Topics for projects

Topics for projects:

1. Preparation of certain instructional materials for nursing students/trainees/economically poor schools/ special schools...
2. Developing a Test Battery to diagnose errors in language usage of ...
3. Preparing a learning package for mothers of students at Anganwadi's to guide their children in writing English Alphabet...
4. Preparing scripts for staging street plays that address social issues...
5. Preparing videos on social issues...
6. Developing discourses suggested in the textbooks of standard 8, for example: under 'slogan writing', if our students are able to prepare a collection of slogans and similar discourses wouldn't that be useful for school students and teachers!!!

More topics may pop up! Any ideas do share

Regards

Anita Teacher

Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence Hawai‘i Project (CREDE)

Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence Hawai‘i Project (CREDE)

The Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) Hawai‘i Project promotes educators’ use of research-based strategies of effective practice for culturally and linguistically diverse students. These strategies are derived from Vygotsky’s theory and over 30-years of research from the national CREDE project, now at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. These standards were recognized by the national What Works Clearinghouse.

The CREDE Standards:

·         Joint Productive Activity: Collaborating with students to create joint products.

·         Language and Literacy Development: Developing competence in the language(s) of instruction throughout the day.

·         Contextualization: Connecting new information to what students already know and teaching in culturally relevant ways.

·         Complex Thinking: Challenging students toward cognitive complexity.

·         Instructional Conversation: Teaching through dialogue.

·         Modeling: Promoting observational learning.

·         Child Directed Activity: Encouraging students’ decision-making.

A Vision of the CREDE Classroom

Teachers and students are working together, on real products, real problems. Activities are rich in language, with teachers developing students’ capacity to speak, read, and write English and the special languages of mathematics, science, humanities, and art. They teach the curriculum through meaningful activities that relate to the students’ lives and experiences in their families and communities. Teachers challenge students to think in complex ways and to apply their learning to solving meaningful problems. Teachers and students converse; the basic teaching interaction is conversation, not lecture. A variety of activities are in progress simultaneously (individual work; teamwork; practice and rehearsal; mentoring in side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, teacher-student work). Students have systematic opportunities to work with all other classmates. They all learn and demonstrate self-control and common values: hard work, rich learning, helpfulness to others, mutual respect (Tharp, Estrada, Dalton, & Yamauchi, 2000, p. 8).

Acknowledgment:

The CREDE model for early childhood education was developed through a partnership with educators at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa Children's Center. Many of the video clips and photos on this website are from Children's Center classrooms.

The outcome of the discussion at the Assembly Hall (10/8/2015) SEMESTER 1-PRACTICAL WORK IN EDU 107.2

The outcome of the discussion at the Assembly Hall (10/8/2015)

SEMESTER 1-PRACTICAL WORK IN EDU 107.2

1.     Each teacher educand will have to write a lesson plan each for three Microteaching skills namely, skill of stimulus variation, skill of fluency in questioning, skill of reinforcement and maintain a Record of these lesson plans.

2.     Each teacher educand will have to take any one microteaching skill among peers and again have that in his/ her portfolio as this is an evidence that the student has taken the class.

3.     The teacher educand has to reflect on this microteaching class and document his/her feelings, thoughts, things learnt, etc., in the Reflective Journal.

4.     Each teacher educand has to take a link practice session wherein more than one microteaching skill is introduced in a 15 or 20 minutes class. This is again to be taken before their peers. The lesson plan for the same is to be placed in the student’s portfolio and the experience will be documented in the Reflective Journal. A format of the Journal will be uploaded by the Board of Studies. However, a sample of a reflective journal will be attached for a clearer understanding.

5.     The teacher educand is to take a lesson using ICT-ppt/computer/etc., and have a report and Record of the same. The time duration (10 minutes/15 minutes/20 minutes/etc.,) can be fixed by the teachers. To make the task easy, the link lesson prepared by the student can be written in a manner so as to incorporate ICT. Anyway, the teacher educand must have a lesson with ICT in his/her Record.

6.     The teacher educandis to do a project which can be individual or a group project that is of some relevance to the community. It is desirable to do the project in a format put up in our blog-ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATORS FORUM MG UNIVERSITY

7.     The project can be either handwritten or typed. If the topics are selected in a wise way instances of plagiarism can be minimized. This project is to develop a commitment towards society. The topics for the project could be shared when we assemble at St. Joseph’s Training college, Ernakulam on Saturday, 22/8/2015.

N.B: Everything that the student reflects upon in his/her Journal should have an evidence in the Portfolio of that student.

For example, if a student writes that the microteaching session proved to be a fruitful learning experience for him/her, the teacher educand has to show proof that he/she has taken the class on microteaching by placing the lesson plan taken by him in the Portfolio (bag of things which are placed in a particular order according to the creativity of the student).

He /she can even place the comments made by his peers or teacher in a recorded form in CDs or get a written proof by these people and place it in his/her bag of personal experiences!

The students who get a feel of this modern way of documenting evidences may even take a photo of their class in progress and place it in the portfolio as proof.

There is no end to the things that can be placed in the Portfolio, but the teacher educator can guide them in selecting two or three of their best pieces, otherwise, the student’s Portfolio would become too large and hard to manage!

SEMESTER II

1.     The teacher educand has to record 5 Discussion lessons, 5 Demonstration lessons, and 5 Criticism lessons.

2.     They need to take 10 lessons at school. It need not be in one class. A supervision diary of their daily class needs to be maintained wherein the school teacherhas to write her/his observations regarding the teacher educand’sclass.

3.     The teacher educand has to document his experience at school during the 4 week induction period in a periodic (after a set of two or three classes) manner, and mention it in his/her Reflective Journal. Proof of the experience needs to be placed in the Portfolio too.

SEMESTER III

1.     The teacher educand has to prepare 50 lesson plans and maintain that Record.

2.     The periodic reflection of the classes taken must come in the reflective journal( ie., once every week, or twice every week,etc., as the teacher educator decides)

3.     The teacher educand has also to prepare 5 innovative lessons with any strategy like-collaborative, brainstorming, discussion, story-telling,etc.

4.     The teacher educator can decide if it can be 5 innovative lessons with the same strategy or 5 innovative lessons with different strategies. You may also select a lesson based on the Models of teaching, if required. Anyway, the educand has to have 5 more lessons other than the stipulated 50 lessons. These innovative lessons may be taken in any class, in any grade.

5.     A supervision diary must be maintained for the 50+ 5 innovative lessons. The educators who need to visit the school at least 4 times must also make entry in the educand’s supervision diary.

6.     A proof of the innovative class taken is to be placed in the Portfolio. Reflection of these experiences can be documented in the Reflective Journal.

7.     Teacher educands are to do some club/forum activities for school students and make an entry of the proof, like, school teacher’s comment, or student’s comment, or programme schedule or sequence of events ratified by the school teacher, in the Portfolio. These activities can be discussed later at Ernakulam.

8.     Teacher educandshave to prepare a self-assessment tool for school students and administer it on school students. They will have to place the proof of it in their portfolio. Things like: the copy of the self-assessment tool prepared by the educand& one or two copies of school students’ assessment can be placed in the Portfolio. Teacher educandcan write their experience of preparing the self-assessment tool in the Reflective Journal too. The numbering of events in the Journal can be the same for the evidences put in the Portfolio.

For example:

 If the reflection on Microteaching is numbered 1 in the Journal then the evidences in the Portfolio can be numbered as

1.a Lesson plan on microteaching

1.b Feedback of peers on their microteaching skill

1.c Photos or videos of class if taken, etc…

9.     However, the numbering of documents is left to the discretion of the teacher educator and teacher educands at college.

10.                        Each student has to maintain documents of peer observation of 2 classes taken by their friends during the 4 month teaching practice. The experience of doing 2 observations can be reflected as one event in the Reflective Journal. The classes observed by peers can be the innovative lessons too. Proof of the work done must come in the student portfolio.

11.                         The teacher educand has to prepare a diagnostic test and arrange remedial programme for school students. The copy of the test, proof of marks obtained, and the mode of remedial classes taken must be put in the Portfolio.

 Reflection of this event is to be written in the Reflective Journal.

12.                        Similarly, an Achievement test & its analysis, Unit plan & Unit test are to be prepared and administered. Reflection of these events namely-achievement test, unit plan preparation & preparation and administration of Unit test needs to be mentioned in the Reflective Journal. Proof of work done and experiences gained must be placed in the Portfolio.

N.B: All the Practicals and Practicum undertaken has to be mentioned in the Reflective Journal and their evidences must be placed in the Portfolio. These are the minimum requirements. More events if desired can be added.

13.  In the Valedictory presentation and viva voce, a power point presentation of the work done so far ie., in the I& II Semesters are to be mentioned in brief by the teacher educand as proof of their genuine work.

SEMESTER IV

1.     The teacher educand has to do a SWOT analysis wherein he/she identifies his/her STRENGTHS (as a teacher, in handling various language skills, in preparation of work, etc), WEAKNESSES (areas of development, need to focus more, etc.), OPPORTUNITIES (what all things can be done for improvement, or developing certain skills etc.), and THREATS (the challenges that need to be faced and overcome, the demands of society, school, home etc. about the teacher etc…)

2.     The teacher educand has to reflect on this process and write her feelings etc. in the Reflective Journal. Proof of the analysis done must come in the Portfolio.

3.     Any one educational Journal needs to be reviewed by the teacher educand. It can be an online journal too but the cite needs to mentioned. Reflection on this event must come in the Reflective Journal and proof in the Portfolio.

4.     The teacher educand has to upload on his/her own blog or a group blog a journal article prepared by them. The article may be anything done in the core papers too. The Report and article must be placed in the portfolio. Reflection of this event must come in the Reflective Journal.

N.B: The total work (practical cum practicum) done by student teachers in all the subjects will be ratified by an external board comprising two teachers during the 4^th Semester.

Remember, the student portfolio will contain proof of all events or the practical done by the student in the core courses and all the other allied courses too. The once mentioned above under various semesters are the things that are to be arranged by Optional teachers in their respective subjects.

Hope these thoughts were useful!!!

Warm regards,

Anita Teacher

Peer Evaluation of Classroom Teaching

Peer Evaluation of Classroom Teaching
 
The peer teaching evaluation is intended to be not just an evaluative process but also an
opportunity to receive constructive feedback to improve teaching effectiveness. Though
each program/School may have their own process for peer teaching evaluation, this form is
intended to provide a sample model for both a formative and summative evaluation.
Process:
I. Pre‐Visit Preparatory Meeting
The Peer evaluator and faculty member meet prior to the scheduled peer
evaluation in order to:
• Review course syllabus for course objectives, teaching, and assessment
methods.
• Discuss the types of learners in class.
• Discuss methods of instruction selected for class, and class format.
• Discuss how feedback is provided to students.
• Discuss areas of focus for the evaluation.
• Go over peer evaluation forms to be used during class observation.
• Other areas, as requested by the faculty member being evaluated.
II. Peer Evaluation Visit
A peer evaluation form should be completed as part of the class observation (a
sample one can be found at the end of this document). Upon completion of the
visit, the faculty member being evaluated should do a self‐appraisal that can be
used as part of a post evaluation meeting (a sample of a self‐appraisal is
provided at the end of this document).
III. Post Evaluation Meeting
The Peer evaluator and faculty member should meet following the class visit to
go over the peer evaluation and the self‐appraisal. Following the review and
discussion, a summary should be jointly developed by the peer evaluator and the
faculty member. This summary may include strategies for improvement as
appropriate.
1 Adapted from the peer evaluation of Classroom Teaching form at:
www.rocky.edu/pdf/faculty‐staff/observation/TempleForm.doc
Peer Teaching Evaluation Form:
Instructor: Class:
Observer: Date:
Number of Students in room:
1. Course Content
• Does the instructor demonstrate command of subject matter?
• Does content reflect current research/knowledge of discipline?
• Is the purpose of the session evident?
• Is the content consistent with the course syllabus?
Successful elements
Elements to refine
2. Teaching Methods
• Are transitions between ideas smooth?
• Are relevant examples given and used to clarify concepts?
• Is the presentation organized?
• Is the instructor enthusiastic about the subject?
• Is material adapted to student needs?
• Are supplemental materials/visual aids/technology used effectively?
• Does the instructor notice and adapt to student feedback accordingly?
• Given the type and size of class, are the methods selected appropriate?
• Is there an assessment tool/strategy integrated into the lesson?
Successful elements
Elements to refine
3. Learning Environment
• Is the classroom atmosphere participatory?
• Do students seem engaged with the topic?
• Does the instructor encourage questions and check‐in with students?
• Is the instructor attentive to cues of boredom or confusion?
• Was the session thought provoking and stimulating?
• Was the environment conducive to critical thinking and student‐centered learning?
• Is the instructor sensitive to issues of diversity and inclusiveness in order to
promote a safe learning environment for students?
Successful elements
Elements to refine
General Comments
Recommendations for Improvement
Classroom SelfAppraisal
Form
Instructor: Class:
Observer: Date:
Number of Students in room:
1. Course Content
• Did I demonstrate command of subject matter?
• Did my content reflect current research/knowledge of discipline?
• Was the purpose of my session evident?
• Was my content consistent with the course syllabus?
Successful elements
Elements to refine
2. Teaching Methods
• Were my transitions between ideas smooth?
• Did I give relevant examples and use them to clarify concepts?
• Was my presentation organized?
• Was I enthusiastic about the subject?
• Did I adapt material to student needs?
• Did I use supplemental materials/visual aids/technology effectively?
• Did I notice and adapt to student feedback accordingly?
• Given the type and size of class, were the methods I selected appropriate?
• Did I integrate an assessment tool/strategy into the lesson?
Successful elements
Elements to refine
3. Learning Environment
• Was my classroom atmosphere participatory?
• Did my students seem engaged with the topic?
• Did I encourage questions and check‐in with students?
• Was I attentive to cues of boredom or confusion?
• Did I provide a session that was thought provoking and stimulating?
• Did I provide an environment conducive to critical thinking and student‐centered
learning?
• Was I sensitive to issues of diversity and inclusiveness in order to promote a safe
learning environment for students?
Successful elements
Elements to refine
General Comments
Recommendations for Improvement
Summary of Peer Evaluation of Teaching
Post Evaluation Meeting Date:
Instructor: Class:
Observer: Date:
Number of Students in room:
Successful Elements
Content Mastery
Teaching Methods
Learning Environment
Elements to Refine
Content Mastery
Teaching Methods
Learning Environment
General Comments
Recommendations for Improvement
Signed by:
_______________________________________ ________________
Faculty Member Date
_______________________________________ ________________
Peer Evaluator Date

Language Classroom: ESL

Language Classroom: ESL

Level/L1: Intermediate to advanced level students with a variety of L1s

Age: Adults

Skills: Reading (Pre-Reading)

Purpose: To preview and expand on some possible vocabulary and concepts that might appear in the text.

Rationale: We chose this activity because of the importance of using prior knowledge in understanding a text and to encourage students to use semantic mapping in order to improve vocabulary and reading comprehension. By previewing some possible vocabulary related to the text the students will have an easier time reading and enjoying the text.

Time: 10 minutes

Preparation: Find an appropriate text and print a copy for each student. (15 minutes) (See Appendix A)

Procedures:

1. Explain to students that they will be reading a short story by Sherman Alexi, a Native American writer, about his experiences learning to read as a child.
2. The students have used semantic mapping, specifically word roses, previously in the class so there is no need to explain it.
3. Write the key concept word on the board and ask each student to make a word-rose with the word. (Ex: unemployment)
4. In pairs have students discuss their word roses. (3 minutes)
5. Make a word rose on the board with words from each pair of students. Call on each pair and have them contribute some of their words and possibly explain the connection to the key word. (5 minutes)
6. If any important words from the text are not mentioned, add them to the word-rose and give students a brief explanation of the word. (Ex: Goodwill, Salvation Army, powwow) (2 minutes)

Appendix A

Superman and Me

by Sherman Alexie
Los Angeles Times, April 19 1998

I learned to read with a Superman comic book. Simple enough, I suppose. I cannot recall which particular Superman comic book I read, nor can I remember which villain he fought in that issue. I cannot remember the plot, nor the means by which I obtained the comic book. What I can remember is this: I was 3 years old, a Spokane Indian boy living with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington state. We were poor by most standards, but one of my parents usually managed to find some minimum-wage job or another, which made us middle-class by reservation standards. I had a brother and three sisters. We lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear and government surplus food. My father, who is one of the few Indians who went to Catholic school on purpose, was an avid reader of westerns, spy thrillers, murder mysteries, gangster epics, basketball player biographies and anything else he could find. He bought his books by the pound at Dutch's Pawn Shop, Goodwill, Salvation Army and Value Village. When he had extra money, he bought new novels at supermarkets, convenience stores and hospital gift shops. Our house was filled with books. They were stacked in crazy piles in the bathroom, bedrooms and living room. In a fit of unemployment-inspired creative energy, my father built a set of bookshelves and soon filled them with a random assortment of books about the Kennedy assassination, Watergate, the Vietnam War and the entire 23-book series of the Apache westerns. My father loved books, and since I loved my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well.
I can remember picking up my father's books before I could read. The words themselves were mostly foreign, but I still remember the exact moment when I first understood, with a sudden clarity, the purpose of a paragraph. I didn't have the vocabulary to say "paragraph," but I realized that a paragraph was a fence that held words. The words inside a paragraph worked together for a common purpose. They had some specific reason for being inside the same fence. This knowledge delighted me. I began to think of everything in terms of paragraphs. Our reservation was a small paragraph within the United States. My family's house was a paragraph, distinct from the other paragraphs of the LeBrets to the north, the Fords to our south and the Tribal School to the west. Inside our house, each family member existed as a separate paragraph but still had genetics and common experiences to link us. Now, using this logic, I can see my changed family as an essay of seven paragraphs: mother, father, older brother, the deceased sister, my younger twin sisters and our adopted little brother. At the same time I was seeing the world in paragraphs, I also picked up that Superman comic book. Each panel, complete with picture, dialogue and narrative was a three-dimensional paragraph. In one panel, Superman breaks through a door. His suit is red, blue and yellow. The brown door shatters into many pieces. I look at the narrative above the picture. I cannot read the words, but I assume it tells me that "Superman is breaking down the door." Aloud, I pretend to read the words and say, "Superman is breaking down the door." Words, dialogue, also float out of Superman's mouth. Because he is breaking down the door, I assume he says, "I am breaking down the door." Once again, I pretend to read the words and say aloud, "I am breaking down the door" In this way, I learned to read.
This might be an interesting story all by itself. A little Indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advances quickly. He reads "Grapes of Wrath" in kindergarten when other children are struggling through "Dick and Jane." If he'd been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity. He grows into a man who often speaks of his childhood in the third-person, as if it will somehow dull the pain and make him sound more modest about his talents.

A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom but subverted them on the outside. They struggled with basic reading in school but could remember how to sing a few dozen powwow songs. They were monosyllabic in front of their non-Indian teachers but could tell complicated stories and jokes at the dinner table. They submissively ducked their heads when confronted by a non-Indian adult but would slug it out with the Indian bully who was 10 years older. As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians.

I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open. I read books at recess, then during lunch, and in the few minutes left after I had finished my classroom assignments. I read books in the car when my family traveled to powwows or basketball games. In shopping malls, I ran to the bookstores and read bits and pieces of as many books as I could. I read the books my father brought home from the pawnshops and secondhand. I read the books I borrowed from the library. I read the backs of cereal boxes. I read the newspaper. I read the bulletins posted on the walls of the school, the clinic, the tribal offices, the post office. I read junk mail. I read auto-repair manuals. I read magazines. I read anything that had words and paragraphs. I read with equal parts joy and desperation. I loved those books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life.

Despite all the books I read, I am still surprised I became a writer. I was going to be a pediatrician. These days, I write novels, short stories, and poems. I visit schools and teach creative writing to Indian kids. In all my years in the reservation school system, I was never taught how to write poetry, short stories or novels. I was certainly never taught that Indians wrote poetry, short stories and novels. Writing was something beyond Indians. I cannot recall a single time that a guest teacher visited the reservation. There must have been visiting teachers. Who were they? Where are they now? Do they exist? I visit the schools as often as possible. The Indian kids crowd the classroom. Many are writing their own poems, short stories and novels. They have read my books. They have read many other books. They look at me with bright eyes and arrogant wonder. They are trying to save their lives. Then there are the sullen and already defeated Indian kids who sit in the back rows and ignore me with theatrical precision. The pages of their notebooks are empty. They carry neither pencil nor pen. They stare out the window. They refuse and resist. "Books," I say to them. "Books," I say. I throw my weight against their locked doors. The door holds. I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our lives.