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.

Issues impacting education today #5

Green Schools Don't Make the Grade, discusses how green schools built with federal money are failing to meet energy saving targets and have not resulted in greater student achievement ratings as expected. Myers argues that federal money should not be used to build more green schools because the cost for building and maintaining these shools is higher than expected, hasn't improved student achievement, and energy saving goals haven't been met.

Building green schools is a direct result of the political and economic global initiative to clean-up the environment by using more efficient alternative energy sources that will save society money in the long-run. This decision to go green impacts educational policy -- because like in all implemented school reform, policies are enacted within schools and communities in effort to change or reform society by educating its people and by giving the youth an opportunity to take part in the change. This initiative aimed to save 50% of school energy costs, reduce student absenteeism 10% by improving student health w/ fewer carbon emissions, and ultimatley increase test scores by providing better lighting and various other features. Myers goes on to explain how none of these goals have been met.

I think this is a fascinating article. I'm 100% behind building green schools in an effort to institute political and economic social reform on a national and global scale. However, by listing absenteeism and improving test scores as goals is what's probably making it fail and lose support. Students are not absent and not meeting testing standards because of carbon emissions and poor lighting. Most are absent and failing because their families, schools, communities, and teachers are failing them in different ways.

When I think about my students who are absent and failing, it's not because we don't recycle in the buliding as much as we should or that my classroom is a little bit too dark. I think that what we need to do is work to help them feel a part of something. When I give a student more positive attention, I immediately notice improvement and increased attendance.

Rather than just looking at the numbers, in order to really make an initiative such as this work, students need to be told that this has been done for them and that it is they who will ultimately make the scale changes in their own life and in society. This is what guarantees results. I know it's not that easy and maybe I'm just being naive, but it's proven to work -- atleast in my own classroom.

As for going green, I hope more federal money is found and spent to build more of these schools everywhere. The world is changing and America needs to join if it hopes to remain at a substantial level of power. We obviously can't stay depenedent on fossil fuels forever - these days are numbered. By making our schools green, we are educating our people with the tools necessary for competition in the future. I wish more people would start looking at the long-term gains and how less money now is more money in the future.

Multiculturalism in curriculum

Thinking back to my own primary and secondary years, I really don't remember the curriculum being integrated with any kinds of themes promoting multiculturalism or diversity --unless, Native Americans count. I attended a Catholic primary school with approximately 25 white students and my high school was relatively small. There weren't many minorities. I don't remember there being an ESL program. If there were, I wasn't aware of it.

For my undergraduate, I attended Cleveland State University (CSU). It is an urban university in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. One of the requirements was to take 2 African-American experience courses. I graduated from there in 2000. In 2001, I returned to CSU as a post-bacc for my teaching license. The curriculum for new practicing teachers had a lot of content geared towards "diversity." By diversity, it meant African-Americans. Our student-teaching experience included one semester in an urban school and one semester in a suburban school.

In 2004, I taught at a suburban middle-school. The curriculum was pretty standardized and we talked about diveristy -- usually, in the month of February in honor of Black History month. In 2005, I moved to Italy and taught at an Italian/English bi-lingual school. I suppose it's here when I discovered what true multiculturalism in education is and how wonderful such a program like that is. Multiculturalism didn't mean that there were minorities in the room, but that we lived in a global society made of many different kinds of people. We embraced all people - no matter the religion or the race. However, I guess the thing to point out here is that all of these people had money.

Today, in my graduate program, I read a lot about multiculturalism. Also, I'm an ESL teacher, so my students all fit into this category. I don't teach anything other than ESL, so in my own teaching, I have to be respectful of my students; however, not in terms of how I gear the curriculum to address the needs of multiculturalism, but in regards to their traditions and cultural practices. My students are also adults, so they have already completed their primary and secondary years of education.

Eventually, I might go back to teaching in a public secondary school. I used to teach 7-12 Social Studies. It seems the growing trend is to create a common curriculum nation-wide in respect to multiculturalism. I agree that with the changing popluation of the United States, it is important to know more about eachother in order to maintain a successful political system and economy. I agree with E.D. Hirsch that schools should "have a common curriculum so that they can share a common point of reference to enable further learning."

Adam Waxler in his article, Multiculturalism in School Curriculum, does a nice job addressing this goal. Waxler disagrees with incorporating multiculturalism as a separate entity (the way I learned it), for example: Black History Month or Women's History Month. Waxler calls this "intellectual segregation," and I agree. He believes "all cultures should be taught throughout all the units in order to be a truly multicultural education." He goes on to give examples of how he incorporates this into his own classroom.

I hope to model Waxler's ideas in the future. If schools ultimately plan to achieve the institution of a core curriculum, models such as Waxler's are the only way to do it. If not, immigration protests will inevitably end as sadly as predicted -- as a new Civil Rights Movement in our country. We would hope with all the opportunities for enlightenment and advancement in our country, we'd be beyond that.

Is "muticulturalism" wrong?

In Nasvhille Scene's article, Pithissippi Burning: Race, White Nationalionalism and American Culture, columnist PJ Tobias explores white supremacist non-acceptance to a multi-racial U.S. society stating that many Americans are not far from the old mind sets prevalent in the days of Ella Flitzgerald and the pre-Civil Rights Movement. He cites two white supremacist books, The Brigade and the Turner Diaries, as handbooks in support of the advancement of this movement and that people like himself, those against it, do not have the support necessary to live in the "post-racial" society President Obama has promised.

In Why Multiculturalism is Wrong the author states that multiculturalism "limits freedom, its possibility, and possible futures" of native populations stating that it's basically just another name for "race." In the Challenge of Multiculturalism, author Samuel Taylor states the term is the "departure from the history America has always taught its children." He believes multiculturalism is another name for Affirmative Action and that it's against nationalism and assimilation. Multicultural groups are creating their own histories leaving white settlers out of U.S. history.

Mulitculturalism is a touchy subject. When I think about the word "multiculturalism," I think about the "have and have nots." In my experience, multiculturalism in educational settings means poverty and lack of available community resources provided to the school system for the students. I've also noticed how these words have changed. Lately, a lot of educational studies are putting that word out. In the late 1990s, when I completed my initial licensure the words being used were diversity and "classisms." The words might change, but the idea is the same: How do we as educators meet the needs of the lower socioeconomic and minority students?

I think the issue here is how do we address poverty, not multiculturalism. Poverty, lack of education, and opportunity result in works like The Brigade. These thoughts come usually from the uneducated classes. The year 1965 when the Civil Rights Act was finally enacted is not that long ago in our nation's history. We as educators need to work harder to eliminate those old ways of thinking. That type of behavior is learned, but can be unlearned. I agree that multiculturalism is an unnecessary term and promotes racial profiling.

By this definition, I probably teach in the most "multicultural" classroom of all the teachers I know. Since I teach ESL to adults, my students are from all over the world. They have different languages, cultures, traditions, and religions. As a teacher I keep in mind their cultural traditions and backgrounds. For example, my Asian students are not conversationalists by nature, most of my Arab women don't like standing in front of the classroom, my Italian students love to talk, they all have different religions, holiday schedules, etc. Multiculturalism is obviously an issue, but what we practice in my classroom is respect, acceptance, and a desire to learn. In my classroom, we practice multicultural theory in action.

However, I know that my classroom is the exception. I believe we need to stamp out words like multiculturalism and racism. I believe in the global plan for a post-racial society and am in support of any educational reform that will put more money into school systems in an effort to provide all students with equal resources.

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!