My Journey

Reflecting on this trek, I can honestly say that I have learned a lot, and I am a better instructor because of it. All of the projects I created, I have been able to implement in my classroom. Not only have I implemented them, but I feel I have achieved success. Success because my teaching method and knowledge in ESL curriculum has greatly expanded, but also because my students' L2 acquistion rates and understanding have improved.

Last Spring, I created a WIKISPACE for ESL professionals and students. I added to the WIKI throughout the remainder of much of my coursework. I loved the WIKI space. When I first made it in the Spring, I made the grammar resources available to my students. They definitely found it helpful. I also liked that it included making components which traced the history and foundations of ESL curriculum for educators. Education is constantly changing to meet the needs of society. An established ESL curriculum in the U.S. is crucial in order to effectively meet the needs of every student.


Advice I have for future candidates is to stay dedicated. There is much involved in being an ESL teacher. ESL students are different than the average student because we as teachers have to get to them on their level, since more often than not, we don't share a common culture and educational background. We need to provide social, academic, and personal resources for most of our students. Making Newcomer Brochures, Flyers, and curriculum to meet these needs were course objectives to help meet these stdudent goals.

This program I feel really helped make me aware of that and helped me utilize strategies in my everyday teaching to make a confident and efficient teacher. Oddly, in some ways I'm almost disappointed to be done with it because I feel this program has continuously inspired to be more proactive and invigorated in my work.

Literature Circles

My students are often asked to read advanced English academic literature. They hate it. They always ask me, "Why do I have to read this? I don't understand it. It doesn't make any sense to me." Therefore, I was excited to implement the literature circle. Maybe it would be a good way to help my students understand English fiction literature. I decided to use American short stories.

The story I implemented into my circle was The Quickening by Rosemary Gelshenen. This story is primarily about peer pressure and behaving in negative ways in order to fit in. In this story, the character becomes a shoplifter when she begins attending a new school and befriends a bad influence. In the story's conclusion, her teacher influences her to a make positive transformation.

To my ESL students, the concept of quickening was difficult to grasp. (I began implementing my literature circle a few days early, so I was glad to have a little bit of extra time to really let the literature circle take effect.) Because they didn't understand the meaning of the title right off the bat, their initial reaction to the literature was a little hesitant. However, once I assigned students' roles they were eager to follow through and to responsibly gauge the meaning. Since it was a small group, slacking on responsibility wasn't an option.

In the pre-reading, we discussed peer pressure and the possible meaning of quickening. They were anxious to read and to verify their predictions. As we read, discussed, and took notes the students became more interested in the reading. I noticed the problems in the past, were ceasing to exist. Word building and comprehension skill strategies were all beginning to successfully take place. More interestingly, through the discussions and reflective imagery logs, students began to make intimate connections to the text.

I will definitely incorporate literature circles in the future. I would have liked to have had even more time to follow this one through. My ESL students really began to acquire word building and reading comprehension skills through the dynamic interactions and the student responsibilities the literature circles provided.

I'm not sure what changes I would make, yet. It was my first implementation, and even still, the time constraints were short. I think literature circles should be compliments to reading instruction. I embrace the formalities of instruction, but it's nice to mix it up. Especially, with the advanced/intermediate level students. I'm not sure how well it would go beginner students. Maybe there modifications would be necessary.

All ESL professionals should figure out a way to incorporate literature circles in their regular classroom instruction. The last few days, I've really noticed a difference in my students because of it. From this assignment, and others in this course, I've realized that veering away from formal classroom instruction and establishing more opportunities for students to participate in things such as literature circles, really help with acquistion skills because they provide effective avenues for student demonstration of output in more stratgically planned objective ways than the random role plays, skits, etc. that I was doing before.

Reflective Fieldnote #4 - case study

Thursday, October 21st, I visited the ESL classroom at Oakland Middle School to complete a case study observation and ethnographic narrative. I took notes and focused on assessing MG, a student whose background I was already somewhat familiar with from a previous study. Upon completion of the assignment and submission of my final assessment, I realized what an effective and insightful instrument case study evaluations are in developing individualized instruction plans for boosting student achievement and future action research plans.


MG is an 8th grade advanced level English speaker of Mexican descent. Her father is a migrant worker. She has, thus far, attended 5 different schools. In my final assessment, I concluded that although, MG has a friendly and outgoing disposition, she gives up easily when coursework becomes too challenging. Failure to comprehend for her results in missing coursework and poor self-esteem. MG is the type of student who prefers hands-on learning opportunities and individulazed instruction. She enjoys demonstrating mastery of content in group work settings.


The case study research and ethnographic narrative helped me as an assessor to view how the classroom environment, especially on-hand resources and instructors, worked to help this particular student in regards to individualized learning needs. Fortunately, OMS, along with the classroom teacher and aide, has the available resources to meet the needs of this particular student. However, without the available resources and insight, this student could easily fall into the cracks of the school system and result in poor standings of achievement.

I wonder about what would happen to MG if the ESL program in this school were not in place, and what would happen if a program, such as this, does not take place in her next school? If she does not have the extra attention needed to help her complete the assignments with which she struggles, will she complete them? By conducting a case study evaluation and ethnographic narrative, teachers are able to evaluate the individual needs of the student, to help them meet their ultimate learning potential. Studies such as this benefit future teachers, as well -- as they help them become aware of how to meet student neetds by having some idea of their histories.

Ultimately, case studies and ethnographic narratives are most beneficial not just to the individual student, but for action research and overall improvements in education. In this particular study, it would be interesting to follow MG over a longer period of time while continuously enrolled in a school with a specialized program of instruction in comparison to a different student with similar learning characteristics in a program without the same resources for the same period of time. How would they differ? Ultimately, the call for action research could advocate for better ESL programs school-wide and hopefully help school districts build more successful cases for school funding.

Action Research/ Reflective Fieldnote #3

Over the past two weeks, I've been conducting ACTION RESEARCH in regards to vocabulary acquisition in a beginner level vocabulay course I've been teaching. I've often struggled teaching beginner vocabulary. It's very easy to teach; It's very difficult to teach. It's easy when compiling words like: happy, sad, shirt, dark, walk, run, etc. I can show pictures or demonstrate those, but it's EXHAUSTING! And what about, have, wish, hope, etc.? Is it easier to just let them use the translation dictionary?

I've struggled with this because I really don't know which method is best. If I let them use dictionaries, am I being lazy? They want to use them, so why not just let them? How will I use context clues when it seems they can barely put anything into context, yet? However, I often read that using dictionaries is like using permanent crutches. Somewhere within in me I believe this is true, and I feel like kicking myself whenever I let them open the dictionaries. I was glad for the action research project because I needed to know. How else could I improve practice?

In my study, I examined two methods of vocabulary instruction in order to identify the teaching method most effective for vocabulary instruction. I used action research to identify if beginner ESL students acquire new vocabulary more effectively by using translation dictionaries and memorizing or by studying context clues through inductive method. Action research is a great tool because it guided me through my instruction through experimentation and reflection to create a better method of instruction, and also, to ease my doubts.

I found that translation dictionaries do not help in long-term retrieval of new vocabulary. In all cases, students who used the dictionaries retained the words for shorter periods of time and were not able to use the words appropriately or effectively when asked to use the words in context. For context clues, I used a variety of methods, all of which included some type of interaction -- computer interactive program, pair work, or with teacher. This approach was successful. They learned from eachother and demonstrated higher levels of achievement.

I kind of figured this would be my result, but I was glad to have the opportunity to experiment with it. Action research helped my students and helped me, and I hope to conduct such studies more often.. As a teacher, it helped bring excitement back into my teaching day. It also helped me to utilize new ideas, and things I've learned or read about, but never tried.

My suggestion to teachers is that in all subjects some type of action research is necessary on some level. It revitalizes the classroom and more importantly, it works to show a positive result in learning, which is why we are all here in the first place.

Fieldwork: Problem Identification #2

I visited Ms. T's high/intermediate ESL class from 8:30-9:30 on Tuesday, September 21st. My goal for the day's observation was to target 2 problems in the ESL classroom in order to implement action research and case study.

TEACHING ISSUES

What identified problems related to teaching, lesson delivery, materials, and related strategies are present?

On this day there were 9 students present: 8 Hispanic and 1 Chinese.

Most of the problems I observed in Ms. T's classroom had little to do with methodolgy and teaching strategies, but with incomplete homework and failure to stay on task. The students today were not organized and did not follow instructions. Ms. T. regularly manages the room like an open forum and goes in between formal and informal instruction regularly throughout class. Today seemed to be "one of those days" where the students decided to take advantage of the informalities and do less work.

The class lasts approximately 1 hour, and Ms. T has a lot to cover. She begins the lesson working from the "Green Book," a science book published by National Geographic. The class works on Science first and then spends the rest of the hour on Reading. In the Science class, she incoporates ESL instruction by teaching types of sentences. During the Reading class, she teaches main idea and identifying climax for reading comprehension.

Two problems in delivery I observed were:

1) "Ms. T, how do you spell? Ms. T, how do you spell?" The students are constantly asking Ms. T how to spell words. The students did not appear to have immediate access to dictionaries.

2) I overheard the use of the word catched by the same student in 2 consecutive sentences directly spoken to the teacher. Ms. T did not correct the student to let her know that the proper form of to catch in the past tense is caught. Little correction of grammatical errors was noticed.

What problems or issues related to teaching - in general - did you observe?

The most obvious problem in regards to teaching was that out of the 9 students, only 6 of them had completed their homework. This is a problem because due to the small size of the class, it is difficult to proceed with the day's lesson. Ms. T dedicated the last 20 minutes of the 60 minute class period to finish homework. This time also extended into the student break.

What concerns emerged with regard to grouping, interactions, etc.?

The problems in this classroom are very different from my own, so it was an interesting experience. I am used to college aged students -- middle school is a whole different cow. In this classroom, students are constantly and openly speaking out loud and disrupting class. Sometimes they raise their hands, sometimes they don't. At one point of the class, Ms. T said, "You are all talking about nothing that has to do with the story."

Ms. T said it best herself, "It's so easy in this small room to distract eachother."

Also, the Hispanic students all interact with each other and the teacher; however, the one Chinese girl interacted with no one. Her work was complete, but the whole class period she said not one word in class and was not encouraged to participate.

SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (SLA)

What did you observe that worked well in promoting SLA?

Ms. T introduced the first part of the class by reviewing Types of Sentences. First, she reviewed the 4 types of sentences: 1) statement; 2) question; 3) exclamation; 4) command. She routinely incorporates inductive reasoning to promote higher level thinking and to demonstrate understanding in her teaching.

She wrote the following sentence on the board: "Greg Marshall made the first critter cam in 1987." She then asked the students what type of sentence this was. The students correctly responded: statement. Teacher asked, "Why is this a statement?" Students responded. She proceeded with the next sentence: "Show me a picture of a critter cam." "Command," the students responded. Again, she asked why, and they responded.

Next, she asked the students to turn the statement into question sentences using question words. "Who is Greg Marshall? What is the critter cam? etc."

Ms. T promotes SLA through identifying sentences and creating new sentences in the English language. She does this by engaging and actively providing structure for student interaction and questioning in order to fully understand proper sentence structure.

What type of interactions took place that encouraged SLA?

The teacher and the students interacted actively throughout the lesson. At the lessons conclusion, Ms. T asked, "Which of the question sentences were easiest to pick out?" The students gave their answers. They are also not afraid to ask questions. "Hey, what about Why?" one student said. "Yeah, what about Why?" Ms. T responded. She then went in to why.

This classroom is an extremely active community of learners.

What materials were best suited for the specific SLA learners in this setting?

Students in this class like visuals. I observed Ms. T's lessons really take off when she utilized the board and asked questions. They also like to be questioned. "If I use the question word "when,' what can I take out of this sentence to put when in there?" Visualization and challenge are the best proponents for achievement and understanding in this classroom. They really enjoy responding to real and unreal conditions.

ETHNOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

What information do you need (as an ESL professional) to better meet the needs of L2 learners in this environment?

As an ESL teacher, I think it's important to be aware of student cultural backgrounds and the learning styles from their countries. I recognize that teachers must more consciously be diligent in observing and meeting the needs of the minority.

How was culture integrated into teaching and learning?

Culture is integrated in this classroom by incorporating an open forum and inductive method of instruction. This seems to be what the students like best. They seem to hate periods of individual work and make efforts to resist such time slots for instruction. For example, when the group is working aloud on content they interact and discuss relevant materials. In independent work, they go off task. "Hey! Tomorrow is picture day!." Ms. T has her hands full.

What issues or concerns related to culture, multiple perspectives, and linguistic diversity emerged?

One concern was the lack of participation from the Chinese student. In my own teaching, I have noticed that culturally, my Chinese students are not normally outspoken participants in class. They repeatedly need encouragement in their speaking and personal invitations to participate. In this particular class, the student was quiet; however, in a previous observation, the same student was invited to a differnt class in order to help out a new student who was non-proficient. It is hard to gauge how Ms. T meets the needs of this student from a one hour observation.

The other students are outspoken conversationalists culturally.

FINAL THOUGHT:

I don't really think that classroom management is a problem here, but I think the problems in regards to incomplete work and instruction could be better addressed simply by writing homework on the board. This would save Ms. T a lot of hassel. Also, I really think there should be more dictionaries in the classroom more readily available for student use. Finally, when errors in structure occur they should be corrected. Overall, however, this is a great class!

Classroom Observation 9/14

On Tuesday, September 14th, I conducted my first field observation of Ms. T's ESL class at Oakland Middle School. I had visited there briefly last week to introduce myself, and I was eager to roll up my sleeves and to really get started. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting my mentor and was excited to observe a different ESL classroom from my own at ELS. I brought along with me: my field journal, a voice recorder, and camera to take note of all the things that I would see, hear, and learn.

TEACHING

What was the purpose of the lesson?

CLASS: High/Intermediate ESL Reading and Writing Class.

The purpose of todays's lesson focused on the following objectives:

• Reading comprehension
• Making predictions
• Chronological Order (time sequence)
• Vocabulary (synonyms)
• Writing: Journal writing (critical thinking)

How was the lesson structured -- methodology, appropriateness, materials for second language learners, adapations?

Student population: 7 Hispanics and 1 Chinese

MATERIALS:

• The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
• Student journals

METHODOLOGY and APPROPRIATENESS:

Ms. T has a very unique method of instruction in her ESL classroom. She begins the lesson formally and moves from a formal to informal structure throughout. Immediately after the students get settled, she begins to read aloud a chapter from the novel The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo. (She asked me prior to beginning the lesson if I enjoyed reading, and if so, if I liked juvenile literature. She had a tone of excitement in her voice, so I knew that whatever this book was about -- she liked it.)

The students had read the current chapter for homework the previous night, so they followed along as Ms. T read aloud. She used an emphatic tone while reading and kept the students on track by asking questions while she read. She also walked around the room -- staying in close contact with the students to make sure that they were listening and on task.

She has a dynamic presence in the classroom, and the students find her engaging. At one point, I noticed that out of the 8 students, only 3 had their books open and were actively following. I wondered why she didn't demand that the other students who were not following open their books to join in? I know in my own classroom I would have. I reflected a little bit on my own teaching style here and realized that I have such a formal nature in my own instruction. (This situation would have severely irritated me, and I would have demanded participation.) However, as I continued to observe, I realized her methodology. In the back of the room, sat a hispanic boy, who to me, looked like he was clearly not paying attention. She approached his desk and asked him a question in regards to the reading selection. "What season is it?" asked Ms. T. I was sure he would get it wrong. "Winter," he said. In this situation, she was assessing two things: student listening and reading comprehension skills. It didn't matter that the boy's book wasn't open. It didn't have to be for him to meet her objectives.

As soon as the read aloud segment ended, a student-centered response session proceeded. and the focus moved on to time sequencing and reading for main ideas. Students were assigned to write 7 main events from the story in their writing journals. She also included some foreshadowing and asked them what they thought might happen next. They answered orally and reviewed their answers as a group.

The class concluded with a vocabulary exercise. Ms. T wrote the focus words on the board and asked the students to come up individually to the white board to write synonyms for each word. If the students were unsure, their textbooks included the vocabulary word along with the definition of each word and a picture for visualization and guide.

All of the objectives for this class were successfully met.

ADAPTATIONS FOR ELLs

Adaptations in learning for the ELL students were noted in the following 2 ways: textbook and spelling exceptions.

New vocabulary includes pictures within the text to help students visualize new words for word building.

When the students were invited to share the synonyms for word building, one of the students responded, "Ms. T, you know I can't spell." Ms. T replied, "You know that's okay for now." For this lesson the objective was word acquisition, not spelling. She adressed the importance of spelling, but let the students know that what they were trying to learn now were new words.

How did the second language learners react and interact?

The students interacted very well as a group, with the teacher, and independently. They clearly listen to Ms. T's instructions and highly respect her as their teacher. For example, at one point of the lesson, the students became excited (like 12 year olds do) and started conversing with eachother about something off topic. (Wednesday is supposed to be a half day, so they were very concerned about where they'd be eating lunch since dismissal is at 11:15.) Ms. T gave instructions to get them back on track with the phrase, "Eyeballs on me, so I know that you're listening." At this point, I found myself in a silent monologue revisiting the days when I taught middle school Social Studies. What a nightmare. "Not gonna work," I thought. However, Ms. T triumphed. All of the students immediately stopped what they were doing and their "eyeballs" were on her. They began their journal writing projects and worked very quietly in their "thinking time."

COMMUNITY

What evidence of "community" in terms of the second language did you observe?

Ms. T's morning high/intermediate classroom is a dynamic community. It is clear that for many students, this room is their niche --the place where they feel most relaxed when the mainstream English world seems stressful or overwhelming.

The ESL students are excited when they walk into Ms. T's classroom. I noticed immediately that Ms. T keeps up with the reading interests of the students and is a big advocate for literacy at home and in the classroom. A new series of books, which the students referred to as "The Bones" books apparently seem to be popular amongst middle schoolers these days. Today, Ms. T had brought in a crisp new collection to share with her students. These kids were definitely excited, and they shared that excitement with the group. "LOOK! Ms. T's got the Bones books!" The students interacted intimately with eachother and shared a real sense of belonging.

I also observed that in the ESL classroom, they comfortably were able to ask questions about school events and random miscellany they might have missed or didn't understand in the morning announcements, such as: lunch for tomorrow, early dismissal, etc. The students in Ms. T's classroom don't feel aprehensive at all in asking her to clarify information.

What is required to become a member of this classroom or learning environment -- consider language, literacy, content instruction, materials, etc.?

The requirements to join this classroom are simple: need for ESL instruction. Each student plays their own role in the community. I observed some students as leaders, others participating simply because everyone else was, and it seemed like the thing to do. However, the thing I noted most was: THESE STUDENTS WERE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING AND ACTIVE IN THE SLA PROCESS.

Another thing I noticed was the presence of cultural acceptance. The one Chinese student, who culturally by nature is known to be a quiet participant in class, is respected by the teacher and the students. The hispanic students who are culturally conversationalists are respected and taught in accordance to their strong points. At one point of the class, one of the hispanic students was interested in borrowing a book from the classroom. Ms T said, "Wait! I am saving that book for one of my students in the next class who speaks Chinese, and I think that this book would be really good for him. I want him to be interested in reading." The student said, "Oh, ok. I'll pick something else. Maybe he'll like that one."

In order to be a successful participant in this community, the main requirement is a desire to improve and to succeed; however, not only wanting it for yourself, but your fellow classmates, as well.

ETHNOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

What events occurred during your observation - formal interactions and informal interactions?

There were many events of both formal and informal interaction that occurred during my observation. Below are a few instances of note:

INFORMAL

Students keep their journals for safe-keeping in the ESL classroom. At the onset of the lesson, Ms T. quickly passed them out to students and said, " Does everybody have their junk?" I thought this was interesting. Again, it made me rethink my own teaching formalities and lack of the latter. By using street talk and other vocabulary at the student level, the teacher was connecting with the students and engaging on a personal level. She then quickly changed into formal teaching and officially began the lesson. Throughout the lesson, this would happen many times. Ms. T changes from informal to formal with ease.

During the student question response, Ms T would ask questions and students would call out the answers without raising their hands. For example, in one instance the teacher said, "What do you think is going to happen, now?" Students jovialy shouted out answers, and it was not a problem. They were all engaged in the lesson.

FORMAL

During independent journal writing time, Ms T said, "Oh, I have to take attendance!" One student replied, "Why, Ms T? You know we're all here." She again replied, "I know, but the office needs it for their records." This was representation of teacher duty to maintain records - an administrative duty in the classroom.

I also noted classroom procedure. Students who lacked supplies such as pencils or erasers knew the protocol. When necessary, each student in need politely raised his/her hand to make the request even if group classroom conversation was in progress.

What can an observer see if he/she entered the classroom at this particular time?

An observer entering this room during this class period would see a classroom in ACTION. The teacher, Ms. T, is the dominant presence and guide, but it is an interactive place. Students interact with the teacher and with the eachother. There is an excitement and enthusiasm for learning in the air. Learning is fun. As an observer, I wanted to participate.

There is also an evident stress on the advocacy for literacy. This is shown in the classroom decor. Bookshelves overflow with books. The word "READ" is displayed on the walls, and the quotation "Reading is an adventure that never ends," hangs for students to see and to imagine the possibilities. Ms. T has made the lesson today an adventure, for sure. Her emphatic tone in the read aloud and enthusiasm behind her questions, helped the students embark in the Magician's Elephant's journey.

Another thing to note is the "newness" of the classroom. Oakland Middle School just opened in August, 2010. This is its first year it is operating as an academic instution. The floors are shiny and clean, and the smell of fresh paint is still in the air.

What evidence of "acceptance and welcome" would a second language learner see?

Ms. T's ESL classroom is a comfortable and welcoming environment, but it is not the room that makes it so, but the teacher. Each student is welcomed into her classroom and it is shown from their demeanor and active participation that they feel comfortable and safe there. The golden tones in the room help to make it warm, but there appears to be a true love of reading present and an acceptance of language and diversity.

Welcome to my blogspot!

I started teaching ESL in 2005 when I worked as a Social Studies teacher in Rome, Italy at AMBRIT (American British International School). I picked it up for extra money.

When I retured to the States, I moved back to Cleveland and started teaching Social Studies again in the inner city, but I missed my international life. I missed the international students. I liked history and still do, but wasn't particularly interested in just teaching about the Oregon Trail anymore. I wanted something more.

Later, I moved to Chicago and started working in publishing again. (I used to work as an editor for Thompson and Gale before becoming a teacher.) I also went back to tutoring ESL for extra money and started teaching ESL courses at Xilin Chinese School to Chinese speaking students. I loved it! I loved my students! I loved the curriculum. I loved the rewards in teaching someone how to understand and communicate in a different language from their own.

Currently, I teach ESL at ELS Language Centers at MTSU. All of the students are academic bound. Classes range from beginner to masters. It is such a great thing to run into a student who had spoken little to no English upon arrival that is now a proficient and fluent English speaker. I got to take part in that journey.

My students are older. They are expats basically, and often times they need help adjusting in this new world. For example, I just had a man come in here whose wife is studying here. She is depressed, and he asked me if maybe I could talk to her. Another student asked me if I could go to the hospital with her because her husband is there, and she doesn't understand what the doctors are telling her.

Is all of this a drag? Sometimes. Is teaching them frustrating? Sometimes. However, I love it.

I love this program I am studying in now because it's teaching me how to be a better teacher. It's making me more aware of my students and their situations. It's helping me practice patience when I feel I have none.

Teaching ESL is really the only thing I can imagine doing anymore. I still travel, but I prefer living stateside and vacationing elsewhere in my freetime. I like the international students and the rewards it brings. I like when I close the doors to my classroom, not much else matters. I have an important job to do. I feel the students need the skills that I am teaching them in addition to the basic knowledge they learning about the Oregon Trail.