Archives: ELL

Celebrating with Pinatas

We celebrated the end of art class with one group of special needs students by breaking their pinatas.  The day was gorgeous and the time was perfect.  The pinatas were loaded with candy and the tree was picked.  We went outside and the kids started smashing!  It was great to see and hear the laughter, enjoyment, and pride that was being emitted from all of the students.  Rarely does art class take place outside but it certainly can!  When we learn to incorporate the outdoors with art, it can be a very rich experience for the students.  Not only are they presented with the opportunity to go outside, they also learn to view art as a subject not restricted solely to the classroom.  The best part about art is enjoying the product you created afterwards!

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Being the “Mean” Teacher

On the last day before spring break, I was getting frustrated at the lack of participation that one of my ELL students was showing.  Several times I had approached this student to put down the phone and actually work on the project.  This student always sat in the back and assumed that I would not notice.  Because of this, I paid particular attention to those who sat at the back.  Near the end of class, I decided to be stern and let this student know that I would not put up with this behaviour.  I said to this student that I am keeping her for detention after school.

I could see that the other students who overheard were shocked.   The student was shocked too.  Chances are, she had probably never been given detention because she is a “quiet” student.  I was not going to give in to this.  I try to treat all students equally and she is no exception.  She said that she didn’t have time to come after school.  When I told her that if she didn’t show up, she would have to face the consequences.

I was there after school for detention and for supervising students who wanted to finish their ceramic project.  I waited and waited.  5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes…my student did not show up for detention.  I was disappointed but now I know what was the next course of action.  I will need to talk to her counselor and reinforce the fact that teachers are to be respected and that our demands and expectations are not trivial.

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Quiet Time

Today was the last day that the special needs class will work on their balloon pinatas.  Many were finished or nearing finished.  There were a couple of students who were still painting their balloons.  I knew that they probably wouldn’t finish their balloons in time but that was OK.  When they have free time, they can come back to their projects.  I did lend the ones painting their balloons (the ones who were behind)  a hand in painting theirs.  I didn’t want them to not have anything to talk about.  The working period was short today because I wanted a Show and Tell at the end of the class.  Perhaps they aren’t used to talking about their work let alone their art and I wanted to give them a chance to share their work.

I had them clean up about 15 minutes earlier than normal to save time for the quick presentation.  The class only consisted of about 12 students so it wasn’t going to take too much time.  I had each student come up to the front and hold their balloon out.  They flashed it around the room and waited for guesses to come in as to what the concept or main idea of their balloon is.  It started out a bit slow as the first presenter was quite shy.  I wanted to proceed with the presentation in the following manner:

Ask the class to guess what the concept of the presenter’s balloon is.

1. What is the concept of your balloon?

2. Describe why it looks this way (why did you choose those colours, designs, decorations?)

3. Are you happy with your balloon?  What about it makes you happy?

4. Are there any changes you would like to make to your balloon?

5. Open up the discussion to the class.  Do they have any suggestions?

After the first few students, I realized that they were quite happy with their balloons and would usually not have any suggestions of improvement.  I decided to remove questions 2-5 for a couple of reasons.  The first one being 1. They don’t seem to have any qualms about their balloon.  They are usually quite happy about their product and 2. We didn’t have that much time to spend on each of their presentations.  The bell rang with 2 students left to present but the class stayed regarldess to finish the presentations.  I realize that sometimes teachers can go over time, especially with non-timed presentations.  At least I got through most of them before the bell!

After the presentations were over, I told them that on Wednesday we would begin a new unit.  This new unit involves glazing ceramic tiles with garden scenes.  I had the help of my CS student to put together inspiration boards of garden plants and bugs.  I hope they will enjoy this project!  I only have them for about 6 more classes 🙁

The next class I taught was the Ceramics course.  Today the students were introduced to Peer Assessment.  They were given worksheets and were told to “interview” each other on their shoe concept.  I made sure to be very clear on filling out their names up top and writing the name of the student who they assessed.  I knew that it would take a lot longer than I expected so I gave them plenty of time.  I collected those sheets that were done and gave those who needed more time time to work on theirs.  I spent the rest of the time checking their sketchbooks and it took me to about the end of the period.  The class worked very diligently and it was very surprising.  The pairs that I arranged were meant to separate the friends and group people who normally don’t speak together.  For the most part, it worked.  It was nice to see them talking and this one particular student, who I normally have trouble with, seemed to work well today.  The class was quite pleasant.

One thing that continues to bother me is the student who continues to step on my toes and not deliberately.  The freedoms that she has been used to are gone and she doesn’t seem to understand that.  In my class, you must respect my rules.  Some difficulties I faced from this student include: not cleaning up after herself and disrupting the class during silent reading time.  Once again, I had to tell this student that this behaviour was not acceptable.  Sometimes they just need to be told that several times before they actually internalize it.

At the end of the day, I decided to talk to the head of the ELL department about my students.  It turns out that she was actually having a private meeting with one of the trouble student’s mother.  I believe they are quite aware of the situation I am facing with these students, but for me to touch base with several of the ELL teachers will only serve to benefit me and these ELL students in the long run.  Hopefully a solution can be found soon.

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Timing the class

Recently, I distributed the first Peer Assessment sheets for the students to fill in.  I didn’t think it would take as long as it did.  Some students finished fast because their answers were not thorough.  Others, like the ELL students required more time.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to time this and do a sketchbook check.  The first class I did this with, the peer assessment took 20-30 minutes.  I didn’t think it would take this long but knowing the duration that it could last, I made sure to give the second class more time for their peer assessment.  I took less time with the students for the sketchbook check because there were so many I had to go through.  Even though took less time with each student, I still only made it through half of them.  The kids at the bottom of the alphabet are lucky in that they get the weekend to do their sketches!

A few things that I wish to correct or address:

1. Sketchbook checks do take the whole class- thorough ones anyway

2. Peer Assessment requires at least 30 minutes.  I need to tell them I want FULL sentences and explain WHY they come up with the answers they do.  I will most likely need to rephrase some of my questions for the Peer Assessment sheet.

3. Dealing with those ELL students.  Many who struggle with English still need extra help and attention.  I tell them all the time that they need to come up to me if they need help.  They just nod and say “yes”.  I can only take their word for it but I cannot expend my energies to help the one on one every class.  I’m doing what I can but many just don’t do the work.  It’s not fair for me to mark them down because it is not an intelligence problem; however, it is also not fair if I mark them high for not doing the same amount of work that the other non-ELL students are expected to do.  This the biggest challenge I am dealing with.

4. Being flexible with sick and absent students.  Do I wait for a sick note or do I take their word for it and give them more time to do their work?  Many non-absent students still fail to keep track of their due dates and act surprised when the due date creeps up on them.  I believe I have made an effort to keep things transparent including the due dates.  Do I need to remind them everyday?  Do they not take any responsibility for getting their work in on time?  Instead, many are left rushing last minute to complete their tasks.  Perhaps this is the norm?  There are many students who are responsible and hand in solid work on time.

These are my reflections from the past week.  I am nervous for next week.  I start my 80% load this coming Monday.  I just pray that I will be OK. I am most worried about prepping for each class in time.  In addition to that, if I can get through these next two weeks, then I get  to have a break for two weeks!  I really need this!

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Working Period

Today was Day 1 and I got to teach my Studio Art class again.  They are working on their comics so when I told them they could begin drawing, they were excited just to get to work.

I started off talking about the consequences of losing their worksheet.  It was necessary that I remind them so that they would take what I say seriously.  If I didn’t, they would keep asking me for worksheets and lose them time after time.  I got to speak to the class to address this issue and many of them did listen.  I said that they would only get one sheet and if they lost it, they would need to copy the template off of a friend.  There are still a few students who didn’t hand in their sheet but I got a good chunk of them to.  I was especially proud of the students who were ELL and wrote their concept sheets in Chinese.  I had a student in the class translate it into English for me!  I really appreciated this help.  When the ELL students were given the opportunity to communicate in their own language, I felt that they were better able to get their ideas across.

The afternoon was rather relaxing compared to the ones previous where I had to present and facilitate discussion.  I walked around and talked to each of them to see how they were doing.  The more quiet students were able to open up and it was pleasant to talk to them.  I agree…with time, the students will eventually understand who I am as a teacher.  I am a kind teacher and would ideally, have all my students succeed.  It is also true though, that some students will just dislike you from the start.  They’ve made up their minds about you and it’s not going to change.  There is no point fighting those students.

One of the best tips that I heard from a fellow TC is that when you’re feeling a lot of negativity from your students, perhaps try to talk to those who are more positive.  I’ve tried it and it does alleviate some of the anxiety, frustration, and disappointment I feel when I deal with disruptive students.

After class, I spent some time preparing for next week…aka the 80% load!  Scary times…I want to be as mentally and physically prepared as possible, but as I’ve learned, the best preparation a teacher can do is to be flexible.

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Grouping the Students

Surprisingly, group dynamics play a huge role in determining the success of the class discussion.  I battled with how I would approach the group discussion today.  I decided that at the end of the day, the kids would be more comfortable with their group of friends.  For one, many refuse to get out of their bums to move and secondly, they are more likely to talk to people they are comfortable with.  The problem here however, is that certain groups of friends are generally more talkative or less talkative than others.  I encountered this very problem today when I reached the group of ELL students.  I knew they always sat together and I knew they were not big talkers.  They did not pay attention most of the time in class either.  I think their greatest fear is that they don’t think they could speak English.  However, judging from their writing, their comprehension of the language seems fine.  Granted, it is more difficult to speak sometimes than it is to write.  I do understand that part in learning a new language.

Despite this, I continued to pressure this group to give an answer.  I remember what it was like to be in that situation.  I hated it.  I hated it because I was often too shy to speak.  Not because I didn’t know the answer.  I was also too afraid to say the wrong answer or say something stupid.  I do feel badly for the students who are struggling in class due to language barriers, but I am really trying to find a way to help them.  I know that their understanding of English is far from perfect, but it is adequate.  Adequate enough to participate in a class discussion and to complete the concept worksheet.  I don’t want to come off as a teacher that is insensitive to my students.  I attempted to mix in a native English speaker to their groups many times and this native English speaker always ends up being the talker.  I don’t even know if the group even talked at all!  This is the frustrating part about class engagement.  Do I continue to push for entire class participation at the expense of precious time I could be using to teach new material?  At this point in my practicum and my career, I feel like I need to find a balance.  I must get through my material but I also must address the issue of class engagement.  I realize now that many students in my art classes are there because they were forced into it.  Many also sign up for this class to “slack off”.  I don’t appreciate this and they certainly don’t appreciate me trying to make it academic.  But this is my job and my true intentions as a teacher.  I don’t want art class to be the “easy” class.  I do want it to be enjoyable and educational at the same time.  If I let a couple things slide, it would look bad on me during an observation.  If I tried to catch everything that goes wrong during class, I would be unable to teach anything.  So what is it then?  What must I focus my attention on?  I think that truthfully, I will be unable to catch all of the students who aren’t paying attention, no matter how interesting the subject is.  I have come to accept that I need to find a fine balance between WHAT I have to deliver that day and WHO must absolutely pay attention to the material that I am teaching.  Walking around the class certainly helps.  They tend to put down their phones and start to “look up” once you have graced their presence.

 

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Elements of Comics

Today I taught two of the same class back to back.  It was the second to last lecture on comics and social justice.  I knew that they were getting impatient to start so I figured I better speed things up. I can’t wait until the students begin actually working on their projects!  I find that “lecturing” day after day is really exhausting.

After I presented, I found it interesting that the TOC said that all the material I presented could have been done over a span of many days.  This is true.  I absolutely believe each and every one of these comic elements could have been expanded on.  What I felt pressed for was the time.  The time I have to teach this class, the time I have to present my information, and the time they need to actually START their comic.  It’s a delicate balancing act between choosing the most relevant material, finding when to introduce information to the students, and when they can begin their art project.  This is probably the most challenging part about teaching.

I was aware of the fact that teachers face the pressures of having a decent class enrollment so that the course would not be cancelled.  At this rate, if I were to teach any art classes, they would probably be cancelled!  I feel that I come off as being “too stern”, “not fun”, and that my projects and assignments are boring/lame.  My goal has always been to inspire my students to think critically about life and to understand that art is more than just craft making.  Will they ever come to see this or am I fighting a losing battle?  It is no wonder that so many teachers end up conforming to what the students/administrators desire for class curriculum.

Communicating with ELL students proved to be one the most difficult tasks that I face.  I found that the best way for me to do this is to find a translator in class or to use Google Translator.  Yes it is useful!  I used plenty of gestures, pictures, and examples.  It seems to be working!

Everyday I deal with students that are resistant to the project and my authority.  I do find it easier to deal with as time goes on but I don’t know if I am actually motivating them.  The lack of intrinsic motivation in my class is very apparent.  Many are there because they think it is an “easy” course so when I make them work, they suddenly feel like banging their heads against the table.  As a former high school student, I know that there are courses and projects that I absolutely loathed.  I couldn’t see the point in learning what I thought was irrelevant material.  When will I ever need to balance chemical equations in my life?  I knew I was poor at chemistry so I my interest in the subject was low.  I can understand that many students will see my project as being silly, but unlike balancing chemical equations, talking about social issues is completely relevant to the well being of our lives.  I will continue to stick to my guns and show that I believe in what I am teaching.  I will not let the students bring me down.  So why did I title this, “Elements of Comics”?  Well, in addition to teaching the actual elements that make up comics, I also learned to find laughter in everyday life.  I can’t take the student’s supposed negative attitude towards me too seriously.  I realize that as a teacher, it is my job to discipline and set boundaries.

 

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Library & Art

Who ever thought that going to Art class meant going to the library as well?  This was an issue that was recently brought up by some of my students.  I explained to them that the library is full of valuable information that can be used to inspire ideas and foster creativity.

The concept of making art without making the art is new to these students.  In fact, it is new to most people who are not familiar with the study of contemporary art or art education.  I want to instill in them that artistic ideas do not come out of nowhere.  In fact, they often arise from looking elsewhere.  That’s what so fantastic about this subject.  Art can be extremely interdisciplinary.  Most of the students have this preconceived notion that art is about craft making where making pretty things is the most important goal.  Because thinking about concepts and doing research involves more thinking than they’re used to in art class, I am encountering resistance.  It is not “fun” and can be “boring” if they don’t find something of interest.  I must reassure them that they will have plenty of time to work on their projects once I am done feeding them information.  All in all, I think the library proved to be a useful resource they can tap into when they need.

My other challenge I had today was dealing with students who are struggling to understand English.  The option was given to them that they may write their concept sheet and comic in Chinese.  I think this will make them feel more comfortable and possibly, be able to express themselves better in their native tongue.   We had a round table session where we brought in students who could speak both English and Chinese to translate what I was saying.  This helped tremendously but I am still encountering difficulties in my other block of art class.  I spoke to this student’s ELL teacher and she recommended that I give him an actual topic to write the comic on and to simplify the overall outlook of the project.  Perhaps I could find another student in a different class to help in the translation process as well.  In any case, communicating with ELL students will prove to be a huge challenge for me during my practicum.

 

 

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