Hello to all once again!
Well, my coursework for SPSE 6712 is now coming to a close. I have to say this class was one of the most rewarding classes for me not only as a teacher but as a human being. I work a full time job at an insurance company (hate it) and after leaving the students on Friday mornings sometimes I would literally cry because I would have to go back to work. I wanted to stay at the school so bad. I acted like my daughter used to act when she was a toddler while having to leave Chuck E. Cheeses. She is now in college.
I have 4 more classes to complete before I receive my M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with a Focus in ESL. I also have 2 classes to take in order to obtain my licensure. My original plan was to have my licensure this Spring, but due to unforeseen circumstances that I take full responsibility for, my game plan had to change, but I refuse to give up. I have come this far, and by granny I WILL achieve my goal.
My experience working with ESL students has been such a wonderful experience in my life. The students that I have been working with have taught me so much. I can't even put into words what all they have taught me. My mentor teacher has been such a wonderful mentor as well. Because I do not have my own classroom YET, I was graciously allowed to observe and participate in my mentor teachers classroom activities and I am so grateful to her and the school for allowing me to be a part of what they do. Working with ELL's have convinced me that this is what I want to do with my life and at the risk of sounding cliche' I know that I will make a positive difference in someones life. I can't wait.
I created a Wiki page last Spring and continued building the Wiki throughout my courses in the summer. Again I do not have my own classroom so I wasn't able to use my Wiki with the students that I have worked with because the ELLs that I worked with are LEP's grade K-3 and my Wiki was geared toward high school ELL's. I did however show my Wiki to my mentor teacher and she really liked it. She is going to try to create one for her 3rd graders. I use my Wiki all the time to go back to as a reference. Sometimes I look at what I constructed and I am amazed at all the things that I had done. It really has helped me tremendously when I need an idea or need to review certain strategies. I can't wait to use it or one like it in a classroom setting. It was hard to construct the Wiki at first and sometimes there were glitches with the server, but the people at Wiki are very helpful and very quick to respond to any problem you may have.
Some advice that I have for others that intend to add on the ESL endorsement to their license or pursue a M.Ed in C&I with an ESL focus are as follows:
1. Know who your advisor is. This is very important. Make sure you know your advisor because as you progress through your program, you might run into problems or have questions. If you don't communicate with your advisor you will be asking the wrong people the wrong questions and you might have to change your "game plan".
2. Read the resources in your modules. Sometimes you will feel lost, but if you look at the examples or resources provided for you in D2L, you will be able to complete the assignments correctly.
3. Participate in the discussions. I am very guilty of letting one or two discussion assignments pass me by. These are easy grades and if you miss too many of them, you will again have to change your "game plan" in reaching your goal.
4. Be flexible, open minded, patient, and a reflective decision maker. I know I sound like a broken record here but these factors can make or break a teacher no matter what subject they teach.
5. Know your ESL standards for the state of Tennessee. Save the web page to your favorites. Believe it or not, this helps out so much when you are trying to find the standards for lesson plans. Sometimes the standards are hard to locate in a hurry.
6. Explore the Wiki Pages of your classmates. This is a great resource for advice, lesson plans, and ESL websites.
These are only 6 pieces of advise that I am going to list. I have so much more advice to give, but I listed the ones that I feel are most important.
Below is a link to my Wiki if you want to take a gander.
http://hemrickseslwiki.wikispaces.com/
If you have any suggestions or comments for my Wiki, please feel free to leave me a comment either on my Wiki page or on this blog.
Its been a great semester and I can't wait to see what lies ahead.
Thanks for reading,
Georgia Hemrick
MTSU Honor Statement:
This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I
plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated
the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations
of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State
University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.
Signed
Georgia Hemrick Dec 1, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Blog #5 part 1 My Literary Circle Experience SPSE 6712
Hello to all! Long time no blog.
I just wanted to share an experience I recently had with implementing a literary circle with the precious ESL students I have been working with this semester. The students that I have been working with are in grades K -3. I chose to work with second and third graders for this project.
A literary circle is something that I had never heard of and once I read all the resources to help me implement the literary circle, I was ready to dive in wholeheartedly. Once I decided on what book to use, I was on a roll. I chose the book Freckle Juice by Judy bloom. The reason I decided to use this book is because it is one of my favorite books. I remember my 3rd grade teacher reading this book out loud to my class and I loved it. Another reason I chose this book is because this book is about trying to fit in . I also chose this book because I felt my students would love it as much as I did and they would be able to relate to the characters/setting in the book.
My hypotheses was correct! My students loved the book. Of course I wasn't able to read the entire book to them because of time constraints but they laughed, asked questions and they understood what their roles would be when participating in this literary circle. At first they were very unsure and shy about our project, but after I went over the procedures with them, they were very excited about having different roles for this project. The students loved the fact that they had a certain role that they had to follow. It made them feel important. One student said "You mean we get to be like a teacher?", my face hurt from smiling after hearing that.
I chose to read aloud to them because I wanted to show them how this project is going to work. First we did a pre-reading exercise. We discussed how it feels to want to change something about themselves and no matter what, it can't be done. We discussed what a freckle was. Believe it or not, a lot of my students didn't know what one was (in English). After I read the first chapter of the book to them, they were very open to discussing the book. Of course, I had to start the discussion and give them prompts but after just a few nudges, if you will, they took over and started discussing the book with each other. I was amazed.
I think that he Literature Circle Technique is very appropriate for second language learners. I want to try to implement one with LEP's in kindergartners and 1st graders because it will help them develop the skills needed in order to participate in literature circles as they progress through elementary school. Although they wont be able to use journals, graphic organizers etc., as well as the 2nd and third graders, it will prepare them for literary circles in their future. I also think that this is a very appropriate strategy because I have learned by my teaching and learning experiences myself, if you teach something once then you learn something twice. If the ELL's are assigned roles and are responsible for relaying the information to their peers, then they not only are teaching but they are learning as well.
I am not sure of the changes I would make to this project if I were to repeat this because this is my very first literary circle that I have implemented. The things that I would change are things that can't be changed. Things like time needed and the level of technology that is available to the teachers are things that I would love to change but these changes are not possible at this time. I am going to talk to my mentor teacher to see if she would allow me to volunteer to keep visiting her classroom to finish this literature circle just because I enjoyed watching it in progress. I am hoping that there will be some extra time to have fun in class right before the winter break that will allow me to finish what I started. Plus the students want to finish the book together.
Due to the fact that I am a novice at literature circles I do not have many suggestions to other ESL professionals that are considering implementing this strategy. The only advice that I have at this point in my academic journey is to be flexible and to be a reflective decision maker. The teacher must reflect on the rate of success they have in their sessions and change procedures as needed to better fit your needs as well as your students needs. Another piece of advice I would give is to choose appropriate literature and choose appropriate vocabulary words/guiding questions in order for your students to fully understand what is being read to them. I have learned that very simple words that you would expect an ELL to know are sometimes the hardest for ELL to understand.
I really love this strategy. This is not only a great strategy to use to teach but it is also something that is not terribly difficult to implement. Again, I always say practice makes perfect and if the teacher has the right mindset and determination, he or she will find out that the students can learn a lot from each other.
Until I blog again,
Georgia Hemrick
References
Blume, J. (1971). Freckle juice. New York, NY: Four Winds Press.
MTSU Honor Statement:
This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I
plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated
the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations
of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State
University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.
Signed
Georgia Hemrick 12/1/2010
I just wanted to share an experience I recently had with implementing a literary circle with the precious ESL students I have been working with this semester. The students that I have been working with are in grades K -3. I chose to work with second and third graders for this project.
A literary circle is something that I had never heard of and once I read all the resources to help me implement the literary circle, I was ready to dive in wholeheartedly. Once I decided on what book to use, I was on a roll. I chose the book Freckle Juice by Judy bloom. The reason I decided to use this book is because it is one of my favorite books. I remember my 3rd grade teacher reading this book out loud to my class and I loved it. Another reason I chose this book is because this book is about trying to fit in . I also chose this book because I felt my students would love it as much as I did and they would be able to relate to the characters/setting in the book.
My hypotheses was correct! My students loved the book. Of course I wasn't able to read the entire book to them because of time constraints but they laughed, asked questions and they understood what their roles would be when participating in this literary circle. At first they were very unsure and shy about our project, but after I went over the procedures with them, they were very excited about having different roles for this project. The students loved the fact that they had a certain role that they had to follow. It made them feel important. One student said "You mean we get to be like a teacher?", my face hurt from smiling after hearing that.
I chose to read aloud to them because I wanted to show them how this project is going to work. First we did a pre-reading exercise. We discussed how it feels to want to change something about themselves and no matter what, it can't be done. We discussed what a freckle was. Believe it or not, a lot of my students didn't know what one was (in English). After I read the first chapter of the book to them, they were very open to discussing the book. Of course, I had to start the discussion and give them prompts but after just a few nudges, if you will, they took over and started discussing the book with each other. I was amazed.
I think that he Literature Circle Technique is very appropriate for second language learners. I want to try to implement one with LEP's in kindergartners and 1st graders because it will help them develop the skills needed in order to participate in literature circles as they progress through elementary school. Although they wont be able to use journals, graphic organizers etc., as well as the 2nd and third graders, it will prepare them for literary circles in their future. I also think that this is a very appropriate strategy because I have learned by my teaching and learning experiences myself, if you teach something once then you learn something twice. If the ELL's are assigned roles and are responsible for relaying the information to their peers, then they not only are teaching but they are learning as well.
I am not sure of the changes I would make to this project if I were to repeat this because this is my very first literary circle that I have implemented. The things that I would change are things that can't be changed. Things like time needed and the level of technology that is available to the teachers are things that I would love to change but these changes are not possible at this time. I am going to talk to my mentor teacher to see if she would allow me to volunteer to keep visiting her classroom to finish this literature circle just because I enjoyed watching it in progress. I am hoping that there will be some extra time to have fun in class right before the winter break that will allow me to finish what I started. Plus the students want to finish the book together.
Due to the fact that I am a novice at literature circles I do not have many suggestions to other ESL professionals that are considering implementing this strategy. The only advice that I have at this point in my academic journey is to be flexible and to be a reflective decision maker. The teacher must reflect on the rate of success they have in their sessions and change procedures as needed to better fit your needs as well as your students needs. Another piece of advice I would give is to choose appropriate literature and choose appropriate vocabulary words/guiding questions in order for your students to fully understand what is being read to them. I have learned that very simple words that you would expect an ELL to know are sometimes the hardest for ELL to understand.
I really love this strategy. This is not only a great strategy to use to teach but it is also something that is not terribly difficult to implement. Again, I always say practice makes perfect and if the teacher has the right mindset and determination, he or she will find out that the students can learn a lot from each other.
Until I blog again,
Georgia Hemrick
References
Blume, J. (1971). Freckle juice. New York, NY: Four Winds Press.
MTSU Honor Statement:
This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I
plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated
the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations
of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State
University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.
Signed
Georgia Hemrick 12/1/2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Reflective Fieldnote Blog #4 SPSE6712
My overall impressions of this particular observation is astounding. When I decided to pursue an ESL endorsement, I never knew what was in store for me. The student that I observed taught me so much that I would have never thought of had it not been for this observation. I am still in awe and I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity.
I learned so many things as a result of this fieldwork, but I have to say the one thing that I think I learned that is so important is that most of these students are not being assessed properly. This is not something that I blame on common sense and close mindedness on the educators part. Let me make one thing clear, I am not speaking of my mentor teacher. She is the one that mentioned this problem to me. She is very creative and she has taught me so much about assessing these students. She has taught me to be very flexible and how to take risks without being held back by silly inhibitions. In my opinion the more creativity implemented by the educator when it comes to finding different ways to assess her students, the better the student will perform in the classroom and in the real world.
The value in my case study is so incredibly great. I got to know this wonderful eager and caring student. I learned about her family and her likes and dislikes. I learned about her strengths as well as her weaknesses and this taught me how to implement different, creative, and flexible ways to teach ESL students.
I have not been able to schedule a time for the ethnographic narrative as of yet. I am hoping to be able to schedule that with my mentor teacher by 10/29/2010.
I really look forward to interviewing my student again and I am confident that I will grow not only as an educator but as a human being as well.
Until I blog again,
Georgia Hemrick
MTSU Honor Statement:This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have Iplagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violatedthe copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violationsof this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee StateUniversity and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.Signed
Georgia Hemrick 10/27/2010
I learned so many things as a result of this fieldwork, but I have to say the one thing that I think I learned that is so important is that most of these students are not being assessed properly. This is not something that I blame on common sense and close mindedness on the educators part. Let me make one thing clear, I am not speaking of my mentor teacher. She is the one that mentioned this problem to me. She is very creative and she has taught me so much about assessing these students. She has taught me to be very flexible and how to take risks without being held back by silly inhibitions. In my opinion the more creativity implemented by the educator when it comes to finding different ways to assess her students, the better the student will perform in the classroom and in the real world.
The value in my case study is so incredibly great. I got to know this wonderful eager and caring student. I learned about her family and her likes and dislikes. I learned about her strengths as well as her weaknesses and this taught me how to implement different, creative, and flexible ways to teach ESL students.
I have not been able to schedule a time for the ethnographic narrative as of yet. I am hoping to be able to schedule that with my mentor teacher by 10/29/2010.
I really look forward to interviewing my student again and I am confident that I will grow not only as an educator but as a human being as well.
Until I blog again,
Georgia Hemrick
MTSU Honor Statement:This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have Iplagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violatedthe copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violationsof this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee StateUniversity and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.Signed
Georgia Hemrick 10/27/2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Entry 3
BLOG ENTRY THREE: Georgia Hemrick
Section #1 / Thoughts about action research—in general—as a tool to improve practice.
My thoughts about my action research were a rude awakening to me. I never thought that the assessment tools used to place the ELL into the correct level is not accurate. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that all are inaccurate, but the student must know what is being asked of them before they can answer a question. It’s as simple as that. There I did it. I changed the world…and you my fellow bloggers can say that you were there when this happened. (LOL)
It took me forever to figure out a good action research plan for this project. I thought about it for days and then one day, I was at the school and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt so silly for missing something so simple yet so important. The way you assess your students, i.e. the written test, oral test or project, you must learn how to align your test in order to meet the needs of your ESL students when determining LEP.
Section #2 / Ideas generated as a result of your project.
-Determining what teaching and learning methods work best for your students.
-Flexibility in teaching. Be a reflective decision maker. If it doesn’t work, improve it by the results of the assessments given.
-Go over questions by using visuals, games and media, a few days before the assessment to determine if the ELL’s will understand the assessment.
Get to know your kids. How do they respond? Do they understand?
Section #3 / Suggestions to other ESL professionals based on your findings.
Be calm and flexible.
My mentor teacher is absolutely amazing. I asked her how she learned to do such a wonderful job. When I leave the classroom not only does my cheeks hurt from smiling but I am in awe of the flexibility of her lesson plans and how she “tweaks” them to fit the class if the lesson didn’t quite work out as planned.
Learn about your students’ culture. See what they can relate to best? Are they a visual thinker? Learning by doing student?
Make sure the student knows what the questions mean?
-The student that understands the questions on the test, score better.
Be creative
Make learning fun. Don’t be scared to try something new. Make it your own if need me. Lesson plans aren’t set in stone. They can be changed.
With the risk of sounding redundant, my mentor teacher is amazing. She has complete control and they students really enjoy her teaching. She is the boss. I am very lucky to have such a great mentor. I hope to be as effective a teacher as she is.
Until I blog again,
Georgia Hemrick
MTSU Honor Statement:
This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I
plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated
the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations
of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State
University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.
Signed
Georgia Hemrick 10/13/2010
Section #1 / Thoughts about action research—in general—as a tool to improve practice.
My thoughts about my action research were a rude awakening to me. I never thought that the assessment tools used to place the ELL into the correct level is not accurate. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that all are inaccurate, but the student must know what is being asked of them before they can answer a question. It’s as simple as that. There I did it. I changed the world…and you my fellow bloggers can say that you were there when this happened. (LOL)
It took me forever to figure out a good action research plan for this project. I thought about it for days and then one day, I was at the school and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt so silly for missing something so simple yet so important. The way you assess your students, i.e. the written test, oral test or project, you must learn how to align your test in order to meet the needs of your ESL students when determining LEP.
Section #2 / Ideas generated as a result of your project.
-Determining what teaching and learning methods work best for your students.
-Flexibility in teaching. Be a reflective decision maker. If it doesn’t work, improve it by the results of the assessments given.
-Go over questions by using visuals, games and media, a few days before the assessment to determine if the ELL’s will understand the assessment.
Get to know your kids. How do they respond? Do they understand?
Section #3 / Suggestions to other ESL professionals based on your findings.
Be calm and flexible.
My mentor teacher is absolutely amazing. I asked her how she learned to do such a wonderful job. When I leave the classroom not only does my cheeks hurt from smiling but I am in awe of the flexibility of her lesson plans and how she “tweaks” them to fit the class if the lesson didn’t quite work out as planned.
Learn about your students’ culture. See what they can relate to best? Are they a visual thinker? Learning by doing student?
Make sure the student knows what the questions mean?
-The student that understands the questions on the test, score better.
Be creative
Make learning fun. Don’t be scared to try something new. Make it your own if need me. Lesson plans aren’t set in stone. They can be changed.
With the risk of sounding redundant, my mentor teacher is amazing. She has complete control and they students really enjoy her teaching. She is the boss. I am very lucky to have such a great mentor. I hope to be as effective a teacher as she is.
Until I blog again,
Georgia Hemrick
MTSU Honor Statement:
This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I
plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated
the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations
of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State
University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.
Signed
Georgia Hemrick 10/13/2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Life Changing Experience/Blog entry 1
Hello fellow bloggers. I have had a recent life changing experience with my fieldwork for SPSE 6712 and I really would like to share it with you.
The school that I am conducting my fieldwork in is Smyrna Elementary. This school is a Title I school and it has a ESL population of 28% . That is a very large percentage of ESL students. This school also has 4 permanent ESL teachers that have their own classroom. That is something that I find very encouraging.
The other day I had the wonderful opportunity of observing a lesson taught by my mentor. First of all let me say, she is the most amazing teacher I have seen in action.
The purpose of the lesson I observed was to teach kindergartners different colors and animals.
This was the most precious thing I have ever seen. The students loved it and were extremely proud of themselves.
The lesson was structured in a way that involved the students both visual, hands on, and reading.
Each child received a picture of different colored animals. A purple horse, a goldfish, a yellow duck, etc.
The teacher then introduced the lesson and told the students what she expected them to learn by reading the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?". The teacher told the students that when they hear their picture being read, for instance when the Brown Bear answers "I see a red bird looking at me." The child with the red bird had to hold up the picture of the red bird and take it to the white board and post it so everyone could see.
The second language learners loved this. They loved it when their color and animal was called and they loved that they got it right. They really liked it when they got to go to the white board and post it onto the board so everyone could see that they got it right. By the time it was over, my face was sore from smiling so much.
I observed that this classroom has a very close knit community.I witnessed that one child wasn't paying attention, and then I saw another child tap her on the shoulder to make sure she was paying attention. There was a lot of support from the students for one another. This is definitely something they learned from their teacher. These students have come from very hard living situations and although they were kindergartners, it was though they knew that their education is very important because they wouldn't have the opportunity for a quality education in their home country.
To be become a member of this classroom you have to communicate with the teacher and students. Most of the students have little or no social skills, therefore in order to improve their social skills the teacher forces them to make eye contact with her and she greets every one of them as they enter the classroom and they must greet her back. This is something I never would have thought of had I not witnessed it. I noticed that a lot of the females constantly looked down. They weren't unhappy, they just don't have the skills yet to make eye contact and say "good morning", but the teacher makes it a point that everyone greet her and make eye contact.
Another requirement needed to become a member of this classroom is student participation. There were some shy students, but with the lesson that the teacher taught required everyone to participate hands on and then post their work on the board. The students also have to be eager to read, even if they cant read the words, after the teacher greets the students they automatically go to the bookshelf and get a book. They sit on the carpet quietly and read until the teacher gives them the countdown from 10 to put their book out to start the lesson. I was fascinated watching this because the children who I knew couldn't read, really showed signs that they wanted to so badly. They loved looking at the pictures and the words in the books.
If an observer were to walk in the classroom at any given time, they would see student participation, and eagerness to learn. They would also see a teacher that has total control over the classroom and is very relaxed, calm and focused. I guess I am in awe because I am used to working with high school students and they are a completely different animal.
The evidence of acceptance and welcome a second language language learner would see when first entering the room is all the positive and good work from students posted around the room. Many colors, pictures of different children from every culture that can be thought of, books, books, and more books. Most importantly however they would see the caring, dedication and smile of their new teacher.
This experience really gave me kick in the pants that I so desperately needed. I cannot wait to go back.
Well, this is Georgia Hemrick signing off.
Until I blog again,
Ga
The school that I am conducting my fieldwork in is Smyrna Elementary. This school is a Title I school and it has a ESL population of 28% . That is a very large percentage of ESL students. This school also has 4 permanent ESL teachers that have their own classroom. That is something that I find very encouraging.
The other day I had the wonderful opportunity of observing a lesson taught by my mentor. First of all let me say, she is the most amazing teacher I have seen in action.
The purpose of the lesson I observed was to teach kindergartners different colors and animals.
This was the most precious thing I have ever seen. The students loved it and were extremely proud of themselves.
The lesson was structured in a way that involved the students both visual, hands on, and reading.
Each child received a picture of different colored animals. A purple horse, a goldfish, a yellow duck, etc.
The teacher then introduced the lesson and told the students what she expected them to learn by reading the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?". The teacher told the students that when they hear their picture being read, for instance when the Brown Bear answers "I see a red bird looking at me." The child with the red bird had to hold up the picture of the red bird and take it to the white board and post it so everyone could see.
The second language learners loved this. They loved it when their color and animal was called and they loved that they got it right. They really liked it when they got to go to the white board and post it onto the board so everyone could see that they got it right. By the time it was over, my face was sore from smiling so much.
I observed that this classroom has a very close knit community.I witnessed that one child wasn't paying attention, and then I saw another child tap her on the shoulder to make sure she was paying attention. There was a lot of support from the students for one another. This is definitely something they learned from their teacher. These students have come from very hard living situations and although they were kindergartners, it was though they knew that their education is very important because they wouldn't have the opportunity for a quality education in their home country.
To be become a member of this classroom you have to communicate with the teacher and students. Most of the students have little or no social skills, therefore in order to improve their social skills the teacher forces them to make eye contact with her and she greets every one of them as they enter the classroom and they must greet her back. This is something I never would have thought of had I not witnessed it. I noticed that a lot of the females constantly looked down. They weren't unhappy, they just don't have the skills yet to make eye contact and say "good morning", but the teacher makes it a point that everyone greet her and make eye contact.
Another requirement needed to become a member of this classroom is student participation. There were some shy students, but with the lesson that the teacher taught required everyone to participate hands on and then post their work on the board. The students also have to be eager to read, even if they cant read the words, after the teacher greets the students they automatically go to the bookshelf and get a book. They sit on the carpet quietly and read until the teacher gives them the countdown from 10 to put their book out to start the lesson. I was fascinated watching this because the children who I knew couldn't read, really showed signs that they wanted to so badly. They loved looking at the pictures and the words in the books.
If an observer were to walk in the classroom at any given time, they would see student participation, and eagerness to learn. They would also see a teacher that has total control over the classroom and is very relaxed, calm and focused. I guess I am in awe because I am used to working with high school students and they are a completely different animal.
The evidence of acceptance and welcome a second language language learner would see when first entering the room is all the positive and good work from students posted around the room. Many colors, pictures of different children from every culture that can be thought of, books, books, and more books. Most importantly however they would see the caring, dedication and smile of their new teacher.
This experience really gave me kick in the pants that I so desperately needed. I cannot wait to go back.
Well, this is Georgia Hemrick signing off.
Until I blog again,
Ga
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
SPSE 6712
Hello to all again!
It's me Georgia Hemrick. New semester, and one step closer to reaching my goal.
I look forward to reading your blogs and posting my experiences for my fieldwork.
Hope everyone had a great break.
As always, until I blog again.
Georgia
It's me Georgia Hemrick. New semester, and one step closer to reaching my goal.
I look forward to reading your blogs and posting my experiences for my fieldwork.
Hope everyone had a great break.
As always, until I blog again.
Georgia
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Reflection on My YOED 6020 Experience
Hello to all!
This is my final blog for a while, and I just wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on YOED 6020.
There were a lot of things covered in this class that were very useful and enjoyable complete.
The newcomer brochure was a wonderful thing for me to discover. I think that using a brochure in your ESL classroom will help promote literacy at home as well as the classroom. Your students parents will want to know what is going on in your class and by you letting them know on a regular schedule you begin to build a trust with not only your students but also their parents and the brochure is a wonderful way to do that.
Click on this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aVbJhg23Ao
Just take a minute to watch. It's precious.
"Getting to Know You" from Rogers and Hammersteins "The King and I"
The CLOZE procedure and the Choral reading tools were tools that I have used in the past in a different content but I was able to "tweak"it in order to make it an ESL learning device.
I had never thought of evaluating materials for ESL students and I was able to find new ways to promote reading comprehension with literature that I had found using the Reading Prompt and the Anticipatory guide.
When I get my own classroom, which couldn't come soon enough, I think that the anticipatory guides will be a great asset to my classroom. I also think my choosing literature that your students can relate to will really increase reading comprehension. I will also implement lots of readers theatre and role play exercises.
For graduate students or teachers that are exploring the idea of obtaining a certification in teaching ESL, there are a few things I think you should know.
-First- remember to encourage second language learning and not just content.
-Second-Be flexible and take risks.
-Third- Don't give up, especially the Maymester folks. Once you complete the Maymester you will feel like a superhero.
-Fourth- Get to know your students. This will not only help you assess their language proficiency but it will also build trust thus making your student comfortable and not afraid to be in your classroom.
Fifth- Be a reflective decision maker. If a certain lesson or strategy doesn't work for your class, change it. It's nothing set in stone.
This class has taught me a lot. I have learned to implement lesson plans or exercises that are fun and effective. I know now how to find books that are appropriate for grade level and language proficiency level. I know how to create a writing prompt which helps the student open up about their lives at home and their experiences in their country. The CLOZE procedure I will definitely use but I will omit words that have a theme or pattern.
So far, YOED 6020 has been my favorite class. I have to admit there have been other classes that I have felt totally lost in, but since taking this class, it feels everything has fallen into place.
I cannot wait to land my ESL teaching job, and I know that I will have a crucial impact on students and their successes. It sounds to most like a large burden to carry but I feel like it is a large privilege to carry.
Blogfully yours,
Georgia
This is my final blog for a while, and I just wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on YOED 6020.
There were a lot of things covered in this class that were very useful and enjoyable complete.
The newcomer brochure was a wonderful thing for me to discover. I think that using a brochure in your ESL classroom will help promote literacy at home as well as the classroom. Your students parents will want to know what is going on in your class and by you letting them know on a regular schedule you begin to build a trust with not only your students but also their parents and the brochure is a wonderful way to do that.
Click on this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aVbJhg23Ao
Just take a minute to watch. It's precious.
"Getting to Know You" from Rogers and Hammersteins "The King and I"
The CLOZE procedure and the Choral reading tools were tools that I have used in the past in a different content but I was able to "tweak"it in order to make it an ESL learning device.
I had never thought of evaluating materials for ESL students and I was able to find new ways to promote reading comprehension with literature that I had found using the Reading Prompt and the Anticipatory guide.
When I get my own classroom, which couldn't come soon enough, I think that the anticipatory guides will be a great asset to my classroom. I also think my choosing literature that your students can relate to will really increase reading comprehension. I will also implement lots of readers theatre and role play exercises.
For graduate students or teachers that are exploring the idea of obtaining a certification in teaching ESL, there are a few things I think you should know.
-First- remember to encourage second language learning and not just content.
-Second-Be flexible and take risks.
-Third- Don't give up, especially the Maymester folks. Once you complete the Maymester you will feel like a superhero.
-Fourth- Get to know your students. This will not only help you assess their language proficiency but it will also build trust thus making your student comfortable and not afraid to be in your classroom.
Fifth- Be a reflective decision maker. If a certain lesson or strategy doesn't work for your class, change it. It's nothing set in stone.
This class has taught me a lot. I have learned to implement lesson plans or exercises that are fun and effective. I know now how to find books that are appropriate for grade level and language proficiency level. I know how to create a writing prompt which helps the student open up about their lives at home and their experiences in their country. The CLOZE procedure I will definitely use but I will omit words that have a theme or pattern.
So far, YOED 6020 has been my favorite class. I have to admit there have been other classes that I have felt totally lost in, but since taking this class, it feels everything has fallen into place.
I cannot wait to land my ESL teaching job, and I know that I will have a crucial impact on students and their successes. It sounds to most like a large burden to carry but I feel like it is a large privilege to carry.
Blogfully yours,
Georgia
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