3rd progress report

Well... We finally videotaped our class. The kids did wonderfully. The taping took place in two consecutive days assessing one group at a time doing the same activity in a different way. The IT teacher helped me convert the VHS version to a digital video, edited the video to fit the time alloted and we are even thinking of putting the video in the school's web page and in my Spanish web page so parents can have an idea of what their kids are learning. It was fun and a lot of work!!!! I'm ready for the long weekend. Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday break.

2nd progress report

We have completed the story and my students are thinking of ways they can change the end of the story--in Spanish in their own words. The students have role played the entire story, switching roles so they don't play the same character. I have also reviewed the story with them asking leading questions, either/or questions, and practiced some safety measures learned in Spanish like what to do in case of fire, smoke or the safe way to cross the street.
I spoke to our IT teacher and she was very helpful in getting everything I needed to video the class on two consecutive days. The regular classroom teacher was more than happy to video both classes for me. I am very blessed to be part of this school where everyone is ready to support and collaborate in any way possible. I checked video release forms and all is ready to go. I have talked to my students to ignore the camera (as much as that is possible with 2nd graders!!!) and to continue on like it's not even there. They feel confident and eager to show how much they know. After we video both groups, our IT teacher has offered to help me change the VHS video to a digital form. I think we are ready for our assessment!!!!

Inquiry Plan Progress

This past two weeks I have been working with my class on finishing the story we have been reading and talking about. I have modeled short conversations with some students and also pairing students pretending to be one of the characters in the story. Just a reminder, I will be videotaping a 2nd grade class which has been learning about a family who moved into the neighborhood from another country and on the way to school, their son meets different people from the community: a police woman, a mail carrier, a paramedic, a fireman, a crossing guard, and finally his teacher and principal. Students have been predicting who the boy meets next and now they have to think about adding an ending to the story. I'm curious to see what they are able to say!! Have a nice week.

Task Five

I found a very interesting article which included a video titled: Take a Deeper Look at Assessment for Understanding; Performance assessments go beyond traditional tests and serve as an important teaching tool. In it I found some helpful hints that I can incorporate in my lessons. For instance, an ongoing project in which students have the opportunity to show what they know and can do, developing comprehensive rubrics by which to evaluate student's performance and ensure that the project is more than just fun and engaging activities. This is very insightful because it is easy to confuse engagement and fun with learning or demonstration of learning. As I teach Spanish one constant temptation is to think that because students can say some phrases or sentences or answer some questions they are speaking in a meaningful way. However, as I think about this idea of an ongoing project, I wonder how this can be implemented at the primary level. Not only are most of my students in the process of acquiring basic speaking skills in their native language but my present circumstances prevent me and them from engaging in long term activities. I don't have my own classroom. I "travel" from classroom to classroom. This poses a tremendous challenge in terms of space, storing of project as it progressess, etc.

Nonetheless, I truly believe that performance assessments are the best instrument to gauge student's progress and ability, especially while learning a world language. My students do extremely well when given the opportunity to show what they know to each other, to their parents, their regular teacher and me. The video showed some students engaged in a project and the advantages of applied learning in which they can demonstrate skills that cannot be demonstrated in a standardized test--for instance leadership skills. As I think about my inquiry plan I am thinking about how I can use performance assessments in ways that allow these little ones the opportunity to show what they know and can do and on the other hand provide me with the tools to assess these abilities.

The examples shown in the video and in the articles are all for middle and high schools (which is most often the case) and none deal with teaching and learning a world language. I hope that in the new "Race to the Top" emphasis by the Dept. of Education, teaching and learning world languages will be considerd an important part of a holistic education which begins in kindergarden not high school. As Bill Tucker,the author of "Improving Assessment: Getting from Here to There" says in his blog, " even with the best of intentions, all of the incentives in the current system serve to lock in today’s practice." We have had enough quick fixes. We need "a long-term and cohesive strategy for applying decades of research on learning and measurement, experimenting with major advancements in technology, and ultimately collecting the kind of data that will be meaningful to schools, teachers, students and parents."

TASK FOUR

What was that domain? Why did you choose this domain?
I chose domain one because I want to improve in this area the most. I believe this area to be the most crucial of all four domains, even though I know that been good in one area doesn't guarantee overall success in the classroom.

Which component from this domain are you most comfortable with?
I am most comfortable with demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy. Spanish is my first language and I feel at ease when teaching the language and the nuances of the culture. I am well aware of the cultural differences between Spanish speaking countries and I try to convey this important fact to my students as they learn the language and about the culture in general.

Which component from this domain do you believe most strongly ties to instruction?
I think setting instructional outcomes is the strongest tie to instruction. A unit is comprised of individual lessons, but these lessons must connect and move progressively toward an intended learning outcome. In teaching a world language this scaffolding is essential if learning is to be meaninful, otherwise students will know words in isolation without any context in which to make meaningful connections. The result will be what is commonly said by those who take a world language for four/five years and then say" I took ________ (fill in the language) for 4/5 years but I don't remember anything."

Which component from this domain would you like to zero in on in your own instruction?
I would like to focus on designing student assessments.

Question for my group:

How can I best assess oral communication in Spanish in P1 (kindergarden)?

TASK 3

Do all students have a capacity to learn?

Absolutely!!! Every student in our classrooms is born with the ability to think and reason--ergo they can learn. What changes is the level and the pace at which each can perform.

What shapes this capacity?

I think various factors contribute in shaping their capacity to learn. I see it as a circle in which the learner is at the center. First comes the family, then the community--neighbors/neighborhood, church or lack off, friends and school. Each plays an important role of support and of providing experiences in which the learner will engage in learning or have the opportunity to learn in some form.

How much influence do I have upon this capacity?

As a world language teacher I have some influence, not as much as their regular teacher for two reasons. Time spent with the students is a key factor. I see them for a total of 75 mins/week. Another is the subject I teach. Since I teach primary grades only, the content remains at a basic level and does not allow me to move to higher order thinking. However, in terms of learning Spanish, my students as a whole do very well regardless of how they are categorized in other areas (high, low, etc). Actually it is in my class where all learners begin basically at the same level allowing them ample opportunities to succeed regardless of their status or special needs. I love this fact because I see the surprise in the regular teachers'face when they see "struggling" students participate and learn in Spanish what they have had difficulty teaching in English!!!!

How do these assumptions shape my instruction?

It challenges me as a teacher to continually find ways to keep my students engaged and enthusiastic about learning--not just Spanish but about being learners. It also motivates me to know that I can make a difference in the way these students view themselves, that is, they are not losers, dummies or "stupid." They can succeed in something if they persist in everything!!!

I choose Domain 1. Planning & Preparation

TASK TWO

Twenty-one years ago I read a book called "The Seven Laws of Learning and Teaching" during my Sunday School training in my church. It's a very small book which today you can buy for $5.00 or less. Most of my understanding of what it is to be a good teacher and a good learner I gleaned from this tiny but excellent book. Why do I share this? Because as I read through these articles, it was clear to me that the most basic principles of pedagogy are not that complicated, instead they have been made complicated (with the best of intentions, no doubt) with the desire for higher expectations. The problem is that they cannot articulate what goals will be achieved.



The key issue at hand is the purpose of curriculum, our role as teachers and our implementation of the curriculum. For me, curriculum is a guide. I am a world language teacher who has to work with a partially completed curriculum because we (myself included) are in the process of developing, revising and evaluating as we go. So, we can say that I am working with a "product in process." However, what I do have I use with this goal in mind: What can the learner do with the language? By starting from this point, my focus is on the learner while at the same time challenging myself as a teacher to think of ways in which my students can be engaged in the language and not just "learning the language." It sounds easy, doesn't it? But it is not!!! I am still responsible for finding many of the resources needed, come up with engaging activities and assessments.



I like the term "emancipated"used by Schwarts because when we have been through the process of learning the curriculum before we teach it, then we are "free" from the curriculum and can teach it in a way that inspires our students. It is then that I can think and become "creative" in my approach to each lesson and align in with the purpose of the curriculum without being a prisoner of the curriculum. For me, not having a textbook is a blessing. It allows great freedom not only for me as the teacher, but to my students. They, too, are not restricted to a form of learning devoid of meaningful cultural and practical engagement. I was happy to see that the learning of world languages is mentioned by Wiggins and McTighe as they talked about the weakness of secondary education. The authors state "schools too often teach and test....and world language skills in isolation rather than in the context of authentic demands." World languages is most often overlooked when discussing the needs and problems in education today. It is good to see world languages recognized as a valued subject on par with the rest.