Barbara Roth

Assignment  2 and 3

 

EL Module

 

 

TV Shows in Chinese and Japanese

 

Chinese

The shows title was “Yo-Yo”.  This show first got my attention because of the colorful studio in which it was filmed.  From what I gather the show is a children’s show much like our Mr. Rogers or possibly Sesame Street.  There are two hosts a female and a male that I can not tell their ages.  They look very young and are captivating with their enthusiasm for what they do.  Each morning I watched it before I went to school there was a mother and child as guests to do craft projects with.  There was a theme each morning but it is impossible for me to tell you exactly what it was because of the language barrier.  I do know that the morning I enjoyed it most they were making monkeys, butterflies, and bugs out of paper and foam and foam and attaching them together by the tails to form what we would call a paper chain.  These were easy to see because they were step by step easy to see instructions.  They also did a replay of the instructions.  It was easy to complete.  I did not understand the interaction of anyone verbally on the 5 shows I watched but could see that the show was positive, colorful, the guests were always smiling and laughing.  I think many questions were asked and the guests were answering them. 

 

Japanese

The show was titled Lorneen Green Science and Nature.  This show had interaction between the host and students but what I found most interesting was that I could relate to what was shown in nature but not at all what was spoken about.  The 4 shows I watched were on coyotes, eagles, bears, and buffalo.  I should clarify that this is what I think the shows were suppose to be about.  I could not read any of the print that was put on the screen nor understand any words accept the actual animal.  Lets take the show on coyotes.  I actually learned a lot from watching the video after the host spoke and talked with the guests.  I learned how they hunted and that they got along with some other large groups of wild animals like the buffalo.  I saw how they fought among themselves for food and how they cared for their young.  This visual stimulation for an EL is very good.  Pictures as scaffolding.  This show although not as beautifully photographed reminded me of the discovery channel.

 

TPE 4 Making Content Accessible

 

Both these shows makes one realize that to be an English Learner sitting in an American English speaking school has got to be the most difficult and frustrating thing imaginable.  I have experienced being in a remote village in Central America delivering school supplies for the past four years.  I don’t understand anything the entire time we are there for 3 to 4 days but what I do love is the hospitality and learning to communicate through gestures and actions.  Content in classrooms must be brought to life through hands on visuals.  Students that enter our classrooms with no language abilities in English must have a lot of scaffolding.  We as teachers must realize that these students could be straight A students and just be lacking the language to show this to us.  Google offers a program to change assignments and tests into other languages.  I have used this for my Japanese students.  We have a mother that is willing to come in and help these students to make our curriculum accessible.  The tests are in simple words and students questions are changed to be one part answers instead of critical thinking questions.  Students do quiet well when partnered with another student that speaks the same language.  I have seen children just flourish in environments where you allow them to express themselves.  When I am having question and answer sessions I will include the EL’s.  I will have another student ask them the question in their language.  The EL then gives their answer in their home language and it is interpreted by another student in English.  We can then repeat and fill in some of the English words.  Usually by week 6-8 students in my 6^th grade classes are feeling comfortable and are beginning to feel comfortable speaking some English words. 

 

TPE 6  Developing appropriate teaching practices

 

I believe this is key for students to feel part of the learning community.  As I sat and watched these shows the only thing I could relate to was the colors, settings and enthusiasm in the voices of the people on the screen.  I couldn’t in any was relate to what anyone was talking about.  Developing appropriate teaching practices that have an end goal of helping this student not only continue in the learning of the content areas being taught but in conjunction with learning English is a huge task that will take creative thinking on a teacher part and a willingness to take on the challenge.  So many of my fellow teachers just think it is the responsibility of the resource people to pull these students out of class and work with them individually.  I have almost the exact opposite opinion.  I found a willing parent that came in 4 days a week for 3 hours to help all Chinese students in my room and the other 6^th grade classes.  This was unbelievable.  Students that seemed very unhappy and scared at first began feeling comfortable and communicating with students not only in their own language but later in English.  This also helped English students learn simple words like bathroom and good morning.  I can’t imagine having to go to the bathroom and not knowing how to ask.  Using many pictures in class and doing step by step demonstrations is another good practice for these students.

 

 

TPE 7  Teaching English Learners

 

It is my responsibility as a trained credentialed teacher to know and apply pedagogical theories, principles and instructional practices so that my English Learners have good comprehensive instruction.    To do this I must apply strategies I have learned throughout my college courses on ELL’s.  At CSUDH we are required to take 5 courses on EL.  These classes included implementing instructional programs that facilitate English Language Development in the areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking that are appropriate to grade levels being taught.  I Believe teachers must first assess their students to see what level EL they are and then take the time and understand how to plan differentiated instruction.

 

TPE 8 Learning about students

 

Again, it is my responsibility to access my students understanding of our language, the knowledge they have in content, and understand how I can take this information and bring learning alive for each of them.  I access all students before each unit or chapter.  This assessment guides my instruction.  If all my students understand 1/3 of the material in chapter 6 of the math book I will plan and differentiate my instruction accordingly.  I have made groups where my Chinese and Japanese students are in the highest math group.  Numbers are numbers in most cultures and these groups are exceptional at math and can actually tutor other students without verbal communication but just through numbers on paper.

ARTIFACT SPRING 09

Inter-American School

Chicago Public Schools

Illinois (PRE-K-6)

 First I want to comment on the seating arrangements.  The students are grouped instead of sitting in individual desks.  I also do this in my classroom.  I have groups of 4 or 5 

throughout my room.  This article speaks about how the teachers circulate after teaching a concept to assess student learning.  I too instruct and then allow students to begin 

class/homework as I circulate the room and answer questions.  I firmly believe that by assessing in the classroom a teacher will see holes or misunderstandings of students 

and be able to correct them immediately.  This will eliminate confusion as to how the teacher wants something completed and give students a much better understanding of 

what is expected.  This schools sixth grade is buddied with kindergarten.  My class is buddied with third grade.  On Dr. Seuss's birthday my 6th graders read to the  third 

graders a variety of Dr. Seuss books.  This makes reading more fun and allows students to practice expression and be animated when they read.  The young one love it.

Mr. Segal, the teacher in the article allows his students to peer edit writing assignments and again he circulates while students are on task and reading each others work.  He

asks questions as he assesses the learning that is going on.  He give the students specific time (15 minutes) in which they have to complete a task.  I to think a time should

be given for tasks.  I have and overhead timer that I use.  When I tell my students 10 minutes, I turn on the overhead and set the timer.  I do not have to remind them when there

is only 2 minutes left they can visually see it and this cuts down on the frustration.  One thing in the article that I don't agree with is that Mr. Segal went to his desk and sat down

to do his work for about 15 minutes.  After that he asked the class which words they had the most trouble with.  I think that if Mr. Segal was assessing and circulating while his

students were making sentences that he would not have to ask this question.  I feel that it is my job as a teacher to give 100% of my day to my students.  Yes my desk will

become cluttered and students will need me to do things but it is my job to put my students first and be there physically throughout the entire day.  It is only when my students

go home at the end of the day that I begin cleaning up the desk and entering grades as well as getting organized and plans done for days to come.


Hanshaw Middle School

Modesto City Schools

California (7 & 8)

I
n Mrs. Roth's science class students are in a non-cluttered environment.  I like this and have very minimal things in my room.  Student's work is up which I think is very i

important for the classroom environment, but uncluttered to me means a clear head and less distractions.  Mrs. Roth (which is also the name I go by) teaches concepts and

then has a hands on approach to bringing the concept to life and making it real for her students.  I am all about making things visable, interactive and real.  I myself can not

relate to something unless I can visualize it .  For ELL's this is a must and teachers need to find a way to bring all the ciricullum to life.  Mrs. Roth's use of collaborative learning i
s a wonderful environment for ELL's as well as non-ELL's.  The verbal communication helps the ELL because they are hearing it but it is also helping the non-ELL's by them

having to reinforce what they know.


Harold WIggs Middle School

El Paso Independant School DIstrict

Texas (6-8)

There are many strategies that Ms. Svedman implements in her class that I also do.  One is eye contact with her students.  I believe eye contact is key.  For one thing it lets the

students know that you are genuinely interested in them and what they have to say.  Second, that teacher stare is just amazing when it comes to getting behaviors back on t

track while still maintaining a teaching environment.  Eye contact also teaches students self esteem and how to give a good presentation.  Communication is not only with

words but encompasses all of our senses.  Ms. Svedman speaks with her hands so that children with language difficulties have another way of grasping what is being said.  I

am learning to do this more and more.   I have a good friend that always speaks with her hands and at first I thought it was rude, but in the classroom setting I think it is a

wonderful way to communicate thoughts.  I use synonyms a lot in my classroom of 6th graders.  I will be giving a test and a student will ask me what a simple word means.  

Instead of giving them the definition I will use another word in the question.  I love when I see their little light bulbs come on and they say oh.  I think the hardest thing I have

learned was to speak slowly.  I am from the mid west and from a household where I could never get a word in edge wise.  I know I talk fast and have gone to great lengths to i

improve in this area.  I have even recorded myself.  Students don't understand when I speak fast and are sometimes, no most the time not willing to ask me to slow down.  I

understand where they are coming from.  I have asked my students to raise their hands if I speak to fast and this gives me a quick reminder.


I very much enjoyed reading these articles from the different schools.  It was interesting to see all the seating arrangements and the explanations behind them.  There are so many strategies that can be implimented that teachers can also be over whelmed.  I think as a new teacher you take 5 or 6 and do them well and then next year add more until you feel your room is running smoothly.  I also know that each year is different and your strategies will be also.




I liked both assignments.  The case study really made me think of all the strategies that I am already using in the class and how I can improve on those.  It also made me think

about  what I can implement.  Being a first year teacher I have taken on a lot of strategies and done them to the best of my abilities.  At the beginning of the year I heard stories

from previous teachers of some of my students about how bad they were.  I took that as a challenge because I don't believe kids are that bad if given the right environment and

encouragement as well as strategies and tools.  The one student that was just so so bad according to other teachers I immediately spoke with his mom and got him tied in

with our school psychologist put on medication and he was my student of the month in March.  He is a great kid that needed a lot of verbal instruction along with many many

compliments and words of encouragement.  The case study made me realize that what I learned in the 4 classes we were required to take on ELL's at CSUDH were

invaluable.  I was well prepared as a new teacher and must keep finding ways to reach all students.

The TV assignment was valuable also.  I have been to other countries where other languages are spoken and no English.  I have not only watched it on TV but better yet lived it

for sometimes two weeks at a time.  This is a wonderful experience that teaches patiences, understanding and really shows a willingness on the part of the people in the other

 countries to want to help us just as we need to help those in our classrooms. 

I very much enjoyed the powerpoint presentations and only wished we could have heard some of your personnal experiences in person.   Thank You