https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3 EAL Summative Task #3 en-us 2020-05-03 15:48:12 UTC 2024-03-31 10:15:34 UTC hello@padlet.com susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547119255 1d.
Candidates apply knowledge of English academic language functions, learning domains,
content-specific language and discourse structures, and vocabulary to promote ELLs’ academic
achievement across content areas. (As a former classroom teacher, my first instinct has been to help with content. I realize now that I need to walk a thin line between co-teaching and collaborating with the content teacher while keeping my job objectives separate. Although accessing language can be seen as another way to access content, my job is to help my students receive the explicit academic language instruction to help them be successful in the language and culture of school.)

2d.
Candidates devise and implement methods to learn about personal characteristics of the
individual ELL (e.g., interests, motivations, strengths, needs) and their family (e.g., language use,
literacy practices, circumstances) to develop effective instructional practices.
(As a content teacher, I've done this in the past with surveys at the beginning of the year along with Morning Meetings. As an EAL teacher, it's even more important to understand the background of the multicultural students that I teach. After learning about culturally responsive teaching, I felt that I had found the words for a phenomenon that I had always felt innately. None of us are completely objective. All of our knowledge and experiences come to us through a filter of culture and language. Accessing that culture allows us to access our students. It's easier to communicate with someone when you can see that that person already has some understanding of who you are.)

3b.
Candidates instruct ELLs using evidence-based, student-centered, developmentally
appropriate interactive approaches.
(I tend to play it safe and use what is tried and true. A goal I have for myself as an educator is to push myself to try new approaches in a systematic way. Rather than trying it once and abandoning it after one bad lesson, I want to have the courage to experiment and try new teaching methods from a variety of different angles. I would like to mindfully incorporate some of the teaching strategies (Ignite, Chunk, Chew, Review) and cognitive routines that Zaretta Hammond mentions in her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain.

]]> 2020-05-03 16:14:14 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547119255 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547125484 Another goal that I have for myself as an EAL teacher is to be able to write lesson plans and be able to formulate the language standards, objectives (all three components - function, domain, forms), targets, signal words, and tasks almost automatically (without having to constantly look back at references). ]]> 2020-05-03 16:17:29 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547125484 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547136769 5c.
Candidates practice self-assessment and reflection, make adjustments for self-improvement, and plan for continuous professional development in the field of English
language learning and teaching.
(This is a work in progress. Time is always an issue but self-reflection is essential for growth.)

5e.
Candidates demonstrate dispositions of professionalism and leadership through respect, empathy, and flexibility with ELs, their families, and colleagues.
(I think I have managed to create a strong relationship with both my students and their families. WeChat has been a great tool for communicating with families due to the translation function. Not everyone loves it because it can make a teacher a bit too accessible, but I find that it has been an invaluable tool for communication.)]]> 2020-05-03 16:23:14 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547136769 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547151618 Reading this book was a game-changer for me. Every section was fascinating and completely relevant to what I find to be the most important aspects of effective teaching.

Although not specifically geared towards EAL learners, I felt that the description of dependent learners was sadly applicable to many of our students. Thrust into an unfamiliar environment where they do not speak the language, it makes sense that a typical EAL learner would be overwhelmed by his/her "fight or flight" reflex, making it impossible to learn. It is the responsibility of the teacher to make the first step towards connection and an eventual learning alliance which results in the student becoming an independent learner. 

If I were asked to present a  specific set of concepts or strategies that I learned from this course to my colleagues, much of it would come from this book. The importance of connecting with our students is not a new idea, but it is both simple and powerful and could bear repeating. The addition of brain-based evidence from the book also gives the information a more current and topical spin.]]> 2020-05-03 16:30:41 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547151618 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547152566 This was basically a rehash of my text presentation but allowed me to rethink the content in light of our current challenges with online learning.

One of the opportunities that online learning has given me is the time to check in individually with students and truly differentiate based on their needs. This means that some students are receiving instruction in phonics while others are building their vocabulary by learning about Greek and Latin roots.

Checking in one-on-one also means that even the extremely quiet students are interacting with me and I am getting to know them better than when I was working with them among 18 other students in the classroom. 

I also started doing twice weekly academic language lessons for all students to attend. I'd like to continue with these if possible. 

We are moving back to having our G4 students on campus next week and I am trying to prepare for this shift. I am expected to co-teach online with the content teachers (since we are all away from China at the moment), but am also trying to find time within the schedule when I can continue checking in with students individually or maybe in small groups. ]]> 2020-05-03 16:31:10 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/547152566 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/551841041 My EAL teaching journey started way back in 2001 as a 23 year old recent college graduate. I came to Korea on a one-way ticket with two objectives in mind: to get to know my Korean family and to find out if teaching was the right career path for me.

I got my first teaching job in Bucheon, South Korea (the city where most of my mother's family lives). My hagwon (after school English academy) job involved partnering with a Korean teacher to teach the same class. The job of the Korean teacher was to teach grammar (through reading and writing) while I was assigned to focus on conversation (basically speaking and listening skills).

I worked there for two years before quitting to travel to South Africa and then returning to work in a suburb to the north of Seoul called Ilsan. There, I taught at another hagwon which focused on 'returnee' students who were trying to keep up their English after living for a time overseas in an English-speaking country. In the mornings, I taught preschool. In the afternoons we taught primary school-aged children.  Each class was taught by two expatriate teachers. One teacher taught grammar while the other one focused on reading.

It wasn't until leaving Korea after 5 years to pursue my Master's degree in New York at Hunter CUNY that I had to teach grammar in earnest. During the school year, I subbed at a number of elementary schools in the Park Slope, Brooklyn area and worked as a teacher of international students at Kaplan during the two summers of my Master's degree. This was where I really had to focus on learning grammar terms and planning lessons to help my students put these terms into practice.

Even so, I don't think I can consider myself any kind of expert right now. I just have a little bit more experience than maybe other teachers do entering the EAL field.

Since receiving my master's degree, I've taught fifth grade in Caracas, Venezuela and both fourth and fifth grade in Shenzhen, China.

Living and teaching in these different countries have made me realize the importance of knowing two things very well. In order to be an effective EAL teacher, I need to know my students (by being a culturally responsive teacher and advocating for them as needed) and I need to know the language objectives (as well as how to teach them) in order to give my students the tools they need to become active learners and agents of their own academic lives.

]]> 2020-05-05 11:59:42 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/551841041 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562490084 I found the checklist and the guide for effective learning targets especially helpful in this Learning Targets Infographic:

Checklist:
-Are the targets measurable at the
end of the lesson?
-Are the targets tied to context that
students will perceive as relevant
and interesting?
-Are the daily learning targets
aligned to larger performance
targets?

Guide for Effective Learning Targets:
-What should I be able to
do at the end of today’s
lesson? (Objective)
-And how is it
connected to yesterday’s
and tomorrow’s lessons? (Connection)]]> 2020-05-10 11:03:30 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562490084 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562490965 This is like a cheat sheet for writing effective language objectives for any lesson! It gives a bank of active verbs along with a variety of examples! ]]> 2020-05-10 11:04:17 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562490965 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562491645 This Language Functions and Examples of Forms chart helps to connect language functions with their corresponding forms. This is enormously helpful when trying to consider what kind of grammar topics to teach to help students communicate a given language function! ]]> 2020-05-10 11:04:58 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562491645 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562492017 This Academic Language Map helps to connect text types with the language function and correlating student tasks! ]]> 2020-05-10 11:05:21 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562492017 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562503308 I thought this checklist provided some important features to remember when trying to make the switch towards creating a culturally responsive classroom and school environment. Even if some of the "look fors" are not achievable at present, the checklist still provides a tangible list of mini-goals to work towards.]]> 2020-05-10 11:15:40 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562503308 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562513616 I found this chart particularly helpful because of the way in which it linked together specific graphic organizers, language function signal words, and language function tasks! This is a great go-to when you are trying to plan an academic language lesson! ]]> 2020-05-10 11:25:01 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562513616 susankim30 https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562834006 This blog by Tan Huynh has been very useful. I created a lesson for teaching Tier 2 words by using many of his ideas from this post. ]]> 2020-05-10 15:04:39 UTC https://padlet.com/susankim30/EALSummativeTask3/wish/562834006