Blog Entry #5 - Part Deux - My Personal Reflection of my Journey as an ESL Professional

This blog is my personal reflection on my coursework as an M.Ed. student at MTSU with my studies in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on ESL. I began my coursework in the Summer of 2009 and will finish (if all goes as planned) in May of 2011.

Coursework - the coursework for the M.Ed. C & I in ESL at MTSU is a demanding set of classes, but when one applies oneself it is all worth it. At first, I was very annoyed that I had to, in my mind, re-take many classes that I took while completing my BA, as my BA is in Foreign Language instruction. My feeling was that I already had the basics for teaching a foreign language - as an ESL teacher English is a foreign language to my students, but as I began my coursework I realized that this coursework was designed specifically for practicing teachers. The professors in my department designed lessons and modules that were specifically related to teaching and to teaching ESL.

I have used every assignment that I completed during my coursework in some shape or form in my classroom. I believe this is what sets this program apart from many professional development and continuing education programs, this program is not one that is completed and never used in the classroom, it is one that requires constant reflection on current practice and implementation in the classroom. That made all the difference to me.

I was even asked by my principal to present some of my coursework as a professional development seminar for our teachers. That really shows how this program is based in the classrooms and current practices of our teachers.

Process of Obtaining Licensure - the Department of Education has very high standards for obtaining a license in the state of Tennessee, which is a very good thing! During my coursework in my Foundations of Education class we were required to research how to obtain our license, and how to renew and keep our licenses current. This was EXTREMELY helpful, and a part of teacher education that is normally lacking, during my BA we just had to figure it out. But, again MTSU excels in this realm and requires students to already know what they need to do and how to do it. I have not began to prepare for my Praxis II exam (I will begin in the Spring semester), but I know with the coursework it will not be an issue. The Department of Educational Leadership is also very helpful getting students the information needed to obtain a license and with the process. A busy student and professional couldn't ask for anything better!

Experiences Working with ESL Students - This part of the coursework was what makes it all worth it! The work that an education professional does with students is really what makes teaching so rewarding. I really tried to include my students in my M.Ed. experience. The students were so happy that I was also in school and working hard. I made it a point to share all of my research with them and present the results of my Action Research with them. This resulted in a deeper understanding for the students of what I was really doing with them and why and also a deeper understanding of what really makes them tick. I really enjoyed assignments that made me work one-on-one with students as I got to know them better and they seemed to really appreciate the attention. I also really enjoyed the assignment that required me to go out into the community surrounding my school and getting to know the families that live there. I know that the parents of my students and the students themselves really enjoyed showing me their lives and also really enjoyed seeing the teacher present in their community.

Application of my Wiki and related materials designed as part of specific classes

As I said above, there really weren't any assignments that I didn't use in my classroom. I really enjoyed that aspect of the entire program. After developing the Wiki I found myself using it as professional development in my school with other teachers, and also found myself referring back to it for different classes.

The practicality of the M.Ed. program is endless. I have used my Action Research projects to help with teacher evaluations, my Wiki in the classroom with students, curriculum development with the staff at my school. Being a part of this M.Ed. program allowed me to become a leader at my school as an ESL teacher and has given me the confidence I need to reach out to help more of my students and the staff of my district.

Advice for fellow teachers - The only advice I have for teachers who wish to pursue the M.Ed. and / or add on license is DO IT!! If a teacher likes to work with ESL students and has the dream to pursue higher education now is the time. The ESL students of the Mid-South need our help and professionalism. The program is very manageable and applicable to any current teaching situation.

MTSU Honor Statement:This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I, Jennifer Lassen, 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.

Jennifer Lassen

11-28-10

Entry #5 - Literature Circles

A reflection on implementing Literature Cirlces in the ESL Classroom with the Book Buddies

What are your overall impressions of implementation?

I found that students were very receptive to the idea of Literature Circles. The students enjoyed being able to talk about the literature in a small group environment. Students were excited to explore the literature in the pre-reading exercise and made some very interesting predictions for what the book would be about. Students were also able to think very imaginatively about the book and pictures from the book. It was a very interesting experience.

How did the students react to the literature?

The students reacted very well to the literature. They enjoyed the idea of reading a story about time travel and impressions that people of the past had of the future. They were very open to reading together and quietly talked to each other as they worked together.

How did the students react to discussing the selected texts?

Students were very open to discussion of the text. Students are very accostomed to discussing text in my classroom, so the usual suspects jumped right in. I like literature circles because it gives students who would not be comfortable about talking with the class are comfortable with talking in the group setting.

How appropriate is the Literature Circle Technique for second language learners?

I think Literature Circles are a VERY good technique for second language learners, especially those who have an intermediate to advanced understanding of the language. Students need the time to discuss literature with their peers, and share their understanding and impressions of what they are reading in a safe and open environment. I believe students enjoy having the freedom to talk with their peers and share within their groups.

I have had trouble implementing literature cirlces with beginning students because to me it seems that students have a hard time understanding the concept and do not wish to share their thoughts as some of them are still in the silent or emergent speaking period and not ready to work in that format.

What changes would you make if you were to repeat this lesson?

My students had a really hard time with the during reading marking interesting passages or unfamiliar vocabulary. I had some students write random page numbers in the during reading section of the literature cirlce worksheet. I believe, with ELL students, they are using a higher level of concentration while reading, if they are to stop reading to mark down words they don't understand, or interesting passages they usually lose their place. I next time I will give students a set of sentences to look for that have a specific meaning to the text. I will only have them listen for the words or sentences and mark after reading if they noticed hearing and reading them. I found my students do not like interruption to their reading time.

What suggestions do you have for other ESL professionals considering implementing literature circles?

I would suggest to DO IT!! Literature circles are very common and the students really enjoy the independence and group work aspect of the literature circles. I really like to see students reading and talking together in a productive manner, and when the scene is set, they will really enjoy the experience and use it in a positive way.

Entry #4 - Reflective Fieldnote Blog

For this blog I will reflect on the observations that I completed about a selected student in my class.

What are your overall impressions of this observation?

The reason why I chose this student to observe and speak with was to get to know her better. She came to school later in the year, and has fit in very well, she does not have any discipline problems and has good grades, so she tends to be overlooked by her teachers. It was very interesting to learn about her. I was so pleased to get to know her.

Overall this observation was very good and important to get to know a student who may be overlooked. I also found that taking the time to really talk with and watch one particular student really gives the teacher some insight on what the student really needs from us as educators. If I had the time I would do observations and interviews of all of my students in the beginning to get to know them all better.

What did you learn as a result of the fieldwork?

As a result of this fieldwork I learned a lot. I learned so much about this student's life (without getting too personal here) and her struggles. When meeting this young lady, one would never assume how tumultuous her life has been. She has been in 5 schools in 2 countries in her 8 years as a student. I also learned what a positive influence she has on her peers, she is a very straight-laced young person, and encourages her friends to attend classes when they want to skip, and she also takes the initiative to help friends who are experimenting with drugs and alcohol. I was very lucky to share some time with her.

I also learned how valuable interviews and observations can be for educators. I learned how students really do want to talk about themselves and express how they feel to their teachers. Our students deserve to have us help them and listen to them. As an educator I will continue interviews and observations after this fieldwork has been completed.

What is the value in case study research and analysis in terms of classroom practice?

Classroom practice can be greatly improved when teachers take the time to really get to know their students. As a teacher it is very important to take the time to reflect on practice - what observations does is forces the teacher to look at what the students are really doing and talking to them about their lives. Doing this type of research and analysis gives the teacher the ability and time to reflect on how students are reacting to their instruction and really understand what the student's lives are like. It is hard to remember what it is like to be 13 years old, and doing this will really give students a voice in the classroom.

What is the value of the ethnographic narrative?

I really feel that the greatest value in ethnographic narrative is reflection. Their is usually so little time for educators to reflect on their teaching and their students, this causes one to slow down, step back and think. There are a lot of books that talk about reflective practice and tell teachers to reflect, but the ethnographic narrative actually MAKES a teacher reflect. This places the teacher in a place where they can take the time with a student and their practice.

How will this information assist future teachers (next year’s teachers) as well as yourself in
meeting the needs of this particular second language learner?

I believe the future teachers of this student will be able to understand the stress that this young girl has. Reading the case study and narrative will cause the teacher to immediately want to get to know her better, and want to help her with her life.

This information will also help the teacher understand the practices and instruction that really benefit her, and how she can benefit the class. This young woman has a lot to give, but I didn't even really realize it until I took the time to get to know her and talked to her. It would be really nice to receive these types of case studies and narratives about all students before they enter our classrooms.

MTSU Honor Statement: This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I, Jennifer Lassen, 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.

Jennifer Lassen

10-26-10

Reflective Fieldnote Blog Entry #3 - Action Research

Section #1 / Thoughts about action research—in general—as a tool to improve practice.

I really like action research and now that I have 3 projects under my belt I feel as if it is something that I can actually do in my classroom on a regular basis to actually improve practice.
We recently received our observation requirements for tenure and looking at something called the Educator Information Record it is not daunting because I can conduct action research easily to provide for this record required for my observations.
I also really liked completing the action research project that we were required to do for this class because I can actually see myself doing this in the future with other issues that I am struggling with. I know in the future I will struggle with a classroom practice or objective or how I am covering something and I can see myself using action research to decide where I need to change or improve my instructional practices.

Section #2 / Ideas generated as a result of your project.

I researched whether or not cooperative group work actually improved student grades and retention. It did, so now I have set a goal for myself to make sure I use some sort of cooperative grouping with every topic I cover. I tend to value independent work because I want students to be working independently and completing tasks in a timely manner. But, after doing this research I really want my students to work in more groups because it does help with retention and it really helps build comminity in the classroom, as well as help students with their ability to communicate and form work relationships.

Section #3 / Suggestions to other ESL professionals based on your findings.

I would like to suggest to other ESL professionals that they should try and find another teacher in their building who would be willing to work with them and their students in a larger cooperative grouping community. The students did really enjoy working with students and a teacher that they did not normally get to work with. And it really helps cement the idea of a learning community in the school.

I would also suggest to other ESL professionals that they should make sure to use cooperative groups with their students to aide in retention. Students work well in groups when they understand their expectations and have the freedom to explore the relationships they may have with group members. If anything cooperative groups are good for students because they are forced to use the target language, thus they are learning.

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 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 (submitting this statement to Teaching Faculty with student's name typedbelow constitutes signing):
Jennifer Lassen - 10-12-2010

Blog Entry #2 - Observation and Problem Identification

Observations and Problem Identification

Teaching Issues

What identified problems related to teaching, lesson delivery, materials, and related strategies are present?

There are many problems that could be identified but two really stuck out in my mind were - student interactions and meaningfulness of cross-grade level cooperative group lessons, and how to make students better brainstormers and writers, as the TCAP writing assessment is facing my students this Spring. I want to specifically see if the strategies I am using are working, or if they need to be re-worked.

What problems or issues relating to teaching - in general - did you observe?

I really noticed during my observations that students had a hard time getting on task. They were either overly obsessed with completing word searches that are given to them as a settling down activity, argued over small points on the project, or really could not get started. Students had a very hard time finding a place to start on their work as a group.

What concerns emerged with regard to grouping, interactions, etc.?

Students seemed to be grouped well and were generally interacting with each other in mostly on-task manners. The major concerns for me were how to possibly make groups a little smaller. What is a good group size? And what to do with students who have such a difficult time working with a group that they cannot function in any group that they are given? Where do these students go? What is an appropriate place to put them? Should they work alone? I'm still struggling with that issue.

Second Language Acquisition

What did you observe that worked well in promoting second language acquisition?

Students, once they were able to get on task, were communicating only in the target language and were really working on task. The largest thing that worked well was the activity in it's entirety. The students listened to the teacher present the activity they would do as an interactive read-aloud and were given their task. The students did actually begin the task and were able to complete the entire task in their target language.

What types of interactions took place that encouraged second language acquisition?

The students were asked to create a story diagram of a book they had previously read in a cross-grade level group as a poster. The students were all able to get their story maps on the beginnings of the maps on the poster paper while using the target language. The largest component is that the students were able to do this because they were intentionally grouped with students who do not share a mutual language as much as possible.

What materials were best suited for the specific second language learners in this setting?

The materials were particularly well suited for the students because they used modernized graphic novels of fairy tales. These materials were so well receive by the students because they are illustrated in very modern and intriguing ways, and are not text heavy, which allows the students to create and question their understand of the story through looking at the text and group discussion which must be done because they have to agree on how they mapped their stories.

Ethnographic Perspective

What information do you need (as an ESL professional) to better meet the needs of the second language learners in this environment?

The information that would be most useful would be to better understand the backgrounds of the students. It is very important to know how the students will interact in a group. Teachers must have a background on the students to know what they are best suited for and the interactions that may be anticipated from them. When students are newly arrived in the USA it is very important that teachers make sure to group students with other students that they will not be sensitive to.

How was culture integrated into teaching and learning?

For this lesson the teachers had observed in the past that the students did not have required background knowledge required to enter into American culture in the area of fairy and folk tales, as this knowledge is sometimes used in general American vernacular, and is possible tested on standardized testing. The fairy tales were tales that most American students would know, but that foreign students were unaware of. The idea of integrating American culture in the lesson was deliberate. The teachers want students to know and be familiar with common fairy tales.

What issues or concerns related to culture, multiple perspectives and linguistic diversity emerged?

The largest issue was showing students how the knowledge of these tales would impact their learning and further integration into the general population. This issue will have to be addressed between the teacher and mentee to see how it can be further addressed. I believe a look at the language used and the ideals posed by the fairy tales will be the next lesson, once students have finished their posters and show they have a good understanding of the story.

MTSU Honor Statement:
This assessment/assignment was written solely 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.

9-22-10

Jennifer Lassen

Blog Entry #1 - Classroom Observation

The following entry is a reflection of a classroom observation on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 during a meeting of the "Book Buddies", a group of my ELD III/IV students that meets with a 5th and 6th grade ELD III/IV class for cross-level reading time.

Focus Areas and Reflective Questions

Teaching

What was the purpose of the lesson?

This lesson was designed as a review of Story Elements and Plot, and an entry into Fairy Tales.

How was the lesson structured - methodology, appropriateness, materials for second language learners, adaptations?

This lesson was structured with ELD III and IV students in mind. This lesson was a focused comprehensive literacy lesson. Students listened to a Read-Aloud of a short fairy tale, and reviewed the story elements as a class. Students were then given graphic novels of fairy tales - these are very appropriate for ELD students because of the visual representations of the story, and the shortened text. This lesson was adapted to a group setting. The students were grouped according to reading level by the teachers beforehand, and given colored papers to find their puzzle partners. Students were grouped with students of higher and lower reading levels than their own to allow for them to help, and to be helped.

How did the second language learners react and interact?

The students all reacted by initially being a bit apprehensive of their new groups, as they did not know some of the students they were grouped with. Once students began to participate in the Read-Aloud the groups began to talk and become more comfortable with each other. As the teacher talk lessened, the student talk began. Most groups were able to read and begin to answer their questions, some did have marked dislike or distrust of each other, and will have to be changed.

Community

What evidence of "community" in terms of the second language learner did you observe?

Students from separate classes began the grouping by only speaking with each other, but as the learners realized that they had to work together to accomplish their task, they began to speak with each other. Students generally interacted in English, but if they were grouped with students who spoke a mutual language they did use that language on occasion. Community was formed as the students began to read together and complete their assignments.

What is required to become a member of this classroom or learning environment - consider language, literacy, content instruction, materials?

To become a member of the learning environment students must have a higher level of functioning English ability. Students generally do not have much patience with students who were not as able to complete the assignments with accuracy. Students generally were all Spanish-speaking and would use Spanish occasionally to joke with each other.

Ethnographic Perspective

What events occurred during your observation - formal interactions and informal interactions?

Students and the teachers worked to focus each other. The teachers were busy using formal interactions instructing the students on how to begin reading and assign group roles. The students once the initial interactions had been completed got busy talking and working together. Students were quoted as saying "Come on dude, just read it." "Hey, that's not fair you have to read, too." Students wanted to complete the assignment, but were still unsure how to interact with each other.

What can an observer see if he/she entered the classroom at this particular time?

An observer would see a large group of around 40 children mostly on-task.

10:05-10:10 classes enter and find their seats and new groups, some not too happy about their groupings others excited to see each other

10:10-10:30 teacher Read-aloud, students interacted with the book and the teacher, answering questions posed by the teacher about story elements relating to the book

10:30-10:35 teachers explain the assignment and hand out materials

10:35-10:55 students work on reading their books and assignments as a group

10:55-11:00 clean up and saying good-byes, younger students line up and leave first

What evidence of "acceptance and welcome" would a second language learner see?

Second language learners would see a large group of students who are all second language learners working together. Students would immediately notice the relaxed nature of the groupings, and how the students interact with each other. Students worked well together, for the most part.

Who is Jen?

You all may ask "Who is Jen?" Well... Jen is a teacher of Spanish and ELD who is currently studying to get her M.Ed. She is happily married to a wonderful man. She is currently training for a half marathon, loves to cook, and read (which will be mostly school stuff for the next 9 months).

I hope you will enjoy reading my blog. It will cover my fieldnotes as I observe and interact with English Language Learning students at my school.

"See" you soon - JEN