A teacher AND a learner

Specific methods I have experienced as a teacher or a learner

Having been a second language learner myself, I was taught partly by the traditional approach Grammar Translation Method and partly by Direct Method and Audio lingual. I remember I liked audio lingual because I could hear native speakers on the conversations and it felt very real. The grammar translation, I never liked it because it was simply boring and I could not connect it to any of our daily conversations. I also liked the drills and the repetition especially when the teacher would add real examples of daily life sentences that had a connection to each student.

I did learn a lot from all the methodologies I grew up with. For one thing, I always try to connect the content lesson with my students' personal lives. Surprisingly, when they see the connection, they feel it, they pay attention, they participate and they'll get engaged in learning. Lessons with no relevance to students will make no connection and thus we will lose our students right in front of us.

I would know if my method and approach working, when I see my students are learning. If I see engagement in class, full participation, asking and answering questions, follow up, formative and summative good grades; thus, I will know that my approach is working. If I see my students are collaborating with each other, they care about each other's learning, they search for information and use that information, If I see they are knowledgeable about their subjects and are literate, then for sure I know my methods are working. I do need to update myself with new approaches and methods in teaching languages as well. For this, I have also taken courses in Integration of Technology into Schools (ITS) at GMU and am working toward enriching my classes with tools that maximize students' learning. I will also need the support and mentoring of peer teachers and collaboration with other schools to see what is working for students in the 21 st century. We not only need to update ourselves and seek support from our co-workers but also need to be in continuous contact with parents to get to know their kids better and help them with their education.

Classroom Management and Design

As the 19th century American philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted “If you only learn methods you will be tied to them, but if you learn principles you can devise your own methods.” One way and I believe the best way to provide accountability for what I know and am able to do as a teacher for classroom management plan is addressing Organization, Discipline, Instruction, and Motivation in all classrooms.


The main issue in a classroom management is students’ engagement throughout the lesson. Repeated research has validated that active student participation and engagement with each other are vital for effective learning and promoting improved retention of information and vocabulary. Teacher lecture will only result in a 5% retention level, reading a 10% level. Practice by doing can result in a 75% retention level and students who teach material to each other will retain 90% (PWC). Classroom management consists of three critical factors of consistent discipline, quality instruction (assessment) and effective motivation. Consistent discipline and quality instruction go hand in hand. Good classroom management provides the structure and expectations for effective lesson delivery. Good assessment drives lesson plan and quality lesson plan promotes student engagement which ultimately will reduce time spent on CM. These all must function together. Self-assessment is a valuable commodity for any teacher – when beginning the profession. It takes skill and practice to build a firm foundation. The more a teacher spends time in effective application of these key factors, the less time is needed in classroom management and thus maximizing actual teaching time.


Organization:
• Organize a safe environment for learning
• Create an effective harmonious classroom by using various instruments.
• Know the academic, social and cultural backgrounds of their ESL students
• Use proper body language and word selection especially with ESL students and their diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Acquire plenty of information about students including family backgrounds, countries of origin and levels of education.
• Pay close attention to the federal mandates of students IEP’s.
• Accommodate special necessities for special education and also ESL students.
• Plan ahead, be consistent and be proactive. Prevent, earn respect and limit unexpected surprises.
• Set the physical learning environment according to different levels and grades to maximize learning, motivation and students’ interaction.
• Do not preach or lecture. Facilitate learning and engage students


Discipline:
• Manage your classroom with Day One.
• Show no fear
• Be ready to offer information about yourself in a professional and exemplary way.
• Get to know students from the very beginning.
• Integrate interactive instruction with communicative skills that include discipline strategies.
• Obtain discipline through proximity and non-verbal communication
• Make a clear distinction between the “helpless hand raiser” and the student who requires help
• Take the time to help the dysfunctional student in classroom by achieving a realistic and mutually satisfying conclusion for both you and the student.

Instruction:
• Make meaningful instruction and engage students all the way through the lesson.
• Relate the lesson with students’ lives. Teach and make it fun and watch students learning on the run.
• Have both the agenda and syllabus ready. Distribute an approved course syllabus and guide students for note taking through the agenda.
• Incorporate instructing strategies into one’s teaching profession.
• Observe students use of language in other contexts.
• Do not water the instruction down. Instead differentiate and scaffold learning.
• Use pre-planned handouts, guided instruction, visual and graphics, simplify language and use realia for students of lower grades. Make learning more precise and comprehensible
• Scaffold by means of comprehensible input, modeling, visuals, supplemental materials and pairing with selected students ( in case of special or ESL presence)
• Create cooperative learning for IEP and ESL students as well as understanding heart
• Generally remove scaffolding when students reach learning goals.
• Employ collaborative problem solving with a student displaying helpless behavior
• Give repetitive modeled SOLs and WIDA tests to students to prepare them for the real high stakes tests and provides them with more language proficiency.
• Recognize and assess if your instruction is in lieu with other elements of teaching.
• Offer help and model learning yourself
• Teach partner teaching, engage student pair work in teaching each other
• Instruct along with continuous feedback both for yourself and students.
• Be ready for change and try out new strategies in teaching
• Seek feedback and do not be self- critical

Motivation:
• Take extra time to encourage or seek alternatives to make subject matter more comprehensible
• Maintains a wonderful balance of structure and flexibility as well as a great incentive system
• Foster a culture of success and promote diligence.
• Create a safe environment, active learning and high expectations to encourage success.
• Apply proactive incentives in any classroom or subject area.
• Develop intrinsic motivation and a love of learning in all students.
• Instill confidence and inspire potential
• Promote cooperative learning
• Create a culture of success
 
Cited works

Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners..

Cushman, K. (2003). Fires in the Bathroom. New York: The New Press. (Middle School)

Greene, R. (2008). Lost at School.

Jones. (2007). Tools for Teaching. Santa Cruz: Frederick H. Jones & Assoc. .

Vogt. Short, D. (2008). Making Content Comprehensive for English Learners. Pearson Education Inc.

Prince William County Public Schools Website: http://pwcs.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=102442&sessionid=ee4cd95828fa8b0bda2de1fcee11106b

Goal-Setting Policy for Virginia Adult Education and Literacy Programs, Policy 3.1

If only Designers knew of Learning Styles... !!!

Human beings have many different ways to learn and process information or intelligences. Gardner suggests that each individual manifests varying levels of different intelligence, and thus each person has refined skills in subsequent years. Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence is much too limited. In 1999, Gardner lists eight intelligences as linguistic, logic- mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily, kinesthetic, naturalist, and interpersonal and intra personal.

Learners tend to have a dominant intelligence. All people have all intelligences, but in varying amounts. Understanding one’s dominant intelligence can help identify learning styles that work best. This even works best with ESOL learners or ELL students.

1. VISUAL-SPATIAL intelligence: the ability to "think in pictures," to perceive the visual world accurately, and recreate (or alter) it in the mind or on paper. Spatial intelligence is highly developed in artists, architects, designers and sculptors.

2. VERBAL-LINGUISTIC intelligence: sensitivity to the meaning and order of words.

3. LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL intelligence: ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems.

4. BODILY-KINESTHETIC intelligence: the ability to use one's body in a skilled way, for self-expression or toward a goal. Mimes, dancers, basketball players, and actors are among those who display bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.

5. MUSICAL intelligence: the ability to understand and create music. Musicians, composers and dancers show a heightened musical intelligence.


6. INTRAPERSONAL intelligence: an understanding of one's own emotions. Some novelists and or counselors use their own experience to guide others

7. INTERPERSONAL intelligence: an ability to perceive and understand other individuals -- their moods, desires, and motivations. Political and religious leaders, skilled parents and teachers, and therapists use this intelligence.

8. NATURALIST intelligence is the ability to perceive the natural world.

9. EXISTENTIAL is the new one, I found, which is an intelligence on deep questioning of the world and being.

These intelligences are located in different areas of the brain and can either work independently or together, can be nurtured and strengthened, or ignored and weakened.


Sources:

Armstrong, T. (2011) Multiple intelligences. Retrieved from http://thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm

Gardner, H. (2011). Multiple intelligences, Howard Gardner. Retrieved from http://howardgardner.com/MI/mi.html

Digital Video

In video, a non-linear editing system (NLE) is a video editing (NLVE) or audio editing (NLAE) system which can perform random access on the source material. It is named in contrast to 20th century methods of linear tape and film editing. 

I wish I had told this very simple differentiation between video and digital video to my students before they started recording their Final Day Project Interview Video. When they asked me what's the difference between the two, I did explain everything but the notion of Linear and non-linear! ok, I forgot.

It is very important to know the difference between the two. I think the day is gone, where we used to record videos and publish them on cds or just watch them from our TVs and load the cassessts! of video in our shelves. Nowadays everyone is looking for a way to record their memories online, so they can always have access.

With Digital Video, and a simple program like Windows Movie Maker, all those dusty piled up pictures and the ribbons of movie can easily be published online, with no dust! What's more friends and relatives all over the world can see them as well. If you want to cut some pieces because you didn't look good on that piece, it's just a piece of cake! Just keep the best part and decorate it with some background music, effects or transtions and voila!

Podcasting and Education

After the creation of Blog and Photoblog tools to express thoughts and ideas on the global network, Internet users had a tool called "podcasting" . In fact, podcasting is a sound system unlike blog publishing tool that is written or photoblog that is visually published.

Countless universities, colleges and K-12 classes worldwide are using podcasting technology to bring the benefits of this technology  to classrooms. Podcasting has taken education by storm and the technology can not be ignored. Instructors use this tool to deliver recorded lectures, news and information to students.Thousands of all-age pupils and teachers are catching on, producing podcasts ranging from children's stories, audio diaries, plays, interviews, news and reviews. Some teachers are even using them to distribute exam revision material.

Podcasting brings more student engagement and interest in class discussions, field research and independent projects. Students also can keep up with the material when they are recorded. This reminds me of Gardner's multiple intelligences theory and the notion that individuals have different learning styles. I myself like viewing, watching and listening to lesson lectures than just reading textbooks. As if I am absorbing the information with all my five senses. Moreover, it has been seen that students show more enthusiasm especially when they are invloved in the project and thus a better evaluation results both from students and instructors.

Podcasting is transforming school life for forward-thinking schools, stimulating creative learning and new ways of communicating, says George Cole. When it comes to the length of your podcast, short is better. Recording good-quality audio in a school can be difficult! But remember: it's not difficult to create a podcast; you don't need lots of expensive kit, and kids love it."

 

Resources:

http://poducateme.com/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/sep/18/link.link16

Podcasting, Web 2.0 and other means of Scaffolding

Scaffolding examples are simplifying language and format, visuals and graphics, manipulatives, providing choices, cooperative learning, modeling and native language support and they are useful techniques to make content more accessible for students. As a parent and a teacher, I like Modeling, coaching and fading away the best. Though slowed speech, pauses, and speaking in phrases, providing correct pronunciation by repeating student responses and paraphrasing (Echevarria et. al., 2008) are all very efficient ways too. I like modeling not only in providing exemplars for past classes, analogies and or modeling reading, writing and note-taking strategies; but in the more general yet specific technique. Scaffolding in this way is presenting the lesson while modeling it from a students’ perspective. The instructor challenges herself with the same trial and errors that a student might face when solving the problem.

With Modeling, Coaching and fading away comes higher thinking skills. Thinking and/or the language of thinking is the mental process where words are used to describe and or evoke thought. To do so causes learning to happen as it draws on one's own interests, prior knowledge, and experiences in order to make the mental process happen. Effective learners actively take charge of their own learning by doing so. (Tishman Sh., Prekins D.N, Jay E. 1995)

The importance that other forms of scaffolding like multi- and hyper-media, podcasting, vodcasting, and other Web 2.0 tools have towards education is also great. Both allow teachers as well as students to create a variety of different presentations. Furthermore, it gives students the opportunity to learn by doing. Through active participation students stay focused and engaged in their own learning. (Norton P. & Sprague D. 2001 p.187-215)

Students are able to collaborate on projects and activities that allow them to interact with and think critically about what they are learning.

There is a learning model built into the design process that addresses internal and external concepts. Higher order thinking skills come into play. It also accommodates nonlinear exploration of information and students learn when they are actively involved in their own learning.

Podcasting

It didn't work out the way we expected. It is always like that. You'd better have a back up plan before setting all your eggs in one basket.
School computers have limitations you never know of. A task you would be thinking it could take not more than three hours, it will take a week and you are still on recording and re-recording. First, the software doesn't get installed because you don't have the administration privileges to do so. Then there are music download and contrary to what you are thinking, it won't download for the same reason.
Students are pretty excited though. They have read their news articles, summarized, written their questions and answers and have rehearsed their lines for news reporting on radio.
Finally it comes time for recording and it is not as easy as the one you did in your own class. Sometimes kids are better at tech tools than adult students. They just grab the How Tos  in a blink of an eye.But with adult learners, there comes all the steps to be taught. It can be simply from showing them how to use a mouse and right click to all the way through managing how to work with Audacity!
In a word, things can be difficult when it comes to integrating teaching with technology :)