Making Learning Fun

---Yanhua Wang

I am teaching Mandarin Chinese as a second language for  students  who  have never  known Mandarin Chinese before. Language includes listening, reading, writing and speaking. To acquire a language, students need many opportunities to practice and apply what they have learned in class. The  Mandarin Chinese language classroom often poses challenges in this area due to rote teaching methods, dull curricula, or limited opportunities to use the language outside of the classroom. Practicing a new language can also be intimidating, especially for students with a high affective filter or negative emotional factors that may interfere with language learning.

A great way to give students meaningful opportunities to apply their learning and lower their affective filter is to make learning fun! When teachers use activities that make learning engaging and fun, students are more willing to participate and take risks. Having fun while learning also helps students retain information better because the process is enjoyable and memorable. Besides with the development of modern technologies, it’s already a tendency for students to acquire computer skills.

Mobile learning is one of the ways I use to make learning fun and effective. As far as using mobile learning also has its disadvantages, which includes distraction of attention, wi-fi issues, charging factor and so on, I have to think about how to carry forward the advantages and reduce the disadvantages. Some guiding principles turn out to be very necessary.

1.Does every student have computers? Any charge and internet access in the classroom?

2.Are they familiar with the apps? If not, how long would it take to train them?

3.What’s the students’ prior knowledge of this digital content?

4. Is there specific preparation that needs to be done before the lesson?

5.By using this mobile device, does it aid the students in reaching the learning goal?

6.Does it cause more distractions than it’s worth?  

7.Could a different technology or teaching technique be used to reach the goals more effectively?

8.Do I have backup plans if something happens and the mobile learning doesn’t work?

9.How do I monitor what are the students doing?

10.How am I sure that mobile learning should only enhance student-centered learning and the reinforcement of the targeted learning outcomes?

When my answers to those questions are 95% positive, I then will use mobile learning strategy in my class. Here are the two apps I often use in the class.

The first app I use is for the students to learn Chinese Characters. As far as we don’t have environment here for students to read, to listen and to speak in Mandarin Chinese, I have to figure out a learning environment for the students.  In this case,  It’s extremely important that there is an app with Chinese Pinyin. While this app really helps me a lot in typing Pinyin. The app has flashcards and it’s very flexible to use because it has a lot of choices. I can either use Characters, Pinyin or both of them, besides I can choose to turn the audio on or off. so whenever I want to review the Characters, I will use the flashcards.                       

Another app I use is a game. Just a couple of decades ago, it’s unimaginable that human beings can use mobile learning in class.This app is a platform where one can create quizzes, discussions and surveys. It can also display via a TV or projector, and participants enter the game pin to play. I use it as a formative assessment.  At the same time I am able to collect valuable data about where the students’ abilities are. One of the best features of the app is that it collates the data for me in a downloadable spreadsheet, where I can see if students are struggling in their weakpoints.

Generally, I think mobile learning is very useful tools to make class fun. Students are also making progress step by step. I believe that if we can make best use of the advantages and bypass the disadvantages of mobile learning, we can have more choices of teaching and learning.

Reference:

1.Teacher's Corner: Making Learning Fun. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2016, from https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/teachers-corner-making-learning-fun

A lesson for English Language Learners

---Yanhua Wang

The students  have developed a vocabulary of about 3,000 words and can communicate with simple phrases and sentences. I am going to teach them Unit 7 : Western Holiday.

Student A: His English level is between Stage I: Pre-production and Stage II: Early production. He has developed an active vocabulary of about 1000 words,  but he is obviously a passive English learner. According to the assessment test the students took at the beginning of the semester, he is partitioned to group D which is the lowest level in English.

Student B: His English level is between Stage II: Early production and Stage III: Speech emergence with the vocabulary of about 2000 words.He can communicate with simple phrases and sentences. He will ask simple questions, that may or may not be grammatically correct, such as “ Where are you come from? ” He understands easy stories read in class with the support of pictures. He told me that he feels exacting to follow up the schedule.

Student C: Most of the students in the class are like C, whose English are in Stage III: Speech emergence with the vocabulary of about 3000 words. They don’t have much trouble in passing the " PRACTICAL ENGLISH TEST FOR COLLEGES "(PETC), which is obliged to pass before graduation.What they need is intensive training and broadening horizons in English learning, so some of them may be able to take and pass a higher level test. Student C is the representative of them.

Student D, one of the best students in the class, his English level is between Stage III: Speech emergence and Stage IV: Intermediate fluency with the vocabulary of about 5000 words.She now can express her ideas and thoughts with some complex phrases and sentences. She enjoys learning English.

For student A, I prepare a set of English materials for beginners and ask A to finish them in a certain time. He can ask classmates or me to explain the answers for him. He has to finish doing the study plan I schedule for him. He comes to see me every two weeks and we discuss the next step together. When students are learning Unit 7, I hand out a Chinese version of the text to him so he can understand what he is going to learn in the class, and for me, I don’t have to spend so much time in explaining the meaning of the text sentence by sentence to all the students.

For student B, I will hand out some materials of the background knowledge of each unit to him. I also direct him to read more books and newspaper in English. Because he did research on the topic “western holiday” before class, I ask him to make a presentation to introduce major holidays in the US and how do people celebrate the holidays. It really helps build up his confidence in learning English and the effect is obvious.

For student C, I make a general lesson plan for her. In order to attract her interest and concentration in the class, I use various teaching methods in every class. Take Unit 7 for example, students watch a short video introducing a family celebrated Christmas. They are asked to listen to the dialogue very carefully and answered questions. C is asked to cooperate with her classmate to finish a project.

For student D, I give her extra materials for extent learning. She is also given more challenging projects and homework. She is asked to write an essay to compare major holidays between China and the US.

Interviews with School Counselor and General Teacher about Special Education

---Yanhua Wang

I interviewed a counselor in my school and my son’s head teacher. Before I got a comprehensive understanding of special education, I didn’t ask them extra questions because I have to catch up with the time as spring recess is on the way and there is no school next week the whole county.

Interview with high school counselor Ms. Negron

*How is a student identified for special education referral?

The process will go through by SRBI, scientific research-based interventions.  Students referred by general teachers, parents or special education teachers will be introduced to an interview. Students will be observed and measurements, which establish by SRBI team and general teachers  will be carried on by general teachers. The students will stay in regular classrooms during the implementation process, which lasted  for several weeks. If the students don’t make improvement,  they then will be referred to a test which will identify whether they are qualified to attend special education program or not.

*Who takes responsibility for the progress of the child before and after the referral?

Before the referral,  general classroom teachers are taking responsibility for the progress of the child, while case managers and the SRBI team will take charge of it after the referral.

*What is the school administration's directive for special education?

As far as IDEA is the legal law, every public school administration has to make sure that eligible children with disabilities have the right to receive special services and assistance in school.

Pupil Placement Team(PPT), which includes the school principal, counselor, social worker, psychologist, general teachers, special education teachers, parents, and student holds meeting twice a year to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan annually, developed future plans as needed.  

*What provisions are made for students identified for special education?

It depends on the IEP. Some provisions have to be met before deciding which programs the students to attend and what plans work for the students. According to the IDEA, all students with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate public education designed to meet their unique needs and at no cost to the parents. Parental safeguards and involvement in the educational process should be included.    Students should be educated in the least restrictive environment(LRE).

*What is the level of parent involvement in referral process and special education?

If the scale goes from one to ten, the level of parent involvement in referral process and special education is the higher the better. Parents can request a test for their child. They can cooperate with the SRBI team by  providing as much background information of the child as possible. The more involvement they offer the more obvious effect the program to the child would be. But as parents, they have the right to decline any special education services for their child. They may cancel special education and related services for their child at any time.It is important to note, however, that if they decline or cancel special education for their child and later change their mind, the evaluation process must be repeated.

Interview with elementary school kindergarten teacher

Ms. Eaton

I interviewed two general teachers in my school to see if they had the experiences to refer students for IEP. But neither of them gave me a yes answer as both of them said 99% of the students identified for special education have been identified in their early ages, so elementary school teachers have a higher probability of referring students for special education. I then turn to interview an elementary school teacher who has over 20 years of working experience as a kindergarten teacher. Here are her answers to special education questions.

*How do you identify a student for special education?

Some students have been diagnosed with a disability by medical providers before they attend school.

Some students have been referred by their parents as early as the first day they go to kindergarten. Parents also inform the teacher how is their child doing at home and what attention they hope to be offered to their child.

Students with physical disabilities have more obvious behavioral performance. For other cases, I will identify whether a student has to be referred for special education or not by their learning abilities in academics. But I consider it very seriously before making any identification by combined the information I got and observation I did.

*What are the signs of a struggling student?

You can tell from his performance when a struggling student find that school becomes much more difficult once he/she wants to build upon previously mastered skills to gather new information. This is especially true if he/she were not able to master some of the foundational skills. For reading difficulty students, they have difficulty in manipulating sounds in words. while they are struggling in writing  when other students have no problem in writing words that contain most of the consonant sounds in a word.

*Are there alternate methods of instruction tried out before referring the student for special education? If yes, what are they?

Yes, I will use alternate methods of instruction according to different students’  demands, so the usual method I use is to offer the students one-on-one teaching method, which I believe is most effective to help students catch up academically.

The Role of Special Education in Tomorrow’s  learning World

---Yanhua Wang

Recently I got the opportunity to interview a school counselor and a general teacher. I further learned the process of how to identify a student for special education and how do we do to help them in achieving academic and body improvements.

From the interviews with the counselor and the general teacher, I know that the whole assessment process is very precise and objective before the identification of a student for special education. And every further step is also distinct and targeted to make sure that the students can make progress.

Generally, there are four steps from identifying to fulfilling the program. The first steps is to identify the need: when, where and how are disabilities diagnosed and response to intervention. The second steps is formal assessment. The third step is individualized education program and meeting. The fourth step is annual and triennial reviews and progress monitoring.

While individualized education programs are offered to the students, the assessment to identify a student for special education is extremely important. it helps determine the extent and direction of a child’s personal journey through the special education experience (Pierangelo and Giuliani, 2006). Schools rely mostly on parents, general teachers and special education teachers to identify students for special education. So elementary school teachers play a very important role in the first steps as 99% of students for special education are identified at early ages. From the school counselor, I was given an outline of the whole process; and from the general teacher, I was told how to find out the sign of a struggling student. As a general teacher, I realize my mission to help those struggling students. Even though there is no student in my class attends individualized education program, there is couples of students need more attention. Their academic basic is unstable. The further they stay in this class, the farther they left behind. As their subject teacher, firstly I observed their performance in the classroom in order to find out the reason why they fell behind other students. Secondly, I analyzed their homework and project. Thirdly I gave them the feedback I summarized. I also expressed my willingness to offer help and how we could work together to help them. Now I am very happy to see the improvement they have made.

My good friend is a special education teacher assistant in my school. She is assigned to help a girl one on one. No matter where the girl goes at school, she will follow her :attending classes,assisting with homework, going to the bathroom and having lunch. My friend is taking very good care of her and without any complaints. I respect my friend and all the others who devote their careers to special education. Some of my cohorts are working with special education needed students. They shared with us some stories about how amazing progress the students have made. I believe with their help, these miracles happen!  Finland sets up a very good example in helping students for special education. while in our country, we can make it even better with all the efforts we cohesion.

Reference:

1. Understanding the Special Education Process. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from http://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/what-is-special-education/the-special-education-process-explained/

2.Understanding Special Education: A Parent Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/

3.Special Education Referral Process - Project IDEAL. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from http://www.projectidealonline.org/special-education-referral-process.php

How does “Every Student Succeeded Act” influence our students

Couple of months ago I received a notice from my kid’s school, saying that the school is going to schedule a standardized test for all grades (includes kindergarten) students. I knew that a test is good for parents to have a comprehensive understanding about how their kids are doing in school, but I was still surprised then because I have never thought it necessary for 5 years old kindergarten student to attend any test, no matter how important it is. But after I learn about the ESSA (Every Student Succeeded Act), my attitude toward the test changes from opposition to support.

As a non-America grownup, I know little about any education acts in the US until one day my kids attends local school and I find a teaching job. Now I get the opportunity to learn thoroughly about different acts. I find many topics attract me, like bilingual education, college affordability. But today I would like to talk about the ESSA, from both angles as parent and teacher. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), another milestone in education act in American history was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015^[1]. The law replaced its unpopular predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), Like the No Child Left Behind Act, ESSA is a re-authorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which established the American federal government's expanded role in funding public education^[2]. Compared to the NCLB, the ESSA devolves more power of decisions to states. As the NEA（National Education Association） says: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) returns decision making for our nation’s education back where it belongs - in the hands of local educators, parents and communities - while keeping the focus on students most in need^[3]. It focuses on reducing federal oversight of education and increasing state flexibility in the use of funds. Indeed, it’s time to make some changes when the minuses of the NCLB arise. As a teacher I do object to evaluating teachers and schools by gruffly using a one - size - fits – all test. Luckily in the ESSA, students’ comprehensive development no longer only relies on the test score. Teachers now have more times focus on innovations instead of dealing with the test – oriented education system. Besides federal test result is meaningless and unfair by considering different educational level in different states. As parent, I believe a test standard made by the state or even by local school district would be more useful and meaningful to the students.

The ESSA makes me think about the education situation in my country China. Almost all the vital educational acts make by the Ministration of Education Department. All provinces execute the acts without changing anything. Taking the College Entrance Exam for example, every province no matter how advanced or backward in educational level uses the same standardized test to judge a student’s academic level. Fortunately, the government realizes the disadvantage of central control. Now local education department can have the final decision in many fields, such as what text books students use, how to evaluate teachers and what test students take. It’s great step in educational innovation. I believe more progress will be made in the long run.

References

 

1. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2016, from

 http://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn

2. Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_Student_Succeeds_Act#cite_note-Vox:_explainer-2

3. ESSA Implementation Begins. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2016, from

http://www.nea.org/home/65276.htm

4. ESSA Implementation Begins. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://www.nea.org/home/65276.htm

5. The innovation and development of education in China. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://theory.people.com.cn/GB/40557/134502/141296/