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.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Monday, November 17, 2008
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"?
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.
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...
Monday, November 10, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
