SPSE 6712 Personal Reflection

I really enjoyed the Foundations of Education class that I took my first semester. As simple as this may sound, it was an incredibly interesting and informative class. I also enjoyed reading about immigrant students' experiences in Cultural Issues, and learning how to do an action research. I thoroughly enjoyed this class, though. This class has actually provided me with opportunities to go into the classroom, interact and find out information that I would otherwise not be exposed to before I entered the classroom. I have never been in an ESL classroom before, and this experience let me observe the actual class, the teacher, the students and aspects about the students that is helpful to be aware of.

I recently took the ESL Praxis and I am anxiously waiting the scores. I think the process of obtaining the license is good. I think if a person is already licensed to teach then they should really be trained in the needs of ESL students. For me, I am most uncertain explaining grammar and different language skills.

I now use my Wiki as a reference when I am looking back at an activity or for ideas. I really like that we used through several classes to post our work and explanations of things.

I would recommend any teacher to become an ESL teacher. I am speaking without any firsthand experience, but I think every teacher would benefit from a lot of the training that I only got while going through this program.

SPSE 6712 Literature Circles

Overall, I enjoyed doing literature circles. It was time to work with a small group of students on their reading and comprehension. The students were more vocal and outgoing to discuss the book than they normally are in class.

The students were very receptive to the literature. I selected The Circuit, by Francisco Jimenez. One student was familiar with the book, but had not read much of it. One student said he was going to read it for AR points next.

The students were, at first, shy to anwer, but once one student began talking the others also talked. The students were very compassionate about the character's experiences.

I really like the idea of using Literature Circles for 2nd language learners. I think students will be more comfortable reading a longer or slightly more difficult selection if they have a few partners to help if they have problems. The students got stuck on a word that was unfamiliar and had a hard time moving on. This is less likely to pose as big a problem if they're working together.

I would put students of varying levels together to see how it works. The students I had were, mostly, medium-intermediate English speaking students. I would like to see how the students work together when they are at different levels and help each other more.

I really like the book that I selected. I would advise getting literature that will be of interest to the students. The students, of course, are much more interactive when they are engaged in what they are reading. Also, if only one of the students is really interested in the literature, but the others are not then the one student may be able to make it more enjoyable for the others. That student can explain why he/she finds it interesting and potentially influence the others.

SPSE 6712 #4-Reflecting on Case Study and Ethnographic Narrative

The class I observed for the case study was rather small, and the students were doing a typical reading lesson. The student I chose to observe was the same student that I talked to for the Ethnographic Narrative. I always enjoy watching class and how the students interact with each other and the teacher. Even though the lesson was to cover everyday work the teacher did an excellent job utilizing the time to thoroughly talk about reading, vocabulary, comprehension, types of words and how to plot a story. I like watching her because I can see how she interacts with the students and how sensitive and respectful she is to the students. Other students in the team even are comfortable to come in to her room and ask for materials they need.

Case study is important because you can observe a student without the student being aware and possibly acting different because of that. Teachers are always observing their students, but it is hard to observe a particular student all the time without being noticed. I was able to observe the class and one student without him noticing. I think case studies will be very useful if I have a student that I am having problems with or that needs extra attention. By doing a case study things that cause distress, anxiety, disorder, or distraction could be noted. This could help a teacher know if something he/she is doing positively/negatively affects the students.

I really enjoyed doing the enthnographic narrative because the boy I talked to was very sweet. He is very close to his family especially so with his little sister, who is disabled, and he helps her a lot. The narrative gives a much more in depth look at the student and what they are going through or have gone through. My student is not particularly close to his cousins who live in TN, and has never met any of his grandparents because they live in Mexico. This will help the current teacher and future teachers understand and be more sensitive towards this student. He may not always have the family support other students have or he may have more responsibilities to help with the family.

SPSE 6712 #3 Reflective Fieldnote

I really value everything I've learned about how to conduct an action research, and the experiences I've had with action research. In order to do an action research, a person must have a problem or situation he/she wants to better in some way. The problem should be within the means of the researcher to study and help directly. Therefore, action research is a great way for teachers to study and find solutions to problems in their classrooms and with their students.

Looking at the students' grades was not as helpful as I had expected. The students had varying grades and it was hard to pinpoint if there was any pattern. Some students are also being tested for learning difficulties, and this makes it difficult group them with other students. I also found that students were really happy to help and they felt like what they needed/wanted was really important by taking part in the research. I think this can be a great way for the teacher to make students feel like they are a special part of the community and to "join forces."

I would advise to other professionals in the ESL community the importance of a literature rich environment. I found that when the students were able to actually read the passage that they were listening they actually did better in comprehension, spelling, and writing complete sentences. This may have been because they could comprehend what they were reading opposed to what they were hearing (perhaps due to an accent), they could actually view the words written correctly, or because they had just had many examples of complete sentences. I think that the more a student is exposed to reading and examples of correct word spelling and sentences, the easier or more natural it will become for a student.

SPSE 6810 #5

I chose to talk about the article "Green Schools Don't Make the Grade". I am very passionate about recycling and trying to be "green." I really liked that someone was trying to make a difference by encouraging and providing rewards for schools that became more green. I thought it was very unfortunate that it was not researched well enough to have actual results closer to the expected results.


I do firmly believe that schools in America can be greener. I lived and worked in Japan for two years at two high schools teaching English as a foreign language. Luxuries that we take for granted in America would be considered a huge waste in Japan; while things that were taken for granted in Japan would have been a big "inconvenience" here. For example, air conditioning and heat. Students had to pay tuition to attend school and (at my schools) they had to pay extra to have air conditioning and heating. Even then, air conditioning and heating was only used when the temperature hit certain temperatures. Where I lived in Japan had very mild temperature, though, and rarely went below freezing or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. My schools also had separate trash cans for different items. Plastic, paper, drink boxes, and cans were also separated. Students also spent usually 15 minutes every afternoon to clean the classrooms and school grounds. Lights and air/heat were only used in rooms being used, and hallways and bathrooms were not kept warm/cool. The schools saved a lot of money, of course, on energy. They also saved on food/drink items and disposing of them. Because they were so conscientious of their waste, companies used materials that were easier to dispose of on their goods.


Teachers and students, both, worked together to keep the campus clean and efficient. Teachers kept their attitude positive and always tried to teach the students how to live well and treat others (and nature) well. Japan does a lot of what it does out of necessity. They are a small country with limited resources. It was so ingrained into the culture that even my rebellious students know to properly dispose of trash, and that they are responsible for what they leave behind.

I am happy that people were making an effort to better the schools in America, but I hope that this failure does not stunt other efforts in the future. I think there is definitely room for improvement, but it may not be something that can be easily fixed in a short period of time. I think it will take time and a complete adjustment on opinions, values, and attitudes.

(My favorite Japanese word/saying:Mottainai)

SPSE 6810 #4 Multiculturalism in the Curriculum

I agree most with Adam Waxler's article "Multiculturalism in the School Curriculum". Basically, Waxler is saying that schools should not incorporate a entirely new curriculum, but instead keep the existing curriculum and incorporate information and activities into the curriculum. Teachers should not strictly use textbooks. They should use a variety of materials and information to make the curriculum multicultural. I agree that it is too difficult to try to create a curriculum that pleases everyone, but multiculturalism can be taught no matter what is included into the curriculum.

I haven't taught much in American schools, so I cannot talk from experience. I worked for two years in Japan, though. All of my students, with the exception of two, were Japanese. One student was Italian, and had lived in Japan for over 5 years. The other was an exchange student from Australia. These two students followed the same curriculum that all the other Japanese students learned. It was not changed or adapted in any way for them. The two boys were also firmly expected to follow the same policies as everyone else. There were to wear school uniforms, write/speak in Japanese, participate in a club/sport, and anything else students had to do. These students were encouraged to talk about their home countries and culture in class, but were treated just like any other student.

SPSE 6810 #3 Multicultural Curriculum

After reading the three articles I agree on these two statements: it is impossible to please everyone, and a nation is going to teach it's kids a national education. It is next to impossible to form a curriculum for a large group of people that will please everyone. This task becomes even harder when the group is diverse. Each and every person has an idea of what is vital to learn, and what should not be included in the curriculum.

I fully believe that the people involved in creating a curriculum are doing their best and including what they think is vital. Since the people who are deciding the curriculum are probably from the nation in which the curriculum will be used; they will value similar national events. Nations always teach history from a very biased viewpoint. As an American, learning history in a TN school, I always learned about WWII, the Germans, and the Japanese. I did not know about all the numerous times we bombed Japan. During my first lesson of teaching English in Japan; I had a student ask me why America bombed them. I later found out the student knew nothing about Pearl Harbor. It is the same for Vietnam. I toured around Vietnam some and saw a lot of the devastation left from the war that I had never heard about. What was worse were all the people mutilated and mutated from the war.

I don't think multiculturalism is bad; it is just difficult(at times). I think it provides the opportunity to take all the good qualities from individual cultures to make a more blended one. In order for disputes to be settled and curriculum discussed successfully, everyone involved must be prepared to be patient, culturally sensitive, and flexible. Deciding a curriculum is challenging for anyone involved. Deciding what to teach in history is going to be even more stressful and taxing and everyone must be willing to make compromises.

SPSE 6810 #2 Glamorous Grammar

I think grammar is necessary if students want to pursue a professional or academic career. I do agree that Standard English is a dialect, and that no certain dialect is should be considered better or worse than another. I also agree, though, that to advance in America there are some dialects that are more accepted than others.

I think students will learn better when they have many resources available to them. Personally, I think reading is the best way to learn about spelling, sentence structure, and grammar. Computers can provide other opportunities for students to use their knowledge and learn more. Students can research on the computer and then form informative paragraphs to present later. Students can also play interactive games that may teach about grammar. Good grammar books and workbooks are beneficial as well. I like Daily Oral Language (DOL), and providing opportunities for students to work together to find mistakes or to check each others' work. It is important that the teacher includes multiple ways of learning grammar, so that students can find a method that best suits them. I am a visual person, but I do best when I absorb material in multiple ways. If I hear, see, and correct grammar myself I will remember it better than only completing sentences in a workbook.

SPSE 6712 #2 Observation and Problem Identification

During my second observation in the ESL classroom I noticed a view things that could be concerning. There is one student who is newly from Mexico and does not speak any English. The ESL teacher helps him with all of his other homework as well studying English. The ESL teacher has to know how to teach these other subjects like the regular classroom teacher. She said that she spent two years of watching the math teacher to learn how he teaches math so that she could duplicate his methods. She also needed a refresher in how to solve the math problems. This could be an issue for new teachers who have not had time to observe the other teachers or are consistently too busy to spare time to observe. This will require that the teacher spends a lot of time outside of class to learn what the students are learning in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade classes.

One class I observed was the 7th grade English class. There are only six boys in the class; five of which have lived in America and gone to American schools many years. The sixth boy has been in America less than a year and lacks a lot of the vocabulary and knowledge the other boys already know. The five boys are in ESL to perfect their skills so they can pass the ELDA with high scores. I watched them use 11 prepositions from their list to create sentences. The five boys were focusing more on forming correct sentences and spelling correctly. The sixth boy knew how to form sentences, but was struggling to create a sentence, because of a lack of vocabulary. I think it could be difficult to focus on the varying needs and levels of the students.

The students, daily, work on Daily Oral Language (DOL) and Goofs. The DOL consists of three sentences that they are to correct on their own and then as a class. The goofs are powerpoint presentations that the students create of incorrect and correct sentences. One student, each day, will show his goof. On the day I observed the students also created 11 sentences using prepositions from their preposition list. The students have multiple opportunities to work together for help or to check their work. Often, students have more courage to offer answers or ask questions when they are working in a group. The students have lots of opportunities to work on the computers, and they really enjoy it. For the students who need their skills perfected, the computer requires attention to spelling and offers help. These students also are not as familar with using a computer, so they are learning valuable computer skills. The newer student is more experienced with using a computer, so he knows how to navigate easily while he learns more English.

I think that most middle school ESL teachers will need to not only be knowledgable in English skills for students trying to test out of ESL, but also of all the other subject material so they can help new learners of English complete their work. The ESL teacher will need to possess the knowledge and skills of the regular classroom teachers, and know how to best teach someone who is not proficient in English. The teacher I am observing seems to be under a lot of pressure to help her select students test out of the ESL program within the next year. They are close to scoring high enough on the ELDA, but they have are still making mistakes that second language learners make. On the other hand, she has two learners who are very new to the English language. She has very few truly intermediate English learners. These are such contrasting levels that it is hard to provide each level with the attention they need to succeed when in the same classroom. As the students created their sentences using the prepositions the teacher explained each word and the situation they might be used. She explained how a word, like amid, is not commonly used in TN, but could be found while reading or on a test. The students were welcome to create sentences about their home countries, and those would be discussed with the class.

SPSE 6810 Multicultural Education

I think that multicultural education refers both to the curriculum and education of students about other cultures, especially those located within their own education system. All students should be taught about local, national, and global history or about events presently occurring. Through multicultural education students will become better educated and more compassionate; which in turn will help schools, and later society.

I think it is difficult to define multicultural education, because every person has his/her own ideas of what it means. I think it is the same way when a group of people try to create a curriculum together. Every person values different things and making a "balanced" curriculum that everyone likes is next to impossible. Personally, I think that a lot can be changed in America, and that even though we have diverse education systems we are afraid to openly talk about diversity. While I lived in Japan it seemed like other cultures were discussed frequently. If a foreigner visited then you could most definitely find them in one classroom or another talking about themselves and their culture. This may have been because they are such a homogeneous culture, and had to use the opportunities they had to meet diverse people. I did live in a very small town, though, and am only speaking from my experiences there.

I find it sad that we do not recognize and celebrate the diversity that exists in America. Of course, coexisting is not always easy because there are misunderstandings that could possibly be helped or even avoided if we understood each other better. (This is the same for any friendship or relationship.) It is up to classroom teachers to decide how they want to approach multicultural education and enforce it in their classroom. I love to work with younger students and I have always found that they openly accept others, and ideas without having pre-conceived ideas of right and wrong. Teachers usually run into more resistance when working with parents. Parents are afraid of what they do not understand and they are more protective of their children. I think to help this situation we will need to be as informative as possible so parents understand what activities will take place in the classroom. Parents may even learn a little from their children or their children's class.

SPSE 6712 Blog #1 Classroom Observation Notes

Teaching

The purpose of the lesson was to work with the ELL on math and English
classwork, homework, and to review basic English vocabulary. The lesson only involved one student who recently moved to America and has no English skills, yet.

The lesson was designed specifically to help the new student with his other classwork and to review/teach vocabulary. Every activity was very appropriate to the student and his level. He brought his math textbook to work on assigned problems. He used a computer that was already in the ESL classroom. While working on math, the ESL teacher wrote "Too language intensive" if the problem was very wordy or complex. The regular math classroom teacher knows to accept this as if the question was completed.

The ELL was very quiet and reserved. At times, he acted tired. He was more reluctant, maybe because it was just him participating in the games and commands. He has learned a few English words, but in general he does not understand anything said in English. He seemed to relax a little after he was left alone to practice the game. He did everything the teacher asked him to do to the best of his ability.

Community

Unfortunately, for the ELL, he was the only student in the lesson so he could not interact with other students. He was very polite towards the teacher, and tried to follow her directions.

Ultimately, to become a member of this community the students must have a need concerning English. If students come from non-English speaking home they automatically qualify for the ESL program. If they score high enough on ELDA they can leave the program. Some students score well on ELDA, but still need special help with their reading skills or English skills. These students stay in the program to perfect their skills. Materials sometimes come directly from other teachers, and may be classwork/homework for the student to get help completing in the ESL class. For upper level ESL students the ESL teacher will provide her own lessons using the same texts as the regular classroom teachers.

Ethnographic Perspective

The lesson started with working on the math assignment. The ESL teacher used basic English commands to get started and then she taught how to do Scientific Notation. She showed him several examples, then they solved several examples together, and lastly, she let him solve several problems alone and she applauded or helped him when he finished the problem. After the math lesson they practiced performing "sit, stand, and raise hand," by using TPR (Total Physical Response). After TPR, the student and the teacher reviewed vocabulary like shoes, socks, shirt, red, white, and blue. They walked around the room and the teacher asked the question "What is this?" and answered with, "This is a ______." The student tried to fill in the object. Lastly, they worked on the computer playing a body parts game. They played together several times and the teacher demonstrated each body part. After playing together several times the teacher left the student to practice on his own as long as he wanted.

If an observer were to enter the classroom he would see bright colorful flowers and decorations on the door. In the class, there are posters and pictures from other countries and a world map that has been marked on to show specific locations. Students often make things using origami, and their finished projects are displayed throughout the room.

I think all of the students feel accepted and welcome. The teacher does a wonderful job greeting all of the students and making them feel like the class is truly theirs. She is happy to share anything she has (materials) with the students. She also answers questions without making the students feel self-consious and turns it into a lesson for all the students to learn.

Self Introduction

Hey everyone! I am a graduate student and I will graduate this semester!! I am working on my M. Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction with an Emphasis in English as a Second Language. After I graduate I hope to start teaching ESL with either elementary or middle school students. (The picture is of me, my niece, and my nephew.)

I have some experience teaching Kindergarten and I LOVE that age. I taught in Japan as an English teacher for two years, and that is why I now want to work with ESL students here.

Currently, I am a graduate assistant and work with the Elementary and Special Education Department. I also work at the Discovery Center. If you have never been, you should definitely go!

http://www.discoverycenteronline.org/

Experiences in Methods Class

I am always grateful for Methods classes, because I know these will be the classes most helpful when teaching in the classroom. In this class we have worked on: learning how to assess which materials are worth using, useful tools/activities to use with the students, and about literacy development. I learned how to make and use activities like choral reading, cloze passages, writing prompts, and anticipatory guides. These activities can help develop reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary and phonics. I am also happy to have all my work posted on my wiki. I know I will remember learning about all of these activities, but it will be very helpful to have an easy way to access my work later.

I enjoyed using the SOLOM instrument and Oral Language Development instrument to assess the student's level of English proficiency. I have always been unsure of which level a student is at and these charts gave me a better idea of each level's criteria. I found that I preferred the OLD instrument more since it used very easy descriptions of each level. I also learned that it is easier to assess a student during a conversation, rather than during a recitation.

I know I will use all of the activities I learned about in this class to help develop the skills of my students. They can benefit from the variety of activities and it will also make the class more interesting and engaging. The newsletter will also be a great tool to use in the class. I can use the newsletter to keep the students informed as well as involving the families of my students.

For upcoming students, I would advise keeping the wiki updated and as accurate as possible. I have tried to work on the wiki very thoroughly throughout the class, but I also like to go back and make improvements when I learn new information. I am impressed with what I have learned and created after I look through my wiki. I know I'll refer back to it when I am unsure of an activity or need ideas. :)

http://eslfun4students.wikispaces.com/

Selecting ESL Materials to Promote Literacy

Determining the Level of English Proficiency
There are several factors to consider when selecting materials for ESL learners. You should take into account the English level of the student, as well as the quality of the materials. For me, pinpointing a student's level can sometimes be difficult. There is the SOLOM Instrument and the Oral Language Development (OLD) Instrument that can help in determining a student's level. The SOLOM Instrument has been used for many years to assess oral language development. The OLD Instrument was developed by a teacher in Utah and is used as a means for informally assessing oral language developement for ELL's. I found that I prefered the OLD Instrument better. It listed the levels as: Early and Pre-Production, Speech Emergence, Intermediate, High Intermediate and Fluent. It also uses very descriptive but easy to understand details. It is important to use a tool such as one of these instruments to accurately place an ELL before giving them materials.

Evaluating Materials
Even with the number of ESL students in Tennessee, there may not always be a lot of literature or materials available. It is important for a teacher to be able to critique the readily available materials to be adjusted and utilized for ESL learners. Criteria to look for and take into consideration is: level of literature, vocabulary within text, literature encourages metacognitive tools, promotes discussion, and utilizes illustrations. Not all literature will have each of these items, but it is important to ensure the quality of the material.

Promoting Literacy
It is vital to promote literacy among ESL students. I've seen from personal experience how much reading can develop a person's skills. When I moved to Japan, I had a friend from America with the same level of Japanese (that would be none). Even though he was a linguist and studied non-stop, within two years he was fluent in Japanese. He contributed most of his success to reading. Soon after moving to his town in Japan, he visited his local library and checked out books weekly. He started out with basic children books and was working on newspapers when we left. I firmly believe that if students can become interested in some kind of literature it will help their literacy skills develop. There are many activities that teachers can use to make literacy more fun or interesting.
Teachers can use:

• Dialogs
• Interviews
• Choral Readings
• Reader's Theater

For more idea's or information, click on the picture/link below.

(Teaching Children to Read)



(How to Teach Reading Strategies)

A New Love

Hello everyone! This is my first blog ever, and I am excited to learn about how it can be used with my ESL students. I have my undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies and have some experience teaching Kindergarten. I always thought my true love would be Kindergarten, but I think that has changed slightly since I worked with Japanese students in Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and I fully appreciate the struggle second language learners go through. I moved to Japan without any language training and I lived in a very remote fishing village with only two other western foreigners. Needless to say, it was a crash course for me to learn the culture and language! Because of the difficulties I experienced in Japan and the kindness I was given I want to teach ESL and help other students who may be struggling. I hope that I will be able to work with young students again, just preferably in an ESL setting. :)