end of the class we went to the G.L.L. and talked about the assignment that is due in two weeks. I can't think about tomorrow let alone two weeks from now but hopefully I will get enough time in my busy schedule to work on it early. ]
Oh! I finally got my teacher assignment. She is in Good Thunder and I am really excited to get started!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Readings for Week 6
This weeks readings were really interesting and informative in an area of ESL teaching that I was unfamiliar with. I found through the readings how important listening skills are in a second or foreign language. It seems that ability is often overlooked as something is simply acquired and it does not require organized instruction. I thought that same thing until I read the assignment for this week. One would assume that when a student is surrounded by listening they just "pick it up" but it takes time to teach the skills of listening.
In the M.C.M. book I learned that there are different types of listening contexts and there are different purposes for listening. It is very interesting that the subject of listening can be broken down into neat and organized subheadings. To read about listing in this way makes it seem that it is actually possible to teach something as extensive as reading in second or foreign language.
I learned that listening can be bidirectional, unidirectional, or autodirectional. It seems that throughout the day we all "listen" a lot more than we thought. The M.C.M. book claims that throughout any given day we listen twice as much as we speak, 4 times more than we read, and 5 times more than we write. That is a lot of listening and it comes from a number of sources. The radio (unidirectional), our friends and family (bidirectional) and of course our internal thoughts (autodirectional).
I thought it was interesting that intonation in a speaker's voice can affect the message along with the speaker's body language. I once read that body language accounts for 80 percent of communication. That is, if Jack was telling me that he really liked me and he had his arms crossed in front of his body and he was looking down, I would know he was lying to me.
Today, Thea and I present and I am excited because we have a couple fun things planned for the class. We are NOT relying on technology so this presentation should go better than the last one I did.
Oh! I forgot to mention that I absolutely LOVE the idea of a listening lab!!! It seems like a great way to get students excited about listening to English. The fact that students can have a choice about what to listen to and when to listen to it is amazing! I like the idea of a reading lab too but then again that is another chapter, isn't it? : )
In the M.C.M. book I learned that there are different types of listening contexts and there are different purposes for listening. It is very interesting that the subject of listening can be broken down into neat and organized subheadings. To read about listing in this way makes it seem that it is actually possible to teach something as extensive as reading in second or foreign language.
I learned that listening can be bidirectional, unidirectional, or autodirectional. It seems that throughout the day we all "listen" a lot more than we thought. The M.C.M. book claims that throughout any given day we listen twice as much as we speak, 4 times more than we read, and 5 times more than we write. That is a lot of listening and it comes from a number of sources. The radio (unidirectional), our friends and family (bidirectional) and of course our internal thoughts (autodirectional).
I thought it was interesting that intonation in a speaker's voice can affect the message along with the speaker's body language. I once read that body language accounts for 80 percent of communication. That is, if Jack was telling me that he really liked me and he had his arms crossed in front of his body and he was looking down, I would know he was lying to me.
Today, Thea and I present and I am excited because we have a couple fun things planned for the class. We are NOT relying on technology so this presentation should go better than the last one I did.
Oh! I forgot to mention that I absolutely LOVE the idea of a listening lab!!! It seems like a great way to get students excited about listening to English. The fact that students can have a choice about what to listen to and when to listen to it is amazing! I like the idea of a reading lab too but then again that is another chapter, isn't it? : )
Monday, February 9, 2009
Week 5 Class Reflection
So this week's class was interesting to say the least. Rachel and I attempted to present, however, it seems the technology in the classroom was having none of that! Oh well, I think we adapted pretty well and moved on with other things that we had planned. I liked talking about weird words in English because it is fun to try and figure out what they mean.
After that we listened to Diana talk about vocabulary and the research she had conducted for her APP. I think she had some valid points about vocabulary and how it is important to teach it in context and to never present a new vocabulary word with its respective antonym. I know I was taught many words that way but I can see how it can be counterproductive when teaching new words, especially to children.
We then went into the G.L.L. and finished our presentation. Honestly, I think the presentation was greatly effected (did I use that right?) by the huge gap in it. The class seemed to have lost interest and it was getting close to 9:30 which means we all get tired and anxious to go home. If the presentation was all together I think it could have been a lot better. But as the old adage goes, "Have a Plan B"
In the G.L.L. we got into our groups from the previous week to see how we could integrate the teaching of grammar. I like the idea of paying special attention to such things because while teaching a lesson plan I would be able to know what to put emphasis on.
The animals above are for Mai and me, we thought they looked funny and gross.
Oh, I promised Mariya the list that I got the weird words from so here they are with their 5 counterparts.....
1. Erinaceous
Like a hedgehog
2. Lamprophony
Loudness and clarity of voice
3. Depone
To testify under oath
4. Finnimbrun
A trinket or knick-knack
5. floccinaucinihilipilification
Estimation that something is valueless. Proper pronunciation based on Latin roots: flockə-nowsə-nəkələ-pələ-fək-ation.
6. Inaniloquent
Pertaining to idle talk
7. Limerance
An attempt at a scientific study into the nature of romantic love.
8. Mesonoxian
Pertaining to midnight
9. Mungo
A dumpster diver - one who extracts valuable things from trash
10. Nihilarian
A person who deals with things lacking importance (pronounce the ‘h’ like a ‘k’).
Grammar and Vocabulary
The Chapters in both H.D.B and M.C.M. both concentrated on vocabulary and additionally, grammar was covered in the H.D.B. book. Both topics are something that I have been interested in as it seems the two areas are important in second language teaching.
H.D.B. discussed whether the inductive or deductive approach would benefit students more. He claims that inductive mimics the natural way in which language is acquired. That is, when people are learning their first language they are only implicitly aware of the grammar rules. If asked, many people cannot explain grammar rules and yet they apply many of these rules throughout any given day. In my own experience I learned grammar through the deductive approach. I have to say, after reading about the implicit approach I can see how that is favored. With deductive approach it seemed to add a lot of unneeded pressure on the students to use a certain grammar rule correctly. With the inductive approach students are able to learn over time what grammar rules to use and when to use them. Overall, I think the inductive approach is more conducive to communication.
The H.D.B. book also covered two different view points on vocabulary teaching; incidental exposure and intentional exposure. H.D.B. states that intentional learning proves to aid in student's vocabulary, however, I think both view points have their benefits. I believe that the old adage that we have all heard before sheds some light on the topic, "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." It seems that with reading many people can improve their vocabulary without intentionally doing so. With that improved vocabulary they are able to understand more reading materials and are more efficient readers. The better these people are at reading the more they will want to do it and the snowball effect continues.
The M.C.M. book also covers vocabulary learning and the two view points of implicit and explicit. M.C.M. claims that many of the words that many of us have in our vocabulary have been explicitly taught, however; when proficiency is high enough in a second language that explicit learning can change into implicit. M.C.M. claims that the first 2,000-3,000 high frequency words of a vocabulary should be taught explicitly but after that many of the low frequency words can be acquired through reading and listening. I like to think of the first 2,000-3,000 high frequency words as the foundation and the many high frequency words to follow as the rest of the house. You need to have that foundation or you will not have a house (or implicit learning of other vocabulary).
Multiple exposure to a word is also important for that word to be considered "learned". This is important in both implicit and explicit learning. M.C.M. claims this lack of exposure is a common problem with many L2 learners and teachers can avoid that problem through more exposure or "book flood". AS a teacher I like the idea of "book flood" because it could target all the students' interests and the idea of finishing a book would give additional intrinsic motivation. Maybe it just my thought that reading could save the world one day.
H.D.B. discussed whether the inductive or deductive approach would benefit students more. He claims that inductive mimics the natural way in which language is acquired. That is, when people are learning their first language they are only implicitly aware of the grammar rules. If asked, many people cannot explain grammar rules and yet they apply many of these rules throughout any given day. In my own experience I learned grammar through the deductive approach. I have to say, after reading about the implicit approach I can see how that is favored. With deductive approach it seemed to add a lot of unneeded pressure on the students to use a certain grammar rule correctly. With the inductive approach students are able to learn over time what grammar rules to use and when to use them. Overall, I think the inductive approach is more conducive to communication.
The H.D.B. book also covered two different view points on vocabulary teaching; incidental exposure and intentional exposure. H.D.B. states that intentional learning proves to aid in student's vocabulary, however, I think both view points have their benefits. I believe that the old adage that we have all heard before sheds some light on the topic, "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." It seems that with reading many people can improve their vocabulary without intentionally doing so. With that improved vocabulary they are able to understand more reading materials and are more efficient readers. The better these people are at reading the more they will want to do it and the snowball effect continues.
The M.C.M. book also covers vocabulary learning and the two view points of implicit and explicit. M.C.M. claims that many of the words that many of us have in our vocabulary have been explicitly taught, however; when proficiency is high enough in a second language that explicit learning can change into implicit. M.C.M. claims that the first 2,000-3,000 high frequency words of a vocabulary should be taught explicitly but after that many of the low frequency words can be acquired through reading and listening. I like to think of the first 2,000-3,000 high frequency words as the foundation and the many high frequency words to follow as the rest of the house. You need to have that foundation or you will not have a house (or implicit learning of other vocabulary).
Multiple exposure to a word is also important for that word to be considered "learned". This is important in both implicit and explicit learning. M.C.M. claims this lack of exposure is a common problem with many L2 learners and teachers can avoid that problem through more exposure or "book flood". AS a teacher I like the idea of "book flood" because it could target all the students' interests and the idea of finishing a book would give additional intrinsic motivation. Maybe it just my thought that reading could save the world one day.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Week 4 Classtime Reflection
In this week's class time Rachel and Thea began the class with a discussion about building awareness and practical skills for communication especially cross culturally. They began by asking if any of us would ever decline someone our notes for class if we were asked. Everyone in the class said that they would not have a problem loaning their notes. Maybe it is because I live in Minnesota but I think that would not be very kind to not loan notes to a fellow classmate.
After the wonderful presentation by Thea and Rachel we got in a circle and discussed what we thought some cultural differences were with respect to food, gender, etc... Some interesting points got brought up, such as other cultures are more "touchy-feely" than Americans. Also, some cultures view sharing food as socially acceptable but in America some people are protective. Although I love America and being American, sometimes I wonder if I am from another country! The things people were describing about their culture are all the things that make me an enigma in the U.S.
Finally, we went to the G.L.L. and made units and lesson plans to practice what we will have to do in the future. I really liked our lesson plan because it was based on teaching children astronomy! Two of my very favorite things in life! I liked hearing the questions about the lesson we planned because it made me look at some things that I would have to pay more attention to when planning a lesson.
After the wonderful presentation by Thea and Rachel we got in a circle and discussed what we thought some cultural differences were with respect to food, gender, etc... Some interesting points got brought up, such as other cultures are more "touchy-feely" than Americans. Also, some cultures view sharing food as socially acceptable but in America some people are protective. Although I love America and being American, sometimes I wonder if I am from another country! The things people were describing about their culture are all the things that make me an enigma in the U.S.
Finally, we went to the G.L.L. and made units and lesson plans to practice what we will have to do in the future. I really liked our lesson plan because it was based on teaching children astronomy! Two of my very favorite things in life! I liked hearing the questions about the lesson we planned because it made me look at some things that I would have to pay more attention to when planning a lesson.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Integrating the 4 Skills
This weeks readings in the H.D. Brown book discussed the integration of the 4 skills necessary for communication in any language (listening, speaking, reading, writing) Special attention was given to the importance of the whole language approach. This approach appeals to all or at least two of the skills mentioned above.
The book gave different models of integration that can be used in the ESL/EFL classroom. As I read I kept thinking, "This model is my favorite and the one I will use when I teach". I found myself thinking that on almost every model I read about. What I liked about the readings in the H.D. Brown book was the examples of how each model could be executed. For example, with respect to the Integrated Lesson an entire lesson plan was outlined on how this model may work in a real classroom.
I like the idea of theme teaching, although I get the idea that H.D.Brown believes there are better models to follow. That leads me to say that I like the thought of teaching a different subject matter while not concentrating on the actual language itself. As a foreign language learner of Spanish, I find that I learn much better when I am relaxed. That is to say, when I am not concentrating on the mistakes I will make I speak a lot more and without fear. Perhaps some of my NN classmates could weigh in on this. I wonder how they learned English best and while in the TESL classes are they still enhancing their English proficiency? Because the TESL classes are not focusing on their English, do they feel they are improving their English even more? All good questions I will ask my classmates.
Another point in the chapter that I found to be quite interesting is the discussion of dialogue within the text books. The example of Jack and Tony is actually quite boring and predictable. That is somewhat of a regression for the students' literacy skills because as I learned in Dr. Stoynoff's literacy class, a good reader makes predictions. Well, how can a student make a prediction when the outcome is spoon-fed to them. I like the idea of students having to formulate guesses while reading. In fact, to this day I still remember when I heard a dialogue in my Span 102 class that was very unexpected! It was a video of about 5 students travelling throughout Mexico. It showed the interactions between the students and their host mom. At first it was all pleasantries which meant I was not really listening. Then, my attention was grabbed as all of a sudden this sweet old lady starts yelling at the students! She was angry because, "El dormitorio estaba todo desordenado por los estudiatnes!" (The bedroom was messed up by the students!) I will never forget that and that was about 3 years ago. I think we should never underestimate the power of intrigue in a classroom.
The book gave different models of integration that can be used in the ESL/EFL classroom. As I read I kept thinking, "This model is my favorite and the one I will use when I teach". I found myself thinking that on almost every model I read about. What I liked about the readings in the H.D. Brown book was the examples of how each model could be executed. For example, with respect to the Integrated Lesson an entire lesson plan was outlined on how this model may work in a real classroom.
I like the idea of theme teaching, although I get the idea that H.D.Brown believes there are better models to follow. That leads me to say that I like the thought of teaching a different subject matter while not concentrating on the actual language itself. As a foreign language learner of Spanish, I find that I learn much better when I am relaxed. That is to say, when I am not concentrating on the mistakes I will make I speak a lot more and without fear. Perhaps some of my NN classmates could weigh in on this. I wonder how they learned English best and while in the TESL classes are they still enhancing their English proficiency? Because the TESL classes are not focusing on their English, do they feel they are improving their English even more? All good questions I will ask my classmates.
Another point in the chapter that I found to be quite interesting is the discussion of dialogue within the text books. The example of Jack and Tony is actually quite boring and predictable. That is somewhat of a regression for the students' literacy skills because as I learned in Dr. Stoynoff's literacy class, a good reader makes predictions. Well, how can a student make a prediction when the outcome is spoon-fed to them. I like the idea of students having to formulate guesses while reading. In fact, to this day I still remember when I heard a dialogue in my Span 102 class that was very unexpected! It was a video of about 5 students travelling throughout Mexico. It showed the interactions between the students and their host mom. At first it was all pleasantries which meant I was not really listening. Then, my attention was grabbed as all of a sudden this sweet old lady starts yelling at the students! She was angry because, "El dormitorio estaba todo desordenado por los estudiatnes!" (The bedroom was messed up by the students!) I will never forget that and that was about 3 years ago. I think we should never underestimate the power of intrigue in a classroom.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Week 3 Reflection of Class
I felt like I had not been in class for a long time even though we only missed one class period due to M.L.K. day it felt like and eternity.
Class began with Brian giving his presentation on Teacher Development and I really liked some of the ideas and points Brian brought up for example, "How can we expect our students to grow if we do not grow as teachers?" I think that was a very valid point and it emphasized the point that the H.D.B. and M.C.M. readings were trying to make. We worked individually during Brian's presentation to self evaluate our teaching. Some of the questions I could honestly answer and evaluate myself but many of the questions were moot because I am not yet a teacher. I found myself thinking that I want to aspire to be just what the evaluation described and perhaps I can use the evaluation as a guide to set my goals as a future teacher.
We then broke into groups and discussed questions we had about the proposal and possible questions we could ask our supervising teacher. I liked the questions that JoAnn and Chao brought up and now I am curious about the same things, especially needs assessment which brings me to the next thing we did in class.
In the G.L.L. we discussed our proposals. I switched groups as it seems my group was pretty enthusiastic about technology in the classroom and the sight of a computer makes me cringe. I joined Charlie and Nate's group and although Charlie and I butt heads I look forward to working with him. Nate is new to the class but I think he already has some great ideas that he can contribute. We will be studying needs assessment and I am SOOO excited about that! I have been wondering how teachers actually narrow down what the students need and want. A chapter last semester briefly skimmed the surface of this topic and now I am looking forward of digging deeper into the subject. Needs assessment appears to be the foundation of a classroom environment because without it the students may lose interest and not benefit from the class.
Overall, I was glad to be back in class and find out more information on what is expected of me in the coming semester.
Class began with Brian giving his presentation on Teacher Development and I really liked some of the ideas and points Brian brought up for example, "How can we expect our students to grow if we do not grow as teachers?" I think that was a very valid point and it emphasized the point that the H.D.B. and M.C.M. readings were trying to make. We worked individually during Brian's presentation to self evaluate our teaching. Some of the questions I could honestly answer and evaluate myself but many of the questions were moot because I am not yet a teacher. I found myself thinking that I want to aspire to be just what the evaluation described and perhaps I can use the evaluation as a guide to set my goals as a future teacher.
We then broke into groups and discussed questions we had about the proposal and possible questions we could ask our supervising teacher. I liked the questions that JoAnn and Chao brought up and now I am curious about the same things, especially needs assessment which brings me to the next thing we did in class.
In the G.L.L. we discussed our proposals. I switched groups as it seems my group was pretty enthusiastic about technology in the classroom and the sight of a computer makes me cringe. I joined Charlie and Nate's group and although Charlie and I butt heads I look forward to working with him. Nate is new to the class but I think he already has some great ideas that he can contribute. We will be studying needs assessment and I am SOOO excited about that! I have been wondering how teachers actually narrow down what the students need and want. A chapter last semester briefly skimmed the surface of this topic and now I am looking forward of digging deeper into the subject. Needs assessment appears to be the foundation of a classroom environment because without it the students may lose interest and not benefit from the class.
Overall, I was glad to be back in class and find out more information on what is expected of me in the coming semester.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Week 3 Readings
Chapter 25 in the H.D.B. book is all about teacher development and it had some really great suggestions. It is a great reminder that while students are learning and developing so is the teacher. I think it is important to note that teachers can learn from a variety of sources such as other teachers, journals, research, themselves and their students.
H.D.B. broke down the different types of teacher learner their are:
Skill Learning- these are basic skills such as making lesson plans, maintaining control of the classroom and assessment.
Cognitive Process- this type of learning comes from background knowledge and experience which forms teachers' beliefs about education.
Personal construction- this type of knowledge is "actively constructed". In other words teachers do not simply acquire it they actively pursue this type of knowledge.
Reflective Practice- This is an internal process by the teacher. This is knowledge through a teacher's own awareness of their teaching style and techniques.
I liked the idea of personal construction because that is something that I can actually have control of. H.D.B. gives ideas of how to actively construct knowledge. I found a few ideas which I thought would actually work in a teacher's busy schedule and I foresee myself in the future practicing these learning techniques. One of them is journaling and I think even for a busy teacher if h/she made an effort they could really see results. Also, to read scholarly journals if only during the school breaks is a good idea. As a student when I am not reading some book or other material I feel as though I am getting a "lazy brain" so this practice of teacher development could really work for me.
H.D.B. illustrated the characteristics of a peak performer:
Believe in yourself
Set realistic goals
Set priorities
Take risks
Reduce and manage stress factors
This chapter illustrated the importance of balance in a teacher's life. It is no myth that a teacher's life is stressful but can have some of the best rewards. With suggestions like the ones listed above a teacher can find that happy balance and develop as a peak performer.
Another point in the chapter was that teachers can construct their own research. I thought (as the book stated) that research was better left to the experts but there is a persuading argument for how teacher conducted research can benefit a classroom. If one views it as simply a small experiment it seems less intimidating.
Also, I liked the idea of peer coaching and team teaching. Many novice teachers simply do not have the experience that other more experienced teachers have and that can be a very valuable resource in teacher development.
Overall, I think it is very important for me as a future teacher to keep in mind that I need to grow with my students and continue to develop and learn. I need to set goals for myself and my students and strive to be the best teacher that I can be.
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