First, I would just like to say that Huerta-Macías seems to present a bias towards alterative assessment because her daughter failed a multiple choice test. I agree with her in that alterative assessment is important, but because her child did not kow what "none of the above meant" doesn't mean the test is necessarily problematic. Had she raised concerns of reliability and validity, her argument would have been a little more convincing.
"Alternative assessment is different that actually testing in that it actually asks students to show what they can do." (339) Up until now, we have focused mainly on assessment in terms of a pen and paper test, and those different types of forms. I think many a time, both teachers and students forgot that there are alternatives to a test and just automatically go to that.
Different types of assessment include: observations (formal and informal), journals, portfolios, interviews, questionnaires, and conferences. It's important that the teacher decides how they will use the alternative assessment, what they are going to use it for, and why they are doing this type of assessment.
Of course, there are always going to be issues with alternative assessment. Parents could become upset because their children are not being given a pen and paper test because they may not recognize these alternative forms of assessment. Students could also become more anxious by this different form of testing or less anxious because they are not aware that they are being tested. Personally, I think alternative assessment has more benefits than repercussions.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Practicum 11/7 -11/11
I'm sad, I was cut one day short of practicum work with my kids this week! They didn't have school on Friday due to Veteran's day. I'm really starting to feel attached to them, but I guess that comes with teaching.
I've been trying to focus on why my students are there, and why they want to learn English. It's always interesting to talk to them and get their perspectives. I was not able to talk too much with the 7th and 8th grade class because literally half of them were suspended for things like having weed in their locker or getting into a fight. Not exactly a good start to the week.
Talking with the 5th and 6th graders was insightful, I need to have more conversations, however to get a more clear answer. First, I started with basic generic questions.
"Why do you come to school?"
-to learn, to get a job, because I have to
"Do you like school?"
-answers varied from yes, very much so to I'd rather be playing soccer or video games
Then I continued on..
"Well, what about English? What do you think of learning that?"
-it's hard to understand sometimes, I have trouble with it
-I want to become a doctor, so learning English is a very good thing for me
-I want to get a good job someday, you know? I mean my dad does a good job of taking care of us, but he doesn't know English, so he has to work in a factory for a long time
-English is easy.
I plan to continue asking these kids more questions -- I can't ask them TOO in depth of questions because they're only 10, but so far so good. This will really help with my 345 paper.
I've been trying to focus on why my students are there, and why they want to learn English. It's always interesting to talk to them and get their perspectives. I was not able to talk too much with the 7th and 8th grade class because literally half of them were suspended for things like having weed in their locker or getting into a fight. Not exactly a good start to the week.
Talking with the 5th and 6th graders was insightful, I need to have more conversations, however to get a more clear answer. First, I started with basic generic questions.
"Why do you come to school?"
-to learn, to get a job, because I have to
"Do you like school?"
-answers varied from yes, very much so to I'd rather be playing soccer or video games
Then I continued on..
"Well, what about English? What do you think of learning that?"
-it's hard to understand sometimes, I have trouble with it
-I want to become a doctor, so learning English is a very good thing for me
-I want to get a good job someday, you know? I mean my dad does a good job of taking care of us, but he doesn't know English, so he has to work in a factory for a long time
-English is easy.
I plan to continue asking these kids more questions -- I can't ask them TOO in depth of questions because they're only 10, but so far so good. This will really help with my 345 paper.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Cultural Consiousness
Culture has always been defined in generic terms, but really, is very vast and complicated, kind of like the Grand Canyon. You can say that it's a big gorge found in the Southwestern part of the United States, but it really had to be explored intricately to truly describe it. It's the same with culture -- "In its broadest sense, it includes a wide variety of constructs such as mental habits, personal prejudices, moral values, social customs, artistic achievements, and aesthetic preferences of particular societies" (267). We can define it in a basic form, but don't have all of the in between details.
I think that the Color Purple is a very good way to explain culture to students. In an ESL context, students all understand that they all have their own background, or as the book states, their own cultural lens (the blue color). Their classmates of different cultures are the red color, who wear different lenses. Their lenses then overlap, causing the blue to see through the red or vice versa in order to better understand that other culture. Neither group has to give up their culture, they just simply mix together to form what Robinson calls "a third culture." The "third classroom culture" is the where all of the different cultures are seen and respected on the same level. This explanation is simple enough so that students in the classroom can understand, yet has a deep enough meaning that it really makes them aware of their cultural boundaries and differences.
With different cultures also comes cultural stereotypes. This is includes fashion and dress, food, religious identity, cultural norms and rituals, and languages.
After reading the article, I never realized how purposelessly stereotypical I was of the Asian culture (see, there I go again). I have grown a lot in college, especially when it comes to tolerance and stereotypes. I would never consider myself intolerant of other cultures, rather uneducated. It's good to realized these tings about myself as a teacher, so I can better myself for the future.
I think that the Color Purple is a very good way to explain culture to students. In an ESL context, students all understand that they all have their own background, or as the book states, their own cultural lens (the blue color). Their classmates of different cultures are the red color, who wear different lenses. Their lenses then overlap, causing the blue to see through the red or vice versa in order to better understand that other culture. Neither group has to give up their culture, they just simply mix together to form what Robinson calls "a third culture." The "third classroom culture" is the where all of the different cultures are seen and respected on the same level. This explanation is simple enough so that students in the classroom can understand, yet has a deep enough meaning that it really makes them aware of their cultural boundaries and differences.
With different cultures also comes cultural stereotypes. This is includes fashion and dress, food, religious identity, cultural norms and rituals, and languages.
After reading the article, I never realized how purposelessly stereotypical I was of the Asian culture (see, there I go again). I have grown a lot in college, especially when it comes to tolerance and stereotypes. I would never consider myself intolerant of other cultures, rather uneducated. It's good to realized these tings about myself as a teacher, so I can better myself for the future.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Kuma Ch 5
Negotiation is always an interesting topic. It's something that comes naturally with your L1 and you don't even realize you need to learn how to negotiate until you begin to acquire a second language.
I remember being in Spain and having to learn the basics of having a conversation. Negotiation after all is learning to talk, correct? Wrong. After reading these chapters, I have come to realize that we negotiate far more than in just in conversation. Obviously it is important to be able to recognize errors in a conversation and fix them and use filler word to complete a dialogue, but where else do we see negotiation?
We see negotiation in reading. Every time a text is read and analyzed, negotiation occurs. Ideas are bounced back and forth between the reader making inferences and what the text actually says. Negotiation with texts also requires prior knowledge, whereas in conversation, the speaker just needs to understand the context of the situation and the cultural norms on how to fix an awkward moment. When a student reads a text, in order to obtain a deeper meaning, they have to connect back to prior readings and tap into other knowledge.
I would also like to address the issue of 'talk management.' Generally, IRF is associated with talk management. Talk management is defined as how learners "conduct their classroom conversation in order to accomplish their immediate educational goals." (115). Does that mean that talk management is only used in the classroom context? I think not. With that being said, the books states "that the teacher is the one who teaches talk engagement and facilitates negotiated interaction by providing linguistic and paralinguistic cues to students to enhance their learning potential." (118-119) Through the use of IRF, conversation can be continued, clarified and better understood resulting in better comprehensible input and output.
I remember being in Spain and having to learn the basics of having a conversation. Negotiation after all is learning to talk, correct? Wrong. After reading these chapters, I have come to realize that we negotiate far more than in just in conversation. Obviously it is important to be able to recognize errors in a conversation and fix them and use filler word to complete a dialogue, but where else do we see negotiation?
We see negotiation in reading. Every time a text is read and analyzed, negotiation occurs. Ideas are bounced back and forth between the reader making inferences and what the text actually says. Negotiation with texts also requires prior knowledge, whereas in conversation, the speaker just needs to understand the context of the situation and the cultural norms on how to fix an awkward moment. When a student reads a text, in order to obtain a deeper meaning, they have to connect back to prior readings and tap into other knowledge.
I would also like to address the issue of 'talk management.' Generally, IRF is associated with talk management. Talk management is defined as how learners "conduct their classroom conversation in order to accomplish their immediate educational goals." (115). Does that mean that talk management is only used in the classroom context? I think not. With that being said, the books states "that the teacher is the one who teaches talk engagement and facilitates negotiated interaction by providing linguistic and paralinguistic cues to students to enhance their learning potential." (118-119) Through the use of IRF, conversation can be continued, clarified and better understood resulting in better comprehensible input and output.
ENG 394 11/7
This week, I am particularly going to talk about motivation I see in the ESL classrooms. I was able to sit in on parent teacher conferences last week and really see how the teacher explains the grades and behavior of the students to the parents. It was really very insightful, and I'm glad my teacher allowed for me to come.
A problem I noticed multiple times with the ESL students that my teacher had to address to multiple parents was the issue of completing homework. The kids are very bright, but for some reason do not have the desire to turn in their completed work. It is interesting because they have three quarters to the entire homework done, but don't bother to turn it in, or forget it in their locker.
I have been paying particular attention to my students recently in regards to homework completion and motivation. I was talking to some other teachers during parent-teacher conferences and some told me that right now, school isn't a priority for the Mexican kids. The reason why they're not completing their homework is because they are more involved in being social (which brings up the issues of pregnancy, alcohol, etc.). They just don't see school as something that will be useful to them in the future. My teacher often catches kids passing notes in class when they're supposed to be reading. The notes almost always revolve around who is dating who, or kissing someone, or being angry with so and so because she likes so and so.
Now, there are some kids in my classroom who are so bright and very well motivated. Right now, I'm more interested in figuring out why my kids are learning English. Is it because they have to? Is it because they want a job? I can make small inferences from the papers they write (eg. one kid wrote a paper about how studying is good because it helps you get a job so you can buy a house), but need to observe more and ask more questions.
A problem I noticed multiple times with the ESL students that my teacher had to address to multiple parents was the issue of completing homework. The kids are very bright, but for some reason do not have the desire to turn in their completed work. It is interesting because they have three quarters to the entire homework done, but don't bother to turn it in, or forget it in their locker.
I have been paying particular attention to my students recently in regards to homework completion and motivation. I was talking to some other teachers during parent-teacher conferences and some told me that right now, school isn't a priority for the Mexican kids. The reason why they're not completing their homework is because they are more involved in being social (which brings up the issues of pregnancy, alcohol, etc.). They just don't see school as something that will be useful to them in the future. My teacher often catches kids passing notes in class when they're supposed to be reading. The notes almost always revolve around who is dating who, or kissing someone, or being angry with so and so because she likes so and so.
Now, there are some kids in my classroom who are so bright and very well motivated. Right now, I'm more interested in figuring out why my kids are learning English. Is it because they have to? Is it because they want a job? I can make small inferences from the papers they write (eg. one kid wrote a paper about how studying is good because it helps you get a job so you can buy a house), but need to observe more and ask more questions.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Olsen 10
It's interesting to read about all of the political issues addressed 40 years ago in our country and how they seem to be coming full circle, especially in the field of education. I know right now our government has cut funding for Foreign Language teaching and that affects bilingual education as well. Whoever is making these laws is clearly not a lawmaker themselves.
" The Bilingual Education Movement is rooted in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states: "no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, or nation origin." As I read this statement, issues of funding flipped through my mind. Why does more funding seem to go to middle class/ all white institutions then if we have this law? It's good and only right that laws (like Lau v.. Nichols) have been passed furthering progress towards ESL and bilingual education because every person in American has their right to succeed. But despite these movements, I still feel like ESL gets put on the backburner sometimes and singled out. Just today, my practicum teacher was telling me about funding cuts in his district and how they are losing their Read180 program next year due to budget cuts in foreign language and ESL classrooms.
My practicum experience has been going smoothly this week. I get to sit in on teacher conferences on Friday, so I am excited for that. The kids starting working on a new unit with new vocabulary and stories. They did an interesting activity today where they wrote 5 vocabulary words on slips of paper, had to organize them by type (noun, verb, adj) and then choose 2 of the easiest ones for them to understand and write the word in a sentence. Their classmates then were given 2 of the harder words and wrote example sentences and had to explain them to their other classmates. Overall, a great activity.
I'm starting to become attached to these kids, oh no!!!!! I don't want to leave them :(
" The Bilingual Education Movement is rooted in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which states: "no person shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, or nation origin." As I read this statement, issues of funding flipped through my mind. Why does more funding seem to go to middle class/ all white institutions then if we have this law? It's good and only right that laws (like Lau v.. Nichols) have been passed furthering progress towards ESL and bilingual education because every person in American has their right to succeed. But despite these movements, I still feel like ESL gets put on the backburner sometimes and singled out. Just today, my practicum teacher was telling me about funding cuts in his district and how they are losing their Read180 program next year due to budget cuts in foreign language and ESL classrooms.
My practicum experience has been going smoothly this week. I get to sit in on teacher conferences on Friday, so I am excited for that. The kids starting working on a new unit with new vocabulary and stories. They did an interesting activity today where they wrote 5 vocabulary words on slips of paper, had to organize them by type (noun, verb, adj) and then choose 2 of the easiest ones for them to understand and write the word in a sentence. Their classmates then were given 2 of the harder words and wrote example sentences and had to explain them to their other classmates. Overall, a great activity.
I'm starting to become attached to these kids, oh no!!!!! I don't want to leave them :(
Monday, October 24, 2011
Grammar
I feel like everywhere that I have went so far dealing with ESL students has a different perspective on grammar. It's so controversial! At the community center where I volunteer teaching English, my boss is insistent that I do not teach verb conjugations or grammar, only phrases. I understand where he is coming from since the class is entitled, "Survival English." However, in the ESL classroom, I notice that the teacher puts an emphasis on grammar, but does not overwhelm his students with it. The other day my CT told me, "You can really only address one grammar issue a day. Otherwise the students get discouraged. Writing is already hard enough for them. Then the next you review the issue you already talked about, then work on another one. Each day builds upon the other." I 100% agree with him. I see the frustration in my practicum classroom when I have to make multiple corrections in their essays. Sometimes I just let their errors (even in their writing) because I understand what point they are trying to make. But then that brings up the issue of error correction, never would I correct a student in their speech. I might reiterate what they say to me to make sure I have a clear understanding of what they are saying and so that they can hear it with proper grammar, but I don't know how far to take it when correcting a paper. There is nothing more discouraging than a paragraph you are proud of filled with red marks!
Reflecting back on my own language experience in high school, I noticed we mainly focused on grammar, probably at least 80% of the time. It was tedious work and very boring I might add. It's very testable and, as the book says, a security blanket. If a teacher has been teaching grammar over and over, they develop a habit and get into a rhythm with their teaching. It's hard to break the cycle of not using as much grammar when it's what they know. At a recent teaching conference, I ran into my old high school Spanish teacher. She said the tables are turning and they are focusing a lot more on culture and connections in the classroom rather than grammar. The grammar is still important, but it's not worksheet after worksheet day in and day out. How great!
Where do I stand? Error correction is definitely important if that is what you happen to be focusing on. If you are teaching students how to properly write a well written essay, then it is important to get into the nitty gritty. If the purpose of the lesson is communication, for example, then there is no reason to correct grammar errors. In terms of teaching grammar, I feel the same way. To be honest, I still don't think I have fully developed a sense of what I think about it just yet. I know I'm a "circumstantialist," if anything (meaning I look at the outside context of grammar and error correction).
Reflecting back on my own language experience in high school, I noticed we mainly focused on grammar, probably at least 80% of the time. It was tedious work and very boring I might add. It's very testable and, as the book says, a security blanket. If a teacher has been teaching grammar over and over, they develop a habit and get into a rhythm with their teaching. It's hard to break the cycle of not using as much grammar when it's what they know. At a recent teaching conference, I ran into my old high school Spanish teacher. She said the tables are turning and they are focusing a lot more on culture and connections in the classroom rather than grammar. The grammar is still important, but it's not worksheet after worksheet day in and day out. How great!
Where do I stand? Error correction is definitely important if that is what you happen to be focusing on. If you are teaching students how to properly write a well written essay, then it is important to get into the nitty gritty. If the purpose of the lesson is communication, for example, then there is no reason to correct grammar errors. In terms of teaching grammar, I feel the same way. To be honest, I still don't think I have fully developed a sense of what I think about it just yet. I know I'm a "circumstantialist," if anything (meaning I look at the outside context of grammar and error correction).
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