On October 20, 2009, I observed Student K in the ESL class Riverdale High School and conducted an ethnographic interview with this student. Student K is from Mexico and has lived in the United States for 10 months. He is a level 1 on the ELDA English Proficiency Scale. This blog will reflect upon my observation and interview with him.
What are your overall impressions of this observation?
This observation allowed me to see how teachers and aides work with students that are in the beginning stages of ESL. The lesson was very useful to the student. It was going over certain things that a person would find in a city, such as a bank, hospital, movie theater, etc. The aide had the students in her group pronounce the words by repeating after her. She then asked the students questions in relation to the words. She asked them if they liked to go to the movies. Student K responded more than the other student, but his responses consisted of mostly yes and no answers. Student K seemed to understand most of what the aide said because she spoke slowly and clearly. I believe that Student K would benefit from more activities that involve oral production.
What did you learn as a result of the fieldwork?
As a result of the fieldwork, I was able to see how teachers teach the students that are in the very beginning of ESL. I also was able to hypothesize that the student would benefit from more speaking activities. As a result of the Ethnographic Narrative, I was able to better get to know the student and what life was like for him. I learned that he is shy and does not use English much outside of school. Those two things are negatively affecting his progress in spoken English. Despite this problem, he claims that he reading and writing English is not that difficult for him.
What is the value of case study research and analysis in classroom practice?
Case study research and analysis allows the teacher to observe student behavior and personality. It also allows the teacher to observe how other instructors teach the students English. The observations, narratives, and analyses allows the observer to formulate opinions and theories as to what works best for students.
What is the value of the ethnographic narrative?
I consider the ethnographic narrative to be a useful means of getting to know the student. It also enables the instructor to know more about the student in order to better teach the student. A teacher can see what may be inhibiting the student to learn English. In cases such as ESL, where the students are new to the country, it is especially important to build relationships and trust. It is easier to do in ESL because there is typically a smaller number of students in the class.
How will this information assist future teachers (next year’s teachers) as well as yourself in
meeting the needs of this particular second language learner?
The information that I have obtained as a result of my research is that students need more exercises that simulate real life situations and in which the student must provide vocal output. I say this because it is the major problem that Student K and many other students have. I plan on implementing more activities that involve speaking into my classroom next year. I plan on seeing how well this works and how much it improves the speaking abilities of my students. If it works well, I will share my findings with other language instructors.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Action Research Project
Action research is an excellent means of exploring the education field. Even the most experienced teachers in the best schools can identify things that could go better. My action research project focused on Mrs. Vincent's ESL class at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, TN. After speaking with Mrs. Vincent about the project, she told me that the biggest problem that she has is that certain students do not progress as rapidly as they should in ESL. Some students have been here for many years now, yet are still in ESL. Other students have not shown adequate progress. In this blog, I will discuss my thoughts about action research, ideas generated as a result of the project, and suggestions to other ESL professionals based on my findings.
MY THOUGHTS ABOUT ACTION RESEARCH
I believe that action research is very useful when trying to figure out how to improve upon practice. Sometimes the best thing to do before implementing something in a classroom is to properly analyze the situation, come to a conclusion, and go from there. That is what makes action research useful. It is also useful when it comes to seeing if current trends in education work. One can compare and contrast different teaching methods to see what is most effective. Action research is most effective when teachers collaborate with one another about their findings and get feedback from students when appropriate. Sharing research, thoughts, ideas, and opinions with each other is necessary for teachers to be successful. Sometimes I think that certain teachers forget what it is like to be the student. For this reason, I believe that appropriate student feedback is a useful and important tool.
IDEAS GENERATED FROM ACTION RESEARCH
My action research project focused on the fact that some students do not progress in ESL as fast as they should. Mrs. Vincent said that was the most prevalent problem that she has encountered in the class. I came up with two questions for the students in regards to this problem. One question is "Why are students not progressing as fast as they should in ESL?" and the other question is "What can be done in order to help students learn English or motivate them?" For the first question, I had a survey for all of the ESL students, interviews with selected students, and student data (grades, ELDA level, and attendance). For the second question, I had a questionnaire for the students, teacher and aide interviews, and field notes from observation.
One idea that I have generated as a result of the action research project is that talkative students learn to speak faster than those who are not talkative. Students A and B are the most talkative that I met in the class, and it shows. They are the two students that Mrs. Vincent feels will soon be ready to test out of ESL. On the other hand, student J has been here for more time than both students A and B, yet he is still at a level 1 on speaking. He is a level 2 on reading and writing, but since he is very reserved, he has great difficulty speaking.
The second idea generated from the action research project is that the widespread accessibility of Spanish has slowed the progress of some Hispanic students. During my interview with Mrs. Vincent and her aides, all three said that this is a big problem for the Hispanics. Mrs. Vincent said that she has a Spanish-speaking aide at the other school that she teaches at. The students prefer to use Spanish with her, and are not forced to use English. For some students, ESL class is the only time that they use English extensively. Many of them go home to Spanish speaking parents that know little to know English and television in Spanish. Most of their friends are Hispanics that use Spanish with them. I agree that it would be hard and unnecessary to give up using Spanish, but that does not change the fact that it does impede the progress of students when it comes to learning English. Even some Hispanic students said that the over-availability of Spanish makes it difficult for them to learn English as fast.
Another idea generated from the action research project is that the environment must be relaxed. Mrs. Vincent and the aides all emphasized that this is the best way to get results out of the students. Mrs. Vincent's aide Amy said that the ESL classroom is the only part of the day that many of the students are not tense or stressed out. This is because Mrs. Vincent has made the classroom warm and inviting. It is a place where it's okay to make mistakes, and the students are among others that are attempting to learn English. For many of the ESL students, the ESL classroom is a safe haven where they feel comfortable.
The idea of making the classroom a relaxed, enjoyable environment ties into my next idea. The next idea is that teachers must motivate students to want to be in school. Sometimes, students can be rebellious and not want to go to school. This is even a problem with American students. Some students need that extra motivation that perhaps family and friends do not provide enough. When that is the case, the only person left to provide that motivation is the teacher. Sometimes, motivating the students can be a problem because some of them are not here legally. I did not ask any of the students about their legal status because I felt like it would be uncomfortable. However, it does factor in to the motivation of the students. When a student knows that he or she cannot attend college because of legal status, it is very discouraging for him or her. The students that are here legally have goals and plans lined out for what they want to do after school. Those that are here illegally are not so sure. Mrs. Vincent tries to motivate them by saying that there could be Immigration Reform in the coming years. I think that it's a very sad situation. I believe that states should allow any students to go to high school in a certain state to attend college there and pay state rates. Those students that are here illegally would be more motivated to do well in school.
SUGGESTIONS TO OTHER ESL PROFESSIONALS BASED ON MY RESEARCH
Based on my research, I now have a better idea of how I will run an ESL classroom. The first suggestion that I can make to other ESL professionals is to put more emphasis on output, especially verbal output. My interviews and surveys concluded that most students found speaking English to be the most difficult aspect of learning the language. They considered reading and writing to be much easier; therefore, ESL teachers must incorporate more verbal output into lessons.
Another suggestion that I can make is to have a relaxed environment where students are also motivated. Many students have already had to cope with leaving friends and family behind in their home countries. They have also had to cope with adjusting to a new culture and language. The ESL classroom should be a relaxed, welcoming environment. Every time that I go into Mrs. Vincent's class, I feel like the students are comfortable there. I think that it is important to talk to students about what their goals are and what they plan on doing with their lives. I also think that it is important to get to know the students well. In an ESL class such as Mrs. Vincent's, where she only sees 13 students, this is not too difficult. The students are looking for someone that they can trust and depend on, and the ESL teacher needs to try to be that person for them. It is important to motivate students and encourage them to follow through with their goals. The job of an ESL student is very important because he or she is responsible for helping students get to a level playing field with their English-speaking classmates.
MY THOUGHTS ABOUT ACTION RESEARCH
I believe that action research is very useful when trying to figure out how to improve upon practice. Sometimes the best thing to do before implementing something in a classroom is to properly analyze the situation, come to a conclusion, and go from there. That is what makes action research useful. It is also useful when it comes to seeing if current trends in education work. One can compare and contrast different teaching methods to see what is most effective. Action research is most effective when teachers collaborate with one another about their findings and get feedback from students when appropriate. Sharing research, thoughts, ideas, and opinions with each other is necessary for teachers to be successful. Sometimes I think that certain teachers forget what it is like to be the student. For this reason, I believe that appropriate student feedback is a useful and important tool.
IDEAS GENERATED FROM ACTION RESEARCH
My action research project focused on the fact that some students do not progress in ESL as fast as they should. Mrs. Vincent said that was the most prevalent problem that she has encountered in the class. I came up with two questions for the students in regards to this problem. One question is "Why are students not progressing as fast as they should in ESL?" and the other question is "What can be done in order to help students learn English or motivate them?" For the first question, I had a survey for all of the ESL students, interviews with selected students, and student data (grades, ELDA level, and attendance). For the second question, I had a questionnaire for the students, teacher and aide interviews, and field notes from observation.
One idea that I have generated as a result of the action research project is that talkative students learn to speak faster than those who are not talkative. Students A and B are the most talkative that I met in the class, and it shows. They are the two students that Mrs. Vincent feels will soon be ready to test out of ESL. On the other hand, student J has been here for more time than both students A and B, yet he is still at a level 1 on speaking. He is a level 2 on reading and writing, but since he is very reserved, he has great difficulty speaking.
The second idea generated from the action research project is that the widespread accessibility of Spanish has slowed the progress of some Hispanic students. During my interview with Mrs. Vincent and her aides, all three said that this is a big problem for the Hispanics. Mrs. Vincent said that she has a Spanish-speaking aide at the other school that she teaches at. The students prefer to use Spanish with her, and are not forced to use English. For some students, ESL class is the only time that they use English extensively. Many of them go home to Spanish speaking parents that know little to know English and television in Spanish. Most of their friends are Hispanics that use Spanish with them. I agree that it would be hard and unnecessary to give up using Spanish, but that does not change the fact that it does impede the progress of students when it comes to learning English. Even some Hispanic students said that the over-availability of Spanish makes it difficult for them to learn English as fast.
Another idea generated from the action research project is that the environment must be relaxed. Mrs. Vincent and the aides all emphasized that this is the best way to get results out of the students. Mrs. Vincent's aide Amy said that the ESL classroom is the only part of the day that many of the students are not tense or stressed out. This is because Mrs. Vincent has made the classroom warm and inviting. It is a place where it's okay to make mistakes, and the students are among others that are attempting to learn English. For many of the ESL students, the ESL classroom is a safe haven where they feel comfortable.
The idea of making the classroom a relaxed, enjoyable environment ties into my next idea. The next idea is that teachers must motivate students to want to be in school. Sometimes, students can be rebellious and not want to go to school. This is even a problem with American students. Some students need that extra motivation that perhaps family and friends do not provide enough. When that is the case, the only person left to provide that motivation is the teacher. Sometimes, motivating the students can be a problem because some of them are not here legally. I did not ask any of the students about their legal status because I felt like it would be uncomfortable. However, it does factor in to the motivation of the students. When a student knows that he or she cannot attend college because of legal status, it is very discouraging for him or her. The students that are here legally have goals and plans lined out for what they want to do after school. Those that are here illegally are not so sure. Mrs. Vincent tries to motivate them by saying that there could be Immigration Reform in the coming years. I think that it's a very sad situation. I believe that states should allow any students to go to high school in a certain state to attend college there and pay state rates. Those students that are here illegally would be more motivated to do well in school.
SUGGESTIONS TO OTHER ESL PROFESSIONALS BASED ON MY RESEARCH
Based on my research, I now have a better idea of how I will run an ESL classroom. The first suggestion that I can make to other ESL professionals is to put more emphasis on output, especially verbal output. My interviews and surveys concluded that most students found speaking English to be the most difficult aspect of learning the language. They considered reading and writing to be much easier; therefore, ESL teachers must incorporate more verbal output into lessons.
Another suggestion that I can make is to have a relaxed environment where students are also motivated. Many students have already had to cope with leaving friends and family behind in their home countries. They have also had to cope with adjusting to a new culture and language. The ESL classroom should be a relaxed, welcoming environment. Every time that I go into Mrs. Vincent's class, I feel like the students are comfortable there. I think that it is important to talk to students about what their goals are and what they plan on doing with their lives. I also think that it is important to get to know the students well. In an ESL class such as Mrs. Vincent's, where she only sees 13 students, this is not too difficult. The students are looking for someone that they can trust and depend on, and the ESL teacher needs to try to be that person for them. It is important to motivate students and encourage them to follow through with their goals. The job of an ESL student is very important because he or she is responsible for helping students get to a level playing field with their English-speaking classmates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
