Chapter 6-7 discussion
Chapter 6: Definitions & Overview
Chapter 7: Observing Language Classrooms
Since these two chapters are quite similar, and also since I read them the same night, I'd like to pick out just a few things to write about here (if that's okay...if not, you're stuck with what I'm typing!)
First of all, while reading chapter 6, I was reminded of something Dr. Stoynoff said during our first Advisor meeting...he said to take detailed notes while observing coworkers (he called them "field notes"), yet don't specifically quote them in your APP. Once you start quoting or referring to oberving teachers/students, you're moving more and more towards a thesis and conducting your own research. This is not something I want for my APP, and something he's advised me against, based on what we discussed and what I'd like to write about, so I agree with him. I was definitely making the observations/field notes into something more significant than they were supposed to be. Dr. Stoynoff said that these notes are extremely valuable, to me as a teacher and to me while in regards to writing chapter 3 of my APP, but just not for writing chapter 2...I should stick to research that's been conducted already. (Works for me!)
The second thing I'd like to discuss actually is a question I've had for a while, or at least whenever I've had to complete a "clinical/field experience" for a graduate class and/or as an undergraduate student: how much observation is okay before a student teacher or clinical observation student is "thrown to the wolves" with these students? The reason I ask this question is because, when I was student teaching as an undergraduate, I worked with two different high school teachers...polar opposites, actually. The English teacher I worked with eased me into the whole "teaching" part of my experience, giving me little bits of the lesson to teach until I was teaching the whole period. Of course, I first observed without teaching at all for the first week or so. The Spanish teacher I worked with, on the other hand, gave me one or two full days of observing without teaching, then left the room and basically said "good luck!" I wish there would've been more communication between the two teachers I worked with, because I ended up respecting the English teacher a lot more than the Spanish teacher, and got more out of that part of my student teaching as well. The question I posed is really for my own information, especially when I've got enough experience in a school district where I feel comfortable having a student teacher come into my classroom to observe me teach and to complete his/her own student teaching experience with me. Any comments and/or helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.
Chapter 7: Observing Language Classrooms
Since these two chapters are quite similar, and also since I read them the same night, I'd like to pick out just a few things to write about here (if that's okay...if not, you're stuck with what I'm typing!)
First of all, while reading chapter 6, I was reminded of something Dr. Stoynoff said during our first Advisor meeting...he said to take detailed notes while observing coworkers (he called them "field notes"), yet don't specifically quote them in your APP. Once you start quoting or referring to oberving teachers/students, you're moving more and more towards a thesis and conducting your own research. This is not something I want for my APP, and something he's advised me against, based on what we discussed and what I'd like to write about, so I agree with him. I was definitely making the observations/field notes into something more significant than they were supposed to be. Dr. Stoynoff said that these notes are extremely valuable, to me as a teacher and to me while in regards to writing chapter 3 of my APP, but just not for writing chapter 2...I should stick to research that's been conducted already. (Works for me!)
The second thing I'd like to discuss actually is a question I've had for a while, or at least whenever I've had to complete a "clinical/field experience" for a graduate class and/or as an undergraduate student: how much observation is okay before a student teacher or clinical observation student is "thrown to the wolves" with these students? The reason I ask this question is because, when I was student teaching as an undergraduate, I worked with two different high school teachers...polar opposites, actually. The English teacher I worked with eased me into the whole "teaching" part of my experience, giving me little bits of the lesson to teach until I was teaching the whole period. Of course, I first observed without teaching at all for the first week or so. The Spanish teacher I worked with, on the other hand, gave me one or two full days of observing without teaching, then left the room and basically said "good luck!" I wish there would've been more communication between the two teachers I worked with, because I ended up respecting the English teacher a lot more than the Spanish teacher, and got more out of that part of my student teaching as well. The question I posed is really for my own information, especially when I've got enough experience in a school district where I feel comfortable having a student teacher come into my classroom to observe me teach and to complete his/her own student teaching experience with me. Any comments and/or helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.
posted by Tanya Loewen at 5:30 PM
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