Class Assessment and Standardized Tests

I think for language teachers the best way that they can assess their children is through setting standards for each part of the language. For example, the teacher would grade the students on their improvements in reading, listening, writing, speaking, turning in homework, etc. These are all incredibly essential parts of understanding a language, and they should be able to make applications to all of these aspects to be fully immersed in it. Probably the best way to assess these is by having the children make some sort of portfolio during the semester. If the students have been given plenty of assignments to do during the grading period, they should be able to find proof that they have made improvements and can show the teacher this, which might give them motivation to keep trying to improve themselves. The only downside to this is that some students may have strong points and weak points in learning the language. One may be good speakers but not be able to comprehend what is being spoken to him. So some students may need extra help on some things.

I think that I will blog about both subject for this week, just because I have my own opinions about them. Personally I think that American education depends too much on analyzing test scores and doesn't put enough emphasis on actually thinking of ways to actually teach and help children learn and grow. I think that it can be ONE way to understand if students are all on the same page at a certain essential level, say, before they enter middle and high school. However we try too much to assume that, just because students get bad test scores, that the school that they're in is failing them. We also have the tendency to think that the tests are completely reliable; yet students who may not be accustomed to our culture or language may do especially bad because they don't understand the tests. Another problem is that the teachers are forced to teach the students what could be on the test instead of actually teaching them, and the schools are neglecting those classes and teachers which don't apply to the testing. For example, a school may fire its physical education teacher first before it fires some English or math teachers. Finally it can become a label for both the students and the teachers. A bad score can reflect badly on a student, and he might be labeled as "stupid" or "really smart (and therefore not needing help)." If the students in a teacher's class do poorly, that may reflect on her as a teacher, even though she did not directly have anything to do with the test. So, as long as we don't depend directly on standardized testing to decide how to treat our schools and students and use it instead to decide who needs help and doesn't, they can definitely be used.

Classroom Management Part 2

I think we first need to define what exactly class misbehavior is. I am unfortunately one of those people who can sometimes get annoyed if anything gets out of line and I feel sometimes like I need to micromanage (which I will have to live with if I want to be a teacher). Anyway I guess I would consider any action, habit, or interaction that a student or students perform that could cause a severe hinderance to the teaching or learning process could be misbehavior.

I would to start by developing a certain level of respect between you and the students that will put your relationship as one of trust and mutual respect and act upon that relationship. Also, I would expect that high schoolers and to the most degree middle schoolers would have some understanding that they are responsible for their own behavior and actions. I could start out the beginning of the year by stating my specific expectations and what I will allow and not allow. In that way, if anything occurs, I can refer to the guidelines and say that whoever was misbehaving had warning before. If a student is doing things that are hindering the learning process, they need to be immediately addressed. However I wouldn't be smart to do it in front of all their peers. I would probably instead try to do it on a personal level and try to understand what is going on in his or her life that he or she would act in the way they did. In some cases, it may be that the whole class has some sort of behavior problem. It would not be smart just stand at the front at them and ask what the problem is. Instead I would try to find a way to adjust how I do things to make it easier for them. If things continue to be a problem with individual students, I would find a way to get him or her away from the group as a whole so it wouldn't hinder their ability to learn (send them into the hall or office, tell them to go do an errand for me, etc.).

Classroom Motivation

Classroom motivation is a very tricky subject. Some students have the tendency to not have the motivation at all. It may be that a lot of teachers or administrators have given up on them already, and their situation is just short of a self-fulfilling prophecy. It may also be that they're going through a difficult time in their lives or already have bad preconceived notions on the subject that you want to teach. Well, whatever the reason, I view the job of the teacher to be one that can adapt to the needs of both the class and the individual. I think that the most important way to get the students motivated in class is to make the matter that I'm teaching them relevant to their lives. For example, I could try to show them how learning to speak Spanish could help them find directions to a place that they want to go to in a city. I could use a very concrete example of directions to teach them how to learn a cultural dance. These would all be ways to keep them in high expectations but at the same time keep them in their ZPD. I think it's also important that I try to create a good image for myself in class. I want to be seen (and known) as someone that they can trust and turn to if they have problems understanding the material and not put down for saying "stupid things" (SLT). I think a big part of motivation is also nonverbal and verbal communication. A smile and an encouraging "Yes, you can do it" goes a very long way. I would also want to keep them very mentally engaged. I could do this giving them a lot of exposure to the Spanish language and culture in a way that they can appreciate. (DLT) If I give a lot of exposure to the language, the class should be able to remain in the room for the whole time in class (BLT). I could also try to assess their progress regularly to make inferences on their progress (CLT).

Classroom Management

Classroom management is something that can complicated. Not every class is exactly the same, so the teacher should be flexible and willing and able to adapt to the needs of the class to reach the goals. My practicum teacher this semester showed me how she managed her class, which was very interesting. She described it as "pulling stuff out of my bag of tricks." In a weird sort of way I see classroom management as a very systematic thing (if "A" doesn't happen, I should do "B") However I think that there's much more to it than that. One of the most important thing to do is to create a good first impression, which can go a long way. You should try to prove to them that they are there in that class for a reason. To do this I would start by getting the students hooked in some way. For example, if I were a Spanish teacher, I could ask them what they already know about Spanish and then give them an introduction to how what we will be learning will connect to what they have learned, making it more relevant (CLT). This will help them understand their expectations in class and can prepare them to achieve them (DLT). In order to keep them mentally engaged, I would try to find ways to pass the entire time of class: have them answer  questions that I have written on the board, work in groups, etc.

In order to manage the class, I would create some sort of routine for the students. This is not to say that I would expect every day to be the exact same, which it will not be at all. However I could create a structure of events in the class to which the students would become accustomed (example: start class at a certain time, first thing- review what we did yesterday, second- go over homework, third- learn new lesson, fourth- go over in groups, fifth- do homework, etc.). This is very manageable because the students would know what to expect and be able to play on what I expect from them (BLT). Then if I wanted to do something different to what they're used to one day, they can be a little more surprised.

In a classroom where language is the essential key, I would not put the students' desks in columns. Instead I would put them in circles or a closed in space. This would make it much easier for the students to be able to confer with their peers and discuss what we have been learning. I could then walk to each group and assess their conversations. This would also help us be able to interact on a more personal level and be able to understand the subject at a level that they can understand. I will also need to watch my nonverbal behaviors. I will have to consider how standing in one corner will affect how the students perceive me, as opposed to another (SLT).

Thursday evaluation

I have no idea why it took me so long to write this blog. I must've enjoyed Fall Break too much.

Anyway, I liked how in the first one used very concrete examples. I liked how we could touch and eat the candy. I became addicted to squishing the lard in the bag. However I think they could've done a better job at making a better distinction between what's good for you and what's not.

The second group did a good job at using constructionist learning theory to help us understand what homophones we did and didn't know. The riddles were really fun to do.

I loved the story that the third group read to us. I never expected that the plot would end up how it did. It definitely would help build new schemas and help children understand what being rude means.

The fourth lesson was really fun. It would definitely be a good way for children to get used to letters in the alphabet and what they need. It uses SLT because we had to say all the words that matched the letters. It's definitely a good way to become accustomed to the alphabet.

Group Presentation

I guess our presentation was decent. We planned out what we would teach and the process in which we would do it very carefully. This worked out quite well because we used a very good concrete example ("I reads well" and the rocket ship) to explain the concepts. We then were able to motivate the students with showing them how simple it could be to conjugate by making a little story to go along with the lesson. Also using the race was a great way for the students to get motivated about the experience.

I think there were a lot of things that we could have improved on. It did seem all that much like a teacher oriented classroom. Before doing the race, we could have started by conjugating the "yo" and then asking students to come up and conjugate the rest. We also should have asked students to maybe work in groups to conjugate or we could've had the groups race against each other instead of individuals. I think another problem Jason and I had was that we didn't really distribute responsibilities amongst each other. We should have had one of teach half of the material and the other teach the other half. This can be a problem with teaching. The teacher needs to prepare beforehand what precisely he or she will do and then create a bag of tricks if all else fails.

Questions about LT's

I think the easiest way to know if the learning theories in the classroom are prevalent (notice I don't say how I know that I'm using the theories) is by analyzing what the students' ZPD's are. I would first ask myself what the average student has knowledge of the subject already and try to expand that. For example, if I am a teaching 9th grade Spanish or ESL/ELL class, and the students already know how to speak in the present tense, I would try to teach them to speak in the present progressive tense. However not everyone, especially in foreign language class, may have the same abilities or understanding of the material as others. I would have to explain the how the tenses work in different ways so they can understand it. I would think about what their schemas are and have to find a way to fix it (CLT).

In regards to Developmental Learning Theory, I would need to ask myself what would be concrete for them to understand and how concrete does it need to be. Then if the students can't understand it that way, how can I make it more concrete? I would also have to ask myself when is the right time to go abstract. 

For Social LT, I would need to ask myself how I word what I say. For example, if I am teaching ELL, I would have to speak in slow, simple English, but if I'm teaching Spanish I would have to speak Spanish slowly and simply as well. I would also need to ask myself who the more knowledgeable peers are and to what affect would their presence in the classroom be.