Northern Arizona University

Course Packet698 BME/ESL Graduate Seminar

Spring ‘06

HEADING ONE

Course Description and General Information:

Welcome to this seminar hosted on the Internet. This format has allowed us to expand our community of thoughtful educators. The course will serve us as a forum for professional reflection, and help us to engage in an interdisciplinary conversation among classroom practitioners. You will interact in an on-line dialogue with peers in a cyber community. This is NOT a correspondence course but a graduate seminar, where ideas should flourish and be expanded on through a textual interchange among course participants and instructor. You are expected to communicate with the instructor in 4-5 separate modules. (4 modules for a B grade; 5 modules for an A grade). Please use the course e-mail and not the instructor’s usual e-mail for this communication. However, the instructor would like to keep track of how you are keeping up and whether the assignments in any way prove problematic to you. Should you need to communicate more regularly with your instructor outside the assignments, please use the ordinary e-mail or the telephone—both are listed on your syllabus below. Any of you who live in Yuma can, of course, also drop in during my regular office hours, or call for an appointment.

Your work in this course consists of an introductory module, three graded modules for a B grade and four such modules for an A grade. (This does not count the introductory Module One, which is ungraded)

Throughout the course, we will consider how our own pedagogical environment has shaped us both as learners and as teachers. We will also think about how language impacts our thought processes and plays a part in our lives as content teachers. We will review and re-consider best practices for language acquisition. We will read two pedagogical autobiographies, and through these note the interweaving of life, language, and pedagogy. We will then proceed to write our own pedagogical autobiographies, and share the insights we gained through our reflective processes with other course participants. You will note that all of your modules include an exchange with three other students in the virtual discussion center, and a report on these conversations. To facilitate peer discussion, you should post your module on the discussion board at least one week prior to the date when it is due for the instructor, so that other students can read and react

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to your comments and add the summary of their reactions to the module they send in. The instructor wishes to make very clear that some of the readings in your assignments are controversial in nature, and that you certainly need not agree with the authors. It is hoped that the readings will stimulate your own thinking and produce an interesting exchange of ideas.

HEADING TWO: SYLLLABUS

College of EducationThe mission of the College of Education at Northern Arizona University is to prepare

professionals to serve and lead education and human services organizations.

Northern Arizona University

BME 698Graduate Seminar

Spring ‘06 – Course Syllabus

General Information:

 Semester: Spring ‘06

Credit hours: 3

Location: WEB

Instructor: Dr. Natalie Hess

Office: NAU in Yuma—AC 231

Phone: (Office) 317-6407 (Home) 783-4520

FAX: (520) 317-6419

E-mail: Natalie.hess@nau.edu

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E-mail: WEBCT E-mail—Please use this e-mail, rather than the instructor’s usual e-mail for posting modules. You will notice that a provision has been made for e-mail that is private (just between you and the instructor) and the public e-mail that can be read by anyone in the class. I am always interested in your feedback, and I would appreciate getting your personal input on how the course is going for you and how you feel about its various aspects. Such personal reactions from you will help me to improve the class both for you and for future students, so do remember that I very much value your input. Since I check my regular e-mail daily, but will only check the course e-mail on the dates when modules are due, please use my regular e-mail for comments and questions outside the modules.

 Required Texts: (These books will all be placed on reserve in the AWC/NAU Yuma library). They are available for sale at the Yuma NAU/AWC book store as well as the Flagstaff book store. You can also buy them through Amazon.com. BEST students have the books provided for them through the grant

 The Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez

Lost in Translation by Eva Hoffman

Language Exploration and Awareness by Larry Andrews

Teaching With Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk

 Course Description

The focus of this course is the exploration of ourselves as professional language educators. We will note how language, education, and life have fused to shape our professional role. Through our readings and our writing, we will observe how intricately language is related to human experience. We will become aware of the social and cultural implication of language competency, and we will look for ways in which we can help our students to become better speakers, listeners, readers, and writers.

Course Goals

We will consider our own experience as language learners and teachers through the framework of language development, political, historical and socio-cultural perspectives. We will read two well-known pedagogical autobiographies and in writing our own pedagogical autobiography, we will focus on what constitutes our pedagogical development.

We will consider the role of multi-cultural education in the rapidly changing demographics of public school education.

 Course Requirements

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 This is a graduate course, and the instructor assumes that all participants will earn a B or above grade. Students will be asked to re-submit any material that is not up to graduate standards. The instructor provide rubrics (see below) through which students can check their own work.

All papers are expected to show up on the due dates by midnight at the latest. Papers will only be accepted late under extenuating and fully documented circumstances.

 B Contract : (four modules)—You must earn a B or above grade on all three graded modules.

A Contract: Everything required for the B contract with A grades on all modules as well as an A grade on the I-Search Paper –Due on Friday May the 5th (See description under Module Five.

HEADING THREE—DESCRIPTION OF THE MODULES

Module One—Introduction—Due as e-mail attachment to the instructor on Friday February the 10th. Should be posted on the Discussion board on Friday February the 3rd Please introduce yourself—send a picture if possible. Tell a little about yourself, your personal and your professional background, your family, your language learning/teaching experience, your hopes and ambitions (about one page—double spaced font no:12). Post these introductions both in the e-mail to the instructor and on the discussion board. Write directly to three other students on the board, telling them that you are pleased to meet them and perhaps discuss something that you seem to have in common. This module is due to the instructor on Friday February the 10th, and should be posted on the discussion board no later than Friday the 3rd.

Module Two—Reading and Writing Pedagogical Autobiographies.

Please post your reactions to Hoffman and Rodriguez (only this part) on the discussion board on February the 24th so that other students can read and comment on your reactions. Send the whole module (reactions to the two books, report on interactions with other students, information gathered from WEB about the two authors, your own pedagogical autobiography) as one attachment to the instructor no later than March the 3rd.

You will read two pedagogical autobiographies  The Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez and Lost in Translation by Eva Hoffman.

You will write your reactions to these autobiographies through a comparative study of the two books (see guide-lines).

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You will interact with three other students in a book discussion through the virtual discussion board and report on the content of these discussions (See book discussion guide line below).

You will search the WEB for information about Rodriquez and Hoffman and report on something that you found particularly interesting in the lives of these authors.

You will write your own pedagogical autobiography consisting of three pedagogically relevant incidents in your own lives. (See guide-lines and example0

The entire module is due on Friday, March the 3rd. The book reaction part (Hoffman and Rodriguez only) should be posted on the discussion board for comments no later than Friday, February the 24th. Please send it to the instructor through an e-mail attachment. (Do not send separate sections of the module. Please send it to the instructor as one complete document. This means that you will post part of your module in the discussion format about a week before it is due, so that other students can read your material and comment on it.)

Module Three—Language Awareness—Due as an e-mail attachment for the instructor on March the 31st . Should be posted on the discussion board for comments on March the 24th.

You will read and react to Language Exploration and Awareness by Larry Andrews (See guide-lines below).

You will interact with three other students in the virtual discussion center and report briefly on these discussions in the same way as in the previous module. In order to allow yourself a greater variety of opinion exchange, you should choose different partners for this discussion.

You will locate two web-sites that you find helpful for your work in the classroom and add these to your private collection of URL’s. (A URL and a WEB site are synonymous—You can find a list of useful web sites at the end of this course packet)

You will report briefly on these URL’s through this same module. (1-2 pages—double spaced—font 12--for the entire reaction on the two URL’s) Module Three is due on March the 24th on the discussion board and on March 31st to the instructor. Please send it to the instructor through ONE e-mail attachment. (Do not send in separate sections of the module.) Please send it in as one document. Remember to post your reactions on the discussion format about a week before they are due (March the 31st), so that other students can comment on your work.) The only required aspect to be posted on the discussion board is your reaction to the Andrews book. However, it would be helpful for your classmates if you also posted you WEB site reactions. I leave that entirely up to you.

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Module Four—Due to the instructor on April the 21st. Should be posted on the discussion board no later than April the 14th.

You will read the book Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk.

You will locate four aspects of the book that you can use in your own professional life. You will describe these aspects and tell how and why they suit you.

Each description and reaction should be about 1-2 double spaced pages . (See example below).

You will post your descriptions and reactions on the discussion board and interact with three other students, and later report to the instructor on your interactions in the same manner as you have for the previous modules. Module four is due on the discussion board on April 14th and should be posted to the instructor a week later on April the 21st . Again, please send the entire module as one document.

Please try to interact with three students that you have not previously contacted.

A Contract

Everything required for the B contract with A grades on all modules as well as an A grade on the I-Search Paper –Due on Friday May the 5th

In addition to the B requirements, (with A grades on all modules), You will write a 10-15 page "I-search" paper on any educational issue of interest to you.

These papers will be sent to the instructor as attachments any time before, but no later than May the 5th. (Please note the I-search paper description below.)

For more specific directions you can also, go to the link for Ken MacRorie’s Searching Writing Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 14.

If you so wish you may do the “I-Search” paper as a “We-Search” paper, but there should not be more than four participants in such a group project, and you should spell out clearly who was responsible for what section of your project.

Please do post your I-search paper on the discussion board as well as to the instructor as an e-mail attachment, but you need not post any reaction to these papers. They are there only for your pleasure and benefit.

HEADING FOUR-- GUIDE-LINES FOR EVALUATION AND EXAMPLE PAPERS

All pages are double spaced—font 12. All page number are estimates for your convenience. They are not rigid boundaries. The instructor will accept 1-2 pages more or less if necessary.

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The Pedagogical Autobiography

Should deal with (at least) three significant events in the educational life of the author. (You are that author!)

Should spell out how these events influenced the author’s life as an educator. Should be well written in the personal voice of the author. Should offer insights to the educational philosophy of the author Should be around 7-10 pages in length. (See Example below)

The Book Reactions to Hoffman and Rodriguez

Should describe the content of the books and give a general summary. Should zero in on one or two particular aspects of the books that you found

interesting and explain why you found them interesting. Should compare and contrast the books. Should offer some personal insights to the value of the books. Explain both positive and negative aspects of the book. Give a summarizing statement. Should tell of an incident in the lives of the author’s that you discovered through

the internet search and that might have thrown an additional and interesting light on your understanding of these two pedagogical autobiographies. (4-6 pages)

The Book Reaction to Language Exploration and Awareness by Larry Andrews:

Briefly summarize each chapter (your summary of each chapter should be 1-2 paragraphs)

Give a more thorough (3-4 paragraph) summary of the chapter that you found most interesting and explain why this chapter appealed to you.

Choose to answer Three of the questions listed below. (About one paragraph for each answer)

How are language and thought related? Do you agree with the author on this topic? Can you add your own thinking and or examples to his contentions?

Andrews notes the tree most important components of language learning. What are these? Do you agree with his choices? Please comment.

What does the author say about “cultural transmission of language? Do you have anything to add?

How do words reflect culture? Can you add to the author’s suggestions?

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What is Andrews’ notion of “Good English?” Do you agree?

Choose one of the author’s suggested exercises at the end of the chapter and explain how you could adapt it for use in your teaching.

What has happened to language as a result of CmC? Do you agree with the author? Do you see CmC as a positive or a negative element in the process of language development? Please explain

How do you feel about a dialect like (Black English Vernacular) BEV? How would you react to a BEV speaking student in your class?

How and why is the date 1066 tied to the development of the English language?

The author claims that advertisements both reflect and create stereotypes. Please comment.

The author claims that males use mostly transactional language for information while females use interactional language to build relationships. Does this ring true to you? Please comment.

On the bottom of p. 275 and on the top of p. 276, Andrews describes a classroom experiment. What is the purpose of the activity? Does it work for the purpose for which it was intended? Do you find such an activity useful? Could you do it in your class?

“ESL learners are, first of all human beings; they are people.” Such a statement as the previous sentence seems obvious. Why then, does Andrews make a point of it?

What does Andrews mean when he points out that “ESL students growth in English develops ‘globally’ and not ‘linearly’?” Can you demonstrate this point with examples from your own experience either as a language student or as a language teacher?

What advice does Andrews offer for vocabulary study? Please offer reactions from your own experience.

Report on Interaction with Other Students in the Virtual Discussion Center

Should give the names of the students with whom you interacted. Should relate one or two points of interest that might have supported or opposed

your own personal reactions to the sources. (About one page)

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The URL Review (See suggested URL’s in the library section)

Should explain your interest in the URLs. Should briefly summarize the contents of the URLs Should showcase a specific aspect of interest to you with an explanation of how

you might use this for your professional benefit.

Should have a concluding statement.

The I-Search Paper

It is strongly suggested that the author begin this project with one or two interviews with "experts," who can lead him/her to other personal or written sources.

Should deal with a pedagogical topic of personal interest to the author.

Should be written in the first person.

Should be the "story" of how the author went about doing his/her research as well as the final results of the research.

Should be around 8-12 pages.

Should have (at least) six (6) sources—two of which should be interviews with people.

Further Explanations and Examples of Required Materials

The I-Search Paper--Background

The term "I-Search paper" was invented by Ken Macrorie in his pursuit of genuine student writing. Macrorie was disturbed by what he perceived to be the hypocrisy that he frequently observed in student research papers. These papers, it seemed to him, were written in a dull and stilted academic style and dealt with topics that neither the writer of the paper (the student) or the reader of the paper (the teacher) were really interested in.

The "I-Search" paper is supposed to be the story of how you searched and how you found some information that was of genuine interest to you. You are supposed to start your search not in books but with real people who know something about your subject and in your paper, you will describe your search, as well as well as what you discovered. The I-search paper is written in the first person.

I would prefer your paper to be no longer than 15-20 (however, if you must have more space, do not feel constrained by this limit) and have about six references—at least three of which should be people. That means that you might write a paper based on four

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interviews, or on two interviews and two written sources (perhaps recommended by the people you interviewed), or three interviews and three written source, or any other combination.

This I-Search paper ought to deal with your life in the classroom—particularly as it pertains to language teaching and ESL students. I, for example, am interested in finding out how students learn new words best. My colleague Laurel is interested in why some students learn English so fast while others seem to struggle endlessly, yet they do well in music or in mathematics. You decide what interests you.

In order to make things very clear for you, I am including an example from McGrorie’s paper. I will also place the book on reserve in the library, so that you can look it over even before our first meeting.

As you can see in the syllabus, the "I-search" paper isn’t due until May 27th but, of course, you can give it to me at any time—perhaps even before the seminar begins.

If you have any questions about this or any other aspects of the seminar, please don’t hesitate to E-mail me with your questions. Best wishes with the search!

Example of an I-Search paper from the book by Ken Macrorie

Searching Writing. Upper Mountclair, New Jersey: Boynton/Cook

Example of a Successful Pedagogical Autobiography

“A Lifetime of Education”

By Angela Rico

Example of Student-Written Pedagogical AutobiographyAngela Rico: Pedagogical AutobiographyChapter 1: "Lost in a Barren Land"

At the age of seven, life revolves around your childhood world. For me this world was ten acres of farmland in the heart of Howell, Michigan. The world on our farm was perfect. There were animals to play with, places to hide, and plenty of fresh vegetables to eat right out of the garden. We had a pond for fishing and a pool for swimming. There were brothers and sisters everywhere, four that still lived at home and two that came to visit. I remember the family parties, cousins, aunts and uncles came from everywhere. There would be hundreds of people roaming around the farm. To me, our farm was a little piece of heaven right here on earth. Green in the summer and white in the winter, oh so very colorful. But, all that changed one summer day in 1979. My parents informed us that we would be moving to a place called Yuma, Arizona. Well, I figured if the farm had been so beautiful,

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than this place must be better. Surely, my parents would want something as gorgeous as our farm. In August of that year, we packed up and headed out across country, two adults, five children, two dogs, one U-Haul and our car. We didn't bring our winter things, sleds, snowmobiles, skates and snowsuits. This kind of worried me, because I knew winter was not far off. What would we use when it got cold there? Well, I figured my parents must have it all planned out. It was a very long trip, three days in the car, it was very boring. When we hit Arizona, I remember the excitement that radiated from my mind. When we hit Phoenix, I think I started changing my mind, it just kept getting hotter and hotter. Being from Michigan, air conditioning was rolling down the window of the car. I didn't even know that there was a machine that put out cool air. Needless to say, we did not have one in the car. One of the dogs was very old, and my mom began to worry because it was so hot and the dog did not look well. So, we ended up staying in the town of Gila Bend, which to me was pronounced with a G sound, not an H. My parents told us that we would be in Yuma tomorrow. I was excited, but a little worried, would Yuma look anything like Gila Bend. I figured it couldn't, my parents would not give up our beautiful home for something that looked like this. The next morning, we were back on the road again. We hit Yuma almost at noon that day. It was so hot, I was sure that I was melting. I was also very disappointed, everything was brown and dry. My parents gave up our farm for this? They must have read the map wrong, this can't be Yuma. But, I was wrong, we pulled into the drive of our new home. My parents had bought a motel, when they cam to visit my grandparents earlier in the year. My grandparents were managing the trailer park right next door to the motel. They were waiting at the motel to greet us. My parents had some things to do, so my grandma took me over to her trailer for awhile. She began to tell us a little about the desert. Of all the things I can remember her telling me, I really only listened to one. She warned us to be careful walking around near bushes right now, because there were rattlesnakes under them, that were hiding from the sun. I sure knew how that snake felt, I wished that I could hide from the sun. Then, my grandma told me that these snakes bite and that they were poisonous. I knew at that point, that I never wanted to even see one of these snakes. The snakes in Michigan were garter snakes and they never would bite or harm us. When it was time for me to go back to my new house, I was scared to death that there would be a snake along the way. I think I ran faster in that one hundred twenty degree weather, than I had ever run in my entire life. Then, my parents really dropped the bomb on me. Tomorrow, I had to start school. All I could think of that entire night was how different the schools must be. After all of the differences I had already encountered, I was not to certain I really wanted to start school. But, morning arrived quickly. When we arrived at my new school, I was horrified. All of the classroom doors were on the outside of the building. Where were the safe hallways that protected us from the cold snow? It was not any better, sitting in the

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office. My parents handed me the lunch menu to look at while they filled out the registration forms. I didn't find to many things that looked familiar to me. There were things like tacos (tack oes), burritos ( burr i toes) and tostadas (tossed ad as). What in the world were these things and would I like them? Well, the inevitable finally happened. My parents finally completed the paperwork and it was time for me to go to my new classroom. The secretary walked me down the hall, scratch that, breezeway, to my soon to be third grade classroom. My heart was beating so loud that I was certain she could hear it. I was amazed when I walked into the classroom. The students looked like many of the kids I had gone to school with in Michigan. And the teacher, she could easily fit in at my old school. The desks looked pretty much the same and so did the books. Maybe, this was not going to be so bad after all. I made several new friends that day. I still keep in touch with a few of them even today. And it wasn't very long before I realized that we would not have to worry about snow days here. Which, I have know grown pretty use to not having. I guess in a world where things can go so topsy turvy over night, it is nice to know that something will always make you feel at home. In this case, I was very glad I had that one connection to home, school.

Chapter 2: "Gum in My Hair"

I remember loving school, until I hit junior high. I felt very awkward because as they called us, I was a "late bloomer." I remember this group of girls that thought they were the best thing that had ever happened to the world. They were mean and cruel to people that were different, including me. On a daily basis, they would find something mean to do to me. They would call me names, include my name in a bad joke and many other things that were just flat our mean. I would try to avoid running into them in the halls and I sat as far away in classes as I could. There were many days that I didn't want to go to school, but I did because I had a goal and I was not going to let anything get in the way of it. Some day, I was going to be the teacher. It was then and there that I made the vow that I would not tolerate students picking on each other. Well, things did not improve from sixth grade to eighth grade. But I can truly say, that the meanest thing they ever did to me, came during my eighth grade year. One of the girls was pretending to want to hold a conversation with me, and said that I had something in my hair. She reached up to take it out, but what she really was doing was putting gum in my hair. She made sure that it was really stuck there. Nothing would take it out. My hair had to be cut and it was not just a little piece either. But, once again, I did not let them stand in my way of fulfilling my dream. I went back and ignored them like nothing had ever happened. I made it out of junior high and into high school. I did not have to

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deal with these girls any longer. High school was a lot bigger and I had honors classes, a place where you would never see those girls. I have run into a few of these girls after high school. I know one had to graduate late, because she had flunked her classes. One has several children and is living off the welfare system. Also, one other I know has been divorced several times. I guess God really does get even in his own time. I feel sorry for the lives they are now living and I have forgiven them for what they did. And actually, now I have to thank them because I believe an old proverb applies here. "What doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger." Junior high didn't kill me, but I came out with more strength then I knew I had. Thank you girls, where ever you are now.

Chapter 3: "Me, the Teacher?"

There I was standing in the middle of a classroom that looked like everything had just been thrown into it. Where do I begin, what do I do? Thousands of questions were running through my mind. It was my very own classroom, something I had been looking forward to for as long as I could remember. Now, I was standing in the very middle of where I would spend the next year, with thirty lives placed in my hands. The whole idea was beginning to overwhelm me. But, I knew I could do it, I had been well trained. Well, the first thing I had to do was get the room ready. I figured if it was ready, the students would at least think I was ready for them. Sixth grade, how did I get here? I had always imagined myself in third grade. But, when the principal of the school I student taught at, came to ask me to take a sixth grade position because he felt strongly that I could work wonders there, I jumped at the opportunity. I mean, here was a very experienced person telling me that he believed in me. I finished organizing the room and then prepared a letter to mail home to my students. I made sure that I included my home phone number, which at the time seemed important, but I wasn't sure why. I mailed out the letters, hoping everyone would get theirs and no one had moved over the summer. I then set up bulletin boards and completed lesson plans for the first week. I was ready. A few nights later, my phone rang. It was one of my soon to be students. She wanted to let me know that she did not know her multiplication facts yet. I could tell that she was a little embarrassed by this. I assured her, that I would be working on them with students this year and I told her that this would be the year she would learn them. She thanked me for my understanding and said that she would see me Monday. I was glad I had included my home number for my students, I had been able to ease a fear before school even started. Sunday arrived like a blink of an eye and I knew Monday was just around the bend. I was extremely nervous. I did not sleep much that night. I do not know if it was nerves, or if I was just afraid that I would end up sleeping in and be late on my first day. But, I managed to get a few hours

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of sleep. On Monday morning, I arrived in my room about an hour before school would start. I made sure everything was ready to go. My students began to arrive and they looked about as nervous as I felt. I greeted each student and introduced myself. When school began, I started discussing all of the things that we would be doing this year. The students seemed very eager to get started and so we did some fun getting to know you activities that morning. But, of all the things that happened that very first day, there is one that stays in my mind now and I believe forever. It was the very first time that one of the students used the word "Teacher" when addressing me. I realized at that moment, that to these young lives, that is who I am, "Me, the Teacher." I had finally fulfilled my life long dream. It didn't matter what grade or where I taught at , I was the "Teacher." And I knew that this is where I wanted to be.

Example of Student-Written I-search Paper

BME 698Barbara HernandezDiana SprattJosefina Zaragoza

To Loop or Not to Loop

Whether it is called “continuous learning,” “continuous progress,” “persisting

groups,” “multi-year grouping,” “teacher/student progression,” or as we commonly know

it, looping, the new first grade teachers wanted to find out what this program really

entailed. We came into a school where looping has been implemented for about four

years, since the school was inaugurated. We began the school year excited about keeping

our class for two years, as the year progressed and the school district began to implement

specific methods to teach reading and writing, first and second grade teachers began to

get a little apprehensive about the program. We, Barbara, Diana, and Josefina, set out to

find out what type of research was out there about looping, and if there was any research

that really supported this kind of program. Although Barbara is not currently teaching in

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a school, which implements looping, she was interested in the benefits this type of

program would have for students and teachers.

The points we decided to research were the benefits of looping for both the

students and teachers, teachers obtaining knowledge for a new curriculum for both grade

levels and we wanted to know how parents felt about looping. We shared our research by

dividing the topics into three areas. Josefina’s topic was interpreting the t-chart that was

put together by the first and second grade teachers as well as retelling what was discussed

in the informal and formal teachers meetings. Diana worked with Josefina on making the

parent survey, correlating the results of the survey and reporting the results of interviews

with experienced teachers and an administrator. Barbara’s topic was interviewing

teachers at her work site about their knowledge and how they felt about looping.

The decision whether to loop or not to loop was going to be made as a team.

There were several formal, as well as informal meetings to discuss the continuation of

looping. Some of the first concerns were brought up in the first grade teachers’ meeting.

These concerns seemed to arise from the various teaching methods being implemented by

our school district. Since we were learning new material and new methods this year we

felt that we needed another year in the first grade to be able to perfect it and become more

comfortable with it. If next year we need to teach second grade, we would not be able to

implement what we had learned this year in our grade level in-services.

One other reason behind our doubts whether to continue the program or not, were

concerns with the fact that we had several first year teachers on our first grade team who

were not comfortable with the curriculum. The research that we found stated that looping

is better implemented when the teachers are experienced teachers. Aside from that there

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were two of us, who had never participated in this type of program, these being Diana

and Josefina.

Our next step was to bring our concerns to the second grade team, to more or less

see where they stood. This was one of our first informal meetings. Most of the second

grade team were not there, so we expressed our concerns to the few that were there. We

decided to set up a meeting with the second and first grade teachers, as well as the

principal.

Before this formal meeting took place one experienced teacher in looping had the

idea to meet with the teachers from the first grade team who were new to the school. In

that meeting we developed a T-chart, which stated the pros and cons of looping. The

pros and cons were to remain on the professional level and not the personal. The t-chart

is as follows:

YES Loop

Having the same group for 2 years.

Faster academic start.

Students and parents repoire with teacher.

Better knowledge of curriculum, able to stretch.

More able to detect disabilities.

No Loop

Language Problem.

Materials.

Limited Space (growing students).

Students talk more because of raport with teacher.

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Developing materials at that grade level (i.e. big books, strategies, laminating, etc.).

Building competency in one grade level.

Some of the pros discussed in the meeting were the following: better repoire with

students, better knowledge of their learning style, teachers are able to detect learning

problems, and a faster academic start at the beginning of the year. Developing materials,

limited space, more students talking (off task) , teacher strength in a grade level will take

longer to develop, and to many second language learners in one classroom were some of

the cons listed on the T-chart. The article Looping: Supporting Student Learning

Through Long-Term Relationships, states most of the cons which were discussed at this

meeting. It discussed the faster academic start, the sense of family built in the classroom,

gaining of extra teaching time by cutting out the "getting to know you" time. Although

this article did not mention our cons exactly as we listed them, it did discuss them to a

certain extent.

Our concern about second language learners not having enough language role

models in their classroom was addressed to some degree in one of the articles we found

on line. The author explained “English language learners adjust to their new school and

become comfortable with their teacher, developing confidence with their teacher,

developing confidence in their newly acquired language.” We found this to be a very

valid and important point.

Unlike the articles we found, our T-chart showed a longer list on the con side than

on the pro side. We knew that deciding to continue or not continue looping was not

going to be easy. We also knew that in order to make a decision, all of the first and

second grade teachers along with the principle had to come to a consensus. In this

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meeting we discussed the T-chart, Diana read aloud the cons side first, then the pros, then

the floor was open for discussion. Teachers expressed their concerns at this time and

questions were asked. Most questions in some way or another went back to the school

districts push on literacy. Following the discussion of the cons we proceeded to discuss

the pros of looping. Teachers who had already looped in past years agreed on the pros

listed on the T-chart.

At this time they also brought up the point of the student/teacher chemistry, and

the parent/teacher chemistry. This is another point, which the article Looping: Adding

Time, brings up. “If all else fails, and a parent, teacher, or student is still dissatisfied, the

option always exists to move that student to another placement the following year,

depending on school policies.” The article also suggests that these types of issues can be

discussed beforehand, and appropriate guidelines can be established.

After this meeting we decided that before we made a decision we wanted to know

how parents felt about looping. There were however, varied opinions whether or not we

should send out surveys, since teachers are the ones who have to learn the new

curriculum. It was decided that parents’ views were important since they are the ones,

who provide the customers for our business.

We got together and wrote the survey in both English and Spanish at the same

time so the questions matched and both surveys were grammatically correct and

professional. Since the surveys were to go out to all parents who have children in grades

1 through 4, the questions had to cover several possible scenarios. The following were

the survey questions:

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If your child has been in a looping situation, do you feel it was beneficial to his/her

education?

Do you feel your child would have done as well in a non-looping situation?

If your child is in the First Grade, would you prefer to keep him/her in a looping

situation?

Have there been any differences in opinion between you and the teacher about discipline,

teaching style and/or teaching methods that has influenced your opinion about

looping?

Would you prefer your child to have a new teacher each year?

At the beginning of the survey, we defined looping so there would be no

misunderstandings. The hardest part was deciding on the type of answers the parents

would give. After discussing the pros and cons of several types of answers, we decided to

have a yes or no response, as well as a section for any comments or concerns.

We don’t know exactly how many surveys went out to the parents, but the school

has over 800 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. We estimated that about 500-

600 surveys went home. We received 236 surveys back from parents and we counted

each answer-yes, no and not answered. The findings were as follows:

Looping was beneficial to their child’s education.

Most parents felt their child would not have done as well in a non-looping situation.

Parents with children in first grade said they would prefer to keep their child in a looping

situation.

Most parents didn’t have a difference of opinion with their child’s teacher that would

influence their opinion of looping.

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Most parents did not want their child to have a new teacher each year.

The most important questions in regard to looping are questions 1, 3, 4 and 5.

Question 1 showed exactly how looping influenced the child’s education. If the child

wasn’t in a looping situation, the answer would have been left blank. Question 3 showed

exactly what we wanted to know. Do the parents want their child to loop or not?

Overwhelmingly, they did want to continue looping. Question 4 was used to find out if

there was bias, which actually didn’t have to do with looping. If the parent had a problem

with the teacher, the answer would be negative about looping or anything else. Lastly,

question 5 was intended for parents who had children in other grades than first. If they

were happy with looping, they would want to continue the tradition of keeping the same

teacher for two years.

We found that most of the parents wanted to continue with looping, no matter the

grade level of their child. Their comments told us that their child had a much better year

academically and socially. We weren’t surprised by the low number of surveys returned

because either the parent’s didn’t care enough about looping to take the time to complete

it, or didn’t have the time. Either way, we knew that the surveys returned would be

completely for looping or against looping-exact opposites.

The next step of our research was to interview several teachers from another

school in the same district. These teachers were all experienced teachers who have never

looped. Barbara first interviewed a second grade teacher who has taught for about 10

years. Although she had never looped, she had taught in a multi-age setting. She said that

a multi-age setting is similar in many ways to looping because she keeps her students for

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two years. Overall most teachers didn’t have experience with looping, but they all

seemed to believe that it is beneficial for both the teacher and students to loop.

Other points that were brought up in the interviews were teacher buy -in and the

importance of having teacher/student chemistry. One teacher agreed with Kathy Gebauer

and Mamie Bryan in their articles Looping: Two Years With the Same Class and To Loop

or Not to Loop: ‘Tis a Question for Many Schools that looping is not for everyone and

that it shouldn’t be a requirement. Only an option for teachers.

During the interviews, the teachers brought up another point that looping benefits

students and teachers because teachers are aware of the academic standing of their

students and can begin the second year quicker. One downfall, which was brought up,

was that some learning disabilities could be detected and also overlooked. Joan Gaustad

countered in her article Implementing Looping that some positive effects from looping

were improved attendance, test results, fewer discipline problems and special education

referrals.

The “expert” we interviewed was Mrs. Baumgarner, our principal. She has been

the one who has implemented looping at two schools. She administered looping for

eleven years, but has never been a teacher who has looped. Mrs. Baumgarner found the

benefits of looping to be less acquaintance time, a family atmosphere in the classrooms,

and that the time the teacher spends with the class is beneficial especially for shy

students. She explained that one year may not be enough time to catch a learning

disability or bring out a shy student.

When asked if there were any correlation’s between looping and standardized test

scores she said she didn’t have any results one way or the other. But according to the

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article Looping: Supporting Student Learning Through Long-Term Relationships,

Principal Joe Belmonte stated that standardized test scores had gone up since his school

opened. He believed that the increase in test scores couldn’t be linked to one program but

could be due to the consistency of the program.

We also asked her what factors would give her cause to consider stopping looping

and she told us that the teacher would have to be ineffective. She pointed out that teacher

effectiveness is an important factor, since the student who enters a grade below grade

level would never recover from having an ineffective teacher for two years.

After interviewing our “expert”, we wanted to talk with actual teachers who have

looped. We located two teachers who are the only “loopers” in their district. They have

looped for 3 years now and have indeed seen higher standardized test scores when

compared to the other classes at their grade levels. The teachers explained that this was

due to more consistency with their teaching.

The teachers felt that looping had helped their students learning because the time

spent at the beginning of the second year in regard to the teacher’s discipline and

classroom management was non-existent. They were able to begin the second year with a

minimum of review work.

We asked them if they had concerns about sharing teaching materials and they

said no. They only shared with each other so nothing was “lost”. The only problem area

would be if a teacher and student kept butting heads. This was not an issue for either

teacher, but they were aware it could happen.

In conclusion, our personal fears were not diminished by our research. We have

learned from the articles that many of the positive aspects of looping have existed for

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many years. This research has helped us reflect upon our own strengths and weaknesses

as educators, meaning we are more aware of areas we need to focus on to become more

effective teachers.

In the final meeting it was decided that we will loop next year due to the parent

buy-in. There were concessions made for new teachers who haven’t looped before and

they will get more funding for supplies in the next year. Our principal felt that good

teaching strategies will follow regardless of the grade level taught. We hope that our

concerns will diminish as we begin the next school year and see our students become

more successful academically and socially.

Sources

Burke, D.L. (1997). Looping: Adding Time, Strengthening Relationships.

http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed414098.html

Gaustad, J. (1998). Implementing Looping.

http://165.224.220.253/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed429330.html.

Looping. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/instrctn/in5lk.html.

Looping: Supporting Student Learning Through Long-Term Relationships.

Example of Reaction to “When We Engage in Thinking, We Demonstrate to Ourselves That We Are Capable” p. 178 in Teaching With Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk.

The authors demonstrate successfully how discipline can be maintained and personal

reactions can flow smoothly through the use of open-ended choices and student

involvement in creating classroom structure. The authors present a variety of problematic

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behaviors and then offer a list of possible gambits to start student thinking processes and

to engage students on the road to behavioral solutions.

Here is the list of “Magic Phrases” offered as thinking starters:

What would you like to happen?

Would you like my thinking on that?

Is it possible that?

How do you feel about . . .?

Is there any chance that . . .?

How do you suppose that might work out?

What do you think I think?

On a scale of 1-10, how good a decision do you think that is?

Would you like to hear what others have tried?

I particularly liked the 1-10 gambit. I tried it out once on a student who refused to move

to the seat I assigned her. She came in during break to tell me that she had placed her

choice on number 3 on the scale, and as a result had changed her mind and agreed to

move. I told her that I thought she had made a wise choice. The next time I gave the scale

to a perpetual late-comer—also with excellent results. I also used the “What would you

like to happen” idea on a disgruntled parent, who complained bitterly that the text the

class was using and that I had chosen went against his family’s religious principles. The

parent, in question, stopped complaining, and said he would think it over and get back to

me. The next day, he showed up with a list of practical suggestions. Much to his delight, I

used three of these.

HEADING FIVE: HELPFUL WEB SITES

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http://www.everythingESL.net

Dave's ESL Cafe ... The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Aroundthe World!". "It's only words . . . ... Dave's ESL Cafe in the Bangkok Post! ... www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/eslcafe.html - 13k - Cached - Similar pages

Interesting Things for ESL Students www.ManyThings.org. Interesting Things for ESL Students A fun study sitefor students of English as a Second Language. Word games, puzzles ... Description: Includes quizzes, games, and puzzles to help students learning english.Category: Kids   and   Teens   >   School   Time   >   English   >   English   as   a   Second   Language www.manythings.org/ - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

English as 2nd Language... http://www.sipuebla.com (Cost to Advertiser: $0.21). International Student ResourceCenter InternationalStudent.com offers information on ESL programs, toefl ... esl.about.com/mbody.htm - 30k - Cached - Similar pages

ESL Magazine--Subscribe Today! Welcome to the award-winning service of ESL Magazine, the print magazinefor English as a second or foreign language educators! Current Issue. ... Description: Print publication offers overview of its current issue, highlights of previous issues, subscription...Category: Arts   >   Education   >   ...   >   Publications   >   Magazines   and   E-zines www.eslmag.com/ - 16k - Cached - Similar pages

Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students (English Study Materials, ESL ... a4esl.org. Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students. ... There are about 1,000 ofthese "HTML-only quizzes" on our Activities for ESL Students website. ... www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/ - 4k - Cached - Similar pages

ESL PartyLand ... com. Karin's ESL PartyLand Launched March 1, 1999. Awards & Memberships:PartyLand is included in the Blue Web'n library. "Inclusion ... Description: Fun site with over 75 interactive quizzes, 15 discussion forums and topic-based learning pages for...Category: Arts   >   Education   >   Language   Arts   >   English   >   English   as   a   Second   Language www.eslpartyland.com/ - 10k - Cached - Similar pages

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http://www.rif.org/what/winter_holiday03.mspx

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/esl_links.htm

6 new friendly computer quizzes for your ESL students: - Capitals of the World (Beginner), Part 1 http://www.eslteachersboard.com/java/capitals.htm#b- and Part 2 http://www.eslteachersboard.com/java/capitals2.htm- Match Game (Beginner) http://www.eslteachersboard.com/java/matchgame.htm- Reading Speed (Intermediate) http://www.eslteachersboard.com/java/reading.htm- Memory Quiz (Intermediate) http://www.eslteachersboard.com/java/memoryquiz.htm- Right Word (Intermediate) http://www.eslteachersboard.com/java/rightword.htm

New ESL classroom games, lessons and resources: - Alphabet Pictures (game, kindergarten) http://www.eslteachersboard.com/AlphabetPictures.htm- Must Have Materials for the ESL Classroom http://www.eslteachersboard.com/ClassroomMaterials.htm- ESL Teacher on Holiday in Korea http://www.eslteachersboard.com/HolidayKorea.htm- Creative Approach to Authentic Materials (5 lessons) http://www.eslteachersboard.com/AuthenticIntro.htm- Setting Up Activities in a Young Learners' Class http://www.eslteachersboard.com/SettingUpActivities.htm

- New Discussion Forum http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/forum/index.pl?index=0- New better and faster server* with room to post almost unlimited new materials. You are welcome to publish your ESL materials on the Board; just send us a sample.- New link addition box where you are welcome to post your link and description of your ESL web site.

http://www.eslteachersboard.com

http://eslsound.com/

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