Midterm self- and peer reflections (FS19) - Classroom 2.02024-03-29T13:17:15Zhttps://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/midterm-self-and-peer-reflections-fs19?groupUrl=pedagogy-of-secondary-school&commentId=649749%3AComment%3A1198768&xg_source=activity&groupId=649749%3AGroup%3A863323&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi Karolina,
I really like ho…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-11-01:649749:Comment:11990592019-11-01T02:32:20.902ZGeomyra Granadoshttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/GeomyraGranados
<p><span>Hi Karolina,</span></p>
<p><span>I really like how you presented your activity during your pre-reading activity. I think the use of your video is really important since it will catch the students attention and they can also learn from it since your lesson makes reference back to the video. Regarding your activity set up, the students working in pair is a great way to start the class since they all feel engaged with one another. According to Lee and VanPatten (2003), They both suggest…</span></p>
<p><span>Hi Karolina,</span></p>
<p><span>I really like how you presented your activity during your pre-reading activity. I think the use of your video is really important since it will catch the students attention and they can also learn from it since your lesson makes reference back to the video. Regarding your activity set up, the students working in pair is a great way to start the class since they all feel engaged with one another. According to Lee and VanPatten (2003), They both suggest that one of the most important phases throughout a reading lesson is the pre-reading and the post-reading. As they suggested, it is important to be able to catch students attention by bringing them topics of interest and making them work in groups. Even though your lesson required the students to answer the follow up questions regarding what they watched throughout the video. One thing I would do different when performing you lesson is showing them more visuals about the vocabulary prior<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> to watching the video that way the students are able to understand the lesson to the fullest. As mentioned in the reading by Lee and VanPatten (2003), it is crucial to simplify the input presented in the class, the reason for this being is for the students to be able to understand the content of your lesson to the fullest. Overall, your lesson does accomplish what you intend to do, the 5C’s are well presented throughout your lesson. (254)</span></p> The instructional methods uti…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-31:649749:Comment:11992552019-10-31T19:47:35.818ZFazima Kausarhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/FazimaKausar
<p>The instructional methods utilized in Melinda’s lesson plan were meticulously reasoned considering the Spanish level she intended to teach as well as the content of reading comprehension. Melinda made great use of binding, every vocabulary word was accompanied with a visual as opposed to providing a traditional bilingual list, this exemplifies the idea of binding. As Terrell mentions “the concept of binding is what language teachers refer to when they insist that a new word ultimately be…</p>
<p>The instructional methods utilized in Melinda’s lesson plan were meticulously reasoned considering the Spanish level she intended to teach as well as the content of reading comprehension. Melinda made great use of binding, every vocabulary word was accompanied with a visual as opposed to providing a traditional bilingual list, this exemplifies the idea of binding. As Terrell mentions “the concept of binding is what language teachers refer to when they insist that a new word ultimately be associated with its meaning and not with a translation” (Terrell, 1986).</p>
<p>However, I do recommend, one little addition that may assist with a better apprehension of the song played during the video in the Presentation segment of the lesson. I would recommend providing students with the lyrics of the song. This way they can easily identify the verbs or any vocabulary they had previously learned while also hearing it put in context. As Lee and VanPatten declare “…comprehensible, meaning-bearing input is crucial for <em>all</em> domains of language: syntax, verbal morphology, nominal morphology, pronunciation, and semantics, in addition to vocabulary” (2003, p. 46).</p>
<p>I would also recommend dedicating some time to allowing students compare <em>El día de los muertos</em> to any festivity that they are familiar with or even participate in themselves. A very obvious example here in the US would be Halloween. You can have students discuss any familial traditions they practice on this day and how it can be compared to <em>El día de los muertos.</em> This can students develop cultural sensitivity, “learning about one’s own cultural values and making them salient is a good first step to take before beginning to look at other cultures” (Lee and VanPatten, 2003, p. 213). (280 words)</p>
<p>References: </p>
<p><span>Lee, J., & VanPatten, B. (2003). <i>Making communicative language teaching happen, (2nd</i> Ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.</span></p> Section B:
Fiseema’s lesson w…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-31:649749:Comment:11991562019-10-31T18:06:07.130Zmelinda vargashttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/melindavargas
<p>Section B:</p>
<p>Fiseema’s lesson was very well thought out in merging the topic of art and Pablo Picasso in the target language because students may have prior knowledge based on previous classes. By using this topic she is also providing students with the possibility of freely expressing themselves on what does art mean in our lives which sparks their interest and assists them with learning how to express themselves in the target language. The production activity allows students to be as…</p>
<p>Section B:</p>
<p>Fiseema’s lesson was very well thought out in merging the topic of art and Pablo Picasso in the target language because students may have prior knowledge based on previous classes. By using this topic she is also providing students with the possibility of freely expressing themselves on what does art mean in our lives which sparks their interest and assists them with learning how to express themselves in the target language. The production activity allows students to be as basic or as advanced as they want to be. Consistent with Tomlinson (2001) “two powerful and related motivators for engagement are students interest and student choice.” (p. 52). Do you think that focusing on a Spanish speaking artist like Frida Kahlo, might work better next when conducting this lesson? Students who have watched Coco might be familiar with her as the crazy lady with the monkey and crazy artistic performance. However some students may not know who she really is which may give the opportunity to present more culture into the lesson. In addition, I agree that creating a more focused production activity for students would create a more focused output, do you think it would be a good idea to have them write a letter to you about where to display their art or where how to decorate the display? By doing this and actually doing some of their suggestions it will be meaningful to them and they will see it every time they come to school. (250 words)</p>
<p>References: </p>
<p><span>Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (2nd Edition). Reston, VA: ASCD.</span></p> For my teaching slice, I pres…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-30:649749:Comment:11990912019-10-30T17:12:11.586ZFazima Kausarhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/FazimaKausar
<p>For my teaching slice, I presented a Production activity based on the reading comprehension delivered earlier while also touching base on the students’ personal interests with hopes of maintaining student enthusiasm. As Tomlinson (2001) utter, “Three characteristics of students guide differentiation: readiness, interest, and learning profile…We know that students learn better if tasks are a close match for their skills and understanding of a topic (readiness), if tasks ignite curiosity or…</p>
<p>For my teaching slice, I presented a Production activity based on the reading comprehension delivered earlier while also touching base on the students’ personal interests with hopes of maintaining student enthusiasm. As Tomlinson (2001) utter, “Three characteristics of students guide differentiation: readiness, interest, and learning profile…We know that students learn better if tasks are a close match for their skills and understanding of a topic (readiness), if tasks ignite curiosity or passion in a student (interest)…” (p. 45). While students were completing the activity, I quickly took note of the student engagement in the classroom, as they were also permitted to quietly discuss the questions amongst one another. I heard one group of students expressing their love for NYC street art, while others were talking about their favorite museums.</p>
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<p>However, one aspect of my teaching slice that I would modify in the future for Production activities, is giving students a scenario. Scenarios allow students step out of their own shoes and put themselves in a certain situation, to make the activity more diverting as well as meaningful. Instead of having students simply imagine they are artists, I would make the activity more exhilarating by having students imagine they are writing a letter to the director a museum in which they wish to display their art. This would allow output processing, which research indicates is the way in which learners acquire the ability to make use of implicit knowledge, “for example, during conversational interactions or while making a presentation in class” (Lee & VanPatten, 2003, p. 18).</p>
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<p>Although my lesson was based on reading comprehension, my intent for my lesson plan as a language teacher, was to incorporate all four skills of language learning as much as I possibly can, as declared by Lee and VanPatten (2003) “Comprehensible input is a factor related to the acquisition of a linguistic system—vocabulary, morphology, syntax, phonology, and other linguistic features” (p. 214). In the Presentation activity, students were required to speak in the TL and report what they had spoken about on paper. Then during the reading comprehension, I had participating students read the passage paragraph by paragraph while the rest followed along. Being that the reading comprehension paragraph consisted of four paragraphs, four students were able to volunteer to read the passage aloud. Two of these four students were native while the other two were not, this allowed non-Natives to detect any phonological sounds that may be new or unfamiliar to them, with hopes that they will then be encouraged to later imitate those sounds. As research suggests, “In the second language classroom, the <strong>Audiolingual method</strong> of instruction was developed to provide appropriate stimuli for learners to imitate and a context that fostered association formation. Learner errors were corrected immediately so as to prevent the formation of bad habits” (Geeslin & Long, p. 12). (472 words)</p>
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<p>References:</p>
<p><span>Lee, J., & VanPatten, B. (2003). </span><i>Making communicative language teaching happen, (2nd</i><span> Ed). </span></p>
<p><span>Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (2nd Edition). Reston, VA: ASCD.</span></p> Evelyn,
I thought your teachi…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-29:649749:Comment:11989552019-10-29T22:52:05.444ZCAROLINA PUERTAhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/CAROLINAPUERTA
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Evelyn,</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">I thought your teaching lesson was well organized. Your lesson is composed of all the hook and 3Ps elements. Your lesson is similar to mine, as far as culture is concerned, since you are teaching the culture of Mexico about the day of the dead and I am teaching about Colombia and Christmas. The hook as you say in your reflection seemed to me a very good way to start because the video details very well the explanation of what…</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Evelyn,</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">I thought your teaching lesson was well organized. Your lesson is composed of all the hook and 3Ps elements. Your lesson is similar to mine, as far as culture is concerned, since you are teaching the culture of Mexico about the day of the dead and I am teaching about Colombia and Christmas. The hook as you say in your reflection seemed to me a very good way to start because the video details very well the explanation of what your lesson will be, and it is very interesting for the students since their visual part and audit are playing an important role in this.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">In the production you used a story about two characters celebrating “el día de los muertos”, I thought it was good, it is not complex for students and culture, it is very interesting to learn how this celebration unites families and especially remember a loved one together with how it is celebrated and the typical things they do during this day. I believe that one of the activities that is vocabulary could use a more visual activity "visual representation of vocabulary to facilitate acquisition" "Binding can be facilitated during vocabulary acquisition by presenting vocabulary in meaningful groups (eg, physical descriptions, clothing, weather) , providing meaningful input in presenting vocabulary, using visuals and objects so that students can match the TL description to the concrete referents, and engaging students in demonstrating comprehension and acquisition of vocabulary before actually asking them to produce it orally or in written form "(Shrum & Glisan, pg 15). I think applying this would make the activity more motivating for students, but the rest of activities was nice organized and understandable.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The activity you used for the production seems to me to be very good, since students after learning about a "Mexican" culture can now have the opportunity to share a tradition of their different cultures and countries. (316 words)</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Nice Job<span> </span></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Shrum, J. L., & Glisan, E. W. (2000). <em>Teacher's handbook: Contextualized language instruction</em>. Boston, Mass: Heinle & Heinle.</p> The lesson that you presented…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-29:649749:Comment:11988452019-10-29T22:44:33.593ZEvelyn Salazarhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/EvelynSalazar
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The lesson that you presented was realistic, cultural and informative. I like the fact that you took the time to integrate a narration where students can read about the experience of other students but also the part that you provide good information about a tradition in Mexico.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first picture it was a little confusing for me, in one part it was a piece of map which can reflect traveling but the other part of the…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The lesson that you presented was realistic, cultural and informative. I like the fact that you took the time to integrate a narration where students can read about the experience of other students but also the part that you provide good information about a tradition in Mexico.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first picture it was a little confusing for me, in one part it was a piece of map which can reflect traveling but the other part of the picture was not so clear. However the second picture where you introduce your presentation activity it was clear, related to the topic and informative. I love the part that you used big letters to remark the title and also the title itself is engaging and motivational for students. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The practice activity a great choice for students vocabulary, similarities to english language and practice of the verbs and the grammar that they are learning. But I would like to mention that in the passage slide you used different bold letters (one type on one side and the other for the other side), I am not sure if you did it intentionally for a specific reason or it was just an error. Also the letters were very small, I do not think is a big problem but just take into consideration that some students may find it difficult to see. In addition to the passage I noticed that you used some words that may be for a higher level like Asimismo or normalmente and in some instances the asimismo word is not the best choice for the narration.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Overall I think you presentation was well done, your use details, great content, lexico, you integrated culture and the activities were done according to your lesson.</span></p> Your activity was well…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-29:649749:Comment:11986582019-10-29T21:57:37.679ZKarolina Custodiohttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/KarolinaCustodio
<p> Your activity was well presented, and the topic of your lesson was comprehensible for students. Since they have the knowledge in the first language (L1) about “Las compras” now they will be able to make connections with the target language (TL). According to Lee and VanPatten (2003) a lesson draws on the background knowledge of the class; this facilitates comprehension and students can use their own experiences about shopping. One of the things I like from your presentation phase was…</p>
<p> Your activity was well presented, and the topic of your lesson was comprehensible for students. Since they have the knowledge in the first language (L1) about “Las compras” now they will be able to make connections with the target language (TL). According to Lee and VanPatten (2003) a lesson draws on the background knowledge of the class; this facilitates comprehension and students can use their own experiences about shopping. One of the things I like from your presentation phase was how colorful and organized was the activity. Additionally, you include a video as an introduction. It is good to include visuals in your presentation phase since it will aid students to understand better the TL. As Lee and VanPatten (2003) states that “Visuals such as photos and drawings anchor the input making the ideas and references more concrete". (p.39). The video was helpful, and it provides students a good input of the vocabulary they will be learning throughout the lesson. Both, video and illustrations will help students recognize the vocabulary in order to complete the matching activity and introduce them to the next phase (while-reading). I like this kind of activity because it will make students to increase their attention to little details presented before. Furthermore, the cultural part of you lesson was covered, students can use this to make comparison and similarities between cultures. Also, you include the term “la charcuteria” to show students language variation because it is not used in many countries. Overall, I believe your activity is appropriate for the level and the activity is not only educational but also entertaining for the students. (269)</p>
<p style="margin-left: 28.35pt; text-indent: -28.35pt; line-height: 200%;">Lee, J. F., & VanPatten Tomlinson, B. (2003). <i>Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen.</i> (2<sup>nd</sup> ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.</p> The teaching slide that I p…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-29:649749:Comment:11989412019-10-29T04:59:40.859ZEvelyn Salazarhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/EvelynSalazar
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The teaching slide that I presented for the class is based on reading comprehension. The topic of my lesson is “El dia de los muertos”. The objective of the students is to obtain information about this Mexican tradition while they learn and practice the target language.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the good elements about my lesson was the hook, I presented a video with some information about the…</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The teaching slide that I presented for the class is based on reading comprehension. The topic of my lesson is “El dia de los muertos”. The objective of the students is to obtain information about this Mexican tradition while they learn and practice the target language.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the good elements about my lesson was the hook, I presented a video with some information about the tradition. In the video students are expected to use their visual and auditory styles. In the video students were able to hear the lyrics of the spanish song repetitive and slowly providing time for students to understand the message and acknowledge the information.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The main focus is to provide cultural information about Mexican tradition, allowing students to use the new vocabulary and grammar to create a short passage about their personal tradition. This lesson can encourage students to build interest about other cultures, compare similarities, and be able to express themselves with short sentences in spanish in class and outside the classroom.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The topic that I choose was based in the interest of the students, people in the United States know about Halloween and some of them celebrate this tradition every year. Is important and motivational for students to learn about similar topics of their own culture and show them that learning in the classroom can be connected to their own desires. According to Tomlinson (2001) “ two powerful and related motivators for engagement are students interest and student choice. If a student has a spark of curiosity about a topic, learning is more likely for that student” (p. 52).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the possible obstacles that may occur in the classroom is technology, the internet can fail, projetor broken or the video is no longer in the website. Teacher needs to be prepared to improvise and use other material or different teaching methods. The key for the teacher is to always engaged with the student and have a second plan. As we know, not all students learn the same way and not all teachers use the same style but sometimes as teachers we need to modify the lesson, simplified techniques and be ready to adapt to students needs and the different situations that can occur in the classroom.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If there is an opportunity to teach this topic again, I will add more activities with more vocabulary and bring some physical elements to the class to make the class positive, fun and motivational. Adding another activity with more interaction among students, not only to work independently, and in pairs but also as a group. I will challenge students with prior knowledge about the tradition and the language, encourage students to work creatively and analytic in the narration by giving them more specific details and asking specific questions. (words 461)</span></p>
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<p>Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (2nd Edition). Reston, VA: ASCD. </p> Hello Karolina:
Overall, the…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-29:649749:Comment:11987682019-10-29T02:16:30.457ZDennis Galiciahttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/DennisGalicia
<p>Hello Karolina:</p>
<p>Overall, the sequencing of activities from start to finish was spot on. Mainly, the activities were well connected. Essentially, the presentation led to the practice and production. Also, most of the activities were infused with the culture. Which is supported by the argument by Lee and Van Patten (2003) regarding culture. According to the theorists, in-class activities should be the bridge between instruction and culture. Another aspect that is salient from your…</p>
<p>Hello Karolina:</p>
<p>Overall, the sequencing of activities from start to finish was spot on. Mainly, the activities were well connected. Essentially, the presentation led to the practice and production. Also, most of the activities were infused with the culture. Which is supported by the argument by Lee and Van Patten (2003) regarding culture. According to the theorists, in-class activities should be the bridge between instruction and culture. Another aspect that is salient from your lesson is that you allowed room for comparisons between the students’ culture and the Colombian culture. Lastly, the adaptation of the activities was well suited for a level 1.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Similarly, the approach to cover the grammatical structure in hand was well done. It is evident that you decided to take an inductive approach, which is supported by the discussion by Krashen (1982) regarding explicit grammar. According to the author, vast amount of grammatical structures fails during oral interactions. However, in my opinion, you could have exploited this approach more mainly because it allows you to modify a given text in different ways. For example, you could have included cognates, synonyms, and transitional phrases inside the text. Subsequently, you could have developed two activities around cognates and synonyms before the comprehension questions. Nonetheless, the task around verbs that you developed was a good option.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For the future, perhaps you can begin the lesson with a matching game containing the vocabulary and then present the text to the students. On the other hand, I would suggest that you stay away from “controversial” topics or perhaps cover them from a more general stance as some students might feel left out. Maybe you can view the option to create lessons around the interests of the students or modern concepts. Which is supported by the argument by Tomlinson (2001) regarding differentiation by interests, since according to the author, student engagement should be our starting point when designing a lesson.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(318 Words)</p>
<p>References: </p>
<p style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Lee, J. F., & VanPatten, B. (2003). <i>Making communicative language teaching happen</i>. (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Krashen, S. D. (1982). <i>Principles and practice in second language acquisition.</i> New York: NY Pergamon.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;">Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (2nd Edition). Reston, VA: ASCD.</span></p> Selena:
The a…tag:www.classroom20.com,2019-10-28:649749:Comment:11987662019-10-28T23:37:55.034ZMaria Lorena Floreshttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/MariaLorenaFlores
<p>Selena:</p>
<p> The activity you presented gave students the opportunity to explore a variety of cultural foods through visuals. It is a great way to get students interests and help them retain concepts better, food is a great way to learn about other people, their cultures, and places. Learning about foods motivates students to be part of a culture that is not necessarily theirs. According to Cook (2008) high motivation is one factor that causes successful learning and…</p>
<p>Selena:</p>
<p> The activity you presented gave students the opportunity to explore a variety of cultural foods through visuals. It is a great way to get students interests and help them retain concepts better, food is a great way to learn about other people, their cultures, and places. Learning about foods motivates students to be part of a culture that is not necessarily theirs. According to Cook (2008) high motivation is one factor that causes successful learning and successful learning causes high motivation. On the activities presented each dish that was presented included their own visual, along with a brief description and questions about the reading comprehension. Overall, the lesson was well presented and included all the tools necessary for effective learning.</p>
<p> One of the changes one can make in this particular lesson is maybe to include smaller descriptions of the foods, too much information at once could be a little overwhelming for students, however, it is understandable also as an educator to want the students to learn as much as they can. I enjoyed the lesson provided, it was fun and engaging. It allowed students to work together which can help with discussions between them and to help each other come up with the right answer. (215)</p>
<p>References:</p>
<p>Cook, V. (2008). Second Language Learning and Language Teaching (4th Edition). Oxford University Press.</p>