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Reflection#3

There were a few changes to my classes this week. The new student who hadjoinedmy
PreIntermediate Reading and Vocabulary class decidedtotransfertoanotherschoolthatoffered
a lower level class and that he believed would beabetterfitforhim.Similarly,inmyAdvanced
class, one student decided to drop out of school to focus his time and energy on anewbusiness
he is developing. I continued using some of the strategies I had started last week, added some
others,andoverallgotpositiveresults.

In my PreIntermediate class, the creation of word maps has been very helpful for
vocabulary development. I used this model as a sample and had students create their maps on
white sheets of papers which we later pasted on the wall. This tool has helped students think
about the word in several ways, asking themselves questions like What does it mean,Whatis
its synonym?, etc. which helps develop a more comprehensive understanding of the word. In
addition, this activity aligns with the studentcentered principle highlighted by Weimer (2013)
that states that teachers should do less tellingsothatstudentscandomorediscovering(p.74).
Students are actively using their dictionaries and the information in the reading passage to
discover what the word means and coming up with an example and definition of their own. As
they do this, I have seen myself become more of a facilitator in their learning. AsDoyle(2011)
argues, when teachers become facilitators they provide an environment for engagement that
encouragesstudentstodothework,ratherthanonlylistentoexplanations.

Similarly, the vocabulary journal activity that I implemented last week is promoting
active learning and is helping students become more independent learners. The freedom they
have to select the words they want to add to their journal motivates them to take responsibility
for their ownlearning.Infact,Weimer(2013)contendsthatlearnercenteredteachingmeansthat
power in the classroom is balanced betweenteachersandstudents.Thus,itisimportanttocreate
opportunities for studentstomaketheirowndecisionsaboutwhattheyarelearning.Thejournals
reflect this principle and have indeed become an effective teaching element in the reading
classes. One thing that I started doing this week istohavestudentsselectthreewordsfromtheir
journal and present them totheclass,asiftheywereteachingustheword.Theyhavetoshowus
the word, explain its definition, and share a sentence. Notonlyhasthisempoweredstudentsand
increased their confidence, but it has helped create a more constructive learning environment
whereeveryonelearnsfromeachother.

In terms of technology, I startedusingvideosforintroducingsomeofthereadings.Inthe


preintermediate class, we read atextaboutlanguagesdyingout,soasabeforereadingactivityI
played this video to preview the topic. As Erben, Ban, and Castaeda (2008) hold, teachers
should give ELLs the opportunity to read, write, listen to, and discuss English texts in avariety

of ways,andusingonlinevideossuchasYouTubeexposesstudentstoauthenticEnglishmaterial
that can promote their skill development. ThevideoIshowedhelpedgeneratediscussionaround
what it means when languages disappear and served as a good warm up for students to engage
with the topic. Iusedthewarmupquestionsinthetexttoguidethediscussionastheyconnected
well with the content of the video. Students eagerly participated in the discussion sharing their
answers andwereengagedthroughoutthereading.Also,thevideohelpedstudentspreviewsome
of the vocabulary before encountering the text as several words discussed inthevideoappeared
in the text as well. Overall, I think this strategy helped studentsintegratemorethanoneEnglish
skillandhelpedcreateamoreengagingreadinglesson.

Something that I think would improve my lessons in the future is the use of more
movement to increase the energy levels in the class. During my Advanced class, for example, I
faced thechallengeoflowenergylevelsatthebeginningofthelesson.Toaddressthischallenge,
I modified a brainstorming session I had planned. Students were asked to brainstorm answers
(ideas/words) to the question "What is culture?" before readinganinformationaltextoncultural
anthropology. Insteadofsimplyelicitingtheanswersorally,Idecidedtohavethemstandupina
circle and using a soft die I have we did a Pass and Talk activity. I passedthedietoastudent
and asked them the question mentioned above. After they answered,Ihadthempassthedieand
ask another student the question. This activity helped energize the students and connectthemto
the topic, while also helping me assess their prior knowledge. Nonetheless, I would like to
identifyotherpotentialstrategiesthatcanhelpinsimilarsituationsinthefuture.

Finally, in the Presentationclass,studentsworkedonacompareandcontrastpresentation


of two objects to be presented next week. Students were allowed to bring their laptops to work
on the presentation, so there was plenty of handson learning. Before they started working on
their slides, we looked atexamplesofgoodandbadvisuals,andreviewedahandoutwithtipson
creating effective presentations. Then, they put these concepts into practice astheycreatedtheir
slides in class. In order to encourage higher order thinking, I decided to have them give each
other feedback based on the handout we had reviewed. Theyhadtoevaluatedifferentaspectsof
their peers slides including the visuals, the fonts,andtheorganization.Includingstudentsinthe
feedback conversation is an important element of studentcentered practice as it helps students
reflect on their learning and creates a more inclusive learning environment (Doyle, 2011).
Indeed, I noticed that students were actively applying what we had reviewed about slides, and
they were receptive of their peers feedback to improve their work. Also, this reminded me of
what Weimer (2013) said about sharing power in the classroom because when students feel a
sense of control there is a stronger sense of the class community (p.97).Certainly,duringthis
lesson I felt that the class was a community of learners where the students collaborated and
communicated with eachotherastheyworked.Iplantomakepeerfeedbackaregularpartofmy
classsessions.


On the whole, it was very interesting to see how my students engagement and
motivation increased when they were given some control and independence over their learning.
The successful learning moments I witnessed reminded me of the importance of creating active
learningopportunitiesformystudents,andIplantocontinuedoingsointhecomingweeks.

References:

Erben,T.,Ban,R.,&Castaeda,M.E.(2009).T
eachingEnglishLanguageLearnersThrough
Technology.NewYork:Routledge.

Walker,A.,&White,G.(2013).T
echnologyenhancedlanguagelearning:Connectingtheory
andpractice.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.

Weimer,M.(2013).Learnercenteredteaching:Fivekeychangestopractice.SanFrancisco:
JosseyBass.

Doyle,T.(2011).L
earnercenteredteaching:Puttingtheresearchonlearningintopractice.
Sterling,VA:StylusPub.

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