The course syllabus stated that students can combine the technology template with a lesson plan from another unit. As such, I combined it with the technology lesson plan template.
Defining teaching
One of the descriptions that
Smith provides to define teaching is “the process of attending to people’s needs,
experiences, and feelings.” He explains that this involves an orientation based
on respect and the belief that everyone has the right to share in life. I think
that this description is particularly relevant to ESL because students come
from diverse backgrounds and might be unfamiliar with the classroom setting. In
addition, personal feelings and experiences can influence the needs of students
in the classroom and the effectiveness of various teaching methods and actions.
My experience volunteering
in the classroom setting has shown me that many students are afraid of being
wrong. This means that if no one raises their hand after the class is asked a
question that it does not necessarily mean that no one knows the answer.
Rather, students may feel unsure of themselves and be reluctant to speak up. Therefore,
it is important for teachers to be aware of their students’ feelings so that
they can cultivate a learning environment where students feel comfortable and
does not make them feel upset about giving a wrong answer. Making mistakes is
part of the learning process.
Another definition that
Smith provides is that teaching is the ability to “impart knowledge to or
instruct (someone) as to how to do something” or to “cause (someone) to learn
or understand something by example or experience.” In my educational experience,
the schools that I attended were quite bad at incorporating both aspects of
teaching. I did not learn how to write proper paragraphs and academic papers
until I attended university and received help from a tutor. I found that having
an example that I could use to structure my own writing was extremely
helpful.
I have tried to use both while
teaching in the classroom and as a tutor. I have found it easier to teach by
example or experience than to teach through instruction when assisting in the
classroom because the students have a limited English vocabulary. This has also
been true for my experience working with teens. Most have very strong speaking
skills but have trouble following spoken and written instructions. One student
that I helped did not understand a short story that she was assigned to read
and answer questions about. However, her reading comprehension improved after I
showed her how to scan the story for information to answer questions and to
underline important information. As such, I think both aspects of teaching are
important when trying to get students to apply what they learn in class to
other knowledge and situations that they encounter.
Defining Intervention
Another concept that I find interesting
in the assigned reading is intervention. Smith defines intervention as “the
process of taking defined and targeted action in a situation” so that students
can learn particular things. He explains that interventions can take the form
of “questioning, listening, giving information, explaining some phenomenon,
demonstrating a skill or process, testing understanding and capacity, and facilitating
learning activities such as notetaking, discussion, assignment writing,
simulations, and practice.”
I used some of these forms
of intervention while working with one of the teens who was having trouble
answering a list of questions about events and turning her answers into
paragraph form. I asked her questions about the events to make her answers more
detailed and helped her structure her answers themselves and her paragraphs. At
first, I worried that she might have been relying too much on me to phrase her
sentences and to decide what order to use them in paragraphs. However, the next
time that I worked with her she had finished some of the events herself and she
found it much easier to form paragraphs. Thinking about this experience within
the context of intervention makes me feel satisfaction and shows me that it was
appropriate to intervene when I did.
Building a growth mindset
The Smith article also
details the research findings of Carol Dweck on the topic of adopting a growth
mindset. She explains that a fixed mindset is what results from the belief that
your qualities are carved in stone and creates a continuous desire to prove
yourself. It is concerned with outcomes and performance and stems from valuing
and praising achievement. In contrast, a growth mindset is what results from
believing that some qualities are just a starting point and that effort,
together with application and experience, leads to personal growth and
achievement. This is particularly applicable to my experience as a student
since I have a tendency to focus on short-term goals rather than continuous
effort over time. As such, I understand that I could have inadvertently
increased my level of stress over the course of my university career. It can
also be incorporated into my volunteering positions where students worry about
being wrong. A growth mindset can be encouraged by focusing on the role of
effort within the process of learning.
References
Dweck, C. S.
(2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, NY: Ballantine
Books.
Jackson, N. (2015,
January 21). Tutor Teaching Education [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/en/tutor-teacher-education-student-606091/
Smith, M. K.
(2018, June 25). What is teaching? A definition and discussion. Retrieved from
http://infed.org/mobi/what-is-teaching/
Here is an image of my PLN. I hope that some of the labels aren't too faint. I have organized the parts into flowers and leaves. The flowers show the people and resources that help me to grow as an ESL teacher, while the leaves show the organizations and social media connections that help to connect me to these people and resources.
At the moment, most of my contacts are organizations and websites that provide resources like lesson plans to ESL teachers around the world. I have found it difficult to locate other teachers. Hopefully adding more classmates from this program will help to expand my PLN.
This is my learner self-analysis profile. I will reflect about my personal beliefs about teaching and learning in a future post.
Having to explain automatic language processes to ELLs with a
different L1
I found the activities included in the Bolitho and Tomlinson (2005)
article about using grammar correctly to be interesting. Before reading the
article, I thought I was familiar with most types of grammar and could use them
correctly. I have had people comment on my writing ability and am sometimes
told that I am more well-spoken and thoughtful than most people my age.
However, I found myself very frustrated when I worked through the exercises and
my attention was drawn to grammar aspects that I either had difficulty doing
due to a lack of familiarity or were automatic processes where I could not
explain why I knew something was right or wrong. This made me realize that I
need to improve my grammar knowledge and to become aware of how and why I use
parts of language so that I can teach learners how and why certain grammar
practices are done English
In the chapter “Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary”, Brown and Lee
(2015) discuss approaches to form-focused instruction. Forms are the structures
that phrases and sentences take that transmit information in an effective and
meaningful way. They can be taught both explicitly or implicitly in language
learning activities and lessons. The authors state that most current language
teaching methods teach form-focused instruction within a communicative
framework. The instruction involving teaching forms differs from explicit and
implicit techniques, noticing, and input enhancement. Explicit techniques are
one way of teaching learners about grammatical forms, which can be presented deductively
or inductively. Deductive explicit teaching involves the direct presentation of
rules and concepts to learners who they then apply what they were taught to other
learning activities and exercises. Inductive explicit teaching involves the
presentation of examples where learners are taught how to identify characteristics
and infer the reasons behind the structuring of grammatical forms. In
comparison, implicit techniques do not involve the use of structural analysis
or technical terms. Instead, learners use context to understand the meaning of
sentences and utterances. One implicit technique is called the focus on form
approach. It is similar to inductive explicit teaching, except it is done
indirectly through communicative activities. Learners’ attention focuses on
target forms and noticing grammatical features without being directed by their
teacher (Brown and Lee, 2015).
I prefer to use explicit techniques when I am teaching learners how
to use grammatical structures. I have not taught grammatical form in deductive
way since my volunteer experience has been mostly with learners who are at a
beginner level. I do not think it is helpful to teach learners at this level
the names of different tenses since they have very little knowledge to build from
and it is difficult to explain the reasons why certain forms are more
appropriate than others. I prefer to use inductive teaching methods because it
allows students to interact with information directly and to learn rules
through observing what structures are being used and their effectiveness. I
also like this method because learners are still taught about grammatical structure,
so they know what they are looking for when they observe and model the sentences
and utterances provided by the teacher. In contrast, implicit techniques seem
to assume that learners will notice the same features that the teacher would
present if they were teaching using explicit techniques. I think that learners
benefit most from initial instruction because it builds skills and competence
that can be applied individually, both inside and outside of the classroom.
References
Bolitho, R.,
& Tomlinson, B. (2005). Common areas of difficulty. In Discover English
(pp. 7-18). Oxford, UK: Macmillan Limited.
Brown, H.
D., & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching grammar and vocabulary. In Teaching by
principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed., pp.
462-486). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Martin, P.
(2009). LA Phonics [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://languagearts.phillipmartin.info/la_phonics.gif
The advantages that adults have in learning a new language
I
found the section in the Brown and Lee (2015) about the advantages that adults
have in learning a new language to be interesting. I have always heard people
discuss how children are information sponges and are able to acquire new
languages easily. The textbook has discussed how research done on the subject
of language acquisition for children has shown that these ideas are not true
and that adults have several assets available to them that make them stronger
learners. This discussion is interesting to me because I volunteer in an adult
ESL classroom and have never considered the advantages that adults might have
in second language acquisition. Reading about this subject has provided me with
a new perspective. It is sometimes difficult for me to keep a positive outlook
since students at the CLB foundation level are learning very basic language information
and their progress can be slow. As such, reading about the strengths of adult
learners has made me more optimistic about learning outcomes.
Brown
and Lee (2015) state that adults have stronger cognitive abilities than younger
learners, which often make them more successful at learning a new language. One
strength that adult students have is the ability to rely on past experiences
and knowledge. Adults have more practical and theoretical knowledge (i.e.
schemata) than younger learners have that they can refer to as they learn a new
language. They can also use this knowledge to imagine hypothetical situations
and think in abstract ways. This is in contrast to how children learn through
using their senses and preferring lessons that are practical and directly appeal
to their interests. Other strengths that adults have are longer attention spans,
clearer goals, and a more developed self-image. Longer attention spans allow
adults to focus on information that is important but does not necessarily interest
them personally. Clearer goals about the future, including vocational goals, give
adults the motivation required to learn a new language. In addition, a more
developed self-image can provide adults with more confidence, enable them to
take greater risks in the classroom and in their learning, and be less
sensitive about making mistakes and the opinions of others (Brown and Lee,
2015).
The Thorburn
and Yu (2016) podcast says that adults are at an advantage over children
because of their perspectives and situations that have led them to learn a new
language. Adults often want to learn a new language (i.e. intrinsic motivation)
while children may be pushed into learning a new language by pressure from
their parents (i.e. extrinsic motivation) or due to educational requirements. As
such, adults have the potential to learn faster than children if their
motivation leads them to pursue independent learning opportunities and
experiences outside of the classroom. However, it is argued that there are not
any fundamental differences between teaching adults and children aside from the
differences in needs. For example, children require shorter instruction periods
than adults due to their shorter attention spans (Thorburn and Yu, 2016).
Schwarzer
(2009) explains that adults bring knowledge and experience that they have obtained
over the course of their lives into the classroom. The knowledge may be
specialized according to the jobs they have had. As a result, current practices
in language teaching advocate for the incorporation of educational material
that pertains to the students’ knowledge and interests to encourage student
participation and learning. The knowledge and experiences of adult students
also provide them with opportunities to relate what they know to what they are
learning in a new language. Current practices encourage students to pursue
language learning opportunities outside of the classroom to explore their
interests and become independent learners (Schwarzer, 2009).
References
Brown, H. D., & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching across age levels. In Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed., pp. 108-129). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Hassan, M. (2017, October 11). [Adult student
sitting on a stool with her laptop]. Retrieved from
https://pixabay.com/photo-2841064/
Schwarzer, D. (2009). Best practices for teaching the “whole” adult ESL learner. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 121(Spring), 25-33. doi:10.1002/ace.322
Thorburn, R., & Yu, T. (2016, November 14).
What's the difference between teaching kids and teaching adults? [Audio
blog post]. Retrieved from
http://www.tefltraininginstitute.com/podcast/2016/8/13/podcast-whats-the-difference-between-teaching-kids-and-teaching-adults
Agency in the classroom
I
found the section in the Brown and Lee (2015) textbook about the role of agency
inside and outside of the classroom to be interesting. Much of what I have
learned in the TESL program has stressed the importance of agency and being an
independent learner, which extends to learners’ work outside of the classroom.
However, the section from the textbook also mentions what learners can do
inside the classroom. From my perspective, it can be difficult to create
learning activities that encourage agency in the classroom because class
revolves around following a lesson plan so that teachers can meet the learning
requirements of a curriculum and so that learners can achieve their goals. I
think that agency requires giving learners opportunities to make choices about
what and how they want to learn. This can come from assessments themselves and
the feedback that learners provide. Other opportunities could include having
forms of the same activity at different learning levels so that learners can
decide if they want to challenge themselves.
Brown
and Lee (2015) state that learner agency should create opportunities for
learners to use language, develop their voice, and recognize personal
relevance. Each of these features will be discussed below.
The
authors write that agency should be the focus of planning, executing,
reflecting, and evaluating. Instead, teachers have focused too often on input
and output, drills and exercises, and learning correct forms. As such, the
activities included in lesson plans need to go beyond teachers instructing
learners how to use the new language and give learners opportunities to use
their new language in authentic and real-life ways (Brown and Lee, 2015). This
reminds me of task-based learning where learners are taught the vocabulary and
skills required to do activities and are then given opportunities to practice
using the language. Then they are equipped to do the tasks when they encounter
them in real life.
Brown
and Lee (2015) connect the concept of agency to the development of voice. Voice
is defined as incorporating and expressing one’s own feelings, thoughts, and
identity into the language that one uses. This means that a person’s thoughts
and feelings can be heard by the individuals or groups that they are speaking
to. They are also expressing their identity in a way where they declare who
they are rather than being defined by someone else’s ideas of what is or is not
important. The authors state that teachers can create opportunities for
learners to express themselves, transfer their prior knowledge and skills, and
to choose and present their own identities in their new language (Brown and
Lee, 2015).
Brown
and Lee (2015) argue that since agency involves utilizing language using
opportunities, teachers should provide more language affordances (i.e. action
possibilities) for learners rather than focusing on input. This connects the
concept of agency since it would draw the attention of learners to use language
and understand how the new language is personally relevant to their own needs,
interests, and goals. Lantolf and Throne (2006) define agency as “the ability
to assign relevance and significance to things and events” (in Brown and Lee,
2015, p. 102). As such, it is important that teachers consider the cultural and
linguistic backgrounds, abilities, aspirations, and other elements of identity
of their learners when they develop classroom materials and lesson plans (Brown
and Lee, 2015).
Huang
and Benson (2013) connect and the similarities and differences between the
concepts of autonomy, agency, and identity in foreign and second language
education. The authors state that autonomy is about the relationship between an
individual and society in relation to language learning; however, definitions
and descriptions of the concept vary amongst scholars. The terms capacity and
control are presented to the reader to clarify the authors’ understanding of
autonomy. The authors state that capacity is not a set of learning behaviours
and that it “specifies what a person has the potential to do, rather than what
they actually do” (p. 9). As such, it relates to the concept of autonomous
learning, where learners require the capacity to control their own language
learning using their own knowledge and study skills (Huang and Benson, 2013).
This concept, as understood by the authors, is similar to the way that Brown
and Lee (2015) describe the need for individuals to apply language skills to
situations outside of the classroom. Huang and Benson (2013) compare the
concept of capacity to control, which they define as “having the power to make
choices and decisions and acting on them” (p. 9). Control involves learning
management, cognitive processing, and learning content. The definitions are as
follows: learning management is when a learner is able to control how they
learn behaviourally, as well as when and where they learn; cognitive processing
is when a learner is able to control how they learn cognitively through
noticing input and metacognition; and learning content is when a learner can
control what and how much they learn as a result of decision making. The
authors note that the capacity to control the content and process of learning
also indicates the capacity to make learning personally relevant. (Huang and
Benson, 2013).
Huang
and Benson (2013) write that various academic disciplines have created
definitions of agency, making it difficult for researchers to agree on a specific
definition. Overall, definitions establish a relationship between autonomy and
agency and agree that people or agents have the capacity to make choices based
on their own intentions and purposes. To explain the difference between agency
and autonomy, the authors explain that “agency may carry a focus on
self-conscious reflexive learning actions while autonomy is concerned with a
sense of being in control of the learning process (p. 16). However, they note that
even though people exercise agency by choosing to take actions for of a
specific purpose, they cannot guarantee that their learning is autonomous since
they may not be in control of the process (Huang and Benson, 2013).
After
reading these articles, I have found that autonomy, agency, and identity are
social concepts that go beyond individual actions, perspectives, and concepts
of self. I have also realized the importance of providing learners with tools
and opportunities that are consistent with their identities and promote agency
and autonomous learning. I hope that I will be able to gain insight from my
learners about what, how, and why they want to learn so that I can be an effective
teacher.
References
Brown, H.
D., & Lee, H. (2015). Agency in language learning. In Teaching by
principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed., pp.
88-106). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Huang, J.,
& Benson, P. (2013). Autonomy, agency and identity in Foreign and Second
Language Education. Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics, 36(1),
7-28. doi:10.1515/cjal-2013-0002