Entry # 5

Blog entry # 5

I had no idea whether the book I chose for the literature circle was appropriate or not. Our book was same old Science textbook. As a teacher of science classes, I did not have any time to read an unrelated book to a select few students while neglecting the rest of the class. I read a section from the textbook and I did the activities from a section of my textbook.

Although we read the same textbook, I followed the same procedure of reading any fiction book for literacy circle. I read the section aloud to the students and we did all the pre-reading activities, we discuss the types of cells and did the activity of KWL. We also discussed the different scientist who contributed to the discovery of the cell and the cell theory. My ESL students were very interest when we discussed the different scientists, and their native countries.  We do lot of diagrams and graphic organizers, but it is a little different than the fiction book.

I did not know about literature circle at all until this assignment.  I would love to do this activity with any other fiction book. It can be a very effective strategy to make the students improve their understanding. When I did this with my students for the science lesson I could see that it helps students understand the concept better.

If I were to repeat this activity again, I would choose a fiction book to read and implement literature circle. I would really recommend to other ESL teachers to implement this strategy to improve their students understanding and English proficiency.

MTSU Honor Statement:

This assessment/assignment was written solely by me. In no way have I plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me. 

Sariya Mohammed

12/2/2010

Entry # 4- Reflective Fieldnotes

Blog entry # 4

What are your overall impressions of this observation?

I felt that interviewing a student was an interesting experience. I do personal interviews with my students after every grading period, but seldom ask them personal questions like their favorite family member, how they spend time together, etc… My interviews are always about their progress in my class and more related to my teaching and their learning. Making an observation on a student gave me so much information about the subtleties and abilities of her. She is a very good student, but very quite. I would have overlooked so many of her needs, because of her quietness.

What did you learn as a result of this fieldwork?

Since I started doing these observations I started looking deeper into my students and their habits. I now watch each student more closely and analyze their behavior. I also started analyzing my own teaching strategies and techniques to meet individual need of my students.

What is the value in case study research and analysis in terms of classroom practice?

The value of educators’ case studies and analyses is shown by how much can be learned about a student’s background, learning styles, and abilities. It is easier to overlook ESL students’ capabilities by being biased or ignorant of their past. Teachers can also analyze their own instructions and style to improve their teaching.

What is the value of the ethnographic narrative?

It helped me analyze my own teaching. I started being more patient with my ESL and Sp. Ed. students. It is easy for a teacher to not pay much attention on their own habits. This narrative made me evaluate my own personality and interaction with my students.

How will this information assist future teachers as well as yourself in meeting the needs of this particular second language learner?

This case study and her narrative will give her future teachers more information about her background, her interests and her likes and dislike. It will also help them to understand her better and would be able to meet her individual learning needs. She has a lot of potential, but could be easily get neglected because of her quiet nature.

MTSU Honor Statement:

This assessment/assignment was written solely by me. In no way have I plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me. 

Sariya Mohammed

10/27/2010

Action Research - Entry # 3

Thoughts about action research:

I believe that action research is a very brilliant approach. It gives firsthand experience and research to improve the quality of performance. The researcher or teacher is able to design their own onsite approach to improve their student’s progress, as opposed to other research, where the research is done by people who do not work in the classroom and deal with students directly and constantly. It is an inquiry process with data driven analysis to understand the strategies and techniques. Action research allows teachers to focus on the concerns that they deal with in their day to day instructions. It helps the educator evaluate their students’ needs, documenting the steps of inquiry, analyzing data, and making a decision about what they can implement for their students’ ongoing learning process.

Ideas generated as a result of my project:

My action research project was “Teaching Science to Middle School’. This project gave me ideas which I would not have implemented otherwise. When I was talking to my students in the form of personal interview I was able to get a lot of their background information. The students are more comfortable to talk to me on a one-on-one basis. This way, I was able to get to know their learning style and personal interests.

The students really like activities like making flip books and vocabulary in the form of puzzles and word searches rather than the old traditional method of doing worksheets.

They really love working on the computers! Making use of technology is the best instructional way to prepare our ESL students for the 21^st century classrooms. Some of the best science films are the “Bill Nye the Science Guy” movies which all of my students like.

Another important strategy that I think most science teachers already incorporate in their instructions is the use of experiments and labs. Students like to move around, so this can be very well included when reviewing vocabulary words. I made index cards with definitions on them and arranged them on different stations. Students have a minute to go to each index card and write the word for each definition.

Suggestions to other ESL teachers:

Modifications: based on their reading levels, the students need some modifications. Science textbooks have a very high reading level making learning hard for them if they are not grade level readers. It is important for the Science teacher to modify their work according to their reading level. We can also use alternate words for them to make it easy for them to comprehend the science concepts

When making teams, it is better to partner them with a student who is patient, helpful, and can work with them. Some students get frustrated if others are not to their level in their work. It is really important to pair them with someone who can work with them patiently.

Include topics from their native culture or country; it really works wonders in helping them make connections. Discuss about the scientists who made contribution in American histories, or in the world. It is great way of motivation and encouragement. 

MTSU Honor Statement:

This assessment/assignment was written solely by me. In no way have I plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me. 

Sariya Mohammed

10/13/2010

Blog Entry # 2

Blog # 2 Focused Observations

Teaching Issues:

The main problems that I noticed is that boys in general get more distracted and are less interested in learning. Compared to girls, boys do not pay attention to the instructions and are easily distracted. It is very difficult to get them involved and keep them motivated in learning.

My main problem in my classes is maintaining discipline. Kids are not used to having teachers from other ethnic groups. They can accept an aid from other races, but taking directions from me is harder for them. When I give instructions, they don’t pay attention and expect me to go over my instructions all over again. I see the same students sitting quietly in other classes and do their work, but when they are in my class they want to waste time.
                                                                  

There is so much focus on standardized testing in American schools that it becomes really frustrating to teach at times. They just want us to keep moving even if the students are not proficient in the concept. We have to teach a certain amount of curriculum in every nine weeks. As far as the grading period is concerned that is alright but then there are benchmark tests. We are expected to teach a certain number of chapters for benchmark. If my students are not proficient in a concept I would rather re-teach the concept then move on, but I cannot do that because I have to give a benchmark test in 3 chapters!

Second Language Acquisition:

As I mentioned earlier my ESL student are advanced in English language. They do not have any problems in understanding my language. I believe that using right vocabulary words in the instructions are very important, when I am teaching my inclusion class. I also use alternate words to develop understanding of the concept. For example, when I am teaching my regular class the concept of ‘photosynthesis’ I use the word like ‘reactants and product’, but when I am in my inclusion class along with these word I include words like ‘our reactants are ingredients’ and our cake is the product’ 

Ethnographic Perspective:

It is very important to know the students’ reading level to better meet the needs of second language learners. If a student is below grade level reading it becomes very difficult for them to perform in science. They are required to use the same textbook and materials as the rest of the grade. Because my ESL class is also my inclusion, I read the test out loud so that they can understand and perform better in their assessments.

To include culture into my classes we discuss about the scientists from different countries. The students come up with their own information regarding the scientist and their studies and inventions. The textbook that we use also have scientists from different countries and their work which we read and discuss in the class.

References:

Frank. C (1990) Ethnographic Eyes: A teacher’s Guide to Classroom Observation, NH: Heinemann...
http://www.classroommanagementonline.com/cartoon.gif

MTSU Honor Statement:

This assessment/assignment was written solely by me. In no way have I plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me. 

Sariya Mohammed

9/22/2010

Entry #1

 Observing in the field:  Classroom Observation, Blog entry # 1

Reading the text Ethnographic Eyes really helped me with my observation and field notes. I observe my own classroom in more than I would have before reading the text. The students’ handbook questions really helped me in taking notes. The purpose of my class is teaching to find the density of an irregular mineral. My class is about 45 minutes, and started with my demonstration of finding a mass of the mineral. When I demonstrate, first, I explain the experiment verbally, and then I ask my students different questions to test their understanding. I always make sure I include my ESL students and Sp.Ed students. Since I started my Master’s program /w ESL concentration, I ask my Spanish students the Spanish word for some English vocabulary words. When they give the Spanish word I can see the pride on their face for knowing another language especially when other students praise their Spanish vocabulary.

Most of my ESL students, I can say, are fluent in the English language so they do not have a problem understanding my instructions. When I demonstrate an experiment after a brief discussion, the students get the idea of my lab experiment. As mentioned in the text, it requires teacher to keep reminding the rules to the students in the classroom. After my demonstration, I tell them to form their groups to work with their teams.  One thing I noticed is whenever two or more students from same ethnic group get together, they always end up talking in their own language. Whenever I hear them talking I go to them and ask what they are talking and what is the meaning of some words. Because I also interact very casually with them, they are at ease in my classroom. Although I am from India, people who do not know me think I am Latina, so observers who enter my classroom think that there is a Spanish teacher. My ESL students are extremely friendly with me, because they feel they have a teacher who is just as different as they are.

References:

Frank. C.(1990). Ethnographic Eyes: A teacher’s Guide to Classroom Observation, NH: Heinemann..

MTSU Honor Statement:

This assessment/assignment was written solely by me. In no way have I plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me. 

Sariya Mohammed

9/13/2010

Alright friends, I am getting a hang of the blogging again. Let me introduce myself. My name is Sariya Mohammed. I am originally from India, and moved to America in 1998. I have 4 kids, my oldest is 20 , and youngest is 9. they are wonderful kids, absolutely no problem at all as far as they are concerned. I  am a graduate student and will be graduating in spring. I have teaching experience from Indian school, but teaching in American is an amazing experience. There are so many resources available to teachers that teaching become fun! The only hurdle I face sometimes is the students' behavior. kids are not used to teachers from other ethnic races. they can accept educational aids, but it is hard for them to see a teacher from other race. It takes them a week or two to accept me as a teacher.Apart from that I love teaching, and ready to share my thoughts and reflections with everyone.

Here are some interesting facts from my country!

Chess was invented in India.


Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.

The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.
 India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations
The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematiciansMartial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.


Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.


Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.


Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years. Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.


Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
http://india.gov.in/myindia/facts.php

My blog

Hey Guys,
This is my blog. I had created one blog last summer when I was taking Dr. Craig's class, but didn't keep up with it. So here is another one. I am just getting familiar with blogging again, I will start my entries in 1- days.