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.