PROGRAM OUTCOME 1: STUDENT CHOICE
Name
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Angelita Rodriguez
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TArtifact Title
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Developing a Curriculum Unit Plan
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Program Outcome #
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Program Outcome 1
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Required Key Assessment
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Student Choice Artifact
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Degree Program
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M.Ed in English as a Second Language
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Developing an integrated curriculum unit plan is an important skill that I acquired in this course. Integrating different content subject areas is important for students to build connections. In this unit plan, I integrated science standard into the reading literacy standards. Both standards are organized using the different learning objectives from Bloom’s Taxonomy. Learning strategies include building background, read-aloud, and cooperative activities. It is important to spend time building background knowledge using visuals supports such as realia, pictures, and videos to stimulate students’ thinking and increase engagement (Fisher, Frey, & Lapp, 20012). Using this integrated curriculum unit plan, I created a PowerPoint presentation using the different features to increase the engagement of the audience.
Steps 1-4: Curriculum Unit Title: Unit 2 From Seed to Sandwich
Group of Students:
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2nd Grade ELL Students
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Subject areas to Integrate:
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ELA Reading and Science
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State Standards:
Stories:
Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash
Clever Ana and the Greedy Giant
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ELA Reading Literary
ELA2RL1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
ELA2RL2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
Life Science
S2L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the life cycles of different living organisms.
B. Plan and carry out an investigation of the life cycle of a plant by growing a plant from a seed and by recording changes over a period of time.
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Learning Objectives:
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The students are expected to:
Knowledge:
ELA: recall information from the story by asking and answering questions using a chart.
Science: name/label the different parts of the plant found in the story.
Comprehension:
ELA: summarize the important events of the story using a flow map.
Science: identify the plant’s life cycle.
Application:
ELA: illustrate the main events of the story.
Science: grow a seed and observe the changes.
Science: illustrate the life cycle of a plant.
Analysis:
ELA: compare and contrast the two stories using a double bubble map.
Science: compare the different observations of the plant’s life cycle.
Evaluate:
ELA: discuss how the character solve the problem using a problem solution chart.
Create:
ELA: role play the story, “Clever Ana and the Greedy Giant,” and video tape the presentation.
Science: explain the life cycle of a plant using an Animoto video or Prezi powerpoint presentation and share it with class.
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Step 5: Strategies and Resources Table
Activity/Strategy Description
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Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy Level:
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Resources and Instructional Tools
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Activity/Strategy #1:
Building background knowledge through vocabulary
(Fisher, Frey, & Lapp, 20012).
Show a picture of a life cycle of a tomato plant from seed to ketchup.
Say: Plants need sun, water, and soil to grow.
Hold picture card 18 (seeds)
Say: These are squash seeds. You plant the seeds in the soil. With sun and water, they will grow.
(continue showing and all the pictures and discuss the details)
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Level 1: Knowledge
Level 2: Comprehension
(science vocabulary words)
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ESOL Avenues Level C Book. Pp 76-106
Unit 2 picture cards and seed packets. Cards 13-24
(tomato plant, cow, wheat, lettuce, orange tree, seeds, sprout, vine, plant, squash, carrot, corn)
Smart Board and Document Camera to show pictures on the big screen.
Time Lapse video of plant growing.
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Activity/Strategy #2:
Read aloud
According to Wadsworth (2008), read aloud activities provide an excellent opportunity for teachers to engage students and stimulate learning.
*Preview the story *Relate to personal experience *Introduce the story *Share the story *Build comprehension
Activity/Strategy #3:
Cooperative Grouping Strategies
(Kagan,2009)
Students will work in pairs to complete the problem solution chart.
Think-pair-share
(Robertson, 2015).
Students will also work in pairs to ask and answer questions about the story.
Role Play: Group of six students to role play the story, “Clever Ana and the Greedy Giant.”
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Level 1: Knowledge
Level 2: Comprehension
Level 3: Application
Level 4: Analysis
Level 5: Synthesis
Level 6: Evaluation
Level 2: Comprehension
Level 3: Application
Level 4: Analysis
Level 5: Synthesis
Level 6: Evaluation
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Big Book:
Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash
Avenues Level C Book:
Clever Ana and the Greedy Giant
Question Chart
Charts-Problem/Solution
Flow Map-sequencing
Online sites: Prezi and Animoto
Youtube
Charts
Plants
Seeds
Observation charts
Q and A chart
|
Steps 6-8
I am going to use different authentic assessments for this unit plan. The first assessment would think-pair-share activity using a rubric. The students will write five questions about the story and work with another student too ask and answer their written questions. This activity is appropriate for my second grade ELL students and they will be able demonstrate their understanding of the key details by asking and answering relevant questions. Students’ written summary will also be assessed using a rubric. They are expected to use at least four transition words to connect the important events of the story. Their multimedia presentation will also be assessed using a teacher created rubric using rubistar.
The activities selected for this unit plan are applicable to the ELL student population because they include different types of nonlinguistic supports and other strategies that are helpful for ELL students. For example, the first strategy is building background knowledge through vocabulary cards with pictures. A study suggested that activating students’ background knowledge stimulates their thinking and enables them to be fully engaged with the learning activities (Fisher, Frey, & Lapp, 20012). In addition, students achieve higher academic achievement when teachers use nonlinguistic supports in their instructions (Marzano, 2010). I also incorporated cooperative learning activities for students to work together in pairs or small group to discuss about the problems and solutions of our two texts. According to Yamarik (2007), students’ academic performance increases when they work together with their peers to solve problems. Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, students are using their higher level of thinking when they create their own multimedia presentation of the life cycle of a plant based on their own records and observations.
References
Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Lapp, D. (2012). Building and activating students'
background knowledge: It's what they already know that counts. Middle
School Journal, 43(3), 22-31.
Kagan, S., & Kagan, M. (2009). Kagan cooperative learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan
Publishing.
Wadsworth, M. R. (2008). Using read alouds in today's classrooms. Leadership
Compass, 5, 3.
Robertson, k. (2015). Increase student interaction with "think-pair-shares" and circle
chats." Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/increase-student-interaction-think-pair-shares-and-circle-chats
Yamarik, S. (2007). Does cooperative learning improve student learning
outcomes? Journal of Economic Education, 38(3), 259-265, 268-269, 273, 275-277.
PROGRAM OUTCOME 2: STUDENT CHOICE ARTIFACT
Name
|
Angelita Rodriguez
|
Artifact Title
|
Research to Practice: Part 4
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Program Outcome #
|
Program Outcome 2
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Required Key Assessment
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Student Choice Artifact
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Degree Program
|
M.Ed in English as a Second Language
|
Understanding the different literacy stages is important in designing an effective reading and writing strategy. In this assignment, I revisited the different literacy stages and designed learning experiences based on the reading level of my students. I was able to implement most of the strategies that I included in this paper, and I observed that my students were successful. For example, students were able to use new vocabulary words in speaking and writing when I provided different visual supports and manipulatives. The information I gained from this assignment was helpful in providing a differentiated instruction in reading and writing.
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Content Areas 1 and 2: English Language Arts and Mathematics
Theme: Family
Emergent Stage:
In the emergent literacy stage, the students are in the early reading and writing development. They students begin to learn the language and acquire more complex skills. They understand that print in books have meanings and they also begin to recognize letters (Falk, 2014). This is also the stage where the student understands the directionality of print that we read from left to right and top to bottom. They can produce rhyming words, and are able to manipulate onset and rimes.
This is such an important stage since children learn skills that are important for their reading and
writing development (Roth, Paul, & Pierotti, 2006). For older students who in in emergent literacy stage, they are able to track print and pictures, and visual cues such as the beginning and ending letters of the words (ACE, 2016). The students understand that we read prints from left to right, and top to bottom.
Reading/Writing Strategy Activity:
Since I teach lower grades, I use different resources to engage my younger students in reading and writing. I am lucky that our school and ESOL department have several resources to use for students who are in emergent literacy stage. I introduce two sight words in a week, and we use the words in context. The list of words are chosen by the grade level team and also shared to the ESOL teachers. We read stories daily and ask questions about the story. I create lessons that allow students to point to pictures to match the correct words. I enjoy using quizlet to practice vocabulary acquisition. It is very important to use visuals, and manipulatives for vocabulary development.
Early Stage:
In the Early Stage, the students are able to recognize spelling patterns, and can self- correct themselves while reading aloud (ACE, 2016). The students are also able to read and write, and are able to express their feelings to their peers. The news acquired skills and knowledge is important in developing conventional writing and reading (Verschoor, 2011). The older ELL students will greatly benefit from reading books that still contain picture and words, with simple narratives. The early stage readers are able to match the pictures to the text, since they have the basic knowledge of recognizing things around them.
Reading/Writing Strategy Activity:
For younger learners, I think it is helpful to continue the practice of reading aloud to them using appropriate books. For older ELL students, they can imitate some simple dialogues, or the actions that are portrayed in the pictures (Verschoor, 2011). Students can start writing to show their understanding of a story, or to write to show their thoughts and opinion about something. More exposure to appropriate reading materials would be beneficial for students who are starting acquire the skills to read and write. In my kindergarten class, I do a lot of review or repetition. I plan for more practice to use the newly acquired words and concepts. We will read the book, “Picnic” and the students are going to write and draw a picture of the food that they are going to take to our picnic. I teach explicit phonological awareness by using beginning, middle and ending sounds. We continue to manipulate words by substituting the beginning sound or by using the word family.
Transitional/Fluent: Reading/Writing Strategy Activity:
Students who are in Fluent Stage are able to read in order to learn. They are no longer in the process of acquiring the skills of reading. This is the stage where a student can independently read a text with correct reading expression, and able to understand the text using different comprehension strategies (Learning A-Z, n.d.). The readers are able to make predictions before reading, during reading and confirm or revise their predictions after reading. They can use books with less images, and read more complex texts. The fluent readers are more independent readers, and it is helpful for these students to choose the right books that they can read independently.
Reading/Writing Strategy Activity:
For kindergarten fluent readers, I think I can ask them to write an opinion about a book that they like to read. They can support their opinion by adding an explanation why they like to read a particular book. For higher ELL students, I think they can write a summary report about the book that they read, or have them work with a partner to share their reading. It will also help to give them different choices on how they can show their learning. Older ELL students can also write letters to the principal to persuade her to have a vending machine in the students’ cafeteria.
References
Falk, K. (2014). Developmental stages of literacy. Retrieved from
Learning A-Z. (n.d). Stages of development. Retrieved from
Roth, F., Paul, D., & Pierotti, A. (2006). For people with special communication needs.
Retrieved from
Verschoor, J. (2011). It all begins in the early years. Retrieved from
PROGRAM OUTCOME 3: STUDENT CHOICE ARTIFACT
Name
|
Angelita Rodriguez
|
Artifact Title
|
Methodology
|
Program Outcome #
|
Program Outcome 3
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Required Key Assessment
|
Student Choice Artifact
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Degree Program
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M.Ed in English as a Second Language
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This assignment has been peer-reviewed and I improved the content based on the suggestions of my peer. In conducting a research study, it is important that the researcher collects data from different sources. Data collections were selected to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Although I only used hypothetical data, I was able to practice my research skills in tables and charts to record the result. Also, reading the different research studies on other related topics proved that technology increases students’ engagement and improve their academic performance. This assignment gives me some idea on how to conduct an action research in the future. Action research encourages school leaders and teachers to systematically develop a question, collect data using the right tools, then analyze the data to improve teachers' classroom practices (Gilles, Wilson, & Elias, 2010).
Research Question: Will the use of technology in the classroom improve the students’ literacy skills of our kindergarten English language learners? I would like to explore the benefits of integrating technology in improving students’ literacy skills and classroom participation. I will use different software applications and computer programs to assist students’ reading development process. This study should be conducted within 8-week period to our kindergarten English language learners.
At our school, teachers and administrators are now focusing on improving reading skills of our kindergarten students. In the previous years, we realized that 25% of our kindergarten students did not master the kindergarten standards. So I decided to focus an action research for our kindergarten ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students since they are the ones who are at risk of reading intervention. Using technology is one way that teachers can use in meeting students where they are and help them prepare for the challenges at school and in life (Tosco, 2015). I am positive the result of this action research will be useful in integrating technology in my daily instructions.
Data Collection 1: Pre-Assessment Form (Quantitative Data)
We use an ESOL pull-out design, and I get a maximum of 12 students in one class. In this action research, half of my kindergarten students will participate in the study. Random sampling will be used to select the students who will receive instructions using technology. Students will draw lots with letters T for teaching integrating technology and R for regular teaching without the use of technology. The first data collection that I will use is the letter name and sound chart. This chart will list names of both the control and the experimental group of ESOL kindergarten students in experimental and control group. The chart will record all the students’ knowledge of letter names and sounds for uppercase and lowercase letters before allowing the experimental group to use different computer applications. If the students can identify the letter name and sound, I will put a check mark in the correct letter box. If they cannot identify the letter name or sound then x mark is used in the letter box. This data is quantitative because it will show the numbers of letters and sounds that both groups are able to identify. The data will be used at the end of the 8-week research period. The result of the post assessment data will be used to compare the scores of my control group and experimental group by looking at the number of check marks that the students get in identifying the letter names and sounds for both uppercase and lowercase letters. If there is higher increase of letter identification for the experimental group, then I can conclude that integrating technology in instruction improves kindergarten literacy skills.
Data Collection 2: Qualitative and Quantitative Data
The second data collection that I will use is the behavior observation chart. I will observe students’ behavior while using the applications on the Ipad, and the computer programs. Students will receive E for engaged, I for indifferent, D for distracted by other applications, EX for excited. The information from this behavior chart will be used to analyze the students’ engagement while using the different computer programs and applications. This is qualitative since I will be describing the students’ behavior based on my observations, and I will also use quantitative data by looking at the number of check marks of the behavior category. The data collected will help me identify students’ behavior when using computer tools to supplement for learning. This will help me analyze their performance from my third data collection. This can also be used for further research on students’ behavior while using computer tools while learning.
Data Collection 3: Post-Assessment Form (Quantitative Data)
The last data collection chart will be the final assessment of letter names and sounds for both uppercase and lowercase letters. This chart will be used to compare the first data before the intervention, and then also compared with the experimental group with the control group who receives regular instructions using books, flashcards and whiteboard. This helpful to compare the results of my first data collection for my experimental group. If my students achieve higher scores than the control group, then this answer my research question on using technology to improve students’ literacy skills in kindergarten classroom. The findings will be used to carefully plan for technology integration in my daily instructions.
Data Collection 1: Quantitative Data
Hypothetical Data Collected
The first part of the data collection process was to individually assess students from control and experimental group. The hypothetical data collected was based on a random sampling method. First, students draw letters T and R, students who picked the letter T was assigned for the experimental group who used technology in learning the letter names and sounds. On the other hand the students who picked the letter R received regular teaching instructions using different teaching tools such as books, flashcards, whiteboard, magnetic letters, syllable chips, and relia.
The tables below show the summary of the hypothetical result of both control and experimental group using the form with 26 letters and 26 letter sounds.
Table A.1
26 letter names
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Experimental Group
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Mean Score
|
|||||
student A
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student B
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student C
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student D
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student E
|
|||
number of correct
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3
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2
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4
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3
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2
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2.8
|
|
Table A.2
|
|||||||
26 letter names
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Control Group
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Mean Score
|
|||||
student A
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student B
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student C
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student D
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student E
|
|||
number of correct
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2
|
3
|
5
|
4
|
2
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3.2
|
|
Table B.1
26 letter sounds
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Experimental Group
|
Mean Score
|
|||||
student A
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student B
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student C
|
student D
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student E
|
|||
number of correct
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1
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1.2
|
|
Table B.2
|
|||||||
26 letter sounds
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Control Group
|
Mean Score
|
|||||
student A
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student B
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student C
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student D
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student E
|
|||
number of correct
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
1.0
|
|
The data that was collected will be used at the end of the study to compare with the post-assessment result. If the experimental group shows a significant increase on their mean score, then it would prove that technology improve the literacy skills of my kindergarten ELL students.
Data Collection 2: Qualitative and Quantitative Data
For my second data collection method, I used the behavior observation chart for my experimental group who used technology for a minimum of 30 minutes per week. For the sake of consistency paid Starfall application was used. This is both qualitative and quantitative data since I observed each student’s behavior on their computer usage and I also used a daily tally mark for each observable behavior. The computer usage was only twice a week since we have a rotation for teacher small group instruction for two days a week as well. The total number of expected behavior was 16 per student so the total would be 80 per behavior since there were five students in the experimental group. The result of this data will be used to analyze the students’ behavior when they are using technology, and will be also used to explain their post assessment result. For example, a student who distracted during computer time may not perform well on his post assessment. The result of the 8-week period is summarized in the table below.
Table B.1: Behavior Observation Chart Summary
Data Collection 3: Post-Assessment Form (Quantitative Data)
After eight weeks, both the experimental and control group were assessed using the same assessment form that was used on the first data collection. The test was administered individually using the letter name and letter sound chart. This is a quantitative data as it shows the number of correct that each student received after the 8-week period. The result will be used to compare the students’ data from their pre-assessment result. The experimental group has a mean score of 12.2 for letter name recognition, while the control group has 8.8. For letter sound recognition, the experimental group has a mean score of 16.6, while the control group has a mean score of 12.2. The tables below show the hypothetical summary of the students’ score on letter name and sound recognition.
Table C.1 Post-Assessment Data
26 letter names
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Experimental Group
|
Mean Score
|
||||
student A
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student B
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student C
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student D
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student E
|
||
number of correct
|
16
|
8
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15
|
10
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12
|
12.2
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Table C. 2
26 letter names
|
Control Group
|
Mean Score
|
||||
student A
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student B
|
student C
|
student D
|
student E
|
||
number of correct
|
12
|
6
|
10
|
8
|
8
|
8.8
|
Table C. 3
26 letter sounds
|
Experimental Group
|
Mean Score
|
||||
student A
|
student B
|
student C
|
student D
|
student E
|
||
number of correct
|
24
|
10
|
20
|
15
|
14
|
16.6
|
Table C. 4
|
||||||
26 letter sounds
|
Control Group
|
Mean Score
|
||||
student A
|
student B
|
student C
|
student D
|
student E
|
||
number of correct
|
15
|
10
|
14
|
12
|
10
|
12.2
|
References
Davidson, A. E., & Lingofelt, L. M. (2015). Increasing special education students' literacy
through the use of specific assistive technology. Retrieved from
Gilles, C., Wilson, J., & Elias, M. (2010). Sustaining teachers' growth and renewal
action research, induction programs, and collaboration. Teacher
Education Quarterly, 37(1), 91-108.
Jones, M. R. (2016). Implementing technology in the primary Montessori classroom.
Retrieved from
Tosco, J. E. (2015). The effects of technology on engagement and retention among upper
elementary Montessori students. Retrieved from
PROGRAM OUTCOME 4 – STUDENT CHOICE ARTIFACT
Name
|
Angelita Rodriguez
|
Artifact Title
|
Build an Action Plan
|
Program Outcome #
|
Program Outcome 4
|
Required Key Assessment
|
Student Choice
|
Degree Program
|
M.Ed in English as a Second Language
|
In this application assignment, I developed an action plan that addresses the opportunity area that will help me in addressing the needs of my ELL students with diverse cultural and linguistic needs. My goal is to develop positive partnership with the local and diverse business organizations to benefit our diverse ELL students. According to Ferguson (2005), reaching out to local community members and business organizations can increase parents’ involvement which will eventually benefit the performance of our English language learners. The step by step process and best practices are important in achieving my objectives. Accomplishing this plan was helpful when I needed to reach out for support during our multicultural activities and a few business organizations showed positive response in supporting the needs of our ELL students.
Abstract
In this application assignment, I would like to present a proposal for a family activity. The goal of this activity will be to develop a partnership with our local diverse businesses and organization that is mutually beneficial to the community and to my culturally and linguistically diverse students. According to Ferguson reaching out to community members and organizations can help parents' involvement and foster a collaborative process that benefits the English Languages Learners and the community (Ferguson, 2005). It is my goal to increase family involvement for school activities, and increase students’ academic performance.
This plan will also incorporate the best practices that I presented in my previous assignment in Module 2. In order for me to start a good collaborative relationship with the diverse businesses and organizations, I need to use my strength in engaging culturally diverse students in my classroom. It is important for me to do some research to get the data that I need before I can implement my plan of having a family activity. The school data specialist is a good resource for getting the businesses’ information and organizations in our school district. The businesses can provide skill training for the kids, and organizations can also implement programs that would train children and their parents. Having a family activity can foster positive relationship among community members. Colorin Colorado emphasized the importance of building a support network for English language learners (2009). This is why I think that families and the students will greatly benefit from my family activity.
Action Plan
Name
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Family Activity
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School
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Esther Jackson Elementary School
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Current School Assignment
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English for Speakers of Other Language Teacher
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Opportunity Area Identified in Culture Snapshot
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Engaging the culturally diverse community : Communicating with diverse businesses and community organizations to seek support for my culturally and linguistically diverse students
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Objective (Compose an objective that addresses the opportunity area.)
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The goal of this plan is to develop a partnership with our local diverse businesses and organization that is mutually beneficial to the community and to my culturally and linguistically diverse students.
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Rationale for Objective (Explain why you have chosen this objective.)
|
I have chosen this objective based on the study done by Ferguson that shows the positive impact of community connections toward the academic achievement of diverse learners (Ferguson, 2005).
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Steps for Accomplishing the Objective (Number the steps, and explain each step in 1-2 sentences.)
|
1. Gather Data: I need to get the record of diverse business and organization in our school district through our school data specialist, the local library, or the internet. When I have the information, I need to plan the method of communication that I can use to reach out to those businesses and organizations.
2. Making Contacts: I need to contact these businesses by sending out flyers, emails, and school newsletter. After a week, I will make a telephone call to follow up with the information that I sent.
3. Set an Informal Meeting: I can arrange an informal meeting to discuss about my plan and the support that the businesses and organizations can offer. We can also plan for the next formal meeting for everyone to share ideas about the family activity, and assign tasks to everyone involve.
|
Required Resources (List the resources needed for each step of your plan.)
|
1. List of local businesses and organization within our school district.
2. School newsletter, flyers, brochure, and the family activity plan.
3. Action plan- Family Activity, venue, volunteers, activities for diverse families, food.
|
Best Practice # 1 (Explain in complete sentences how you will apply this in your action plan.)
|
Sending out information: I think this is important because the businesses and organization will have the information in hand before I start contacting them and introducing myself and about my plan to foster collaborative effort among families, businesses and organization for the academic and social achievement of our diverse students.
|
Best Practice # 2 (Explain in complete sentences how you will apply this in your action plan.)
|
Visiting diverse businesses and organization. I think this is a best practice because I will be able to explain the details about my plan to the people who can support it and at the same time benefit from my plan family activity.
|
Best Practice # 3 (Explain in complete sentences how you will apply this in your action plan.)
|
Informal meeting. Having an informal meeting can break the ice, and this will be a great opportunity for the parties to plan brainstorm ideas for the benefit of all the parties involve. Overall,
I will refer my best practices to Robertson and Lafond's A Guide for Engaging ELL Families:
Twenty Strategies for School Leaders for authentic best practices (Robertson, & Lafond, 200).
|
Means of Assessing Objective Completion (Describe in complete sentences the assessment measurement and the data you will collect.)
|
I will send out feedback form to the businesses and organizations and give them a chance to assess our family activity.
|
References
Breiseth, L., Robertson, K., & Lafond, S. (2011). A Guide for Engaging ELL Families:
Twenty Strategies for School Leaders
Retrieved from
Colorin Colorado. (2009). Working with Community Organizations to Support ELL
Students
Retrieved from
Fergusion, C. (2005). Reaching Out to Diverse Populations: What Can Schools Do to
Foster
Family-School Connections?
Retrived from
Program Outcome 6 Student Choice: Reflection on Learning
|
Name
|
Angelita Rodriguez
|
|
Artifact Title
|
Reflection on Learning
|
|
Program Outcome #
|
Program Outcome 6
|
|
Required Key Assessment
|
Student Choice
|
|
Degree Program
|
M.Ed in English as a Second Language
|
This assignment has been peer-reviewed and I received feedback from my peer and used it to revise and polish my work. I reflected on the important things that I learned in Community of Learners. I understood my role as a member of the community of learners, to share endeavors with my peers, and play an active role in planning classroom cooperative activities (Rogoff, 2010). I will continue to view all my students as unique individuals with diverse social and academic needs. I continue to strive to make my teaching a learner-centered by incorporating more cooperative learning activities for my ELL students to work together to solve problems. This assignment has also changed my mindset to plan and implement more problem-based learning activities in order to increase the students' academic performance (Yamarik, 2007).
How do you describe a community of learners?
A community of learners is composed of students and teachers working together to achieve a common goal. This community of learners shared endeavors with others, play an active role in classroom cooperative activities (Rogoff, 2010). In this course, the community of learners, I have learned that in order to create a community of learners it is important to plan for cooperative learning activities and problem-based learning activities. A classroom becomes a community of learners when teachers see students as unique individuals with various academic and social needs, and respect and value each student (ACE, 2016). As an English as a Second Language teacher, I treat my students with respect, and value their opinions and ideas during our learning activities. Planning for activities where my students can connect is essential in building a community of learners who are able to use their background knowledge and personal experiences in the classroom. As a community of learners, my students are able to work independently, engage in cooperative and problem-based learning activities to achieve their learning goals.
What aspects of your current approach to teaching do you consider learner centered? In what ways does your current classroom environment promote student risk taking and achievement?
I believe that my current approach to teaching is learner-centered because I incorporate cooperate learning activities in my classroom activities. My ELL students work together in groups to solve a problem or make a poster about the topic that we are learning about. For example, my second grade ELL students use the jigsaw puzzle strategy when they worked on the different text features. Each student became an expert of a particular text feature and shared the information with the group. The member of each group went to the expert group to discuss one particular text feature. Then, each member went back to their original group to share the information. I think it was a great strategy for students to work with different groups in achieving the learning objectives. According to Kagan (2009), cooperative learning activities like jigsaw and think-pair-share develop students' interdependence, individual accountability, promote equal participation and students experience simultaneous interaction. When students present their work back to the group, they are learning to take a risk by sharing the information they got.
After completing this course, what aspects of your current teaching would you like to change?
This course has changed my view on incorporating problem-based learning activities. Before taking this course, I only thought that problem-based could only be implemented in mathematics classes. However, as I thought more about it, I realized that there are many opportunities for incorporating problem-based learning activities in my ELL classroom. When I tried implementing a problem-based activity, I was excited to see that students were actually discussing the problem in their community. Since I didn’t give the problem, it took a little longer for students to think of a community problem. The next step would be to give students a problem so they can brainstorm for possible solutions of the problem with their peers. According to Yamarik (2007), there is an increase in students’ academic performance when they work together to solve problems. Another thing that I would like to change is that way that I design rubric. I usually use a website to create a rubric for students’ writing performance and for presentations. In the future, I would like to involve my students in designing a rubric for cooperative group activities.
How can a learner-centered approach help you better serve diverse students with different needs?
A learner-centered approach helps me better serve diverse students with different needs by incorporating the 13 different learner-centered principles in my lesson planning. I believe that these learner-centered principles are essential for all teachers to understand the different factors that affect the way each student learns. Principles 12 and 13 emphasize on individual differences factors in creating a learner-centered classroom. These two principles are critical in planning an approach for diverse learners as it mentioned that learning is most effective when students’ differences in language, culture, social backgrounds, and experiences are taken into account (Hannum, 2008). The principles supported ELL students’ diverse cultural background, and therefore it is so important for me to provide differentiated instructions to my students. For example, using think-pair-share is a good strategy to use with a newcomer paired with someone who has already a good command of English who also speaks the home language of the newcomer. In our reading class, providing a choice board for students to choose a particular task that they can do is a great way of meeting the diverse academic needs of my ELL students. When students are presented with different choices on how they can demonstrate their learning, they feel comfortable and will be motivated to work with a group or independently. I also differentiate the content by using flexible grouping, to allow students to work in alike groups using books with audio files or using the internet to develop their understanding of a concept (Anderson, 2007).
Suppose you want to share what you have learned with colleagues. How would you design a learner-centered professional development session?
Suppose I want to share what I have learned with colleagues I would design a learner-centered professional group session by focusing on creating a community of learners using cooperative learning activities and problem-based learning. I would start the session my giving a problem and asking my colleague to work together with a group to list all the possible solutions to the problem. Then, I would present the benefits of using collaborative learning activities and using problem-based learning using the references from our readings. I would also present a slide show on the 13 different learner-centered principles and examples of strategies that they can use in each principle. I would also include the concept of differentiation using the research of Kelly Anderson. I could also design a problem-based cooperative learning activity and invite colleagues to come and observe my class while students are actively engaged in the activity. I think it is easier to do this and requires less preparation than presenting to a group of teachers to discuss the strategies.
References
Anderson, K. M. (2007). Differentiating instruction to include all students. Preventing
School Failure, 51(3), 49-55.
Hannum, W. H., Irvin, M. J., Lei, P., & Farmer, T. W. (2008), Effectiveness of using
learner-centered principles on student retention in distance education courses in
rural schools. Distance Education, 29(3), 211-229.
Kagan, S., & Kagan, M. (2009). Kagan cooperative learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan
Publishing.
Rogoff, B. (2010). Developing understanding of the idea of communities of learners.
Retrieved from
https://llk.media.mit.edu/courses/readings/Rogoff_DevelopingUnderstanding.pdfYamarik, S. (2007). Does cooperative learning improve student learning
outcomes? Journal of Economic Education, 38(3), 259-265, 268-269, 273, 275-277.
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