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Teacher Evaluations

Teacher evaluations are so important not only for the teacher, but also for the school and students. From my own experience with teacher evaluations, you may not even realize you are doing something wrong until someone sits down and observes you. It doesn’t even need to be a mentor or peer, it could also be filming yourself in the classroom. Teachers have so much on their plate at all times, and give so much to the students, that they can sometimes forget about themselves. It is important for teachers to be evaluated so that they know they are meeting standards and being the best educator they can be.

Teachers should be judged on a number of things. I find preparation very important as a lesson will surely slow down and lose the attention of the students if a teacher is not properly prepared. Bring a back up lesson to every lesson, not just observation day. Anything can be taught in multiple ways. Another piece of criteria would have to be communication. Does the teacher have a rapport with the class? Are they able to verbally and nonverbally communicate a lesson to the students? Is the teacher actively listening to the students? I think this also works well with student evaluations. It gives the students an outlet to bring a problem to light that they may have been too nervous to talk about in class. The teacher needs to have so many open lines of communication to the students and peers so that there can be little confusion.

After some research online, I have found that most teacher evaluation frameworks work relatively the same. At Hennick’s High School on Long Island, they have a pre-observation meeting, an observation, and post observation meeting. The same applies to the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES). Like building rapport with the students, teachers should do the same with their peers and observers/mentors. This pre-observation period is the perfect time to see a teacher outside the classroom and get an understanding of each other as peers and adults. The teacher can give an idea of what to expect in the classroom, with classroom behavior, the unit being taught, etc. The observation is next, where the observer notes the effectiveness of the lesson, preparation, communication, etc. Not every lesson is going to be perfect, but it is important to see how a teacher works under pressure. The post-observation meeting is the most important part of the observation. It offers time to reflect on the lesson, what the teacher did well, and what they could improve upon. Everything is noted and filed for the end of the year evaluation.

Evaluations should be thorough and regular. A teacher is an investment for a school and it is crucial for the teacher to be the best they can in order to stay employed and to progress through the hierarchy. It offers a time for a teacher to explain their ideas and decisions they made to paint a bigger picture of their teaching style and what they teach. This picture can only be painted for the school by these evaluations. It is going to be nerve-racking, but it is for the benefit of everyone!

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Pre-Assessment for Differentiation

A quiz (click link to view) will be given to the class covering the material for the unit on Multi-Step Word Problems based on the Math Common Core Standard 4.OA.A.3.

This pre-assessment will test the kids on their prerequisite knowledge, creating benchmarks for the students and their learning levels. Once scored, the students will be split into 3 groups:

Group 1: The 5 students who answered most, including the most difficult, of the pre-assessment questions correctly

Group 2: The 12 students who have some knowledge about the topic as shown in their score, but need to develop higher order thinking skills

Group 3: The 5 students who appear to have limited knowledge about the topic

Group 1

These students will be given worksheets with multistep word problems. They will be asked to complete all that they can. I ask them to take note of the strategies they use to solve the problems. Since they showed a pre-understanding of the material, I will not give them any hints, they will just have to figure it out themselves. Once completed, they will discuss with each other which strategies they used and what worked well for them. They can share their work to show their trains of thought.

Group 2

Since these students showed some understanding, they will be required to watch a short Khan Academy video showing a simple multistep word problem and how to solve it. Once they watch the video a few times, they will be asked to teach the word problem to the rest of the class. They can work together, taking turns in explaining the different steps that went into solving the word problem. This will help them and the class better understand what it takes to solve a problem like this. After, the pre-assessment will be given again.

Group 3

The final group will need a visual aid to help in their understanding. They will be making a poster as one group with the different aspects of the standard (included in the pre-assessment ((click link to view)). They can also supplement with their own research on what rounding is, the 4 operations, etc. to help make the poster. They will then present this poster to the class. It can also be a great piece of review material for the entire class. After, the pre-assessment will be given again.

For a mindmap on this differentiation, click this link. 

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High Stakes Assessments

High-stakes testing is the backbone of Korean education. Everything that the students work and study for in school are high-stakes tests. These are mostly standardized tests and employment tests. Korea has a rich and deep culture surrounding education and the sort of class system that is created around academia leading into where you are employed. A lot more respect is given towards someone who is a manager at Samsung than a server in a restaurant. And in Korea, respect is huge.

Studying for exams in Korea start months ahead of time. And in the case of the college entrance exams (similar to SATs and ACTs), students begin studying in middle school. Once they move into high school, their lives revolve around these college tests. In Korean High School, classes end around 4-5pm but they have to stay and study individually until 10-11pm. That’s 15 hours a day that they are at school. In American schools, Students leave school around 2-3pm and go home or participate in extracurricular activities like sports or clubs. Those don’t exist in Korea. There is only time for study.

There is a huge juxtaposition between these two countries: student happiness. South Korean students are some of the smartest kids in the world, according to PISA. South Korea ranks well above the average with Japan, China, and Singapore. But at what cost? These kids are pushed to the brink in their studies. Their parents have but such a huge value on education that nothing else matters to them. Their child must get into the best schools and have the best jobs. There’s no social security in Korea so the children must get great jobs to support their parents and possibly grandparents in the future.

My kids are baffled when I tell them when I used to get home from school every day. I teach in a hagwon, or private academy for elementary and middle school students. They finish school and have to go to a hagwon for the rest of the afternoon. When I was their age, I would go home, do some homework, and go exploring into a forest with my friends, or lifting rocks in the river behind my house.

This is why it is painful to work in a hagwon. It has taken me a while, with the help of the Teach-Now program, to realize that I have been a part of this problem. I am helping students learn English, but at the cost of these kids’ childhoods. I really commend my students and how hard they work. They are all going to be brilliant when they get older and I wish them the best. I just wish they knew a world outside the world of South Korea high-stakes testing.

I just read an interesting article about the Samsung company. They are rolling out their own SAT test: the Samsung Aptitude Test. To get a job at Samsung, a potential employee must pass ANOTHER high-stakes test. So once a student finishes the rigorous university they studies so hard and so long to get into, they have another hurdle to jump before hitting the job market.

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Innovation Strategies in Lesson Plans

Innovative strategies are so important for a student to learn and embrace in this age of technology. Almost all of my younger students now have a computer in their pocket. The problem is, they only use it for games. However, these smartphones are so useful for so much more, and teachers can be there to help them explore so many more possibilities that this technology is capable of. This technology is not going away, so students should be aware of how useful this can be.

Using technology in the classroom helps the students become more comfortable with using the technology and become familiar with how they can use it to help their homework, school work, and anything else they need to get done. It can also help boost their creativity. With the internet and different apps, they can realize there is never just one way to do something. This is at the heart of estimation. There are so many more strategies besides rounding, and this idea spreads to almost anything the students do on the daily basis.

This technology can also be used to be more collaborative. There is an online space where students and teachers can gather to discuss topics and reinforce the lesson. Students can work together on projects through the Google platform where several students can work on completing a project rather than waiting for someone to finish, or having no idea what a partner is working on until it’s presentation day.

Right now, my principal does not allow technology in the classroom. Cell phones in the classroom has a certain stigma to it that is quite understandable. With young kids, it is hard to monitor that they are using the technology appropriately. However, with the proper training, these technologies can bring so much more to the classroom. It has become so frustrating knowing that some of my peers in different schools around the world use technology every day to aid in their lessons. It makes me excited to know that I will be moving on hopefully to a school that has technology integrated into their curriculum.

If there are guidelines and rules in place with the technology use in a classroom, and they teachers are trained how to use them, it can bring a class to a whole new level.

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Incorporating Multicultural Perspectives

I find incorporating multicultural perspectives into math to be quite a challenge. This is not like art or literature or history where a lesson can be catered to talk specially about a certain culture. With math, I am using a universal language. Some of the word may be different, but when I write 12 x 10 = ? on the board, anyone can solve that with speaking the same language as the class.

In my lessons, I was to teach the students how to think creatively. How can they use what they know from outside the classroom  to help them create something in math? I want to challenge my students to build their own word problems using what they already know. Maybe they remember something that happened at their grandmother’s house in central america, or something their uncle in asia had done. That way, the other students know that math is in fact a universal language. Everyone on the planet learns math about the same way, just with different words. The numbers don’t change.

I believe it is so important to expose students to different cultures. I can speak from direct experience. Living in Asia, I have run into the problem where foreigners are, in a way, dehumanized. We cannot speak the language well and we are kind of an enigma to the local people. It requires a lot of work to meet locals, communicate, befriend, and become human to them. In a classroom, it is the teacher’s responsibility to help a sense of community between the students. In my ESL classrooms, I am the odd one out in a room full of 100% Korean students. I try to tell them about my country as much as I can. I believe students with different backgrounds have a lot to learn from one another. It humanizes one another. I have taught a lot of kids from around the world, and most children grow the same and have the same mannerisms. They need to learn and accept that.

I will know that students are developing cultural competence in my classroom when I see opening lines of communication between the students. They will be curious and ask questions. I need to create a space where it is constructive and pleasant. The multicultural students will be more included into the different groups of students. In Korea, I cannot imagine a multicultural student being present in the class. I am lucky to be an American where I grew up in classrooms with students who have ancestors or parents from all corners of the globe. Unfortunately, I currently live in a very homogenous and hermetically sealed country where the outsiders are not accepted. This does not apply so much in America and I am excited to facilitate that acceptance.

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Differentiating for and Anticipating Student Needs

This post will be centered around the class and unit I have set up around the common core standard CCSS.Math.Content.4.OA.A.3 for Grade 4:

“Solve multi-step word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity.  Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.”

Who is differentiated instruction important for?

Classroom differentiation is a proven method that lets students get the most out of their class and teacher. Differentiated instruction affects high ability students as well as students with mild to severe disabilities. Each and every student has their own learning styles and ways they like to learn and ways they learn well. It is our job as teachers to meet the needs of each and every student. I have heard a lot in life that you cannot make everyone happy. I think this is a different case when it comes to teaching in a classroom. For us to make the biggest impact on our students, they each need the special attention and differentiation required to become masters of the standards (Weselby, C. 2014).

Plan for Modification

While teaching a unit full of lessons, it is inevitable that a student will run into problems with comprehension. That is why it is so important to have formative assessments along the way. This checks the students’ understanding and notifies the teacher when a student needs extra help and/or special differentiated instruction. A great way to have differentiation in the classroom would start with the results of a formative assessment. It could become obvious that a few of the students are having difficulty understanding the latest topic. The next class could have the capable students working by themselves on computers or worksheets. The teacher could then build a small group of the students who need the extra help. The Teaching Channel shows a great example using differentiation in math. All of the surfaces are whiteboard material so the teacher was able to help the student hands-on and have them understand the lesson for that day. They just needed that extra personal time in a small group setting with the teacher and they were able to persevere (Differentiating in Math Using Computer Games, 2012).

Plan for Modification with Disabled Students

In the classroom, there may be students with orthopedic or other disabilities affecting their mobility. It is important to include them in the differentiated instruction. In this case, we can use Assistive Technologies (AT) to help them with their learning and understanding. AT could include mobility equipment like scooters and crutches. Also, it is important to facilitate social interactions. They may have a hard time socializing with their peers. The classroom should have a sense of unity since all the students are learning the same thing.

We could also use visual aides using technology like tablets and text-to-speech programs if the student is having a particularly hard time learning the material. What ever makes it easier for the student to learn the material!

Sources

Differentiating in Math Using Computer Games. (2012). Retrieved April 13, 2017, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/differentiating-in-math.

Weselby, C. (2014, October 1). What is Differentiated Instruction? Examples of How to Differentiate Instruction in the Classroom. Retrieved April 13, 2017, from http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/examples-of-differentiated-instruction/.

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Articulating Outcomes: Thinking Like an Assessor

This post will focus on articulating outcomes in the classroom. There will be two different kinds of assessments used in conjunction with the standard of CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.A.3 for Grade 4 math students. The standard is as follows:

“Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding (Common Core).”

Summative Assessment - Exam

I feel the best way to assess a mathematical concept is by testing the students. At the end of this unit, they would have learned rounding, critical thinking, and problem solving. The students will show their understanding of the material in a way that can be evaluated by the instructor.

An exam would be made by the teacher featuring word problems that utilize all of the different lessons taught through the unit. What makes teaching math interesting is that some students may not get the right answer to a multi-step word problem. However, if they show their work and mental computations on paper, the teacher is able to see their line of reasoning and see which of the four operations the students used to find their answer. From here, we can show the students where they made a mistake. The exam can be returned to the student for possible extra points to their score if they can retrace their steps and work out the correct answer from where they went wrong.

The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against the standard. This exam will be high stakes and be worth more points than anything the students have done previously in the unit. That is why the unit needs to be well constructed and teach the students well so that they can do their best on the final exam of the unit.

Formative Assessment - Exit Card

For one of my objectives through the lessons of teaching this standard, the students will be working with estimation strategies, most notably rounding. This object states:

“Students show a full comprehension of estimation strategies, most importantly rounding. Rounding can make information easier to understand and work with. Students know how to round whole numbers based on what the specific word problem asks for.”

As the instructor, I can hand out index cards to each student when we are nearing the end of a regular class. I will put a bunch of un-rounded numbers on the board, and the students must write down the rounded numbers on their cards. They can then hand me the cards as they leave for the rest of their day if their answers are satisfactory.

For example, I will write the numbers 21, 9, 123, 87, 55, 25, 101 on the board and then have the students round to the nearest 10. If they get the right answers, they can go on their way!

Sources

Bloom, B.S. (Ed.). Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H., Krathwohl, D.R. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.

Hilliard, P. P. (2015, December 07). Performance-Based Assessment: Reviewing the Basics. Retrieved April 09, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/performance-based-assessment-reviewing-basics-patricia-hilliard.

University, C. M. (n.d.). Formative vs Summative Assessment-Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved April 09, 2017, from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html.

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Standards and Backwards Mapping

I have chosen to backwards map the common core standard CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.A.3. This standard states “Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.”

The common core standards are used throughout the United States. Most schools in most states use these standards when educating their students. The standards can be used in many different places and settings, which is makes it a great way to have consistency throughout the American education system.

Proficiencies Met By Students

Students can identify important information in a word problem and use that information to find the answer.

Students can discuss and use various strategies.

Students exhibit mental computation.

Assessments

Students find the correct answer to the word problem using operations and algebraic thinking.

Students show a full understanding of the information given and provide explanations.

Students show all of their work and calculations to find the answer to the word problem.

Activities

Students begin by investigating the formulas for area and perimeter. In Lesson 1, they use those formulas to solve for area and perimeter and to find the measurements of unknown lengths and widths. In Lessons 2 and 3, students use their understanding of the area and perimeter formulas to solve multiplicative comparison problems including the language of times as much as with a focus on problems using area and perimeter as a context (e.g., A field is 9 feet wide. It is 4 times as long as it is wide. What is the perimeter of the field?). Students create diagrams to represent these problems as well as write equations with symbols for the unknown quantities.

These activities need to help the students think in the real world and possibly apply it later in their lives. An example problem could be “A gallon of milk contains 128 fl oz. How many 6 fl oz. glasses can you pour from 5 gallons of milk? Explain your answer and mathematical thinking” The students are given ample white space to write out their thinking and calculations. The students should be encouraged to use all operations (addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication)

“Your class is collecting bottled water for a service project. The goal is to collect 300 bottles of water. On the first day, Max brings in 3 packs with 6 bottles in each container. Sarah wheels in 6 packs with 6 bottles in each container. How many bottles of water still need to be collected?” Students are given ample white space on a worksheet to use algebra to solve the problem. Make sure the students show all of their work!

References

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2017, n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2017 from http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/4/OA/A/3/.

Grade 4 Operations and Algebraic Thinking. (2012, n.d.). Newark Public Schools Office of Mathematics. Retrieved March 30, 2017 from http://www.nps.k12.nj.us/IRC/site/handlers/Grade4OperationsandAlgebraicThinking3TeacherModule-moduleinstanceid=12269&dataid=9541&FileName=Grade4OperationsandAlgebraicThinking3TeacherModule.pdf.pdf.

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Applying Classroom Rules and Procedures

Positive and negative consequences must be present in a classroom. They should be addressed routinely and frequently so that the students are always aware of their actions and the product of their actions. Robert Marzano has also said that all forms of consequences have a positive effect on the behavior of the class. These include: Punishment, reinforcement, and no immediate consequence. However, a combination of punishment and reinforcement in the classroom in the optimum strategy in keeping students at their best behavior.

Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement affects both the teacher and the students. I feel a great deal of satisfaction when I can praise a student on a job well done. I feel responsible for guiding them in the right direction and they can be proud of what they accomplished. This can be with a large project or finishing a workbook page well and with few mistakes. I work with ELL students so there are a lot of rooms for error. Many times a student can feel hopeless and give up when something is too hard and they do not understand. It is always beneficial to give them a helping hand and push them in the right direction so that they can complete the work themselves and feel that euphoria of finally coming to an understanding and they feel like they did it themselves. They can then inspire others to do the same.

I like to use verbal and nonverbal acknowledgment when reinforcing my students’ behavior. This can be as simple as a “Good Job!” or a thumbs up when I go around the room to check on their work. With my really young students, we use a dictation lesson where I say a very simple English word like “cat” and they have to try to spell it. When they get it on their first try, I make sure to let them know how great of a job they did, as it is not easy for a 6 year old to learn a second language like that. They have beaming smiles and are proud of themselves and ready for the next challenge.

All tests the students take are sent home in a cozy package for them to display to their parents. Growing up I remember teachers using stickers and motivational phrases to praise a good score. I now use this on my own tests, where I use stickers and phrases like “Awesome!” and “Great Job!” These are simple enough for their parents to see and read, so that I am sending a message home to parents about how great their child is doing in my class. This will make the parents pleased, and the student can be rewarded by their parents.

The Rule Breakers

On the other side of the same coin, there are those students who have behavioral problems in class that can detract from the entire lesson. I feel the worst of this is when it is distracting to those who want to do a good job in class. They can get frustrated, angry, or even lash out at those who break the rules. A lot of the time, the rule breakers are the ones who want attention in any way possible so this can fuel the fire.

In our teacher’s office, we talk a lot about follow through. Empty threats are a death sentence for a teacher. If I create or plan to dish out a consequence for a misbehaving student, I cannot lighten up or forget about it and drop it. Then your words carry no weight with the students. I punish some of my students who chatter in Korean for minutes on end, completely ignoring my instructions and guidance, for wasting mine and their time. We are not learning while they are distracted, so I have to run the class over time. The bell rings for their next class, not before a 5 minute break. I take their break time for study. I calculate how much time they were not focused or chatting about nonsense and I add that to the time they have to stay after the bell. Even if it is one or two students, the class as a whole is punished.

I like to use this strategy in a lot of my classes. Maybe the misbehaving students don’t care what the goofy foreign teacher has to say, but they definitely care about what their peers think about them. So if I can get them to listen to each other, they can help me give out less negative consequences. You can be sure that the angelic students do not want to be punished because of someone else. Time and time again, I can see them try to reason with one another and the misbehaving student calms down as they have buckled under the pressure from their peers.

Click Here for a larger version of my decision making flowchart.

Marzano, R. J. (2010). The art and science of teaching: a comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Retrieved March 16, 2017 from https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/platform-user-content/prod-copy/get_help_resources/activity_resources/module4/The_Art_and_Science_of_Teaching.pdf. 

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Creating High Performance Learning Environments

Academic Expectations

Video 1: https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies This teacher high expectations for her students and it is paying off even as you watch the video. She takes a back seat to the experiment and only comes to the foreground when she wants to ask questions to help stimulate the students’ learning. She wants them to stay engaged with each other instead of the teacher. The students talk to each other and problem solve together. The teacher put them in a space where this is possible. The space is collaborative where the students must work together as a team with assigned roles to get an outcome they can be proud of, that they got to on their own.

Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7LseF6Db5g This teacher also holds high expectations for her students academically. In Chinese culture, this is expected of every person in the country to an extent. The students memorize the entire times table in a different language and are able to recite it in its entirety during class. They are expected to know this. The Chinese are the best at math in the entire world and it may come from having super high academic expectations constantly from teachers and parents. In order for them to become the best, there has to be high expectations for there to be higher learning.

Video 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU&feature=youtu.be This video is a bit hard to follow with the music in the background and lots of chanting. I feel the teacher does not hold as high of an academic expectation as the other teachers. She definitely has high behavioral expectations. She does let the students break off to do their work in pairs and groups while she monitors but I honestly couldn’t understand what anyone was saying due to the quality of the video.

Behavior Expectations

Video 1 These kids were awesome. They all worked well together and listened/spoke appropriately and constructively. The teacher has definitely put high expectations when it comes to behavior. They all had great respect for their peers.

Video 2 The behavioral expectations were not as high in this classroom, or at least it was not shown at length. The kids definitely know their stuff, and I was impressed at how there was zero English spoken in the class. At such a young age, Chinese as a second language it tough! I struggles with it when I was learning in China as a university student. They spoke to the teacher and to each other in Chinese so there are some rules in the classroom made apparent by their actions.

Video 3 I like how the students repeated the rules with choreography included. She has very high behavioral expectations for the kids as everything had hand motions and a chant whenever doing an action. She used an attention getter with mirroring words. She has a very short lesson and then releases the class to do their work. She uses Whole Brain Teaching in this respect.

Norms and Procedures

Video 1 Although it is the longest video by far, there were no clear norms and procedures lined up. It was more shown through the actions of the students. The teacher guided the students through the activity procedure and explained a bit about the norms she wants to create in the class during the activity. 

Video 2 This class seems to have great norms and procedures. The students knew exactly what to and even did it synchronized. The teacher effortlessly communicated with the entire class in an organized manner to figure out the math problem in Chinese. The students obviously have great respect for the teacher and vice versa. The way she was talking to them was not like a child, but almost like an adult learner. 

Video 3 This class is tight. They know the rules, they know the procedures, and they know the norms of the class. This makes everything seamless and easier for everyone involved. This supports high student performance when there is a proper procedure for everything. The students are hyper focused and ready. They even emphasized before group work to respect their classmates and to show dignity.

Setting high performance expectations among my students is so important when it comes to managing a classroom, especially here with my elementary students in Korea. I would like to implement a bit of all of these teachers in these videos have done. The collaborative atmosphere of the roller coaster activity in Video 1 would be monumental for the students to become great problem solvers. I noticed that the teacher is always asking questions when the students ask for something. For example, a student asks for two marbles instead of one marble. The teacher asked why, not because the teacher didn’t know, but to make sure the student knows why they are picking two marbles over one. This is what is needed for the students to practice higher learning. Nothing is a yes or no, but a why? 

The Chinese math class is consistent and rigorous. Challenge and struggle are what make great higher learners. I cannot as a teacher make things “easier” for the students, as they need challenge to keep them moving forward. Mistakes will happen, but we all need to learn from those anyway. In Video 3 I would like to take the Whole Brain Learning approach. This is the perfect way of keeping norms and procedures in a regimented way. It keeps the students on their toes and ready for the next activity. 

Using a combination of all of these teachers would make the perfect classroom with high expectations to produce high learners doing the best they can!

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Establishing a Positive Classroom Climate

Classroom Intro

I would like to start by describing my school setting. I live in Korea and my students are 100% Korean. It is very homogenous where the teacher is the cultural minority. This means that my life has been very different from theirs. I come from a middle class suburban family from the woods of New Jersey. My students are part of the elite who drive V12 Mercedes to school and take month long vacations to Canada and Oceania on a whim. This has not stopped me from trying to get to know my students’ lives, families, interests, and activities.

Show you value their lives and identities

I like to build my classroom climate from the very first day of teaching new students in a new class. My first few classes are always about getting to know my students and them getting to know their teacher. It is a two-way street. I think they are fascinating to talk to and try to live vicariously through their experiences growing up in a country completely different from mine. Also, they love getting to know me. They don’t know much about America but they ask a plethora of questions almost daily about my family and where I come from and what I like. This is very important for their English learning as well since they are learning colloquial English and conversational English.

Cultural Sensitivity

I find myself very sensitive to my students’ culture. There are a myriad of different customs and superstitions that cannot be abused or disrespected. All of my students are aware of them and are careful to follow them as they have been taught these from birth, essentially. At the same time, I try to teach my students about my own culture, being the minority. I have not had the chance to be in a multicultural classroom. I would imagine it will be a lot different with many different students from many different backgrounds that have to get along and somehow relate to one another.

Find similarities between students

What I like to talk a lot about are our interests. If I have a low English level class, it is a great way to find similarities between students and play off those. I am at a disadvantage because my Korean is not that great so I have trouble understanding their chit chat to one another. They could be saying anything about one another or the teacher. This can lead to tears and fights between the students and I couldn’t see that coming. In an ideal environment, I could understand context clues and key in on problems that arise, especially bullying.

Bullying

Where I work now does not have a real anti-bullying policy or procedure. Parents are notified, and everything goes back the way it was. I would like to implement a proper procedure so that bullying stops. In my classrooms, it is up to the discretion of the teacher to decide how to punish or stop bullies. Without proper guidelines, it means that there is a huge disparity between classrooms and bullying. The way I handle a situation is completely different from when a Korean teacher steps in. This leads to unfairness and usually tears.

I would like to see policies and procedures written up for my school and to be a part of that process. Teachers, parents, and students should be involved with creating a plan to stop bullying. You need students’ experiences, teachers’ experiences, and the parents’ desires.

I like to talk to the kids as adults

Another way I create my classroom climate is to talk to my students as if they were adults. I have noticed that is lets the students open up a lot more in class and they seem genuinely interested in discussions. For example, the Korean government has been in a bit of turmoil since the president was charged with numerous corruption scandals. It always comes up in class yet the students really don’t know the full extent of what’s going on. I like to break it down for them and explain in simple terms what is happening. I try to have them explain everything they bring up in class so that they can discover things themselves, or learn something new that is not part of the lesson. Korean culture dictates that children become “little emperors.” They are babied to no end and it makes the students feel entitled and can lead to tension in the classroom.

Rapport!

Building rapport in my classroom is so important. I like to have fun in my classes while also learning something by the end. Here in Korea, it humanizes the teacher. Being a foreigner, I am constantly gawked at and seen as a spectacle and generate zero respect. It is something I have to deal with in my classrooms on a daily basis. That is why I like to build a rapport with my students and connect with them more. I was a student once and I need them to see that and understand that I am there for them while also being their coach. It creates more channels of communication with my students so that we can have a more harmonious class. I want my students to get along with one another and be able to approach me if there are problems. I have had success with this strategy, as my students come to me if they have a problem with another student or they are having trouble with their work instead of running out to find a Korean teacher or the principal. It takes them a while to realize that I am also a teacher, capable of meeting their needs and supporting them when they need.

You can see more about rapport in the classroom in my Prezi presentation:

http://prezi.com/az_mpafqceq_/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

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IEEE Computer Society. (n.d.). IEEE Computer Society Predicts Top 9 Technology Trends for 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017 from https://www.computer.org/web/pressroom/Technology-Trends-2016.

Ramli, David. (2016 August 10). Virtual Reality Classrooms Another Way Chinese Kids Gain an Edge. Retrieved January 9, 2017 from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-09/virtual-reality-classrooms-another-way-chinese-kids-gain-an-edge.

Virtual Reality Society. (n.d.). Benefits of Virtual Reality in the Classroom. Retrieved January 9, 2017 from http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-education/benefits.html.

Virtual Reality Society. (n.d.). Virtual Reality in the Classroom. Retrieved January 9, 2017 from http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-education/in-the-classroom.html.

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Mobile Learning

Why should a teacher be prepared to allow or require students to use mobile devices to achieve learning objectives?

Nothing has been more frustrating than my school not allowing technology in the classroom. On a daily basis, I have run into obstacles that technology could easily fix. When it comes to translations, unknown definitions, and online examples, I have to go at it the traditional whiteboard and marker way. I believe every classroom should allow or require students to use mobile devices to achieve learning objectives. There exists a tremendous opportunity for a transformative shift in classrooms where students are empowered to navigate their own learning (Daccord, 2012). Students are able to find their own way to an answer. With mobile devices, there is not only one way to figure something out. There are thousands of websites and apps available that can get you where you need to go.

There is only so much information a dictionary or encyclopedia can give. Having apps and the internet at your disposal is an invaluable resource that cannot be overlooked. There are some disadvantages to using technology in the classroom, however. With having so much at one’s fingertips, technology and the internet can be abused. The students may need constant attention and monitoring to make sure they are on task and not doing something they aren’t assigned to do. This can include calling friends or playing games.

Guiding Principles

Students must be using technology in a safe, constructive way

Is the use of technology enhancing the learning experience?

The teacher must be setting an example with their use and instruction using mobile devices

Can the students reflect and evaluate their use of mobile devices after the activity or lesson is finished?

Classroom Activities

Digital Scavenger Hunt

As the name implies, students are on a scavenger hunt using technology. In this case, it will be mobile devices. The teacher assigns a problem or picks an object, place, or person. The students must then use their mobile device and the internet to track it down. The objective of this activity is to engage the students and promote creative and critical thinking, as well as problem solving. This is a great activity to have students explore a topic and learn something new about an object, person, or place that they might not have known before. This activity requires plenty of preparation from the teacher, so the amount of effort put in is linear to product (Dunn, 2013).

Phone Utilities

I remember back when I was in elementary school, there were a dozen different tools and devices used in the classroom that can now all be on your mobile devices. For science class, we all needed expensive professional stopwatches. For a creative class or lecture there were video cameras and audio recording devices. This can now all fit into one smartphone. You want to flip the classroom? Videos can be sent and shared for students to learn at home. Entire workbooks can be made into PDF’s for students to fill out in class, at home, or on the bus. All work can be saved onto a cloud drive. No more expensive libraries or textbooks. No more storerooms filled with outdated technology. The entire classroom can now be shrunk down into a device that fits into your pocket at the activities become endless.

Sources

Daccord, Tom. (2012 September 27). 5 Critical Mistakes Schools Make With iPads (And How To Correct Them). Retrieved February 6, 2017 from http://www.edudemic.com/5-critical-mistakes-schools-ipads-and-correct-them/.

Dunn, Jeff. (2013 February 4). The Teacher’s Quick Guide to Digital Scavenger Hunts. Retrieved February 6, 2017 from http://www.edudemic.com/the-teachers-quick-guide-to-digital-scavenger-hunts/.

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Planning for English Language Learners

Next semester, I will be teaching a storybook class where we read stories under general topics including courage or being afraid. One book will have about 10 stories and takes several months to go through with frequent comprehension and vocabulary tests.

My classes consist of ELL students in all ranges of language acquisition. The students start our school with little to no English skills prior learned. Some students have been there since kindergarten and are moving on to high school.

Izabel is a pre-production student who is in her “silent period.” She has a hard time understanding the material and is purely a visual learner at this stage. I have to use a lot of my own Korean knowledge to explain even basic concepts. I am always trying to better my own language skills to help the pre-production students. I also like to seat her next to the stronger students who can walk her through the workbook and keep her on task. We are always pointing at specific pictures or problems in the book to direct the eyes to the prize! (Robertson, Ford, 2015).

Mike is an early production student who is in the same grade as Izabel but can express himself in single words. The aging system in Korea can be tricky because on Lunar New Year, the entire country’s population gets one year older. Also, when they are born they are automatically one year old. That means that Mike and Izabel are in the same grade but can be two years apart. That can cause a big gap in ELL student abilities in the same class. Mike still makes many errors, but he has a general understanding of simple concepts, with help from me drawing crude pictures on the whiteboard.

Sophia is a speech emergent student who can make complete sentence, but she relies heavily on context clues. She is unable to start a new thought right now, but if we are talking about birthdays, she will be the first to ask, “Teacher, when is your birthday?” She is like a second teacher in the classroom, helping me explain topics to the other, younger students. With Sophia, I feel like a lot of progression happens when the teacher is not in the room. She will discuss something about class before and after class. I will sometimes walk in and hear her explaining something in Korean about the lesson to the other students.

Chris is an intermediate fluency student who is a powerhouse in his class. He has the best understanding of the English language by far, yet he is rather young. If there is drama with students between class, he will be able to explain and offer his own opinion of what happened. He starts many of his sentences with, “I think…” He exhibits very few errors, however there are some verb conjugation that he still needs to iron out. Using a bit of guided interaction, I will sometimes have Chris lead a discussion, or take something he said and ask a question about it to the rest of the class (Six Key Strategies, 2015).. This can also start some heated debates.

Sources:

Robertson, Ford. (2015). Language Acquisition: An Overview. Retrieved December 22, 2016 from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview.

Six Key Strategies for Teachers of ELL. (2015 December). Alliance for Excellent Education. Retrieved December 22, 2016 from https://uteach.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/files/SixKeyStrategiesELL.pdf.

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Special Education in America

I was able to talk to my old guidance counselor from high school after I had found out he was the head of the referral and intervention plan put in place at my old school. New Jersey state mandated the creation of this service in all schools called Intervention and Referral Services (I&RS). What this service does is help students in the sort of limbo between the regular student population and the IEP students. They are the students who do not have a learning disability, but still need extra help. Their goal, like most special education programs, is to eliminate the restrictions for their students.

When I say restrictions, this means the extra help from TAs and separate class class learning. The directive of the special education system at Voorhees High School is to get the special needs students into the mainstream classes with the rest of the students.

The referral process usually begins with the parents. They are usually the ones to put in a referral for their children before the teachers. Teachers will talk to parents at parent-teacher meetings if they worry about the abilities of the student in question. Teachers are less inclined to write referrals without consulting other teachers and the Child Study Team, which is the group responsible for special education at Voorhees. Once a teacher writes an email or a letter to the Child Study Team, the school is then legally obligated to follow through. Once the referral is put through, it takes 6-10 weeks to put the student into the right program. This time is mostly taken up with test-taking. There are numerous tests the referred student must take to be evaluated and they need to come in on separate times to complete. Once that is finished, the Child Study Team and counselors talk to the parents about writing up an IEP.

After this process, the Child Study Team and the school social worker take academic responsibility of the student with the IEP. Once 4 years in high school is completed, some students are able to move on a 4 year college. However, some students must stay in high school, based on their IEP and school performance. Brian Strauss said that some low functioning autistic children could stay in high school until they are 21 years old if their case is serious enough. I was reminded that in high school, I had seen some special education students who looked a lot older than the regular student population.

All along the referral timeline, the parents are involved. They are, of course, informed of any changes from the beginning. They are usually the ones writing the referral for their student to be tested, but they stay on board through until the end. They want the best for their children. This is very different than my Korea write-up and the system in place here where the parents want nothing to do with special education, as it will tarnish the family name. This is very sad for the students who need help here. It puts more pressure and stress on the teachers, as there is no system in place to take care of these special needs students.

Brian Strauss told me what teachers look for in the classroom when it comes to struggling students. He was able to summarize it down to: if the student cannot complete their work without 1-on-1 from the teacher, they need to be watched closely. Before a referral is written, intervention is employed. This is extra work time outside of the class after school. This is talking to the parents about homework and using an agenda book with the student. It is very important to make sure it is not lack of effort. There has to be a clear difference between IQ and academic ability. This will hopefully help all of us be more aware in each of our classrooms and get the help the students need.

To conclude, this was a very different conversation than the one I had with a Korean international school counselor. It makes me proud to be an American and having grown up in an education system that earnestly took care of any and all students without question. It makes me nostalgic of American schools and makes me seriously consider where I want to teach when this is all over.

Note: here is a link to the presentation that the I&RS put together for the counselors. At the end of the presentation are tons of resources for special education and referrals.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Jm-bR3ZO89MjAwN0hvM2tqZ1E/view?usp=sharing

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Special Education in Korea

After lots of research into the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including all of its categories, methodologies, and referral processes, I had an interview with a school counselor from an international school here on Jeju Island, South Korea. What I found out was inspiring, and rather horrifying. I found that more people should learn about the special education process here in Korea and how it works, and doesn’t work. I feel we will now be all very well informed about the process of referrals in special education. I think it is important to see and understand a system in a country where special education is unidentified, stigmatized, and detrimental to entire ways of life.

I spoke with Logan, a school counselor from Korea International School. This is a school with an American curriculum, so you would think that they had some support for special needs. There are none in place. The school is not run by a board of directors, but instead run by a corporation who has made a monopoly on education in Korea. Even the other schools here, like North London Collegiate School, Branksome Hall, etc. that have boards of education and proper directors, do not have special education programs in place or the ability to help struggling students in an official capacity. This is leaving some students at a severe disadvantage if they require special attention.

What this stems from is the culture of Korea. It is a very old culture filled with honor and pride. There was an article about how a special needs school tried opening in a neighborhood in Korea and the residents took to the streets, protesting the establishment. They did this because they thought it would lower the value of their property and they didn’t want “those kind of people” in their neighborhood” (Chun, Jung, Shin, 2015). Also, parents cannot accept that their darling child may have an impairment or learning difficulty. This simply does not compute in Korean society. The way the education system here works is that if a student is diagnosed with a learning disability, they are labeled for life. This disability goes on their permanent record for the rest of their days. This can affect job prospects and change the way people socialize with the individual. Parents do not want this for their child. They also do not want to believe that their child is “broken” or “different.” This can make children feel helpless and alone in an education system that overworks and stresses the students to their wits end.

Because of this culture stigma to special education, teachers in international schools have done something amazing and have taken it upon themselves to do the best they can for special education students. They create their own plans and curriculums to fit these students’ needs. Unfortunately, they need to work behind the parents’ backs to get the job done, but they are doing the best they can with limited resources. They find a struggling student who would be one who has difficulty keeping up with the rest of class. They require more time to complete their work or give an answer. This is why the school has afterschool review and study time to catch up on missed work or to solidify a concept learned earlier that day. What normally would be facilitated by an entire department of a school is put onto the shoulders of all the regular teachers. Logan mentioned that the teachers do a great job diversifying the classroom to meet the needs of all the students.

To conclude, my interview with Logan was not what I expected. I was ready to hear all about what we had researched about for days. What I got instead was very eye opening and insightful into the world of Korean teaching on a level I had not experienced before. I thought it would be important for others to see that there is no standardization for special education and how every country can be different and how teachers have made due without any of the resources available to other teachers. I think it ended up being a very interesting and different perspective that is not shown to the world and kept behind closed doors.

Chun, Jung, Shin. (2015, January 17). Special Education Lags in Seoul. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2999758

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Here is a family’s and director’s perspective of the education system in Korea