Entry #8

     The multi-cultural classroom video we watched in class had many effective elements to it.  I think back to our reading of Chapter 5 with non-linguistic representation.  Hill talks about the importance of this for ELL students for mental and sensory images with new academic language. She also talked about how much more they will know if they "do".  That is what I saw students doing in this video.  Even with simple directions the teacher had students using hand actions or gestures to reiterate what was being said.  She used realia in her explanations posting it to a web organizer with labels to reinforce vocabulary along with adjectives.  Her goal here she stated was to stop them from using the word "thing".  She kept the students active which promoted engagement.  Classrooms that work gave us some examples of that included graphics to help deepend vocabulary building and comprehension for our ELL students.  She took that a step farther by taping realia to the organizer she was using in her classroom.  You could see how the students were going to take the language she was teaching them for their science experiment, and use it while working on the activity.  The students were allowed plenty of opportunities to talk through group work and whole class.  She took opportunities with teachable moments through vocabulary and oral direction activities like making spinners.  Something the students were doing in her class anyway.   Hill also refers to the importance of building background knowledge so students are able to connect their learning to their experiences.
     The teacher in this video gave many opportunities for students to connect their learning to what they already know.  She also had them share how that connection was linked...to themselves, their world, or other books or movies.  Throughout the entire video students wanted to share, were working cooperatively, and were kinesthetically involved.  She allowed students to share in their primary language ( I was impressed that she could speak their language.)  Although she seemed to talk really fast, the students seemed to understand her and the expectations given.  It was clear her classroom was a trusting environment with high expectations for her students.  It was evident from what we saw she made sure to include sheltered lesson components: objectives, (both language and content)  she did talk about this in her explanation. She was prepared with materials needed, asked higher level questions along with providing higher level activities, linked activities to prior learning and background knowledge, scaffolded language and learning, provided numerous opportunities for interaction amongst students and teacher, integrated hands on activities so students were "doing", sequenced her lessons appropriately, and reviewed what they had learned; assessing along the way.  It was a motivating video to watch.