Week 13

Assessment

As Kuma states in chapter 12, Culture cannot be confined to a single definition or description.  So, how is then that we, as teachers, bring a concept so varied as culture into the classroom? It seems that Culture, as in The Arts, would be a lot easier to convey to the classroom. You can do this in a multitude of ways, mainly by integrating The Arts into different lesson plans with misc, art, and theater.  However, integrating culture, referring to individual values and beliefs is more difficult. I think the best way to introduce culture is to allow the students to feel comfortable enough to show their own cultures within their work and the classroom settings. Let them know that all though everyone might believe differently, that ultimately we are working toward the same goals as a class. As a student I saw a lot of cultural break down between students, and between students and teachers. Cultural misinterpretations led to a certain disconnect that in turn made student believe that they were being graded unfairly and made teachers believe that students were not trying hard enough.You have to allow culture to contribute to your classroom without dividing your classroom.

The movie we watched in class talked about about cultural differences in writing.  Writing s so subjective that it seems an almost impossible task to grade another persons' work, but it seems even harder when cultural differences are in-bedded within the writing. How do you tell a student that their writing style is incorrect, when that is how they have been taught to write.

As a person who has been a part of the American school system I definitely have acquired some writing habits that might I might prefer as a teacher.  I think in order to overcome the assumed preferences within writing, you have to be open to other ways of thinking.  If another culture's values are different then of course they are gonna think differently and write differently as well.  It is important to have your students input on these topics.  I think it would be a good idea to have you class do a writing assignment that you do not grade, just to see what kind of writing the students are use to and then from their discuss what you want as a class to be you rubric for each writing assignment.  When it come to surface mistakes, maybe you can split up the grading of the paper between content and grammar.  That way the students can still feel confident in their writing even if their grammar is not the best. Again, I think that it important to talk to your class as a whole and agree on what you are looking for in a "great" paper and what you will be grading this paper on.

Week 11

Poetry Slam

I thought that the poetry slam was very interesting. It is a good way to let students have a way to speak their minds freely. A lot of slam poetry also touches on really tough issues.  This would be a good to incorporate into a lesson plan because you really can't have mistakes. as long as you convey your message through spoken word. The second part of the poetry slam was helpful to see that you can use many different medias for poetry but I think I was lost in the meaning of the actual poem.  however, it was very entertaining and I think that things like slam poetry can have a place in classroom lesson plans.

week 12

Waiting for superman

I really enjoyed the movie waiting for superman, but i also saw a lot of flaws within it. The movie points out a lot of different problems of the Public School system, but I feel like they didn't really give any solutions. The only solutions they gave were to stop teacher unions or transfer your child to a Charter School.  There are some issues with the teachers union but ultimately it was created to help the teachers not to harm the students.  It is good that it is being looked at under a critical eye because then maybe they will make some better changes in the union. However, I don't believe that is has such a big of an impact on the students as the movie led us to believe. 
Also, Charter Schools are not a solution to Public School problems, they are just another option of schooling.  Charter schools have the ability to do better than Public Schools because they can basically choose there students.  Charter Schools do not have to accept children with learning or behavioral disabilities, therefor making the it easier for the teachers to handle their classes, because they don't have to take into consideration children with different learning needs. 
In all, I think that the movie does present the problems of the Public School in a way that makes people listen and want to help, but it does little to provide solutions to the schools in need of that help.

week 10

Culturally relevant and context-sensitive teaching in TESOL
Paulo Freire - chapter 4 (article)

At first I wasn't sure what to make this article but as I read and reread it it began to make more sense.  Hook, a feminist writer comments on Paulo Freire.  Hook talks about how she, as a feminist, can support Freire's writings and ideas, that contain blatant sexism. Hook goes on to say that she believe his overall ideals should not be overlooked or sidetracked because he wrote it in a sexist voice.  Hook can directly relate to Freire philosophy because she grew up in a southern area and had to overcome a lot of racism. Hook knows how to view things through different lenses. She states "It is feminist thinking that empowers me to engage in a constructive critique if Freire's work."  Being able to look at the material through this lenses she was able to do more than just "passively absorb" it, but critically analyze it.

Week 8

Curriculum design and Material Development

I feel as if the customer is being overshadowed by the stakeholder; if you look at the customer as the educator and learners and the stakeholders as the political agencies.  Political agencies seem to have a much greater say in the curriculum than the educator and learner.  I believe this is especially prevalent to language learning.  Political agenda is getting in the way of making and upholding proper and realistic standards for English language learners.  I know that the reason that the political agencies have such a huge say in things is because they not only control the rules but can also influence spending. If the Board of Education votes in favor for a certain rule or regulation then they might receive more money or increase their budget.  But at what point does the end justify the means.
Out of the constant changes we do get many different methods like, content-based, process-based and product-based.  Content-based refers to what the learner is learning about; ie: the material. Process-based is how the learning processes and learns the information presented to them. Product-based shows what the learner has retained from the information. using the curriculum and syllabus should make these processes easier.  Curriculum shows the teacher what information the students should be learning and the syllabus helps to present and process the information. It is important to be able to contextualize these domains.  the learner has to feel like the information the information the are learning is important and valid in their everyday life. Having an appropriate context can make a big difference in how the students learn, process and retain the information.

 Website that I stumbled upon about the rules of commas and semi colons.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon

Week 6

Preparing Teachers for Culturally Diverse Students

This article brought up a lot of good points but it seems a bit dated and presumptuous.  Firstly, the article uses White and colored to describe students and that in itself makes the article sound extremely outdated and prejudice. It is unfair to say that "white" students and "white" preservice student are not going to bring as rich of a cultural diversity to the classroom because they are white. It is not the color of your skin that determines the cultural diversity you bring into the classroom, it is your life experience based on your own cultural diversity.  However it is fair to say that some preservice students are very naive about the struggle of others, especially that of inner city children.  Though, it seems like the classes at ISU are trying to make their students learn about and have more encounters with culturally diverse students.

Week 5

Critical Approaches in TESOL

I never really thought about Critical Pedagogy as being political but this article has shed some light on it for me. The article talks about the power and inequality of TESOL and the English language.  It is interesting to think about and debate the place of politics, sexuality, and many other different issues; especially discussing their place and influences on the classroom.  These topics bring up a lot of questions like, why is acceptable that boys and girls are treated and taught differently inn the classroom? Do the roles of society need to play such a big role in the classroom and if so how do we stop them from overpowering our teaching? one major question s how do these different constructs affect the relationship between the native speaker and the non native speaker? Many of these topics are very closely related or linked together and it is important to understand how different cultural and ethnic groups view these ideas, so we can better learn how to teach to the individual.

week 4

Chapter 3- Maximizing Learning Opportunities

It is important to use teaching materials, teacher agendas and syllabuses to organize your classroom.  However, you cannot solely rely on these for the best authentic learning experiences.  In order to give learners an authentic experiences the teacher has to be able to work outside of their lesson plan.  This also means letting students be active learners, by asking questions.  Choice, product, process, and meta-process questions are ones that normally occur within a classroom. Display and referential questions are generally focused on by L2 learners.
Throughout my years on schooling I have experienced almost every type of classroom as a learner.  Most of the time I prefer classes that enable you, as the learner, to ask questions, not only of the the materials but of the teacher.  Most of my general education classes really stayed away from questions and only now that I am taking Major classes, that are much smaller, am I able to feel more free to ask and answer questions. As a teacher we have to look at our classroom and see what environment best helps them.  It is always good to prompt and question students, but with language learners it is a lot harder to get them to feel comfortable to ask and answer questions.  I think that the micro-strategies are a good way to get learners to have more authentic learning experiences and help them view the relevance of the material.  If you can get learners to connect with campus, local, and global community then the learners are really taking learning into their own hands. I believe that this can also bring about great appreciation for learning.  This can especially help L2 learners because it will make them feel more connected to their community and possible create a deeper understanding of their target language.

Meaning of language

According to Websters Dictionary Language is: the words, their pronunciation, and the methods of combining them to be used and understood by a community.  Although, there was many different definitions of language, this definition was the closest to what I believe language is. Language means a lot because it is a way in which I can communicate with other people. However, I believe that language includes not just verbal communication but non verbal communication; like body language.  Body language is a major non verbal tool in communication.  Even within place that speak one language, they have different symbols and customs that others might misinterpret.  Language is defiantly within a community or group of people.  For example, you might talk one way at work and another way around your family. You still speak "English" but its a different language because if an outsider came to your house they would not understand what you and your family was communicating.  I am not sure that language can ever have one specific or direct meaning because everyone interprets it differently.

Kumaravadivelu (Chapters 1 & 2)

The book explains teaching as a vocation.  Meaning that teaching "goes well beyond sustenance and survival; it guarantees personal autonomy and personal significance." Also, that the role of a teacher is varied and viewed differently by many people. Teachers as Passive Technicians are teachers that distributes a constant flow of knowledge to the students; there in becoming the expert and making the students solely learners.There is no experience based learning or teaching. Teachers as Reflective Practitioners are ones that constantly reflective upon their teaching and uses life experiences to help them with their reflections.  The teacher views themselves as constantly learning and growing. This does not really give much attention to the students reflective process but is probably good to better individual teachers within the classroom. Teachers as Trans-formative Intellectuals are probably the most evolved and knowledgeable. Not only do they reflect upon themselves but upon the social-political issues of teaching. They are committed to action and the shaping of their students ideas. 
Chapter 2 focuses on the different methods of teaching. Such as Language-Centered and Learning-Centered Methods and the pro's and con's of each method. However, I really found chapter 1more interesting because it really seems to cover every aspect of what people expect as a teacher. As a student I have experienced every different kind of teacher; from the teacher that spoon feeds information, to the ones that constantly want to improve their teaching, to the ones that want to improve all aspects education.  Teachers that are Passive Technicians seem to aim their success based upon how well their students do in standardized test. That kind of teaching barely helps students to actually learn, it just memorizing meaningless facts. It was rare that I had a teacher that was a Trans-formative Intellectual.  It seems like teachers that fall into this category are rare because teachers that fit most of the guidelines, do not fit all of them.  Most teachers fall into the Reflective Practitioners group.  Where they are constantly trying to improve their teaching and their classroom but they do not really focus on the social-political issues of education. I think it is important to strive to be the best and that means teachers should not only be informed about the classroom but about the social-political issues that go on outside the classroom.
Like stated in chapter 1, "To teach is to be full of hope." Larry Cuban, 1989, p.249.  I believe that these words sum up how I feel as a person who wants to become a teacher. I am full of hope for the future of teaching, for my future students and for myself as a teacher.

TESOL 345

I was born and raised in Chicago, so I would really like to teach in Chicago too. Having gone to Chicago public schools as a child I can see the different aspects that it has to offer a child; some of the thing good and some not so good.  I think that having experienced the school system it has really help prepare me to become a teacher.  I am an Elementary Education major and a TESOL minor.  However, I don't think I really became enthusiastic about teaching until I started to take TESOL classes.  So, I am really hoping to become a ELL or ESL teacher.
I think that it is very important to stay knowledgeable and conscious about TESOL issues.  As a teacher you have to know what is going to affect you and your students.  If a new law is passed or a policy is put in to place, as a teacher, you have to understand it to implement it.  If you are against a policy then you have to know what is is about to and why you do not agree with it, so that hopefully you can change it or prevent it from passing. Being informed about TESOL issues is important because it can help you to create a better way for students to learn.