LLED 360

First off, I apologize if the guest speakers name was not Megan, but I recall that’s what Chelsea called her. What I found interesting about the school that she worked at was that there was no ELL -specific math course, even though they had ELL-specific courses for the rest of the ‘core’ subjects. Did the big boss in charge decide that math was far enough removed from English with its numbers that most students can do reasonably well?

I’m not sure where I stand on this issue; on one hand, I agree that it could be possible to at least pass math with minimal English understanding because one can be familiar with numbers, symbols and pictures, but on the other, all explanations and word problems are in English. Many students do not have the ability to learn through just symbols and numbers, and need a teacher, or some source to connect mathematical ideas using explanations English. Word problems are also considered the more advanced type of question found in assessments, and are often worth more points on a test than its basic numerical counterpart.

Now it seems that the majority of ELLs in my placement school are from East Asia, where they spend more time on math per week than North American students. Their mathematical skills are often very good, sometimes a few grades above their registered course, but they often lose marks where it matters: the word problems.

So I think English may be just as much a barrier to learning and expressing knowledge in math as it would be in any other discipline, and it would make just as much sense to have an ELL-specific math curriculum if there are already ELL-specific courses for other subjects.

One thing I am not entirely sure about is how to effectively integrate academic language learning into less language intensive classes. For example, writing is crucial for students to generate more complex language and discipline their language usage, but it is probably not going to be a significant part of an IT class which I will be teaching next year. After reading chapter 9, I realized that there still other ways to facilitate students’ language building even if they don’t use as much language as they do in a class like English or Socials. Feedbacks, for instance, can definitely play an important part throughout an IT lesson. Assuming I am teaching students basics of spreadsheets, at the beginning of the class I might elicit answers from students regarding their previous experience with Excel or Google spreadsheet. Based on their answers I can ask them to explain in more detail in what kind of situation they used spreadsheet, what kind of functions they got to use, how using spreadsheets contributed to their end product, etc. As the class goes on, when I circulate around the classroom to monitor their progress, I will be able to engage in one on one conversation or talk to a small group. During these conversations I might ask them to explain certain functions they studied earlier, how they plan to use those functions, how they envision their final project, and other creative ways to utilize those functions. At the end of the class, I may ask different groups to present their progress (this also encourages them to be more academic through oral language) and provide positive feedback as to where they did really good. Meanwhile, I may also point out where they need improvement. During this process terminologies and glossaries are exchanged between my students and me. In conclusion, there are always possibilities of building academic language as long as we are constantly aware of its importance and try to find those opportunities.

Jimenez et. al. (2009) opened their article, Transnational and community literacies for teachers, with the story of students and teachers who had frequent misunderstandings in class.  When the students were asked why they were so frustrated, they mentioned that the class was boring and they felt their teacher didn’t care about their lives. It is incredibly sad that students feel this way, but it seems to happen often whether there is a language barrier or not. What I really appreciate about this article is that the authors carried out their research with this fact in mind. This project involved risk on the part of the authors because it took them out of their comfort zones and into a world they were potentially unfamiliar with. It was also a big project to take students into those communities, and introduce a multimodality aspect to the assignment. However, I think these risks are what we need to keep in mind when we are teaching so that we can help students feel comfortable in our classrooms. Whether it is keeping up to date with media, taking our classes into local communities, or bringing attention to injustices against our ELL students, we need to be mindful of how we can care for our students, as well as teach them. This course has proven that this is especially important for student who are learning English and need all the support they can get. It may mean a bigger time commitment for us but it is definitely worth it to make students feel safe and supported in our classrooms!

Alfie Kohn’s “The Case Against Grades” is a thought-provoking piece that has me reflecting on how I have been impacted by the pressure of grades during my journey through Studentdom – and how I want to deal the issue of letter grades in my potential future classroom. I wholeheartedly agree that “collecting information doesn’t require tests, and sharing that information doesn’t require grades” (8), and I believe that Chapter 9 of our Zwiers textbook has offered some very useful alternatives to testing in the classroom. However, the idea of eliminating grades as a tool for “sharing that information” is a more complex issue.

Kohn’s “big three findings” (9), are compelling evidence in the campaign against grades. In particular, when I examine these findings through the lens of my own learning career at UBC – I can’t help but see some truth in them. I can think of countless examples where the stress of fulfilling assignment requirements for the sake of a grade caused me to have decreased interest in a subject I was previously passionate about (and often created resentment towards said subject), or created an easiest-way-out mentality. The extrinsic motivation of “success matters more than learning” (9) was the driving force behind almost every essay I wrote during my undergrad. I would try to base my writings in knowledge I already had instead of taking the initiative research something new. I’ll even admit that I’ve caught myself using survival tactics to get a “P” on assignments here in the B’Ed. Now I realize that I don’t want my own students to share this experience.

I spoke about this in my blog on Chapter 9 – that I hope to encourage more rigourous student involvement in the process of learning, as opposed to privileging a “successful” final product. In theatre education, there is a great deal of opportunity to spend quality time on building up a repertoire of micro skills that can be applied to performance eventually, but can exist in the form of fun games and activities on their own. When dealing with performance-based assessment projects, (as will sometimes be necessary in drama class), I will have conversations with students about what they think a “higher level of performance” looks like – and design transparent rubrics that reflect the qualities discussed by the students (with some input from me as well). I noticed that Kohn describes the rubric as “a depressingly standardized assessment tool” (11), and I can understand that point of view – but I still think that it could be a useful tool in my classroom. Especially if I give my students a voice in establishing these rubrics.

Concerning the reality of eliminating grades: I don’t think it’s possible in the current Education System. Grades are so deeply entrenched in the pedagogy. Just yesterday – in my Methods Course, my instructor said “You have to be prepared and able to assign a numeric value to the work and progress of your students’ at any given moment.” It’s a depressing thought, but I will strive to also give my students as much qualitative summary of their progress as humanly possible. Drama is such a personal means of expression that I expect it will be sometimes be difficult to assign grades to my students’ work without damaging their sense of self-worth. However, I consider it a very serious responsibility to protect my students, and validate their work – even while assigning them grades.

This chapter taught me two new words with regards to linguistics that I had never heard before: “brick” and “mortar.” I have come to discover that brick words can help students build their language efficiently. According to Zwiers, “bricks and mortar are terms used to differentiate between content-specific vocabulary and general academic terms” (Zwiers 22). Brick words are the big, boldfaced words that are typically more technical and specific to a particular discipline. Mortar words and phrases are like the cement that holds bricks today. Mortar words general-utility words that hold the content-specific technical words together (Zwiers 22).

During my short practicum, I learned the importance of defining brick words. If students do not understand the brick words in a specific content area, then students are unable to follow the rest of the teacher’s lesson. For instance, I went and sat in on a chemistry eleven class. Although I took chemistry in high school, it had been years since I had heard many of the words. Being in a classroom that was foreign to me, the teacher’s incorporation of brick words into her lesson was incredibly useful. I was able to fully comprehend the key concepts being taught and what those key concepts meant in chemistry.

When I begin teaching my own class in February, I will be sure to point out brick words in my lessons to help students to understand the key points of my lesson. My practicum school also has a large ELL student population. It might be beneficial for my ELL students to hear me defining some of the mortar words and phrases used in my lesson as well. This will enable them to link together additional phrases and gain a deeper understanding of the English language.

Erin Milne

Is there any other way?

I was intrigued when Chapter 9 suggested introducing performance-based summative assessment into various content areas – but noticed that there is no alternative offered for those subjects that are ALREADY performance based, like drama or music. If the other subject areas are operating under the belief that the “advantage of non-test performance assessments is their adaptability to meet the needs of students with different learning styles” (231), how can the performing arts adapt to meet the same diverse set of needs? Should those subjects instead re-introduce test assessment for the sake of variety?

Obviously not, but that does beg the question what to do instead? Student-led lectures are always an option – but too much lecturing in a drama room can be tedious for kinesthetic learners, and often each group mimics the style of activities established by the first group of presenters. The production of written work such as an editorial letter, book/play review, a children’s book, poems, stories and How-to Manuals (234), seems anti-climatic if it is not accompanied with the opportunity to present the published works. But presenting these works orally leads us back to a performance-based assessment. You might note that my struggle has established a pattern…

However, there is ample opportunity for formative assessment along the way. Drama assessment in particular, often relies on participation activities that are designed to get students engaged in the process of drama – which lessens the emphasis on grading a final performance, or a product. Such participation activities are a good way to gage whether or not students are grasping the micro skills and basic concepts required to progress into more complex (summative) work. I also think that formative assessment activities allow for low risk check-ins for students to demonstrate new language skills. Overall, I applaud the idea of including performance-based assessment in a variety of subjects, but will strive to find ways to offer more frequent formative assessments in my classroom.
 

The World of Rhetoric and Debate

When broaching the subject of Academic Language in a theatre classroom, many teachers go the route of Shakespeare. The reason for this? We’re aware that the majority of our students are drawn to the drama classroom to escape the world of desks and writing. Therefore, the easiest justification to incorporate a unit that requires students to participate in an analysis of language and meaning is to study the works of The Bard. However, I think many teachers wish to avoid the trap of turning the drama room into an English class – so often this unit tends to privilege teaching students to understand the meaning behind the language rather than focusing on the academic rhetoric Shakespeare uses to compose his character’s arguments. Also, it is difficult for students to connect to the academic complexity of language that feels so out of date.

After reading Chapter 8, I found myself reflecting on the opening quote: “All teachers are writing teachers” (195). However, I struggled to picture how many of the strategies suggested by the text to scaffold academic writing would be successfully incorporated into a drama perspective. Thinking back to Shakespeare and the importance of rhetoric to the development of his characters and their arguments, I found my inspiration: By having students participate in a performed debate – I would have a unique opportunity to have them explore/practice expository/persuasive writing.

I imagine I would divide the class into two teams, and via a group discussion, a topic would be decided on. At the end of the week, the teams would present their arguments in a friendly debate. Each individual student would be required to “present a main point and support it with evidence” (199) during the live debate performance.

Leading up to the debate, I would design classes that allowed them to practice their pre-writing skills, and would provide any struggling students with the framework they need as an entry point into this style of writing. I might have students participate in more informal activities like writing Pros/Cons with a partner, or have them brainstorm using the Persuasion Scale (Figure 8.3).

I think this activity would be a fun way to incorporate one genre of academic writing into a drama classroom – and I hope to continue to discover more strategies and exercises to provide writing opportunities for my students.

On a Wednesday class, Chelsey introduced a teacher from Northern California (A.K.A., The Bay Area) to our classroom. My question to Chelsey is: “Where on God’s earth do you find/track down all these amazing teachers?” Anyways, let’s get back on track. This teacher has taught English to students. However, in her school the door opened up for her to teach to ESL/ELL students. Nonetheless, she did not have the ESL/ELL qualification to teach (she felt) and went back to school to be certified. She works with students who are mostly ESL/ELL students if I recalled correctly.

The climax of her presentation for me was when she spoke concerning how the school left the “disadvantaged” students behind. There was one circumstance in which a CS student was helping her do work after school but was not going to have her hours counted toward anything. The teacher questioned her as to why? She said the counsellor/teacher told her she did not meet one or more of the conditions. Nonetheless, she read the fine print/literature and realized she meet all the conditions and signed her up for the scholarship. In the end, she impacted a student. Some may argue the degree of impact that had on the student. Nonetheless, that “small” thing that the teacher did for the student may be tremendous or paved the way for this student to believe in herself and ultimately allows her dreams to come true.

The take home message here is do not always let the school system be. If you see or sense something is not right, take action. This will be difficult for newly graduated teachers to adapt. Thus, we do not want to be in trouble especially during our first year of teaching in any way. Nonetheless, if you know something is not right, change it!

In chapter nine, “Building Language into Lessons and Assessments”, Zwiers mentions some ways in which we can build thinking and language into the way we design our lessons and ultimately assess our students.  The topic of assessment is of great importance and I believe it to be one of the most difficult aspects I will face as a teacher.  It seems at present that there is a movement towards changing assessment strategies from the more conventional test methods to allowing the students more options for which to present their knowledge.  I agree that we need to allow the students options from which to present their knowledge; however, I also feel that tests benefit some students.  Therefore I feel that we as future teachers must find the balance between how students are graded at present and at the same time combine new strategies to help properly assess students who don’t perform well in test/exam situations.

Another important issue which I think needs to be addressed is the importance of clarifying exactly what we as teachers expect from our students.  We must provide our students with clearly laid out instructions, as well as examples (when possible) of the project or work expected.  I can recall many times during my high school days where I was left somewhat confused as to what exactly was expected of me by the teacher.  I want to make sure that my students don’t have the same negative experiences with unclear expectations as I had.

The short practicum has deepened my understanding of how to facilitate students’ progress of acquiring academic language. We should be aware of this goal at all times no matter which subject we will teach. Even for some of the less language oriented classes such as IT or PE, it is nonetheless important to remind students of correct usage and possible mistakes from time to time. For example, for one of the lessons I taught I used an image which contained “Red Cross”. At first I didn’t realize I forgot to use capital R and C, and my sponsor teacher pointed that out. He also talked about how students in the school, despite the fact they are already in grade 9 or 10, lack the ability to properly use capital letters when necessary. Thus the importance of promoting literacy among students can never be emphasized enough. During my class, when I introduced the image, I specifically mentioned to use capital R and C. Another example to enrich students’ learning would be a history class. The topic was the great depression and economic crisis in 2008. However, the teacher also provided materials about neo nazisism (partly because of the crisis) and occupy wall street. Students not only studied historical events from the textbook, they also divided into groups to engage in debate on different current issues. During this process, new vocabulary were introduced and students practiced to articulate their thoughts using correct, academic language. These are only two of the many examples I have seen in the school. The progress of building academic language actually happens in every classroom every day.

We also face another question: How do we assess students’ acquirement of academic language?  Assessment is definitely easier for English or social study classes since assignments and tests entail heavy usage of language, but what about other classes such as IT or Science? It’s often difficult to assess whether students have acquired academic language based on programmed applications, projects created through software or charts and diagrams. Based on my observation, I find that engaging in conversations with students is a simple yet effective way to assess and facilitate their progress of building academic language. During my IT classes, when students worked in groups and discussed about their projects, I would circle around and listen attentively to each group for some time. I would either encourage them to think deeper if they were on the right track, or steer them in the right direction if they were having difficulty. This process often involved reinforcing their memory of terminologies covered in class, promotion of higher thinking among them, correction of false understanding and sometimes introduction of new concepts and ideas. Thus it was a great way to help them be more academic in the classroom.