The Dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, Bob Pianta, recently did an interview with the radio show/podcast "With Good Reason." He says he can identify whether or not a teacher is a good teacher quickly, regardless of content.
Carry on, I'm just over here taking notes...
Listen to it here!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tech-Out with ELLs
A look at: "The Effects of Multimedia-Enhanced Instruction on the Vocabulary of English-Language Learners and Non-English-Language Learners in Pre-Kindergarten Through Second Grade," by Rebecca Silverman and Sara Hines.
When I initially began reading this article, a red flag flew up. I know the research shows that people cannot learn language from a video, even if that video is interacting with them (like through a video chatting service), so I did not understand why this article would review that research area. Upon further reading, I saw that Silverman and Hines clarified that they were seeking to augment good vocabulary instruction with multimedia, rather than trying to teach language (and the social queues that come with it) through video alone. It appears as if some forms of multimedia vocabulary supplementation can be helpful for today's ELLs, which can be somewhat convenient for some teachers. Watching a Sesame Street segment could be a temporary station in a classroom full of students learning through many means.
When I initially began reading this article, a red flag flew up. I know the research shows that people cannot learn language from a video, even if that video is interacting with them (like through a video chatting service), so I did not understand why this article would review that research area. Upon further reading, I saw that Silverman and Hines clarified that they were seeking to augment good vocabulary instruction with multimedia, rather than trying to teach language (and the social queues that come with it) through video alone. It appears as if some forms of multimedia vocabulary supplementation can be helpful for today's ELLs, which can be somewhat convenient for some teachers. Watching a Sesame Street segment could be a temporary station in a classroom full of students learning through many means.
To Group Vocab Words or Not...
A look at: "Effects on vocabulary acquisition of presenting new words in semantic sets versus semantically unrelated sets" By Ismail Hakkı Erten and Mustafa Tekin
The conclusion of this article surprised me, but only because it differed with what I remember about the first few years of L2 instruction. The writers conclude that new words should not be presented in semantic sets because it confuses the learner. Rather, they should be presented in unrelated sets of words, so the learner's limited short term memory can concentrate on the new words as individuals instead of trying to remember the differences between them. Again, this was a surprising conclusion, only because I can remember so many vocab lists that contained similar words. I suppose the teacher thought it would be best to show us these similar words together so as not to be confused, but I see now that it was counterproductive.
The conclusion of this article surprised me, but only because it differed with what I remember about the first few years of L2 instruction. The writers conclude that new words should not be presented in semantic sets because it confuses the learner. Rather, they should be presented in unrelated sets of words, so the learner's limited short term memory can concentrate on the new words as individuals instead of trying to remember the differences between them. Again, this was a surprising conclusion, only because I can remember so many vocab lists that contained similar words. I suppose the teacher thought it would be best to show us these similar words together so as not to be confused, but I see now that it was counterproductive.
Languages and Children: Chapter 9
This chapter shows how much cultural emphasis can be a vehicle for implicitly learning a language, as well as the greatest motivation to learn it. I love the idea of starting with a culturally integrative lesson to help teach vocabulary and language. As Curtain and Dahlberg allude, it can help bridge a gap that ELLs might fear crossing: knowing more about the country in which they now live. The Classroom Exchanges idea jumped out as particularly interesting as I suspect it would get the adrenaline pumping in the veins of these young learners: a great recipe for learning success. I also love the ideas that integrate technology and uniting students with other students around the globe.
Languages and Children: Chapter 3
This chapter gives an overview of three kinds of communication: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational. I love that it gives concrete examples and suggestions for teachers to use in their classroom, beginning with stepping stone activities. As we have discussed in class, it is most important that we help students build a bank of meaningful and useful vocabulary in order for them to partake in these three kinds of communication. My brain wants me to organize these three in my mind as if they were three steps in a process, though Curtain and Dahlberg emphasize the holistic nature of communication. Again, I will visit this chapter again to sample some of the activities they provide.
ACCESS-ible Testing?
Upon looking at and reflecting on the WIDA ACCESS test, I'm not satisfied with how we choose to assess our students, but I cannot offer a better alternative at the moment. I've witnessed the MAPS testing in the Charlottesville City Schools for a group of WIDA level 2.5 and below students. What I noticed with that testing and with the ACCESS test is that students are given zero scaffolding aid when taking the test. Just like with the reading fluency tests for non-ELLs, the proctors are required to push the students until they reach their frustration level. I suggest that the nature of these tests and the sharp jolt in difference between their daily experience with assessments and how this test assesses them will be the source of more frustration. Therefore, how accurate could the results be? Again, I can only whine about this without presenting an alternative solution to what I know is a necessity.
Making it Happen: Chapter 5
Discovering the purposeful difference between implicit and explicit teaching was revolutionary in my learning as a preservice teacher last fall. I knew I learned better (and that the learning "stuck") through implicit teaching over explicit teaching, but most of my memories of elementary school learning was in an explicit teaching setting. This chapter reviews the different methods for teaching and shares that current research does not draw a distinct conclusion between implicit and explicit instruction for L2 learners. Overall, it's important for the teacher to reflect on how the student learns best; they can be product oriented or process-oriented. I will revisit this chapter many times for the strategies for listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)