All the World’s a Schoolhouse

The following links will direct you, Professor Rozema (or anyone who for some reason might be interested in reading my comments…) to my responses posted on other classmates’ blogs

1. Language in Rwanda
2. An Inspirational Story
3. The Necessity of Religion in Education
4. Michigan Dropout Rates Call for Reform
5. ACT: A Crappy Test
6. Integration Formation
7. Working Around Proposal 2?
8. An Article-and District-that Breaks the Mold
9. How Can Teens Remember Literary Texts?
10. Read-alouds show success in the ELL classroom

Staying true to the genre motif we’ve repeatedly addressed in Professor Rozema’s ENG 310 class, I must say that I am a fan of the “blog genre.”  I have gained quite a load of insight from reading dozens of articles, perusing interesting websites I’ve discovered, writing about issues that others have addressed on the Internet, reading classmates’ posts, and responding to the ideas others have shared in their own blogs.  Whew.  What a mouthful of a sentence!  Likewise, what a mouthful of appreciation.  This blogging assignment was a great way to get everyone in our class to critically consider issues of importance to us in relation to the education world.  We were also able to read interesting blogs that related information we might not have previously considered important, but perhaps appreciate now.

I know that I personally have enjoyed keeping this blog.  The use of Google Reader has kept me reading interesting articles online for countless hours (I could have counted them, but I of course quickly lost track ).  While I have gained knowledge regarding information posted throughout the Internet and our class blogs, I cannot fail to mention the appreciation that I have gained for the usefulness of educational blogging.  If appropriate, I will surely implement blogging in my own future classrooms, for at least a few pretty great reasons!

One of the greatest aspects of blogging is the presence of audience.  The blog genre allows students to write for a much broader range of people than simply a teacher or just a few classmates.  Blogging opens doors to an endless realm of readers…the responses a writer can gain far surpass the typical “end comments” an an academic paper.  No, I’m not ruling out the importance of academic writing, but for many writing situations, blogging seems to be more effective in promoting students’ efforts.  If hundreds of people are going to read your work, won’t you take it a bit more seriously than if one teacher were to scan it over?  That was a rhetorical question, of course…I’m willing to assume that the world population would share in a mass response.

Anyway, overall, I’ve appreciated this experience.  In fact, I wish I had more time to explore the issues each my classmates have posted throughout the semester.  Maybe I’m an odd one out, but that comment alone is proof that blogging can surely ignite interest in learning!  Perhaps the same will be true for my future students…

Over the past several days, I have perused multiple articles regarding teaching abroad and teaching ESL.  While I can easily say that I’ve spent hours reading those articles, I must also admit that none of them appealed to me too much.  I think it’s about time for a more upbeat read…and that’s why I’ve revisited Dave’s ESL Cafe to seek additional ideas to implement in ESL teaching.

One of the ideas I am a fan of is to have students create a cook book.  Each of the students can write a recipe for a favorite home dish, making sure to list and describe the ingredients and procedures in English.  The students can collaborate in small groups and share written versions of their recipes with each other.  A writer can listen as the other group members go over the recipe and make sure that the English is understandable and accurate.  Eventually, the recipes can be combined into a class cookbook.  You could even host a potluck if possible!

Another fun idea I stumbled upon is to create an activit centered upon Asian culture.  Students can make fortune cookies and make sure to write fortunes that are in the future tense.  This sounds like a fun way to teach the future tense…and is perhaps more motivating for students than just filling out worksheeets!  In addition to making fortune cookies, the students could also create fortune telling origamis (aka “cootie catchers”). 

Another idea that caught my attention, because I have actually done something similar in my own educational experience, is the “How To” activity.  Students give a brief speech to their classmates during which they explain how to complete/make/do something.  I have done this a couple times in the past.  In third grade, our teacher had every student in the class write an explanation for how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Sure, this may seem like a simple task, but when the teacher reads your step by step instructions and ends up with slices of bread completely lathered in peanut butter–on all sides–the simple activiity quickly becomes an entertaining lesson.  We learned that directions must be precise, and that we must choose our words carefully.  This could be a fun idea to implement with ESL students too, depending on the class proficiency. 

I think it’s safe to say that I could spend several hours searching through Dave’s ESL Cafe  and sparking ideas to use for ESL lessons.  And if you yourself are curious about anything ESL related, I recommend checking the site out!

Dave’s ESL Cafe

Dave Sperling

2007

A forum at www.esl-jobs-forum.com just made its way to my RSS feed, and caught my attention fairly quickly.  The survey topic I came across was: “Why do you want to teach abroad?” As I read the question, I immediately considered my own reasons for interest.  I want to teach abroad because I love working with people, I love expanding my frame of reference, I love trying new things, and I love having the opportunity to bind the bond of humanity a little more tightly.  As I scrolled down to reveal the survey answer options, my optimistic blur of enticing reasons to teach abroad melted into a sense of disappointment.  The following is a list of options and answer results:

To See The World / Get the Heck Outta Here		25%	[ 6 ]
To Make Some Money / Look for Opportunity		4%	[ 1 ]
To Meet Interesting People		8%	[ 2 ]
To Start A New Life / Do Something Different		25%	[ 6 ]
Personal Reasons / I’m Running Away from Something I Don’t Wanna Discuss		4%	[ 1 ]
I Wouldn’t Tell You If I Could (Or Knew)		8%	[ 2 ]
I Have No Idea. Any Suggestions?		4%	[ 1 ]
Several of These Reasons		20%	[ 5 ]
None of These Reasons

Hmm.  I wasn’t aware of the synonymous relationship between “seeing the world” and “getting the heck outta here,” or that “making money” was the same as “finding opportunity”…in fact, half of those seem to be quite genuine, while half seem pretty…hmm…insufficient to be considered main reasons why someone would aspire to teach abroad.

I don’t intend to sit here and bash the survey of an innocent blogger…for all I know, he or she never imagined anyone would read the survey and become slightly disheartened.  Perhaps I interpreted the survey differently than its creator imagined a reader would.  But, this survey did make me think.  I now wonder just how many people get into teaching abroad not for the love of teaching, but for “perks” that may come along with it.  I personally can’t imagine committing to teaching abroad without a passionate, genuine interest in doing so–what a risk that would be!  There are many mountains to climb in the life of a TESL teacher, or so I’ve come to understand from my informational searches, and I can only imagine life would be pretty frustrating or unfulfilling if it were spent seeking personal benefits or escaping a displeasing life without an absolute interest or love for the task of teaching abroad and the deeper benefits that go along with such an opportunity.

ESL Jobs Forum: Why do you want to teach abroad?

www.esl-jobs-forum.com

2004

My “Teaching Writing: Secondary” professor recently assigned an article that instantly won my approval. The article by Nancy Sommers, entitled “Responding to Student Writing”, discusses the tendency for teachers to overload and confuse students with the “expert comments” they jot throughout the students’ papers.

All too often, writers and revisers overlook the fact that writing is a process, and that there are steps to the revision process as well. When teachers attack small-scale issues (commas, wordiness, word choice, etc.) and big-scale issues (organization, focus, specificity etc.) all at once, the surfaces onto which students’ pour their imaginations, efforts, and time melt into masses of frightening ink-stains. Intimidating, isn’t it?

Part of the in-depth training that GVSU Writing Consultants receive focuses on what we at the Writing Center call “gross” to “close”–a short and sweet reminder that big-scale issues come first, small-scale last. As Nancy Sommers addresses in her article, to point out minor issues is essentially a waste of time and patience for both teachers and students; when big ideas such as organization or clarity are effectively revised, paragraphs morph, ideas develop, a focus crystallizes…and suddenly those small-scale issues aren’t even relevant because they’ve been removed from the paper altogether. Why add unnecessary weight upon students’ shoulders at the start of the revision process?

As I’ve learned and come to believe whole-heartedly throughout my work as a writing consultant, “gross” issues come first, and “close” issues come last. For the most part, they should not simultaneously appear. Sommers says that the “different signals given to students, to edit and develop, to condense and elaborate, represent also the failure of teachers’ comments to direct genuine revision of the text as a whole.” The whole of the text, the bigger picture of the paper, is initially more important than all that little stuff we could spend hours inking around in a single paper.

I believe that the greatest importance in writing is for the writer to effectively present concepts in clear, specific, focused way that readers are able to understand. If a paper has great potential but is a bit confusing, what good is worrying about “word choice” when clarity and development are necessary?

This concept blends with the theme of teaching abroad or teaching ESL/ELL students. I individually meet with the same two ESL students weekly in order to help them improve their language and writing skills. While I certainly help them tackle confusion over tenses, articles, punctuation, etc., making sure that I clearly understand what the writers are trying to say is the most important task of all. Sometimes as I read a student’s paper aloud, I stumble through the words and cannot make meaning out of sentences, but I don’t just jot corrections throughout the confusing sentences. I often have to ask the writer what he/she meant to say, and I grasp understanding as I hear the verbal explanation/elaboration. Seeking understanding, clarity, focus, organization of thoughts, etc. before addressing grammar is essential to effectively working with ELL/ESL students’ writing. If I don’t understand what a writer’s point is, how could I even mark up the grammatical bits of his or her sentences?

Shouldn’t teachers ask that same question when they’re commenting on native English writers’ papers as well?

“Responding to Student Writing”

Nancy Sommers

College Composition and Communication

May 1982

I recently attended a lecture at Grand Valley State University called “Cultural Mobility: The Strange Case of Shakspeare’s Cardenio“, by Stephen Greenblatt, a professor at Harvard University who specializes in Shakespeare.  Greenblatt co-authored a “Shakespearean work” based on the lost play Cardenio in order to emphasize the idea that Shakespearean techniques are applicable throughout time and various cultural settings.  Greenblatt encouraged playwrights around the globe to write their own cultural adaptation of Cardenio, and Greenblatt has observed the results of this cultural adaption.  He shared some of his observations during his lecture.  

The GVSU paper called The Lanthorn features the following quotation from a GVSU graduate student in regards to Greenblatt’s work:

“Some students think of Shakespeare as old and irrelevant — but Greenblatt brings him back into the world,” said Shelley Sickrey, a graduate student in Miller’s class.

He puts Shakespeare in the context of the modern world so everyone can understand it, she said.

The cultural aspect is especially important when referring to Shakespeare because it is studied throughout the world, Miller said.

“Cultural material (like Shakespeare’s plays) moves around and is borrowed and reused in different cultural situations,” Miller said.

The same situations he writes about are transferable to other cultures. This is just one of the things Greenblatt will be touching on in his lecture, she added. 

 

The combination of my attendance at Greenblatt’s informative lecture and my participation in a Shakespeare class this semester really did teach me that Shakespearean plays are culturally adaptable.  Throughout this learning experience, I’ve gained so much more appreciation for Shakespeare’s works.  I have also spent a significant amount of time learning about ways to implement Shakespeare in the classroom–in an American English classroom, that is.   Previous to this semester, I never would have pictured myself teaching Shakespeare in non-American classrooms around the world.  In fact, I struggled with the thought of getting students in the United States to enjoy learning about Shakespeare!  But, as I’ve learned more about the use of Shakespearean literature throughout the world, and teaching techniques to help make learning about Shakespeare enjoyable, I’ve determined that I could definitely implement Shakespeare in different cultural settings.

Yes, even Shakespeare has a place in a teaching abroad blog (beyond inspiration for the blog’s title…)!

My mind is still set on the account of the teacher who traveled to Cameroon and had to teach without textbooks, as I previously mentioned.  I started to search for ideas for teaching without textbooks, and as usual, the internet provided me with some insight.  Unfortunately, a lot of this insight is only applicable to classrooms with sufficent access to technology.  Technology in African villages?  Probably not so much.  And that’s where my mind is set…in an African village, where resources are limited and there aren’t any useful textbooks to teach with (let alone the internet).  It took me awhile to find information that would actually satiate my curiosity, but I did come across some creative activities at Dave’s ESL Cafe: Idea Cookbook that teachers could easily use in resource-deprived classrooms throughout the world.

One idea for vocabulary learning is to play the “human compass” game.  This game consists of predetermined vocabulary words that the teacher posts around a handmade compass rose–whether drawn on the board or with sticks in the dirt.  The teacher calls out a vocabulary word, and a couple of students race to be the first to raise their arm to match the location of the vocabulary word on the compass.  Now, this might sound like a ridiculous elementary game that high school students would not enjoy, but I can honestly say that I bet the Ugandan students I observed and worked with in Uganda would find this game quite entertaining.  Creative teachers can improvise and use similar ideas to better fit their students, of course.

A teacher in South Korea recommends “acting like a robot” and literally following the commands of students.  The teacher explains,

I tell them that I’m a very stupid robot that only understands a small number of simple directional commands. Then I make the students give me orders with the intent of getting me to sit in a chair I’ve place at the other side of the room. I take their orders with robotic literalness, meaning that if they give the wrong command and send me into a wall, I walk into a wall. Later, I split the class into two teams, choose two students “robots”, and make the teams compete to see who will be the first team to get the robot into the chair. Imprecision (mistaking left for right, etc.) results in a losing team, so the kids are motivated to get it right.

This game could be absolutely entertaining for both students and teachers.  I was thinking of ways to make the game more complicated for students who are learning more than “left” versus “right” and other directionally-related terms.  To set up an entire obstacle course with objects to get around and stations with tasks to complete throughout the game would probably be a fun and helpful way to get students thinking in English.  I would also consider calling on individual students randomly at each checkpoint in order to encourage them all to think of responses and continually be ready to answer.

Dave’s ESL Cafe: Idea Cookbook is a great website for generating educationally entertaining ideas.  Many of the activities are possible to implement into a classroom without any textbooks or other resources that teachers in the United States often take for granted.  At first glance, many of the ideas might seem childish, but I would like to emphasize the fact that many ESL students will struggle with the English language and may actually benefit from a “throwback” into child-friendly games.  That is not to say that ESL students are childish, but really, who wouldn’t rather play a game in English class than read a boring old textbook anyway?  (A bit of optimism for textless teaching…)

Dave’s ESL Cafe: Idea Cookbook

Dave Sperling

ESLcafe.com

 1995-2007

I just finished reading an intriguing article that threw me back into the heart of Africa. I imagined myself teaching with a few ancient textbooks, or no textbooks at all, in jam-packed classrooms like those I visited in Uganda. The concept of teaching abroad is, well, a broad topic….pun intended…the opportunities, adventures, and nightmares awaiting international teachers vary from place to place. The article I just read, called “The Real World of Teaching Abroad”, is a collaboration of brief stories from seven different teachers with experience in other countries–including Cameroon. But before addressing the exciting aspects of this article, I want to address the not-so-thrilling situations that teachers mentioned in their excerpts.

Kevin, the teacher in Turkey, shares anecdotes about cultural differences in gestures and language. He mentions that the American trick, “I’ve got your nose”, is actually a derogatory gesture in Turkey so it is very important not to do that. I can’t say that I would ever “steal someone’s nose” in classroom, or out of a classroom for that matter, but this example alone shows that it is important to adapt to the culture of the place you are in. Which would be easier: to convince a Turkish class that the “got your nose” trick is acceptable, or to understand the cultural implications of the gesture in Turkey and refrain from using it? Surely to ask about and observe the culture of the students you are working with is essential to be a successful teacher–abroad or not.

The teacher in China, Jeff, shares an experience in which he discussed war with a student and asked the student his opinion about warfare. The Chinese student said that he would do what he should for his homeland and fight against others. Jeff asked what the student, “What if we had to meet on the battlefield? Although I would never want that to happen, what would you do?” The 20-year-old student replied that he would have to kill him. This shocked Jeff, of course…but this is another case in which it is important to try to understand the culture of the students you’re working with. Jeff had to try to be understanding of his student’s strong sense of responsibility for his country. I think it would be absolutely interesting to find out why student’s possess certain beliefs, but it is not a good idea to try to enforce your own beliefs upon them, as Jeff understood.

Adam, a teacher at an Arab American University, tells of his time spent in the West Bank, teaching with warfare present just outside the classroom. He struggled with concentrating on teaching his student’s and instead worried about their (and his own) safety. He finally addressed the matter, and his students explained to him that they are used to the sounds of gunshots and warfare. They make it through each day just fine, and there is no reason to interrupt learning because of war. Clearly, this idea does not ring true throughout various countries in the world. If I were to teach a class in America and heard gunshots outside, I would absolutely worry and take action to protect my students. But in the West Bank, the students had to advise their teacher to ignore the sounds and focus on what was most important: education.

These few excerpts from the collaborative article make it very clear that teaching abroad calls for patience and understanding. It is important to try to fit yourself into the shape of a teacher in that particular country. You have to be flexible and willing to change your behavior and perceptions in order to successfully influence your students abroad. The advise that my trip leader gave as we settled in Uganda is worthy of applying to the discussion of teaching abroad: adaptability is the key to making the best of your experience in a culturally unfamiliar place. As long as you can adapt to your setting, you can strive to fulfill your roles as a teacher. I certainly believe that there are many exciting experiences related to adapting to a new culture as well…the awkward and conflicting situations mentioned by these few teachers don’t provide insight for the adventure of teaching abroad that keeps American teachers traveling.

“The Real World of Teaching Abroad”

Jeff Booth, Beth Green, Brian Johnson, Lisa Konczal, Krisna Raynor, Kevin Revolinski, & Adam Schreck

Student Traveler

October 22, 2007

I recently found an article on the EBSCO database called “Developing Empathy and Strategies for Working with English Language Learners”, by Gay N. Washburn, PhD, who teaches in the College of Education at Northern Kentucky University. In the opening, the author mentions that when he asks teachers how their ELL students are doing and what sorts of plans are made in order to accommodate ELL students, teachers commonly respond with slight confusion…as if ELL students are the same as every other student and it is unnecessary to change lesson plans to suit their learning.

Washburn points out that the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that 40% of students in 2030 will be ELLs. Currently, many teachers have ELL students in their classrooms, and only about 12.5% of these teachers have had more than 8 hours of training or professional development related to teaching ELLs.

“Knowing the number of ELLs is increasing, the importance of making their classroom time count, and the dearth of models available to preservice teachers in their practicum and student teaching, how can we effectively prepare teacher education students who will teach ELLs in secondary schools?”

Washburn planned a class activity that he refers to as “Language Shock” in order to get future teachers in the mindset of an ELL. He taught the class in a Chinese format; first he had the students read basic level Chinese symbol guides, and eventually he picked up the pace and stunned the students with the Chinese theme. His students would laugh nervously and appeared to be very confused throughout the class. Washburn addressed their thoughts after the activity, and the students admitted that they felt like they didn’t belong in this class because they couldn’t keep up with the teaching. They started to feel helpless, hopeless, bored, and frustrated throughout the experiment.

Washburn and his class discussed how actual ELL students might feel in an actual classroom where they are expected to participate and learn. By participating in the “Language Shock” activity, these students were able to sympathetically address the situation and imagine how they might prevent their future ELL students from feeling the emotions that they felt (in a pretend environment, nonetheless!).

Washburn responded to the class experiment:

“Judging by the reactions of the preservice teachers in the language shock class, avoiding confusion, frustration, and alienation are the first steps. Teachers should focus on making ELLs feel they belong and ensuring that students understand most of what is going on.”

The rest of the article specifies how teachers can help students feel they belong and how to gauge the understanding of the classroom.

This is certainly an article worth reading if you’ve ever wondered, or are wondering now, what it might be like to attend an English school as an ELL student. I think that Washburn’s idea was great, and that all future teachers should have to address such matters. After all, I believe it is likely that every teacher will work with at least one ELL student during their career–and far more than just one student. If teachers are concerned with the growth and development of their students, it is important for them to consider ways to accommodate for different learning situations.

I plan to look into details regarding techniques used in ELL environments. This article made it clear that ELL students feel a wide range of uncomfortable emotions and even a sense of isolation within English classrooms, and as a future teacher who plans to work with ELLs, it is essential for me to consider what I can do to foster the development of ELLs and prevent them from feeling outcasted or distressed.

Developing Empathy and Strategies for Working with English Language Learners
Gay N. Washburn
Clearing House
Vol. 81, Issue 6, p. 247-250
July/August 2008

I wasn’t too pleased with the results of my RSS subscriptions, so I decided to do some more searching.

Jackpot!

I found great articles through a “Teaching ESL” search on Google News.

The first article that I read caught my attention because it reminded me of what my Linguistics professor told us on the first day of class. He said that we shouldn’t worry about the teaching market as long as we’re willing to practice adaptability and travel the world. The fact that Michigan isn’t exactly crying out to Secondary English teachers is old news, but are future English teachers aware of how much they’re wanted by schools outside of our country altogether?

“Repeat After Me…”, an article in The Wall Street Journal written by Scott R. Schmedel, shares general information about overseas teaching, such as countries that really want American teachers–perhaps badly enough that they’ll cover any traveling and housing costs. I was aware of the fact that native English speakers are desirable teachers worldwide, especially after my Linguistics professor gave our class a promotional “traveling teachers” speech, but I didn’t realize that Americans are specifically targeted. According to this article, American conversational English is the dialect of choice. In fact, some countries will hire American English speakers to teach even if they have not obtained a teaching degree. But overall, those with teaching experience have a wider range of traveling options; favor is granted to recent college graduates and older teachers who are respected for their experience and wisdom.

Schmedel points out that “Most foreign employers want to see your college degree and may require a certificate showing that you have studied TESL or TEFL, which stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language…” Current teachers who have not recently graduated from college are encouraged and sometimes required to take a TESL/TEFL course before teaching abroad.

Preparation is necessary in terms of both teaching techniques and cultural awareness. “Repeat After Me…” mentions the importance of understanding the cultural differences among countries. Some places, for example, choose not to hire females because of strictly defined gender roles within society. Cultural awareness is also important in terms of understanding the different values and behaviors of students in another society. Schmedel says, “Be ready to adjust to local school discipline and student attitudes.” He mentions a situation in which an American teacher encountered the shockingly different behavior of Thai students. The teacher refers to the students as “very respectful but not attentive”; they would do each other’s homework, copy work, and even talk on cellphones during class. While this would immediately appear unacceptable in American schools, the value of helping each other is a foundation of Thai society that even stretches into the classroom.

After reading this article, I am curious to learn more about skills that are practiced in TESL/TEFL courses and just how effective teachers find the training once they are actually abroad. I am also curious about specific techniques that teachers implement in classrooms with cultural variance similar to the aforementioned situation in Thailand. Shifting from American education to a completely different cultural system would certainly be an interesting experience, and I’d love to find out more from teachers who are currently abroad!

“Repeat After Me…”
Scott R. Schmedel
The Wallstreet Journal
September 13, 2008