Today we visited San Luis Primary School. It is a one-room schoolhouse with 23 children, 1st through 6th grade. The teacher for the class, Don Tito, is also the principal and secretary. When we walked in, we saw the main classroom, the secondary classroom built in, and the principal's office all in the main building. Next to that, there was a large building containing a concrete soccer field for children to play and a small concession stand. The building is used for recess and for community events. The last building was the cafeteria for the students to eat breakfast, snack, and lunch. The school serves a rural community in San Luis, in which most of the families work at farms. We got to talk for a while with Don Tito before and after working with the students. I learned that he went to university for six years studying to be a teacher. It took him a little longer than usual because he had to work while going to school. Once he graduated, he did not have any tests to become a teacher. He was placed by the Costa Rican government at another school, because teachers here do not get to choose where they want to teach. A permanent position finally became available, so he applied and got it. He ended up at the school at San Luis because he traded tenured jobs with a colleague. He also has to pay around $20 each month to a group similar to MSTA or NEA in order to be a teacher. I worked with two other students from Missouri State to teach a group of four students. We worked with the upper-grade students, equivalent to 4th through 6th grade. I had pictures of various "monsters" that the students had to draw to learn the parts of the body. One student would be at the whiteboard without looking at the picture. Then the other three students in the group looked at the picture and had to describe the monster to their classmate. The students were working on speaking in English, since they did not get much practice with English in school normally. We had many struggles working with the children that taught us more about working with all students, but especially ELLs. First, I learned that one must provide lots of scaffolds for students working in cooperative groups. With one group, we had to require them to take turns telling their classmate what to draw. We also had to help two girls feel more comfortable drawing the monster by allowing them to draw together, each taking turns adding to the drawing. Another thing I learned was that modeling is an effective way to help students learn and understand. We had to do a few demonstrations for the students to know the directions for what was expected. Last, I learned that correcting students is not always the best form of feedback. During this past semester of college, I took a class on working with ELL students. In class, we learned the most effective feedback is to elicit correction by restating what the student said as a question. For example, if a student said, "my favorite color are red," the teacher would respond with, "your favorite color ARE red?" In this way, the student can hear what they said and it gives him a chance to correct himself. The second most effective feedback is to revoice. With the same example, the teacher would simply say, "your favorite color IS red." In this way, the student hears what is correct and he gets immediate feeback. However, after my experience today, I have learned that sometimes the best form of feedback is not correction. In my experience today, I let students get by with incorrect grammar or pronunciation, because that was not the most important thing in the lesson. I could understand what they were saying, so it was good enough for me. I also did not try to correct their accent because I believe that is the thing that makes language unique. I would not want someone correcting my accent when I speak Spanish because it is the only thing that I am truly able to make my own. It was a great experience this morning working with these students. I have learned a great amount of information that will inform my teaching of every student, especially ELLs. I am looking forward to visiting the final school next week and learning more about the difference between public and private and urban and rural schools in Costa Rica.
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As I sit here at the dining room table working on my Spanish homework for the night, I wonder to myself what good it is doing for me. So far in my experience in Costa Rica with learning Spanish at CPI, I have had homework each night. This homework consists of workbook pages where I fill in the blanks of sentences by conjugating a verb given to me or I answer a simple question. For all of the pages, I have been able to look at another page in a textbook provided by the school to find the answer. It has been fairly easy thus far, usually taking about 30 minutes each night. However, tonight I am really questioning the purpose of this "busy work." While I am on this trip, I stay at the homes of two different host families. Because of this opportunity to interact, I have learned a great deal of Spanish just by having conversations with my families. Whenever I have to work on my homework, it just takes away from this other great learning experience. It would be a great idea if my Spanish teacher could give us similar things to work on at home, but instead of a worksheet, we could have things to work on with my family. This would also help me improve my speaking and listening skills in Spanish. My classmates and I all agree that we are much better at writing Spanish because it is what most of us have done in classes in high school or college. Even though some families might not be willing to help us with this "homework," much like parents in the U.S. not being able to help their child with homework, it would still be more beneficial than worksheets. When I become a teacher, my dream is to have a "flipped classroom" set-up. In this way, students would watch videos of lessons at home to gain the content, and then would use class time with me to apply the information. Of course in this situation there would also be students who would be unable to complete the "homework," so accommodations would need to be made. In this set-up, students would not have typical homework. Instead, the teacher would assign videos to watch every now and then and would also provide ideas of ways in which parents could help their child practice or learn.
In Spanish class today, I realized just how many distracting things I do. In just the three and a half hours this afternoon, I squirmed in my seat, tapped my feet, chewed on a straw, ran downstairs to refill my coffee cup, scooted my chair back and forth, got up to stretch my legs, and made sounds with my pencil. Not once was any of my movement today preceded with a request by the teacher. I finally noticed that I was being distracting to my classmates, so I tried to stop what I was doing. But that led to me thinking about how I address various learning styles within my own teaching. I am a very kinesthetic learner. Through the process of learning from many great teachers, I have further developed my ability to learn from auditory and visual stimulus. However, I don't internalize information until I have the chance to move. Oftentimes sitting in class I will tap my feet and move around in my chair. From this experience in Spanish class, I better understand students that do this in classes I have taught. The thing that stands out from my internship this semester was about three students that would always be moving around in their chair; sitting backwards, rocking the chair back on two feet, and sitting with their feet in the chair. I remember being that student as a child and it was always difficult when teachers told me to sit still or sit normally. I understand why those students need to move around because of my own experience. As I become a student teacher, and later a full-time teacher, it is important for me to keep in mind various learning styles. In my opinion, kinesthetic learners are the most difficult to accommodate, mainly because most teachers have difficulty giving up enough control for students to get out of their seats. They are afraid the class will become too chaotic when students are active and moving. However, there are many benefits to including movement within a lesson. First, those students that used to be distracting others by moving around or making noise are no longer being distracting. Second, it gives all students an opportunity to be active and reinforces a healthy lifestyle. Last, it helps students, especially those kinesthetic learners, internalize and remember the information. In my classroom, movement will be included in many ways, and in varying amounts. First, I will use many cooperative learning strategies. In doing this, students will usually be moving around the room to work on their project. Next, I plan to allow student choice in presenting their learning as much as possible. One option will be a skit, which appeals to kinesthetic learners as well as addressing the multiple intelligence of drama. Last, I will provide many community building activities for my students. Even if the lesson itself does not contain opportunities for much movement, most of the community builders involve active participation with classmates. In this way, I can provide opportunities for students to "shake out" their need to move. Personally, I believe that every student has varying abilities to learn in each way. Each person has the potential to learn through auditory, visual, and kinesthetic modes. In most students, one of these three stands out more than the other two, and that is how the student learns BEST. But with the right teacher, I believe students can strengthen their ability to learn in the other two modes. I hope to be the teacher that is able to cultivate my students' ability to learn as much as possible.
This morning our group went to La Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in southern Costa Rica. When we got there, we started by participating in a service project. As you can see in the picture, the main streets run along the top of the mountain. Most of the homes have been built down the mountain, basically on top of each other. Some of the volunteers at La Carpio have worked hard to build stairs for the residents; in the past they had to basically slide down the dirt or mud hill to their home and it was near impossible to get back up the hill. Half of our group worked on painting the railing for this stairway to protect it from the weather. The other half, which included me, carried buckets of crushed rock down the stairs. They will soon be using this rock as a base layer to build a wall on the side of the stairs. It will keep the dirt from washing down the hill as well as provide a place for a community garden. We also got to spend time at a preschool-like building. It was a program run by two women from the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation. Their goal was to get the young children in the La Carpio community ready for school in Costa Rica. We were told that many expecting moms from Nicaragua illegally cross the border into Costa Rica to ensure their child is a natural born Costa Rican. Costa Rica provides these children with free healthcare, education, and more. I found the children's development to be very interesting. When working with the 5th grader at Calle Hernandez Primary School earlier in the week, I was able to use my knowledge of Spanish to communicate effectively with him. However, when working with the child at La Carpio, I could not understand him. It is comparable to American children learning to speak English, which is not something I considered. I do not know much about early development in children, so I didn't know what to expect when going to La Carpio. I now understand that children talking gibberish is a universal stage of language growth and development. The last thing we did at La Carpio was watch a short skit about a woman who emigrated from Nicaragua. The presentation was in Spanish, but I could still understand what was going on because of the acting. I have learned more about the value of skits and acting in education. I plan on using these in my class because I have also seen how universal it can be to watch a story come alive.
This morning I got to visit Calle Hernandez Primary school in Costa Rica. When we arrived, I noticed the school was very small and open. All of the classrooms had doors open to the outside rather than having an indoor hallway connecting them. Other than that, the physical characteristics of the school weren't much different from that of a school in the U.S.; there was a principal's office at the entrance and a small playground for the students. Our visit was focused on the English class. In Costa Rica, it is national law that students learn English at school, which occurs in a separate class. It is a very similar structure to that of having pull-out ELL services for students in the United States. In this class, the teacher only speaks in English to the students. I was told in between the two groups of students to not speak Spanish with the students, but instead to act out or model the English words to help the students understand. When we first got to the classroom, we all introduced ourselves to the students in English, followed by the students introducing themselves to us in English. The majority of the fifth graders in the class struggled with simple sentences about themselves. I started working with one student on writing a letter to his pen-pal. He had not written anything yet but was drawing doodles instead. I told him in Spanish what he needed to write and he started working with me. He had to include 10 sentences about himself, so I asked him questions in Spanish and again in English and he answered them. I helped him write the answers in complete sentences in English. I feel like I made a better connection with him as a person, not just a student, because I showed him I was willing to speak his language and embrace part of who he is. We took a picture together on my phone and then he wanted one on his phone, too. He found me several more times before I left and came to give me a hug. I feel like me being willing to speak in both Spanish and English helped us build a connection in which more learning could occur. On the other side of the spectrum, I started Spanish class at CPI last afternoon. I am in a class with three other students that came to Costa Rica from Missouri State. When we entered the class, the teacher wrote "reglas de clase," rules of the class, on the board. The first one was "no inglés," no English. She also told us, in Spanish of course, that she doesn't speak English. I immediately felt uncomfortable because I didn't feel like the teacher and I had anything in common. Because of this lack of a connection, I don't believe I am learning as much. In relation to classes I've taken in the states, there is much similarity in this principle. Whenever I have a connection with my teacher, I try harder in class. If I have a relationship with my teacher, I always want to do what they ask of me and learn as much as possible from them. So far in Costa Rica, I believe language is a key component of building that connection. The first step to teaching students should be showing them that you value them as an individual, and I believe that starts with knowing the language, or at least showing you are willing to learn with them. Today I was picked up from CPI by my host mama, Yancy, and brother, Fabio. I got in their jeep and mama tica drove me to their home. She asked me basic questions in Spanish that I was able to answer. When I got to a question I didn't understand, I had a funny look on my face and looked at my host brother in the backseat. He was willing to translate for me and we began communicating in that way. He and I also had a short conversation in English to get to know one another. I got home and got to meet my host sister, Jimena. I then followed mama tica outside to the back patio. We went and sat down at a table at the neighbors, which was family, much like most of the surrounding block of homes. Many family members came over and spoke with one another for about two hours. During most of this time, I talked with my host sister about her school. Once it got dark and everyone left, my mama served dinner. She had left it on the stove for many hours cooking it slowly. She served me first, then my sister, and then my brother. She ate small parts of the meal from the pots once everyone had eaten. I had arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) y frijoles (beans). After dinner, I went with my sister and brother to the market down the street to buy orange juice (jugo naranja). We also stopped at a restaurant in the neighborhood for my brother to buy french fries (papas fritas). My favorite part of this first day with my family has been spending time with Fabio. Early in the evening, we talked about many things in English. He is a seventh grader at the local private high school, so he was very proficient in the English language. We would be talking and he would suddenly pause and ask what a word was. Occasionally he would ask his sister, but often he would try to describe it to me and we played a charades type game to figure out the word. A few times I also used Google Translate to help us. When we got back from getting his fries, he sat at the kitchen bar to eat them. I stood nearby and he said, "let's do something!" I asked what and he told me, "I'll ask you a question in English and you answer me in Spanish." "I can do that," I said, glad that I had a chance to practice my speaking without being in a stressful total-immersion experience. I got to share lots of things about myself and he helped me with words I didn't know in Spanish. For example, he asked me my favorite animal. I was able to respond, "Mi animal favorito es," and asked him how to say penguin. This is exactly what he was having to do when talking with me in English, so it was great to see the opposite side of language learning.
I can't wait to spend this week with my host family! I'm sad that I will be leaving them so soon at the end of this week. During my time in Costa Rica, I will be immersed in another culture and another way of life. I am most excited to learn more about the Costa Rican ecosystem. In elementary school in Missouri, students learn about the four main ecosystems found in the state; caves, prairies, forests, and rivers. Costa Rica is home to the rainforest ecosystem, which has a wide variety of plants and animals. Because of my passion for science, I cannot wait to learn more about this different part of the world and how it supports life. In relation to that, I want to learn more about how Costa Ricans facilitate sustainable living. I feel like this is an area that many Americans are currently not concerned with, but I hope to inspire my future students to take an active role in ensuring their world is well taken care of. I am also very excited to meet my host family in Costa Rica. They will have many experiences and stories to share with me. I hope to learn more about the phrase "pura vida" and how it can affect the way one lives. Another thing I am looking forward to is the food! There isn't much I am nervous about at the current time. I am somewhat anxious to meet my host family, but it is mostly just excitement. I do hope that I will be able to communicate effectively with people I meet, including my host family. Below are a few goals I have created for myself for this trip: 1. Build a better background knowledge of the rainforest ecosystem. This will help me explain the topic to students and give them concrete examples (with pictures). 2. Find out about the profile of a typical Costa Rican teacher. This will help me better understand the Costa Rican education system and compare it to America. I will do this by conducting an action research project. 3. Learn about techniques used by Costa Rican teachers to teach students English. This will help me better teach my future ELL students. On the second-to-last day of my internship, I took my students a gift to thank them for a great semester. I found the idea on Teachers Pay Teachers and added and changed things to make it my own. I got envelopes and filled them with the little toys you see. Below is the document I attached to the front. E-mail me if you would like the word document to use with your own students.
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AuthorI am an MSU graduate and 4th grade teacher in Carthage, MO. This is just a collection of things I've learned that I thought were important enough to share. Archives
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