First we'll cover the critical period stuff
1) Continuum activity. Bottles to be filled or candles to be lit?
2) Discussion questions
i) http://web.ku.edu/tesl/ct822_lesson4.htm#2
ii) What do we value (in terms of teaching language to youth/ children/ etc)
iii) Anyone raising(ed) bilingual kids? Differences, challenges, advantages, worries.
iv) How does personality change flipping from L1 to L2 (does it?)?
v) Melting pot or salad bowl?
vi) How do the balloons work?
vii) How do politics play out/into Bilingual Education discussions
viii) If Porter is Italian, why does she speak so much about Hispanics so much?
ix) What are the terms used for classes/programs charged with teaching second language? (ie ESL, BE, etc) What do they mean/ how do they differ in philosophy or application. Share your experiences and opinions.
x)
3) Return and comment on Lit. Narratives/ CV’s
4) Everyone without a blog (including post) stays and we have lab time. Rest of class has is on own recognizance.
Additional Issue
We need to discuss assessment/ exams - and I will likely vary some of the questions the course has used in the past - though I know of no official test bank
Testing (assessment) has varied in format by individual instructors from semester to semester - not to mention between different instructors. I initially considered an essay midterm (in class - closed book) and a take-home final. I'd like to open that up for discussion. We could collaborate on the questions.
It is also to be determined when the most appropriate time for the tests are. My concern is that the class does the reading and engages the content -how we get that to happen is negotiable. I put this question to the blog and ask the class to comment. It's important, but in danger of swallowing up a lot of class time. Regardless - assessment is of key concern to students and deserves attention.
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5 comments:
My 2 cents... I would prefer a harder midterm and an easier final exam. Many of us are teachers and May is much busier than March/April. I would even prefer to have the final exam questions (or even a couple of the questions if they are ready) prior to Spring Break. I have much less time to devote to writing during a regular work week. If I could get a head start during Spring Break, it would be greatly appreciated.
David
Yeah! This is the first comment, I have successfully figured out how to make on a blog. Technology ain't so bad afterall, you just have to remember your password.
So, I too want to use my spring break for as much classroom work as possible. At the same time, due to the MAP test, these few weeks are very painful. I will be under much less presure and stress after April 14. So I would prefer the course to be back heavy so to speak. I also have reasons for the take home version. #1 reason my sloppy handwriting. #2 reason is that I learn more and feel more confident about my answers when I have time to think about them without constraint. #3 In essay tests, with time constraints you will get more of my opinions and less quotations backed by research. #4 I wont study the "wrong" things.
Thanks,
lindsay
I would really like to have a take home mid term because I am able to
pull from the various resources from the class with ease. I believe
that memorization can be valuable, but this content is beyond
memorization. I feel that we need to apply it to our profession and by
having a take home test format it enable more essay questions that can
be answered in their entirety. Additionally, I feel that answering
essay questions with the ability to use materials from class to "bulk
up" the responses allows for us to use the essay answers in the future
when needing to use this information in our profession. For example,
when working with an ESL student I would want to read the information
I put in essay form on theories, let's say, and refresh my memory on
how to incorporate that information into the present teaching
opportunity. In summary, a take home mid term would allow us to have
another resource to use in the future, which is more helpful than the
usual in-class test that has gaps in the information that could not be
stored in memory in its entirety.
I definitely agree with the take home test format. I will actually remember what I write, as opposed to just cramming a few nights before the test and then dumping everything out on paper for 3 hours. I may get a really good grade on the test, but I won't actually remember the information. Plus, in real life we will be able to look up the information when we need it and won't really have to remember exact details and definitions. I can much better familiarize myself with the information if I have awhile to work on the questions and look at the different sources while I am writing.
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