Watch Me (online reflection #2)

          How would you incorporate films in your English classroom? How much would be too much? Is there a limit on how long a film should be when you're having the students watch it during class time? These are all questions that pop into my head when thinking about using films to go along with lessons. I like the idea of using films as a visual aid. I've realized in my observations and also as a student that film is very appealing to students. They like the idea of watching something in the classroom rather than just listen to the teacher lecture.

          My CT uses different forms of visual aids to make her lecture more appealing to the students. These visual aids also assist the students in understanding what it is that they need to do. She uses PowerPoint when going over directions this way the students' are not only listening to the instructions but they are also reading the instructions themselves. She also uses handouts and templates that ease the work of the students. I also really like how she uses short movie clips to enhance the idea of lectures point. For example when the students had to write a narrative essay she used the beginning of the movie Spanglish which begins with the main character reading her acceptance letter to college. This demonstrated the use of good diction and it also helped them understand how a narrative essay should be formatted. She has also used other movies to go along with other lessons; she will normally play about 5 minutes of the movie and nothing more.

          In Image Grammar Harry R. Noden discusses the use of film as a tool for enhancing details. This is something that my CT does really well. Noden states that "recognizing the appeal of media to students, teachers can use art and film as tools for enhancing detail" (pg. 43). Using films helps students see the big picture; they see specific images rather than just listening to something.

          So my question is how much film would be too much film? Should our use of film be minimal or restricted to short movie clips? Would it be appropriate to show the students a whole movie rather than just short clips or would that be wasting class time. Films enhance a students learning experience it appeals to them. I like the idea of using visual aids but I also don’t want that aid to turn into a distraction or a waste of class time. How do you guys feel about the use of films in the classrooms?

References

Noden, Harry R. Image Grammar: Teaching Grammar as Part of the Writing Process. 2nd ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print.

Can you understand me? (online reflection #1)

Can you understand me? (reflection #1)

I am in a high school for my core 3 placement this semester and all of my students are seniors. The classroom is designed for students who plan on furthering their education after high school. These students all plan on attending a four year college, a community college or a technical college. My CT is really good about getting all of the students involved in class discussions and making sure that they understand what is being expected from them. Whenever they receive an assignment she goes through the directions and breaks them down this way there is no confusion about what needs to be completed. She does a really great job explaining everything and going through the directions one step at a time.

There is one issue that I have seen in the classroom that I would like to address and get some feedback on. It involves a couple of English Language Learners; even though my CT does a great job breaking everything down these students still lag behind a bit. When she moves on they are still trying to process what she recently said. They also fall behind because when it comes time to do the assignment they are still trying to put all the instructions together in a way that they can understand and process.

I can normally help these students, they sit together which makes it easy for me to go sit at their table and make sure that they are not falling behind. These students first language is Spanish which I can speak fluently. While my CT is lecturing I can make sure that they understand what's going on.

My biggest concern is what happens when I become the teacher and there's not that extra person in there with me when I'm lecturing. How do I make sure that these students aren’t falling behind? The classroom has a large number of students which makes it really hard to have a lot of one on one time with the students. Another issue would be if it was a language I was not familiar with, how would I go about that.

I read an article called "Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers in School:

Helping Hispanic Students Acquire Success in Elementary School" by Pauline S. Ivey where Ivey talks about how students with English as their first language are far more successful than students who start out speaking a language other than English. I want all of my students to have an equal opportunity in being successful without language being a barrier. Ivey also talks about how parents are not as involved in their children's school because of the language barriers which might explain why they're less successful than students with parents who speak English.

So my question for you guys would be how would you deal with this situation? I want my students to be able to process what they are learning and not fall behind. I also want parents to feel comfortable coming into my classroom during conferences or any other school events.

References

          Ivey, P. S. (2011). Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers in School: Helping Hispanic Students Acquire Success in Elementary School. Online Submission