Reflection

This course has honestly been extremely productive and helpful. I think most university students would agree that sitting in class, listening to lectures, and reading out of textbooks, only goes so far. It is very easy to learn how to write a lesson plan, to write one out, and to imagine how well it would play out. Once this lesson takes place in the reality of the classroom, however,it could be a much different story. I realize that not all students learn the same,but personally, I learn best through hands on materials and activities. This fieldwork class has been a great opportunity to put my skills to use. It has also been a great way to see how important it is to learn how to adapt a lesson plan appropriately.

I have had a lot of experience working with ESL students, but this fieldwork class has given me the opportunity to really examine the best way to teach these students, as well as how the students, themselves, learn. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this group of students, and this class has allowed me the chance to really improve and adjust my teaching styles and techniques. The wiki has been a great resource as well. It has related directly to what I am doing everyday in the classroom with my ESL students. It is very refreshing to know that the effort and work that is being put into a class can really pay off!

I would tell anyone that is intending to pursue a career with ESL students that it is an amazing and fulfilling job. It does take a lot of patience, as with any teaching job, but the ESL population is honestly a special group. An ESL teacher is not only ensuring that the students learn the appropriate skills needed in English, but is also teaching culture, customs, and traditions. The ESL teacher also serves the role as a mentor, as these students are often brand new to the country and need to learn more than just the native language. The teacher will also be required to have appropriate cultural sensitivity, as this individual will have the opportunity to learn just as much about the student's own cultures and customs.It is a job that can truly make a difference.

Literature Circles

Literature Circles

What are your overall impressions of implementation?

My biggest concern when I implemented the literature assignment was the fact that the literature might be over the student's head. I quickly realized, however, that this was not the case. The students not only found the content level appropriate, but they also found it interesting, as they later told me that they were able to learn something about English other than grammar. I wanted to utilize many different teaching methods and strategies, so I allowed them to work individually, with a partner, and as a group as a whole. They seemed to enjoy partner work the best, although they were often distracted and attempted to speak to one another in their native language (if it was possible). They really enjoyed the pre reading activities as it seemed very low pressure as there really wasn't a right or wrong answer. I think the book choice had a huge impact, as the book chosen didn't seem as educational as it was enjoyable!



How did students react to the literature?

First of all, the students thought the name "Amelia Badelia" was very funny. I think they enjoyed reading her name best of all. The book is humorous in nature, so the students were laughing a lot during the reading, as they started to read how Amelia Badelia takes everything literally. There were only a few vocabulary words that the students did not know. I think going over the vocabulary list really made a difference in their understanding and fluency of the literature. I noticed that many of them wrote questions in their journals that they didn't feel comfortable sharing. This makes me think that maybe they didn't understand the text as well as I thought, but they were all able to discuss the book with minimal problems.



How did students react to discussing the selected texts?

As stated earlier, the students thought the selected text was funny, so they seemed to enjoy reading it and learning about the figurative language.I personally think that it is hard to read Amelia Badelia and not laugh out loud. Once the students realized that the book was a bit funny, they really did seem to relax and enjoy the activity more. They really enjoyed working with one another, as these ESL students especially, do not like to be put on the spot. I did my best to make sure they were comfortable, in hopes of getting them to share more openly.



How appropriate is the Literature Circle Technique for second language learners?

In my personal experiences, I have found that reading skills are very often lacking in many second language learners. It is often easier for ESL learners to understand spoken English and be able to speak English than it is for them to read and comprehend English. I have found this huge educational gap in many of my second language learners. Once these students are in upper level grades and still struggling with reading skills, it becomes extremely embarrassing for them and is often hard for them to improve or practice due to this embarrassment. By utilizing the literature circles, the students feel more comfortable and at ease when reading. It also gives them the opportunity to realize that they are not alone in the challenges of reading. They might even find a support system within the classroom that they might not have realized existed. The literature circles also provide many different teaching methods and techniques. This is appropriate so that each student is allowed the chance to learn in whatever way suites them best.




What changes would you make if you were to repeat this?

I think the literature circle activity went really well. I didn't get quite as much unprompted participation as I would have liked, but it seemed to have an overall positive impact. I think with a higher frequency of this activity, this issue would improve. The students seemed comfortable in the circle, but I think I could give them even more of an explanation before the activity to ease their nerves. The students really seemed to enjoy the group work and choral reading, so it might be productive to add more of these activities into the literature circle. The only other thing I might try to implement would be a student survey to be filled out after the activity. I think the student's input would be very helpful in improving the activity.




What suggestions do you have for other ESL professionals considering implementing
literature circles?

First of all, I would highly recommend this activity in the ESL classroom. I think it could be very productive and important. I would suggest that the teachers allow the students to pick out the book that they would like to read, but to make sure the content is not too heavy or above their level. By reading a humorous book such as Amelia Badelia, it really seemed to lighten the mood and ease nervousness. I would also suggest that it is not a bad idea to try to use a group of students that are comfortable with one another, or maybe even from the same country. As stated earlier, I would also include a survey to be filled out by the student's to gauge their understanding and feelings about the activity.

Field Notes # 4

Reflective Field notes #4


What are your overall impressions of this observation?

Overall, I found the observation extremely helpful and interesting. While I have completed a lot of hours observing in many different types of classroom environments, the case study and ethnographic profile really gave me the chance to dig deeper and connect with a student on a one on one basis. I think it is so important for teachers to get to know their sudents on a deeper level, although it is not always possible. Getting a chance to really observe the student as an observer instead of a teacher was also helpful. Of course, as a teacher, I typically feel like my lesson plans are productive and enjoyable, but being able to see the classroom through a different set of eyes really gave me a different outlook.





What did you learn as a result of the fieldwork?

While doing the observation, I realized how important it is to always think about ways to tweek the lesson plan. I also think it is essential to have a flexible lesson plan available in case the student is completely lost or possibly even too advanced for the lesson. The teacher I observed did a great job of tailoring the lesson plan to meet the different needs and levels of the students, which is something I don't think I always focus on.
While completing the ethnographic profile, I learned a lot about the specific student I spoke with. I really enjoyed this interaction because it gave me the opportunity to speak one on one with a refugee student and listen to her story. It revealed the importance of understanding the background of the students and how their past really does impact their current educational situation. As I stated before, I know it is not always easy to have a lot of one on one time between the teacher and the student, but it is extremely helpful when this can take place.



What is the value in case study research and analysis in terms of classroom practice?

It is so easy, as a teacher, to get caught up in the fast pace of the classroom every day. It is also very common for the teacher to be so concerned with the logistics of lesson planning that it is hard to take the necessary time to evaluate the lesson plan and consider exactly how it will play out and what issues could possibly arise. In my short experience, I have learned that a lesson plan can look like a million bucks on paper, but can somehow become a complete disaster when put into place in the classroom. When a teacher gets the chance to analyze the classroom practice that is in place it can allow for adequate adjustments that might need to be made prior to execution. I think it is also just another way for the teacher to take the chance to look at the closer details of the lesson plan instead of just making sure they are in line with the standards.





What is the value of the ethnographic narrative?

The ethnographic narrative really helps to connect the teacher to the student. There are often many students in each class with only one teacher. This causes obvious stress on the teacher to get to know each student individually. It seems to be a fine art for the teacher to quickly understand each child's personal needs as far as learning styles and skill sets. This often seems like an impossible task, but I know many teachers have the ability to get to know each student in their class. When dealing with a sensitive population, such as refugee students, for example, it is even more important for the teacher to have this one on one time. When I was conducting the narrative, I realized that the student's positive attitude could be due to the fact that she honestly enjoyed the school system in the United States better than the system in her home country. The discussion I had with her will always stay in the back of my mind when I'm working on lesson plans and thinking of activities. Of course, the teacher cannot tailor each lesson plan accordingly, but I don't think that there is really a point to a lesson plan if it really isn't productive. It is nice to see the students share their opinions and ideas about the classroom. After all, they are the reason the lesson plans are being created!





How will this information assist future teachers (next year’s teachers) as well as yourself in
meeting the needs of this particular second language learner?

This information is important not only for myself, but also for next year's teacher. As stated before, it really does make a difference when the teacher has some background knowledge of the student. There might be days when the student is upset or frustrated. When the teacher knows what might be going on in the home life, or what has happened in the past, it allows them to deal wtih the situation more appropriately. I do, however, think it is very important for each teacher to create their own opinions about each student, as every teacher will interpret a student's needs and skills differently. Labeling is obviously something that does not need to take place, so when the teacher gets to know the student themselves, they can form an unbias opinion that will hopefully be utilized in lesson planning and other classroom strategies.

Action Research : Academic and Social Gaps

Action Research is a great way and reason for a teacher to evaluate and really take a deep meaningful look at an issue or problem taking place in the classroom. Teachers have so much responsibility placed on them every day and they are often too busy to take the time to think of ways to improve a situation. It was important for me to be reminded that there are always ways to improve the classroom environment. I think I am sometimes so worried with educating the children, that I do not always reflect on the best possible methods for this, or if the way that I'm teaching them is really impacting them in a positive way.





Ideas generated as a result of your project:

My Action Research Problem addressed the issue of the academic and social gap that very often exists with ESL students. This issue is often seen with newly arrived refugee students. These students are often thrown into classrooms that might be age appropriate, but not always knowledge appropriate. These students also struggle with socializing in English, as their proficiency level is often low.

The student's academic gap and lack of socialization was the focus of the study. Many of these students need to be “caught up” in order to be placed in their appropriate (age based) classroom. They often also lack motivation when it comes to social skills. Many of the new arrivals have very little English and have no confidence in speaking .



Suggestions to other ESL professionals based on your finding:

My research found numerous methods, ideas, and techniques that could be used to improve the above mentioned situation. The basis of the plan consists of making the students feel more comfortable and relaxed in the classroom. The teacher should also consider sources outside of the classroom, such as cultural orientation and sensitivity training. The teacher should be in open communication with the other teachers working with the students, as well as family members, if possible. It is also helpful to learn from previous ESL learners that might have been in the same situation. This seemed to help tremendously.

It would be useful for the teacher to do his or her own research on the student's country of origin in order to understand their common educational techniques, as well as the educational settings that were used in their home country. The teacher should also pair up the new students with older students and implement a buddy system to hopefully ease nervousness and encourage social interaction on a more comfortable level. The teacher needs to evaluate the level of the students and then gather more grade appropriate material to supplement with regular classroom work until the student is "caught up." The students may also catch up academically by using resources, such as tutors or other teachers for any possible one on one help that might be available. Above all else, it is important for the teacher to remember what some of these students might have gone through in their journey to the United States and teach and communicate with them in a sensitive manner.

Observation, Problem Identification, and Reflective FrieldNotes

Teaching Issues

I observed a lesson in math for this observation. The task the children were asked to complete involved long division. The teacher presented the material on the white board while the children were asked to watch. The teacher did all of the work herself without asking for any input from the children. She clearly stated the steps that were involved and also wrote them out in word form on the white board. After she had completed about five problems, she passed a worksheet out to the children and asked them to TRY some examples on their own. She encouraged them by telling them that she understood this was a new concept, but that she wanted them to try their best and she would be around to answer questions as needed.
One of the first problems I noticed was the fact that many of the children seemed lost. I observed some of them struggling with previous steps needed in long division, such as multiplication. Of course this was not the case with the entire class, but it seemed like not all of the students were on the same math ability level. They also had issues with lining up the appropriate number placement, which causes mass confusion when it comes to long division. These are steps that a teacher might assume a student has mastered up to this point, but if they haven't, it will hold them back from being successful in this task.
As far as student grouping was concerned, I did notice a couple students working with their neighbor, but at a closer look, they were really just copying the steps from their neighbor. The students were also situated in a way that prevented them from sitting beside someone that spoke their language. I'm assuming this was to encourage the use of English, but I noticed that they were still using their first language, but directing it across the room instead of next to their neighbor.


Second Language Acquisition
The lesson was conducted in English and the children were asked to use only English when speaking with their classmates about the assignment. The teacher provided great visual aids on the board by writing out the steps in word form, which seemed to help clarify the steps. In my opinion, asking a few questions in the students first language isn't that big of a deal and possibly even beneficial, but it did not seem to be allowed in the class. The students were allowed to take out their books to follow more examples, which was also a helpful resource. The teacher walked around the classroom and assisted each student one on one which was also productive. There wasn't a use of manipulatives in the classroom, which might have helped the students with their multiplication steps.
English was the only language being used, except for the occasional chatter among the students in their first language. I know this is the common methodology and it seemed like most of the students were comfortable enough in English that this was not an issue. There were also word walls and plenty of other math related materials hanging in the classroom that the students could use as a "crutch."

Ethnographic Perspective
I think one of the most important things that the teacher should know and use would be the student's previous skills in math. It would be helpful to know which child was struggling with the basic steps involved in long division. These students would benefit from a more detailed lesson or review of multiplication, number placement, etc. It would also be good to understand their different learning styles and try to tailor the lesson to these needs. Some of them might have needed more of an opportunity to ask questions or even more visual aids. Some students might have benefited from being asked to verbally add to the demonstration lesson.
As an outsider looking in, it would have been helpful to know the different cultures and backgrounds that were represented in the classroom. With a little research on their backgrounds, the teacher could understand what type of learning style or methods some of the students might be comfortable with. In working with students from different backgrounds, I have noticed a couple of different methods used in long division, and I think it wouldn't be a bad idea for the teacher to present a varied method to the task. Again, it is also very important to consider the student's culture as in my opinion, this lesson was presented in only one typical method. Some of the students might have enjoyed group work, peer checking, question/answer time, or more examples from the teacher before being asked to work the problems on their own. Children all learn differently and it's not always a matter or culture, race or ethnicity, it can also just be about learning styles.

Entry # 1 / Classroom Observation

9/27/2011

Teaching

The lesson I observed was a part of the life skill curriculum. The week's life skill was on the topic of stereotypes. The purpose of the lesson was to make sure the students understood how stereotypes could be defined as well as what it felt like to have someone personally act on a stereotype. The teacher took the hands on approach and started the lesson by involving the students without explaining or telling them anything first. The structure of the lesson involved the class being divided into groups. The teacher had the students number off and then form groups according to their number. This was a very appropriate approach for the activity. Due to the fact that the students are second language learners, the teacher also utilized the white board by writing the number of the groups and what they were expected to do.

The teacher then explained that all of the students in group one were allowed to play with anything that they wanted to play with in the room. The second group, however, had to sit on the carpet and watch group one play. The third group was allowed to play with something only if someone in group one said it was okay and gave their permission. The students started to complain and ask, "why?" The teacher told them that their group number determined what they would be doing for the day. After a few minutes, the teacher had the groups switch and everyone was given a chance to see what it was like to be in each group. After the lesson, the teacher explained what a stereotype was and used the activity to show them how it feels when a person is judged by one factor, such as race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, etc. The teacher wanted them to understand that these groups were unfair and that it did not feel good to be in the groups that were not allowed to play. The discussion was productive and the students seemed to understand the point that the teacher was trying to make.

Community

The students in the classroom are extremely diverse, yet almost act as if they are all brothers and sisters. It was really amazing to notice that they supported their peers and even though one group was able to tell the others that they weren't allowed to play, none of them did so. The group of students acted like a small family. One of the students did not exactly understand what was going on, so another student literally pulled them by the hand to show them where they were supposed to be.

The language levels of the students in the classroom range from almost non-existent to upper beginner. I think it would be easy for a new ESOL student to feel comfortable in this classroom setting. The students that are more advanced acted like parents to the lower level students and guided them along the way. The teacher used both spoken and written English, so if a student felt weak in one of those ares, they would have the other area as back up. The students were obviously used to the high mobility and activity in the classroom. Frank (1999), explains that this could be a part of the hidden rules that exist in the classroom. A new student might not feel comfortable with a lot of activity if it is not what they are used to. Because this was a life skill lesson, there were not any other materials used beside the activity and the discussion following the activity.

Ethnographic Perspective

It is obvious that some aspects of the classroom can be observed upon immediate entrance. The teacher had a strict, but comfortable control over the classroom. The main events that took place during the lesson were the instructions that were both verbally explained and written on the board, as well. The teacher interacted with the students on an informal level, by walking around the room and making sure that each child understood what was going on. The teacher also informally asked the students how they were feeling and took notes in order to structure the conversation following the activity. After the activity, the students were asked to sit back down in their familiar space and take turns explaining how it felt to be in each group. This seemed to be important because the students were previously somewhat uncomfortable in their groups, and were not much more comfortable in their proper seats.
If an observer walked into the classroom during the actual activity, they would be very confused and possibly even frustrated at the fact that the teacher seemed to be torturing the children and showing favoritism. The setting might have also been slightly unorganized as children were trying to figure out which group they were in, as well as asking the other groups for permission to play. This would also look very strange to an outsider. The two aspects of the classroom life of space and time made the classroom welcoming. The space was organized in a way that felt cozy, but not cluttered. The teacher had the lesson planned in a proper manner and spent an appropriate amount of time on each aspect of the lesson. The flags from the student's home countries were proudly displayed. The posters and art on the walls also added to the friendly environment of the classroom. All of the students were involved and no one seemed to be left out. The students were at ease in asking the teacher and other students questions. It was a pleasant observation and a wonderful learning experience.

Frank, C. (1999). Ethnographic eyes: A teacher's guide to classroom observation. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Introduction

Hello Everyone! Welcome to my Blog!

My name is Michelle Davenport. I am currently teaching at a refugee center for immigrant children, as well as with foreign nationals on work assignments in the United States. I have had many different jobs working with different populations of ESL students in the past. I consider myself an "antsy" person and enjoy changing things up often. I have taught ESL in Japan, Mexico, and Uganda. I have also worked with special education in the public school system, as well as private ESL language institutes. I graduated from Western Kentucky University with an undergrad degree in speech pathology. I am very excited to finish my master's at MTSU. I live in Atlanta, GA with my husband, dog and new kitten.