Reflection of Week 15 classtime

One of our last class periods was a good one. We started the class talking about what did over Thanksgiving weekend. It was interesting to hear what some of the international students did because some of them have never experienced Thanksgiving before.

Joanne then presented her section on assessment and rubrics. I thought she did a nice job of taking some very explicit and extensive explanations and putting them into nice and simple terms. We then had to make a rubric which I found to be quite challenging. Honestly, I highly dislike rubrics but I know that they are so important and I have appreciated them as a student for many years.

We then got into groups and talked about the TOEFL test. I liked hearing what Mariya and Veronika had to say on the subject. I have not hear d much information on the test and what it entails but to me it sounds like a very painstaking and tedious process.

We then went to the G.L.L. and listened to Rachel's presentation about assessments and the different kinds that can be utilized. I found that to be interesting because there are certain assessments that are better than others (depending on the context).

Lastly, we got into groups and peer reviewed each others' portfolios and annotated bibliographies. I still think that the APA style formatting is something to be desired. That is to say that I do not have the format memorized as of late.

I am so excited that the end of the semester is near but I am a little apprehensive about what will come next semester.

Week ? Readings

The end of the semester is in sight and I can tell from how frazzled my brain has become. I read the readings for yesterday but completely forgot to blog about them. Chapter 23 in the H.D.B. book covered assessment and how to define a good assessment AND test. One would think that these two definitions are one in the same but HDB began the chapter with clearly defining the differences in each. An assessment is something that can be an ongoing process such as a formative assessment and it can also be something such as a final letter grade which would be called a summative. HDB gives principles in which a good assessment or test should exemplify:

• Practicality
• Reliability
• Validity
• Authenticity
• Washback

I was not familiar with the term Washback but I find that I have encountered its benefits in the classroom before. Washback can be defined as simply feedback that a teacher gives to her students after an assignment or test is graded. I like what HDB said about the importance of washback and how trivial a letter or score grade can seem when compared to the profound benefits of washback.

Overall I am glad that this Chapter was one of our last as I see the advantages of knowing this material in my future endeavors as a student and as a teacher.

Week 14 Class Reflection

This weeks class session was very interesting. Kizuna, Bekir, and Veronika gave their presentation about group work in the class room. The advantages and disadvantages were represented while by the presenters. They had us get into groups and defend or attack the concept of group activity in the class room. I was on the team that was suppose to attack it with myths that were presented in the book. I can see the few drawbacks that group activity can possess but I believe the advantages of group work greatly out weight the disadvantages. I think the presenters did a very nice job of exemplifying how group work can be used in the class room. We then found our own study buddies thought the use of a questionnaire which I thought was great. I came to realize how I study best as a student and I think that information will help me in the future as both a student and a teacher.

Next we did a free write activity. I love free writing and I always have which would explain why I had written so much about the subject of learning styles. We then got into groups to talk about what we had written. I found it interesting what Aaron and Jodi had to say about their learning styles and how it would affect their teaching. I was somewhat surprised at how much my learning style could affect my future teaching endeavours.

Lastly, we did the last segment of peer reviews and that was a great relief to me. I think our group has made a great project that is supported well by the 6 genres.

Journal #5

On Friday I met with Adib and Aaron to work on our FINAL genre. YAY!! We decided to create an activity that can be used with pronunciation and creative writing. I am so satisfied by the last 2 genres that we created because I think they exemplify the point that we were trying to get at about creative writing in the ESL classroom.

I enjoy creative writing which creates a bias towards it on my part. I hope that our group was able to defend and support the advantages of creative writing and poetry with second language acquisition.

As I look back on our genres I think we made some that appealed to many different people involved in the field of ESL. The genres not only target students of ESL/EFL but also the teachers that educate those students.

There are just a few things left in the multi-genre project process: reflections, journals, peer reviews, and modifications.

Week 14 Readings

Holy Cow Batman! I wish I had read Chapter 14 in the H.D.B. book before I gave my two presentations. I noticed a whole slew of mistakes that I could have avoided with this chapter on group work.

Oh well. No harm, no foul. ( I do not have a clue what that means) Anyway, the chapter pointed out the advantages of group work in a language classroom as well as some myths that were dismissed. As a student I think that group work is wonderful. I enjoy working with my fellow students and many times (especially in graduate school) I find that I learn as profound amount of information from them.

When I was studying Spanish, I often breathed a huge sigh of relief when we were able to cluster into groups. I did not feel as threatened as I did when we would have whole class discussions. Also, I was not afraid to ask questions of my group because I knew they were all learning the same things that I was.

I found the myth section quite interesting because I did not realize that adult learners may dislike working in groups. I am glad that point was brought up in the book because I have interest in teaching adult learners.

The part in the book that was most beneficial and informative was the small section that differentiated between pair and group work. I know the literal difference between the two but I did not realize that there are some activities that suit pair work as opposed to group work and vice versa. It makes sense to me now that short and simple activities are work best with pairs.

The other reading assignment was slightly harder to get through, but, nevertheless interesting. (I think I just comma spliced) Anyway, I thought the idea of biorhythms is something that I had implicit knowledge of but I did not know there was a term to describe such a thing.

I also learned what kind of personality type I have and how that affects my learning. I think I am an extroverted, intuitive-random, feeling, and perceiving learner. Wow, say that 5 times fast.

I think this Chapter brought to my attention many factors in learning that I had not thought about. I never thought that a student's biorhythms could affect their learning experience. Also, the chapter stated that there are some students that learn well with coffee or water in hand and some get distracted. I had never thought of these factors when considering students' learning styles.

Reflection of Week 13

Today in class we talked about my 'experience' in the library. I am so happy that the class had the same reaction that I did. To move on from that subject, Adib gave his presentation. The topic that he focused on was on Content Based Instruction and the ways in which it can be integrated into the class. He used Genre #6 from our Mutli-Genre Project to illustrate his point further.

We then went to the G.L.L. and talked about the A.P.A. format. I am so relieved that we went over it because I think the A.P.A. format will forever be a web and maze of confusing twists, turns and never ending exceptions to rules!!! I have always found that A.P.A. was confusing but I want to cite my sources correctly. In fact, I think I have a very overwhelming fear of accidentally plagiarizing some author or professor out there.

We then read a short story about a teacher and his frustrations with his student. I thought it was an interesting story to say the least. We then got into groups of 3 and discussed and recorded what we could do with the short story for activities. I am personally very proud of my group because we came up with many activities and many of them are quite "creative". See list below:


1. Create an alternate ending.
2. Act out the story
3. Paraphrase the story
4. Rewrite the story as a poem
5. Write an essay called "MY happiest day"
6. Write a story from the girl's point of view
7. Write the story from the point of view of the other teachers
8. They could give advice to the teacher
9. They could fix the mistakes of the teacher
10. They could fix the mistakes the girl made in the essays
11. Write about what they would have done if they were in the teacher's place
12. They could write the story as a song
13. They could draw the story as a comic
14. Write about how they would have coached the girl
15. Make it into a motion picture event
16. Make the story into a PowerPoint
17. Rewrite the story in a different setting
18. Rewrite the story in a different time period
19. Reverse the roles of the student and the teacher
20. Complete the story of the girl
21. Scramble the order of the story and make it make sense.
22. Write about what they would do if they were the other teachers
23. Act the story without words
24. Write an outline of the story
25. Write a conclusion of how the teacher should change
26. Draw a picture of the girl and the teacher.
27. Continue the story from where the story ends.
28. Write the back story of the teacher
29. Brainstorm ideas about teacher-student relationships
30. Interpretive dance
31. Write a personal reflection on the story in your blog.
32. Rewrite the girl's stories
33. Discuss what makes a good teacher
34. Think about what makes a good teacher
35. Discuss good teaching habits in groups
36. Write an essay about your favorite teacher
37. Share the essay with the class
38. Analyze the minimal pair problems the student ran into
39. Make a board game out of grammar issues found in the story
40. Make a collage
41. Make a collage of the words found in the story
42. Make a collage of the words containing mistakes found in the story
43. Write a news report about this
44. Write a script for a news report
45. Write an interview with the teacher
46. Make Vietnamese food and write down the recipe.
47. Make some cakes
48. Go through and underline the words you don't understand. Provide definitions.
49. Find the date July 12, 1976
50. Listen to the story on a tape.
51. Record yourself reading the story and critique it.
52. Beat your partner with a hose.


To end with a question that has been stumping me all semester. If anyone has the answeres to this question, let me know. Thanks!
Why do many of the text-books for this degree spell "practice" and "practicing" as "practise" and "practising"?

Journal #4 for Multi-Genre Project

On Saturday Aaron (Charlie), Adib and I met in the library at school to work on Genre #5. I am so surprised and happy that we got the 5th genre done. I think that the Genre that we created is very concrete and is a good representation of what our whole multi-genre topic is about.

We created a teaching-learning cycle activity with short stories. It is quite similar to a teaching unit on short stories. Many different things are involved such as deconstructing, analyzing and constructing text. This genre will actually be considered Genre #6 because it is a conclusion as wells as an example of exactly how creative writining can be used and integrated into the classroom.

I think that our group worked quite well together and that the genre exemplifies the overall point that we are trying to make about creative writing and ESL. For Genre #5 we are going to do a speaking activty that is based on the works of Dr. Suess. I think I will leave this Journal entry with one of his works.

CAT IN THE HAT

I can see that you've got quite a mind for your age! Why, one Think and you dragged me right onto the stage!Now, I'm here, there is no telling what may ensueWith a Cat such as me, and a Thinker like you!

Oh, the thinks you can think!Oh, the thinks you can thinkIf you're willing to try...Think invisible ink! Or a gink with a stink! Or a stair to the sky...If you open your mind, Oh, the thinks you will findLining up to get loose... Oh, the thinks you can think When you think about...

Reation to Week 12 Class time

For today's class I was late. I think it was by a mere 5-7 minutes but I still felt bad. I hate being late. Anyways, the class began with a warm-up discussion and then with a presentation by Mariya(I hope I spelled that right). I enjoyed her presentation very much. It was so interesting to think about each language instruction setting from the point of view of the superintendents. I thought of it almost as being a lawyer and I had to support my "Natural Setting Classroom". In the end I voted for the communicative approach but I still enjoyed getting to know the Natural Setting in the class room.

Just a side note; I think it is interesting that when I read things for class I think that I understand the concept but until I actually put the concepts into practice I do not fully understand them.

During her presentation we also exemplified the different error corrections techniques. I liked this activity because again I put the different error corrections into practice.

We then watched a movie on YouTube and acted as Ethnographers. We observed a teacher instructing in a high school EFL setting. It appears he was teaching banking transactions and the vocabulary along with it. There were certain techniques that he did very well and there were some things that needed improvement. I like how Esther explained the 'sandwich' approach to giving feedback to teachers. That is a great concept and I think it can be used in other environments besides the institutional setting.

Lastly, we met in our peer-review groups. The feedback that we received was great. I think that it is great that we get feedback and then we have a chance to revise the different genres. Sometimes when a person is so close to a project they do not see some errors even if they are completely evident. That is the reason why peer-review is so important in the Multi-Genre Project.

Journal #3 for Multi-Genre Project

Friday November 7th my group met and discussed our 3rd and 4th genres. Tonight we handed in our genres and had them peer-reviewed.

At first, I was a little confused by some of the concepts that Aaron and Adib had about the genres but I caught on. I like the short stories that we chose for the Listening Discrimination genre. We chose the theme of winter and worked the entire genre around it. The exercise is a good one because it puts new vocabulary in the natural context. Also, there is second portion of the genre that puts the vocabulary in a different context.

Our 2nd genre is a game that Adib came up with. It has a little bit of memorization which is something that is not seen too often but I think it is an activity that would benefit students especially with their confidence.

I think the remaining genres need to be centered on the rest of the Standards of Teaching. Our group has been brainstorming to come up with ideas and that is where our aim will be for the next and last two genres.

Week 12 Readings

Well, I think I will just start right in on the readings for this week. Chapter 5 broke down the differences among natural language acquisition, structure based settings and communicative instruction settings in the classroom. I found it interesting that each setting has unique characteristics and each of those can benefit students.

When I was learning a second language I found that I appreciated the communicative setting. It was not the most comfortable but I reaped the benefits from the approach almost immediately. I found it quite uncomfortable because I was scared to make mistakes but making the mistakes that I did and being corrected help me learn even more. I think with that great risk comes a great reward.



Chapter 5 also broke down the two different ways in which researchers study classrooms. I think Observation Schemes do not appear to bring about the most faithful to reality results. By expecting certain results, the researchers could almost be bias and tailor the data to compliment their hypotheses.



Chapter 6 illustrates the 6 proposals to foreign language instruction.

1. Get it right from the beginning

2. Just listen...and read

3. Let's talk

4. Two for one

5. Teach what is teachable

6. Get it right in the end



I found there were some positive and negative aspects to every approach. The 'Get it right in the beginning method' appeared to target only the students that had a complete awareness and mastery to their own native language.



Proposal #2, 'Just listen and read' appears to only target those students that benefit from audio/lingual and visual learning styles. I like the TPR was integrated into this proposal as a means of combating this exact pitfall. A positive aspect to this method is that the use of authentic texts can contribute to language acquisition.



The 'Let's Talk' proposal appears to target something that I believe occurs naturally which is negotiation of meaning. From personal experiences I find that if I am trying to say something in Spanish but I do not know the appropriate Spanish word, I talk around that specific word until I am sure that I have conveyed the appropriate meaning. I am sure that I am not alone in this "strategy" with the use of a second or foreign language.



'Two for One' appears to be similar to Content Based Instruction. I like that this proposal is called 'Two for One'. It seems that students can study one subject while attaining a second language.

Reflection of Week 11 Classtime

Today in class we discussed technology and its role in the classroom. We made posters of all the different types of technology used in the classroom. My group had many different types of technology listed such as, coffee maker, coffee grinder, cars, razors and so on. I found it interesting how many different types of technology are available in our daily lives. Also, it is amazing the amount of teaching possibilities there are when using technology. To further explain this point, one of my Spanish classes utilized computers most of the time. There were many times that I was frustrated by the computers but when it actually worked I was happy and felt that I reaped the benefits. Through the use of the Internet and the computers, I was able to speak to students all the way in Spain and work on my grammar.

I think there is a variety of availability with respect to technology which presents one of its drawbacks. My Catholic High School did not possess any technology. We simply had chalkboards and the occasional overhead projectors. Although there was limited availability my teachers found ways to add variety within the classroom. I think it is important to remember that technology is simply an aid, a tool if you will that assists in teaching rather than supplementing it.

The other portion of the class was taken up by Bekir and Brian's presentation which was very well organized and it was apparent that it was well thought out. I liked the variety between activities and discussion and I thought they highlighted the most important parts in Chapters 11,12 and 13.

Readings for November 3rd

Chapter 11 covered the different terms that are used to define the term, "technique". I am thankful for that because it is very hard to keep some of the terms that are used throughout the textbooks. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills were also broken down with examples. I did not have to experience drills when I was learning a second language and therefore I became more familiar with the technique. It seems drills are infamous in the language learning world but the Chapter did point out some of the advantages such as establishing structural patterns, rhythm and pronunciation.

Chapter 12 covered many different types of technology that is used in the classroom. When learning Spanish at MSU I used some technology, such as recording my voice of reading a passage in Spanish and then hearing it back. In fact, I still have a few of my very first recordings and I cannot help but feel embarrassed of how much I 'butchered' the language. I found them useful because I realized mistakes of mine that were unrecognizable when concentrating on speaking. I wish my more advanced classes utilized this method because I could always use improvement on my accent.

Chapter 13 gave great pointers on how to encourage interaction in the classroom. It also highlighted how important interaction is especially but limited to the communicative approach. One line in the book stated, "Interaction is, in fact, the heart of communication"(p. 212). I found that statement to be very compelling as it points out the fact that communication is nothing without the feelings, thoughts or ideas of others. To further explain, communication can take place and has a very broad definition. One example may be a teacher standing in the front of the class "spoon feeding" information to the students. In other words, that teacher is communicating with her students but NOT interacting. She is not receiving any feedback or response and therefore the students are not making connections to what they already know or a\connecting the new information with their background knowledge.

Journal #2 for Multi-Genre

My group met last week to discuss the next two genres that we need to hand in. We came up with some really good ideas and I am actually really excited to create one of the genres. I think the reason this project appeals to me so much is that I am dealing with something that I have great interest in.

Our third genre is going to be a listening sort of open ended activity based on poems and short stories. My favorite part is that we get to pick out the poems and stories that would be included in a lesson. I looked up many Shel Silverstein poems such as:

Rain by Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes

And looked up at the rain,

And it dripped in my head

And flowed into my brain,

And all that I hear as I lie in my bed

Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,

I walk very slow,

I can't do a handstand--I might overflow,

So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

Honestly, does it get any better than that? I don't think so.

I found myself getting sidetracked while looking for poems for the genre because I was intrigued by so many that I was reading all of them without realizing it.

Reflection from last class Week 10??

Well, class was fun! I really liked the game we played lead by Mai and Kizuna. I thought it was creative and it appealed to each learning style. Also, the fact that the team I was on won makes it better too!

After the presentation we talked about learning disabilities and how it can affect a class and the teacher in the educational experience. I loved what Chris and Thea said about children of ADHD and that the worst thing a teacher can do is put that child in the front of the room. That makes so much sense to me. I know I will never be able to fully understand any of the learning disabilities but I think it helps to have teachers and fellow students explain their experiences with it.

We then broke into our groups to review our lesson plans and to teach a small 10 minute portion of the lesson. I cannot get over how creative my two partners were in this area! Also, they gave me very good advice and critiques about my lesson plan and I am so glad that they were able to help me improve the lesson.

Journal #1 for Genre Project

I am going to use this journal as a bit of catch-up. Fist and foremost, our group has chosen to concentrate on creative writing in the teaching of English as a second or foreign language. I love creative writing and therefore I am greatly interested in how I can integrate it into my classroom one day.

In the past my group, Aaron(Charlie), Adib and I have met several times to discuss our plan of action for the annotated bibliography, our sources used and our first 2 genres. We all work really well together and great ideas are in abundance. Each of us brings a certain strength to the group and therefore we work well together.

Our annotated bibliography went very well and I actually enjoyed reading the different scholarly journal articles because I am deeply enthralled with the subject at hand. There was so much support for the idea of creative writing in the classroom that it was almost overwhelming. The fact that research shows that poetry can tech the natural intonation of English speech is amazing! That is something that at times cannot be taught but it is important for comprehension of the spoken language.

Making the first 2 genres was so much fun. I liked making the poster and the feed back that I received from my group as well as the peer reviewed group was dually noted. Overall, I am really happy to be in the group that I am in and to be studying the subject that I am. It makes me want to start teaching right now.

Presentation Reaction

I am certain that our presentation was cursed because of the topic we chose to focus on, "Have a Plan B." A few things went wrong as I am sure the class had observed such as the computer freezing, the video not working, that pull down thingy flying up again and our slides' ink smearing. (To name a few). Honestly and surprisingly I am glad that all of that went wrong because it not only illustrated the point Chris and I were trying to make but it also "tested" the two of us on how well we do under increased pressure. I thought Chris and I recovered well from everything and some our saving grace is due to the fact that we are comfortable in front of people. (To speak for Chris)

I know Chris loves people and talking just as much as I do so I am glad I had him as a partner and I think he really did well presenting and being upbeat and excited about the material.

Overall, I enjoyed myself and I am glad things worked out just the way that they did.

Week 9 Classtime Reflection

We started the class with a warm-up discussion of how each of our individual names came about. I think it is interesting how other countries and cultures use and view certain names. I think some names that we us in the Unites States might be possibly viewed as offensive or maybe just silly. It was just one more example of how a teacher and fellow students need to be sensitive and aware of the cultures that vary in the classroom.

I then gave my presentation which you can read about my reaction in the subordinate blog.

Thea then showed us some materials that she used in her mutli-genre project that she taught in high school. I was so interested because I love literature and I thought she had some great projects from students as well as great ideas for her students. It was interesting to hear a real account of a teachers lesson.

We went to the G.L.L. and peer reviewed each others genres. I was really impressed with the work that my fellow students came up with. It was not only creative but informative.

I think the class time went fast and I learned a lot from my fellow students especially with respect to their own teaching experiences.

Week 9 Readings

I read the MCM book extensively in preparation for my presentation. Wow. That was a lot of information. I learned a lot about ESP. English for Specific purposes and how it is taught. Something that I found was interesting was the topic of 'Wait Time'. Research indicates that the longer a teacher waits after asking a question the more in depth the answers by the students will be. I found that to be very interesting.

ESP appears to be very important in other countries especially on the business part of their societies. ESP seems a little harder to teach becasue how does a teacher in that setting know what to teach? What if there are many different occupational goals in one classroom? How does a teacher organize her lessons around everyones needs? All of these were questions I had and I still ponder if a teacher is truly able to adapt and teach to each individual students' needs and goals.

The section of lesson planning was interesting and for me I needed to learn a lot more about lesson planning and what topics and techniques that can be used. I think lesson planning is intimidating especially when it is an unfamiliar territory.

Week 8 Class Reflection

We began the class talking about our ancestors and the different languages that we each had. Also, we were asked if any of those languages we have in our family were languages we wanted to learn. I thought about the above two topics and felt almost bad because I know that I have quite a few different languages and some of them my grandparents spoke fluently such as French but I find I do not have a desire for those languages as I should but I want to learn other languages such as Japanese and more Spanish and ASL and Persian. I have no idea why I want to learn these languages except that I recognize the benefits of knowing them and also because they are so different than my own native language.

Jodi gave her presentation and I thought that she did a really nice job explaining dialects and how important they are when considering communication in a foreign language. I found it interesting that I did not know many of the different idioms Jodi presented.

We then played a game that was a tiny bit confusing to me but it did help me comprehend the different terms. In fact I had no idea what my term was and I looked in my book and I had skimmed right over the term without highlighting it. I was lucky to find the one term that I did not familiarize myself with.

Week 7 Class Reflection

In class this week we got a refresher course from the school librarian and data bases. She also showed us Ref Works. I have used Ref Works in the past and I think it is a great resource for citing and keeping track of sources.

After that, Rachel gave her presentation and I really enjoyed it. I like playing games and all the questions she asked were relevant to the chapters. Also, the teams were broken up with boys against girls and that is something I have not done for a long time.

Next, we worked in the same groups in which we made lesson plans. We reviewed another groups lesson plans and changed it to fit a different proficiency level. My group had to change a lesson plan around in order to teach an American novel by a classic author to better suit intermediate students. That was not an easy task but I found that my group members are quite creative and we came up with a really great lesson plan.

I find that I am learning a lot from not only from the professors of the program but my fellow classmates as well.

Lastly, we got into our multi-genre project groups and discussed what our plans were. I am glad that my group decided not to do any genres electronically. I do not work well electronically and frankly it does not interest me. I like to create more artistic projects, however, I do see the benefits of electronically produced things.