Using ESL training to help Native Speakers learn new concepts

I want to give an update about analyzing the whale-oriented websites.

Yesterday in class, we watched two short YouTube clips to practice analyzing rhetoric in a multimedia way. I divided the class into three groups so that I could assign each group a specific focus point during the video clips. For example, during the first viewing, one group of students was assigned to look for clues about the author, and the other two groups were focusing on audience and purpose, respectively. During the second viewing, students were watching for appeals to ethos, pathos, or logos, respectively. After each viewing, we discussed the clips and elements of rhetoric as a class. Then, we repeated the process with the other clip.

Whale Wars Intro http://youtu.be/MvfXjeA0Q9M
Round one: watch for content, what’s going on?

1. Author:
2. Audience:
3. Purpose:

Round two: watch for appeals

1. Ethos:
2. Pathos:
3. Logos:

Blackfish Trailer: (A little disturbing--step out if needed) http://youtu.be/fLOeH-Oq_1Y
Round one: watch for content, what’s going on?

1. Author:
2. Audience:
3. Purpose:

Round two: watch for appeals

1. Ethos:
2. Pathos:
3. Logos:

_______________________________________________________________

Students were very engaged in the clips, and our discussion yielded me a lot of insight into how students were grappling with these new terms involved in rhetorical analysis. For example, students had a difficult time identifying who the author of the Whale Wars clip was. I would not have anticipated this difficulty because it seemed straightforward to me that a director/producer from Animal Planet would be behind the clip. However, as student after student struggled to find the author, I was able to explain piece by piece what I was actually looking for when they identify an author--and why the author matters in a rhetorical analysis. Controlled chaos is sometimes a great environment for students to test out hypotheses. My ESL training informed how I included multiple viewings with specific points to listen and watch for. I find that ESL-informed teaching usually benefits all students, regardless of native language, because of its emphasis on clear instructions, purposeful listening/reading, and negotiation of meaning.

In addition to the learning outcomes related to rhetorical analysis, I saw students' thinking critically about their own beliefs, especially when we watched the Blackfish trailer. Many of them had never considered the ramifications of keeping whales in captivity, and some of my students told me that they planned to go home and watch the rest of the film. After the lesson, I felt very proud of the day's instruction. My students definitely thought critically about two issues related to whales, but they also worked together in a discussion to figure out what rhetorical analysis means. 

I look forward to seeing how they analyze the websites for their project. I hope that yesterday's practice proves fruitful for them.

Writing as global citizens--a hopeful reflection on my goals for this semester

As a teacher, I'm always looking for ways to increase student engagement in the material. In a required freshman-level writing course, it is essential that I create assignments that are relevant to their lives and more important, interesting.

This semester, I am trying to bring out global citizens in my students. I hope for them to gain an appreciation for other countries, cultures, and languages as they practice valuable reading and writing skills.

One way that my students are getting exposure to another culture is through pen pals at Far East University. I was contacted by a teacher looking to set up an exchange between her Korean (and other nationalities) students and students studying here at Northern Arizona University.

From the outset, I faced a challenge: the classes at Far East were smaller than expected, and my classes often overflow during the first week until everything settles out. Due to the short English camp at Far East, I wanted to get our project going right away--on the second day of class. Having 50 students to pair with the 30 or so from Far East, I assigned students to work in pairs to write their pals. Although I was concerned that my students would have trouble navigating a letter with more than one author, the pair work was a huge success. Students were collaborating in the truest sense by asking each other content and language-based questions. What do you think about this word? Would our pal understand it? Should we ask this question? How do you think I say say that? What I saw as they composed together was amazing in terms of communication and revision, and it was only the second day of class! I was so proud of my students, and I hope that their pals enjoy the letters. I can't wait to see what these students learn from each other and how their worldviews might change.

In addition to the pen pals, students in my class begin the semester doing rhetorical analysis. They write an essay in which they deconstruct a text and analyze the effectiveness of the author for a particular audience and purpose. In the past, I've given students a few choices of essays from our textbook to analyze. This assignment has worked in the past, but the main complaint from students is that it's boring. What a buzz-kill in a required class. The main reason that I chose essays from the book was that I wanted students to get their money's worth from the book--something I'd call: "on principle" rather than because I'm passionate about it. While I still think students should get their money's worth out of the book (they will!), I don't think it should be at the expense of fuller engagement with an important assignment that has so many interesting applications.

In order to capitalize on the flexibility of the assignment, my students will be analyzing the rhetoric of text- and media-rich websites. Digital literacy, including the ability to evaluate and analyze the wealth of information on the internet is one of the skills that university students must have. Not only for college, but also for life! Therefore, I want to help them see how the concept of rhetoric is applicable not only to essays, speeches, and more traditional modes of rhetoric, but how it plays out on the web and all around us. I also happen to be very interested in the rhetoric surrounding whales right now. The documentary Blackfish exposes the dark side of whales held in captivity, but the SeaWorld website makes an attempt to counter the claims made by Blackfish. On a related note, the Sea Shepherd organization, who are often called "eco-terrorists", have campaigns waged both on the ocean and on the web against the killing and mistreatment of sea animals. Students can choose between the Sea Shepherd website or the SeaWorld website to analyze for their essays, and we will watch and analyze the Blackfish trailer in class to get students interested. Because I read so many of these essays, it is certainly to my benefit to select topics for students that interest me. However, a side benefit of assigning a choice between these two topics is that it encourages students to think critically about a real world issue.  Examining the rhetoric around these issues becomes a natural extension of reading and thinking about the interesting (and often conflicting!) information on the websites. Thus, student engagement is up, and I hope to see that engagement reflected in thoughtful rhetorical analysis essays.

The dual focus on content about whales and writing instruction is reminiscent of a popular ESL teaching approach known as Content-Based Instruction (CBI). As my teaching career has included both ESL instruction (mostly English for Academic Purposes, EAP) and freshman composition, I have begun to realize the symbiotic relationship between these two seemingly very different types of teaching. My training in both areas often build on each other as a hybrid teaching style with a sensitivity to language use, international perspectives, and expectations in "the academy". In the coming months, I hope to reflect more about how ESL and freshman composition compliment each other, and how (and why!) I approach my non-native-speaker-only section of freshman composition differently from my sections made up mostly of native speakers.

Student Testimonials

I compiled this list of student testimonials and evaluations because these comments reflect my teaching philosophy. I absolutely love when students respond to the activities, atmosphere, and philosophy in my classes. Helping students improve a skill, develop a strategy, or just enjoy learning are some of the most important reasons why I teach.

Fall 2013 Students, ENG 105 Critical Reading and Writing for the University Community

“This course was very well done. The assignments were not overwhelming. They helped me become a better writer. The instructor ran a structured and organized class that

put all of the emphasis on learning the material rather than trying to figure out what the instructor wanted.”

“I think you created a great friendly atmosphere in the classroom and adapted well to the students' different skill levels and methods for writing.”

“I liked that we worked in groups a lot and that we all had a chance to speak our mind and ask questions. Every assignment was explained well and the working

environment was always positive.”

“I feel there was nothing major that could impede me from learning in this particular class. She does an exceptional job working with students. I hope my future teachers are

like her.”

Spring 2013 Students, Program in Intensive English Level 5 Listening and Speaking

“Her activities are really good, and we learn new things. Thank you, Jena. “

“She is a best teacher in level 5 for me because she has a good activities in class“

Spring 2012 Student, ENG 105 Program in Intensive English Section

“In my experience, the teacher did very well to deliver the information in many ways to us.”

Fall 2011 Students, ENG 105

“I really appreciated the fact that the instructor took all measures to ensure that all the students understood each assignment. She always sought out ways to better teach the material and always provided challenging and positive feedback for all of our writing assignments.”

“I think that she showed genuine interest in her students. She gave modern day media and actual examples that connected us back to the topic we were discussing. Allowing us to choose our topics (for the most part) motivated me to write the assignments.”

“She used many different strategies and it helped us learn. She made it fun too.”

“The teacher was aware of the practical applications for writing rather than just what a textbook says writing is for.”

Web Resume and Links

Link to my resume

Link to Publications and Presentations

Technology in the Classroom

It's been a while since I have posted, but that doesn't mean I'm not pondering the mysteries of teaching.

Working as a full-time instructor has been physically and mentally demanding. Today's composition teacher had better prepare for eye strain, as the reading, commenting, and revision processes have all become primarily electronic. Aside from the physical drain, I am enjoying making use of the technology available in my university context. Here are a few of my best ideas:

1. Google Documents--I'm using this Google Software in a variety of ways.

My favorite use of Google Docs is for peer review and group conference. Every time students finish a first draft, they are put into groups who will read each other's papers and make comments that are then discussed during a group conference mediated by me. The benefit of Google Docs is that during a lab day, students can create and share the document even if they aren't finished. This means no late papers--a benefit for students and for me. When the due date arrives, I can simply download my copies to comment on and send back to the students over email. Peer reviewers can comment directly on the Google Doc, so that they can agree or disagree with each other, adding multiple perspectives to the same draft. The multi-person commenting also provides examples of effective feedback for novice reviewers. Furthermore, as long as I ask student to share the document with me, I can monitor the peer review process and provide accurate peer review points. My supervisor and I decided that I should not comment in the shared Google Doc for several reasons: 1) may intimidate reviewers, 2) may embarrass the writer, 3) Google Docs are fluid documents that are always changing, and I want to have a copy of what I asked the student to revise.

Another way that I am using Google Docs is for attendance on computer lab day. I create and share a simple table with two columns, name and answer to a question, to serve as my attendance for the day. Students fill in the information and I project the document on the class screen. I can ask about any interesting answers, and students are accountable for contributing.

I use a similar format for collecting information about what topics students have chosen for their projects. That way I can monitor the writing process from very early stages. I can also form groups of students who have similar topics.

Finally, the idea I want to revise more--group brainstorming. I've used Google Docs to help students pull out evidence from a dense reading. We were working on a rhetorical analysis, so my table had three columns: ethos, pathos, and logos. All students had access to the document, so I asked them to look for evidence of these appeals in the article, and when they found something, they should quote or paraphrase it in the document. In about 10 minutes, my class had generated about 15 examples in each category--an impressive and efficient brainstorm. Students responded positively to the group brainstorm because they were able to see if they were on the right track or not. They asked to do a similar activity for other projects.

2. Though it's not as collaborative as Google Docs, I also use Microsoft Word track changes and comment functions. During our lab day, I have students pull up their drafts, then rotate to the computer next o them to leave comments. It's another mode of peer review that takes advantage of the computer lab.



I hope to further refine these techniques next semester because I want to see collaborative writing have a larger space in my classroom.

Beginning of a New Semester

In my new office, coffee in hand, I am once again so grateful to be a teacher.

Every day, I get to do what I love--learn about English and the world through the eyes of my students. My new job as composition instructor is proving to be a fantastic application of my TESL degree. I teach two sections of composition for students already enrolled in the university (mostly native speakers), and one section of students who are in the top level of the intensive English program. My supervisor has has recognized my TESL training and assigned me to be an interface person between the IEP and the university's writing program. I help to coordinate the teachers who teach composition to IEP students.

I'm enjoying the change of pace with the native speaker sections, but I still have a soft spot for teaching ESL students. My teaching has changed so much from two years ago, when I also taught native-speaker composition. I now feel like I am able to build activities and assignments that are meaningful for students, rather than just doing group work because I heard it was good. I see an improvement in the way I give directions, the way I open and close class, and the way I interact with students who might be disruptive in class. The master's degree in TESL taught me the importance of planning and classroom management, which are relevant in all classrooms.

That's not to say that there aren't a million mysteries of teaching that I haven't begun to figure out. Here are a few that I'm thinking about:

1. Making small talk before class.
2. Corrective feedback during class activities. Both linguistic and content-focused.
3. Balancing student choice (motivation) with in-class scaffolding opportunities.

One success story to report: I gave my students the choice of two articles to analyze. Then, during a lab day, I set up two Google documents for students to work on collaboratively, one for each article. In the rhetorical analysis, students are examining how an author uses ethos, pathos, and logos, so I included in the Google Doc a table with ethos, pathos, and logos  in the top row. Students then documented examples they had found in the document, sorted by appeal. Within 10 or 15 minutes my students had collaboratively brainstormed 20 good examples. They even had side comments with some disagreement and discussion about the effectiveness of certain examples. I loved seeing my students work together, talk, and critically think about the articles. Plus, students have unlimited access to the document as they are drafting. Even students who had a hard time understanding how to analyze can use the Google Doc as a guide to get started. Highly recommended!

Full-time ESL teaching

Since I last posted, I've experienced TESOL in a new way. I'm now teaching a full load of courses (16 contact hours per week). I'm teaching my standby class, an intermediate-advanced academic listening and speaking course. We are using Lecture Ready 3, a book focused on the listening skills and strategies needed in the university. I really like this book, although I do supplement vocabulary and pronunciation instruction. Clear Speech is an invaluable tool even in advanced courses. Because I've taught this course before, I'm spending less time brainstorming what to teach, and spending more time figuring out how to best teach it. I'm developing our vocabulary logs from last semester into a multi-modal learning tool that includes podcasts. A colleague and I hope to present this idea at TESOL 2014 in Portland. Fingers crossed.

The other half of my teaching is going to a class I've never taught. A very low-level listening and speaking course. My two students are false beginners, and it's been a real challenge for me to figure out how to approach the needs of this very small group. Luckily, I'm using Clear Speech and Top Notch (Fundamental Level), which has an incredible library of supplementary activities and ready-made worksheets. Once I figured out where to find everything that comes with this series, I found that I was able to plan lessons much more easily.

Full-time ESL teaching is my dream job, but it has many challenges. Time management is crucial when teaching, meetings and other teaching obligations compete for your 40-hour workweek. I'm trying to break the cycle of grad school weekends and take a breather so that I can return to the classroom on Monday refreshed and energized. I know that teaching is not necessarily a 9-5 job, much less limited to the 40 hour contract, yet, I do wonder how successful teachers maintain a work-life balance and still contribute to the field in ways besides teaching.

I'm enjoying the full-time challenges, and looking forward to learning more about the variety of teaching experiences available to ESL teachers.