readings for nov 1

I was grateful for the clarification on testing vs assessment. I agree that I am constantly assessing what my students know and what they still need information on. I had a really hard time setting up my syllabus for my comp 101 course this semester because I wasn't really sure what incoming freshman did and didn't know about academic writing. I found there were days that I needed to nix what I had planned and teach something completely different because they, for example, had no idea how to write dialogue. Which seems odd because anyone who reads sees example of how to write dialogue on an almost daily basis.

Validity is a difficult thing to achieve when creating a test. It is hard to test specific skills without testing other skills. For example, it is hard to test someone's ablitiy to do certain math problems without also testing their ability to read, expecially if it is a word problem. Or to test someone's reading ability in an online test without also testing their ability to use a computer.

Reading for 11/24

I was really excited to read the chapter on group work. However, it didn't offer me the magic formula I was looking for. It did remind me that I always need to be explicit with my students as to why I am asking to do certain activities. I think that is my big lesson for the semester: make the reasons for my teaching decisions clear to my students. I have always been a huge fan of group work as both a student and an instructor, so I kind of forgot that it is not always the preferred method of learning for some. I should say that I enjoy it for in class activities. I am not so much a fan of group work that is done outside of class. There are too many obsticles to work around.

One of the reasons I was excited to read the chapter is because I have had groups that work beautifully--interacting, discussing, really achieving active learning. And I have had groups that totally flop--one student does all of the work and everyone else just coppies, all but one students participates, the group divides into smaller groups, the group is off task the whole time. I was hoping the chapter would give me some insight as to why these things happen. It did, but I was hoping for a magic glowing answer to come jumping out of the book.

The chapter on learning styles definitely added to the chapter on group work. I have a hard time narrowing down what kind of learner/teacher I am. For ever category I respond with "it depends". Again, this chapter reinforces how important it is to teach the same concept through several different techniques in order to reach every student.

class on 11/17

I like using fables/tall tales in my teaching. I have had students of all ages (3rd grade-high school) rewrite those types of stories to express point-of-view. I have also had students analyze these types stories from different cultures to express different/similar values. I believe it was the story of Cinderella that variations from several cultures exist. I've never had students analyze the story structure and rewrite their own, but I think that is a good idea--fictionalizing their own personal (life) story, and maybe exagerating some of the details.

Although we got a little carried away when brainstorming ideas for what to do with the short story Dr. Smidt had us read, I think the point was made that there can be an almost endless list of activities to do with a short story. I did want to add that teachers really need to be aware of what students say in their writing. During my student teaching I had a student write about a "friend" she met online who comes over to her house when her parents are gone. She wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree, and when I mentioned it to the school counselor (about the friend not the bulb) the counselor said that piece of writing I showed her tied some loose strings together about other issues the girl had. Not good.

Can I say "aaaargh" right now about our portfolio. I think I may have to create some material specifically to meet the criteria. Maybe I'm just not thinking outside the box enough. I also think some questions to guide our reflections may be helpful. I think I will have a hard time coming up with a full page for all six pieces.

Readings for 11/10

Chapter 5 really got me nervous about having my teaching observed. (I have to be observed this coming week). I found the activities that were being observed more interesting than the findings; granted I want the information from the findings so I don't make those errors myself. I liked the activity in which one student had to describe a picture to another student who couldn't see it. I think this sounds difficult even with two native speakers, but fun. At one point there seemed to be some contradiction with the feedback results. On pg 127 it was stated that "...student uptake was least likely to occur after recasts..." and on page 128 it states "...learners notice and respond to recasts in ways that may contribute positively to their second language development...". Although they are talking about children and adults respectively, I would think similar techniques would be required across the board.

The statement in chapter six that really called out to me was that "learners' beliefs about the kind of instruction that is best can influence their satisfaction and success" (p139). I am dealing with this in the class I am teaching now. They really want comments and information on grammar, but I know that is not what they need.

class on 11/3/08

I think it is interesting on how student perseption of how a class is going can vary so. Parts about the class that I don't care for, other people love. A lesson that someone else doesn't like, I really enjoy. It reminds me to always present material in various ways so each student has a chance to learn in a way they enjoy.

I was very impressed by the video we saw about web 2.0. I had forgotten about the first computer I used that required html to run. It has been quite the jump from that to using, let's say, Blogger even.

Readings for 11/3/08

I don't believe it is possible to find the perfect book for any class. As chapter 11 implied, every text/resource/technology needs to be adapted for each particular group of students' needs. I think back to how many of my classes in elementary school moved us from one workbook to the next and that is how several of our subjects were taught. It's a wonder I am here at all.

In fifth grade I had my first experience having a 'new age' teacher who allowed us to be very creative and learn with a more hands-on approach. I didn't like him because he would engage in some of the teasing students like to do. He was trying to be friendly; most of my classmates really liked him. I think he was just too unpredictable for me. He didn't follow the mold of what I expected from my teachers.

Anyway, I really appreciated the dialogues on pages 182-3. I thought they really illustrated the terms (mechanical drill, meaningful drill, form-focused drill) quite well.

I was amused by the discussion in ch 12 about what to call CALL. Haven't there been other acronyms that have taken on additional meanings since their origins? How many of you know that SPAM stands for Superfluous Pieces of Additional Mail? Has it's meaning changed? There have to be other's but I can't think of any right now.

In chapter 13 I was most interested in the section on the roles of the interactive teacher. So may teachers rule by intimidation. Yet I didn't see that as an option. They lecture, assign, and dicipline. I guess that falls under the teacher as a controller, but they didn't define it quite so harshly.

Does it translate?

Four worms and a lesson to be learned!!!!

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.

Four worms were placed into four separate jars.

The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.

The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.

The third worm was put into a container of chocolates.

The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:

The first worm in alcohol
Dead.

The second worm in cigarette smoke
Dead.

Third worm in chocolates
Dead.

Fourth worm in good clean soil
Alive.

So the Minister asked the congregation,

”What did you learn from this demonstration?”

Maxine was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said,

”As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!”


Last time I blogged I think I mentioned something about jokes not translating. I can understand where third grade jokes don't translate because they really aren't meant to be funny (to adults). But this is funny. Or is it? One of my girlfriends sent it because there is an outbreak of ringworm in her seventh grade class. Eeew. In that context the joke becomes a little funnier.

First research blog

I'm glad I'm doing a research paper along with the class I am teaching because it has been giving me reminders of how long it can take to research a topic. This project has also reminded me of how easy it is to find what your looking for, and ignore the evidence you don't want to exist. My main question of research is, "How should I respond to drafts of student writing?" Some research says a response can stifle student writing, other research says only specific feedback helps--and good luck figuring out what that is and how to do it effecively--, and yet other research says it help the developing ESL writing to get as much feedback as possible. Right now I think I will offer my class a little of each method. I know they want as much feedback as I can give them, but that takes time I don't really have. I'll give them as much feedback as I am able to give and call it a day. We'll see if more research turns up any other possible results to my question.

Class on Oct 27

I really enjoyed the happy/sad face technique used by our presenters last night. I kept thinking of students I have had in the past who love to get in front of the class and make everyone laugh, and this is a perfect way to let them do so without being a distraction, rather they become engaged in the learning.

I always enjoy microteaching presentations. The hardest part is trying to only teach 10 min of a lesson. It is natural to want to explain the entire lesson in order to put things into context. My lesson was about teaching jokes and humor to a third grade class. I think it is an important lesson (it is listed as a goal on the ESL website we were directed to for this assignment) because kids LOVE to tell jokes. And nobody wants to be the last one in their class to hear "Why did the chicken cross the road?"--a staple in American humor. Or, if somebody walks up to you and says, "Knock knock." It is important to know the correct response: "Who's there?"
"Boo"
"Boo who?"
"Why are you crying?"
Ha Ha Ha!
However, I did not realize how hard teaching jokes would be. They really need to be explained thoroughly. Now I wish I were in the humor group for the multi-genera papers. Not really, but I hope they do a good job so I can learn a thing or two from them.

Class on Oct. 20?

In some respects I like that I always put off writing my blogs until right before class. It allows me to recall what happened last week which helps me transition into class easier. However it also creates anxiety, and I don't think that is a fair trade off. Anyway...
Last week I believe is when two classmates gave a presentation in which they asked us to get into groups and create assignments based on readings from the book. I will admit to being a dunce and panicing when I heard the assignment was based on "negation" and I couldn't--for the life of me--figure out what the *#$@ negation was. I felt like I was in a bad dream, or a room full of people who were speaking another language than me. Of course I felt like an idiot when I finally figured out what was going on, but it gave me a good reminder of what it might be like to be a non native speaker. I chose not to ask what negation was because I it seemed so obvious to everyone else. It took much longer than it sould have for me to realize what was going on. I really hope I am able give my students the confidence to ask when I am not being clear so they don't have to sit with that feeling I had.

class on 10/13

I continue to be amazed by the cultural aspects of ESL that I didn't know I didn't know. I was reminded of this when I saw the movie clip about the Samali refugees. I never thought about having to show someone how to use a gas stove. I suppose though, I have to show friends/family how to use my stove when they come over because each one is a little different. I have rather mixed feelings about the idea of non native speakers teaching a language. I do believe it depends on the situation. The reason I showed the first youtube video with the Americans with strong accents (and some inappropriate opinions) was to illustrate the point that some American accents are further away from standard English than some of the international students in our class (plus I just think dialects are fun). Also, it is important for teachers to understand methods of teaching and not just content. And the reason I showed the second video is to illustrate the point that not all Americans know specific regional termonology, or even have a broad general vocabulary, so a non-native speaker may have a leg up in that area as well. On the other hand, my Spanish teacher in high school was a non-native Spanish speaker and she--in my opinion--didn't do a very good job. Whether it was her teaching method or grasp of the language that was lacking, I'm not sure, but I didn't learn (retain) a thing. She tended to revert back to English far too much. I wish we had had more time to discuss the English-only debate.

Class on Oct 6

Although this was the third time I have listened to a library presentation on using online databases, I still learned something. I hope to bring my comp students to the library again in a couple of weeks for another presentation and I am confident I will again learn something new. I think this just reinforces the importance of the concepts of both scaffolding and repetition.

The presentation today reminded me of how important it is to be clear and confident when giving directions for an activity to a class. I think the confidence a teacher conveys goes a long way, even if they don't feel confident about what they are teaching.

I was extremely grateful that I had previously taught "The Pearl" when we were re-writing our classmates lesson plans. I hope we do a lot more with lesson planning because I believe it is such an important part of teaching. Although I am definately a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants teacher, I know it is not good practice. I also think it should be stressed how important it is to have sub plans be EXTREMELY clear. I did substitute teaching for a short time--short because it is a horrible job since most teachers are not very clear with their plans, making things difficult for the sub and the students.

Sept 29 class reflection

Last week in class I most appreciated being able to create a lesson with peers. I thought it quite helpful to discuss (and argue) why certain activities should or should not be included. It was interesting to hear about different peoples' preferences and experiences--the reasoning behind why someone would not choose to have a coloring sheet with lines for first graders.

Last week I also learned that I learn best by listening. Granted, all of my scores were withing a 6 point range. I'm guessing that means I need to see, hear, and do something before I can learn it. Makes sence. Although I did complete my Media in Education course without ever opening the book or taking notes, I just never missed a lecture and I paid rapt attention. A lot could be said for prior knowledge in that course though.

Reading for week 7

Although the topic of motivation related to education and learning has always kind of frustrated me--feeling like there are too many outside, pre-set factors in students for me to make a whole lot of difference on way or another--I really enjoyed the section in L&S about motivation in the classroom. Particularly the statement about how if a teacher makes certain remarks about the upcoming activities, a students' interest level is heightened. I would like to learn more about this so I could consciously make remarks to better engage my students. I also enjoyed hearing that co-operative learning helps with motivation because I tend to rely heavily on group work in my classroom and I know this has the potential for some students to just check out and not pull their weight. (I never realized how much I use figurative language in my writing.)

In the opening paragraph of L&S ch 3, it asks the reader to "interview several friends, colleagues, or family members about their experiences learning a second or foreign language" (p53). At first I guffawed, and then I remembered I had just had this conversation with my mother. She had taken ASL several years ago and had a very positive experience with it. I wasn't so fond of mine. We both probably have the same level of proficiency: minimal. It was just interesting to ponder what made the difference in the positive/negative feelings we each had toward our experiences with language acquisitions.

In HDB ch 7 I found the Scope and Sequence chart to be quite useful. I felt it was concrete information that helped summarize the more abstract information given in the chapter. I agree that judging someone's level of proficience is quite a relative task. However it is necessary to have some set of criteria to distinguish what who needs to be taught.

Class on 9/22

Once again this class reinforced the idea of teaching material in a variety of way in order to reach auditory, visual, and kinthetic learners. I also think it is interesting on how our own teaching styles and our choices for lesson activities can be so highly influenced by past experiences, either positive or negative. I enjoyed seeing how others thought the different theories should be ranked according to importance and was somewhat surprised to see so many similarities. I especially thought peoples' beliefs on motivation was interesting. Personally I think it is idealistic to think that we will be able to bring about any internal motivation to our students. They are either going to have it or they won't. If external motivators (m&m's, extra free time, movie day, ect.) work to educate and bring about results then I don't think teachers should dismiss them. I'm hoping that my ESL students are a little more motivated than traditional Language Arts students. I would think the social pressure to communicate clearly would be a big motivator. The only resistance I can predict at this time would be a student not wanting to lose their home or native voice and identity.

Class 9/22/08

I really enjoyed the Spongebob game we did in class today. The only thing I would have liked them to have done differently would be to leave some time to explain or clarify some of the answers.

As much as I dislike having to write ideas down for a poster, I appreciate that it forces me to think about the material and I enjoy seeing classmates interpretations of the information.

I appreciated hearing about "best practice". I would use the specific terms, but I left my notes at home today (I wrote the first two sentences on Monday, the second two sentences on Tuesday, and now-on Wednesday-I am finishing). Anyway, I felt like it was a specific goal to reach for. Part of the reason I am going into TESL is because I want to be picky about what school I teach at. With just my Language Arts degree I haven't been able to get a good job at one of those select schools. I would like to teach at a "good" school, one that practices what they preach about these "best practices".

Reflection on Week 4 Class

I'll admit, it's kind of a blur. I am going to do a post tomorrow, even if it means leaving my children to cry for a while I escape to the computer room. Part of the problem is my parents have a dial-up connection so it takes 15 min just to get connected to blogger. So I tell myself I'll do it the next time I'm on campus (MWF). But I never think about it, or if I do I convince myself I'll do it at home. Anyway, I know I was there and I know I learned something. Was last week when we had to walk around with theories on our backs and try to find our partner? A mixed blessing exercise that was.

Reading for Week 5

The second best line in P&P's ch 2 was, "In Chapter 3, we show how you can tailor your talk and your lessons to make them optimally understandable to students" (p.67). That is what I'm waiting for. As I kept reading about the different theories I kept wondering which one was 'right'; which one do I need to focus on the most in order to benefit my students. I can see why the behaviorist theory seems to be the one primarily practiced in today's language learning classrooms, but I can also see why it is not ideal. Although I do not agree with the innatist idea that we are hardwired to learn language, I do like the idea of a "silent period" when first learning a language. However, in the academic world silence is hard to grade. This leads me to my favorite line in chapter two, "'I waited.'" As someone who really struggles with rote memorization and language learning, I am relieved to read about the extensive time period we should be allowing before expecting someone to be able to communicate in a second language. As a teacher I just think I need to keep my goals in mind, to teach students English, and to hell with the grades. However, as an employee of a public school, with the "No Child Left Behind Act" leering over my shoulder, this may be a little difficult.

Week Two Readings

My favorite part of the reading for today was the section in Kanel's article about the "Din in the head". I tend to have a Din in my head quite frequently regarding material I am working on in school, more than just with language learning. I was amused to find a term for it.

I think music to teach language just makes sense. Most languages have a natural rhythm to them, and music could just reinforce this idea. Dr. Seuss is used to help children learn to read, it could definitely be adapted to teach language. Nursery rhymes could serve the same purpose as well as add some cultural info. My 3 year old has recently become a fan of "Fe, fi, fo, fum. I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he live or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread." I'm not sure about songs created specifically to teach language, but the alphabet song seems to work to teach the alphabet, so who knows?

Just last week I taught a lesson for my Composition class that used both a YouTube video of spoken word and recording of a song. Reading Kanel and Oishi's articles really made me feel like I did something right. Even though I did run in to some of the problems they discussed such as clarity of lyrics (I had them go to a lyrics web site so they could read along) and appropriate content (I clicked on the wrong video at first and it was one someone had doctored to be unbecoming of Hillary Clinton). Overall I guess I am excited to have literature to back up my decision to use music and videos in my teaching if ever the practice were to be questioned.

Week Two Class

I really enjoy the various methods that are employed to teach a specific concept. It really puts to practice the multiple (I can't think of the right word here) ways one idea is taught so that people with different learning needs (through reading, listening, doing) are able to grasp and idea or concept. When I read the text I get a very general understanding of the material. Struggling through the 'find your partner' game I was able to pick up on specific details I had missed during the reading. Writing on the poster and reading other peoples summaries gave me reinforcement of the key ideas. Oh yea, and Thea's presentation that I missed most of touched on some of the terms as well. I also appreciate going to the lab for the last hour of class to be able to do work with the rest of the class there to ask questions of if needed.

Week One Class

As interesting as learning theories are, they tend to come into my brain through my eyeballs and ooze out through my hair follicles. That is the reason I did not persue psychology as my major. I thought the arranging on the board was a wonderful way to get students physically active (even if its only a little) while engaging in learning.

Week One Reading

I wish I had read the first chapter of L&S yesterday when my son was present so I could test some of his language skills. He is 3yrs 3 mo and I catch him using language in interesting ways at times. When they discussed the questioning patters on pgs 5-7 I thought of my nephew, who is 3 yrs 9 mo. I heard him asking questions in unusual patters when he was at my house the other day. I enjoy seeing the research to explain why. I was sad to read that "subtractive bilingualism" can occur. At my son's preschool in Duluth several of his classmates spoke English as their second language. I hope the long hours they spend in child care doesn't erase their home language.

In chapter two I was ammused by the "affective filter hypothesis". I think that is what I experienced when I took Spanish in high school.

The chapter from P&B was a good refresher on information that I have heard before. I particularly enjoyed the lesson plan suggestion about a memory book to be the first assignment to introduct the teacher to the student's culture.