I am wondering if I need another element in my study since not many are using the essay option. ADDED DOC ANALYSIS BACK ON 11/19/10 since I got so many good hand-outs from Ann.
What I could really use is a focus group of teachers and/or learners. Perhaps with learners with a bilingual co-facilitator/co-researcher would be good. Like Jimena.
Questions to ask would be the same as in the interviews.
It has been bothering me throughout the whole study that I am not a Spanish speaker myself.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Fri. 10/8/10, WR with Celina
Field note
I came home and made a copy of Celina's signed consent form. I will mail it to her this week since she does not use email. On Sat. 10/30/10, I received her return-to-sender consent form in my mailbox. I will resend it one more time, this time not including the P.O. Box #.
I met Celina in class this week (See below) in the WR English Cafe class on Tues. morning. She came for the first time to class with her intellectually disabled 22 year old daughter. I found out in speaking with her after class, that her daughter only knows English since she was born in NY, as was her son (who is serving overseas in Japan with the Army Reserves). There is something very proud and intelligent about Celina, and also a sadness about her. The best is that she is still married to an employed husband. There is only one car in the family and since the husband drives it to work at the airport everyday, she sometimes has to use a bus to get to places, and to class. She described her husband as protective of her and her daughter, but fortunately, he does allow them to take the bus to get to the library's English classes (Is this in some way an example of machismo? I did meet the husband on the day of my member checking interview with Celina on 10/29/10. He was actually friendly towards me and commented to Celina in Spanish that I did not speak Spanish. His own English was seemed satisfactory.)
I met with Celina, age 61, today. She is from Cali, Colombia and is a U.S. Citizen (2006) living in NYC for 19 years and in Plantation, FL for 6 years. I met her on her first visit to Trina's Tuesday English Cafe class on 10/5/10. She never finished high school in Colombia (see below), and still has no GED.
During the Adult Screening questions, I asked about her marital status. She is married to a Colombian American who has U.S. Citizenship & works for the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport. He trained in Colombia as an engineer and has the equivalent of a university degree. I learned in our member checking on 10/29/10 interview that he works for the same boss as he had in New York at the Westchester County Airport. He has a very good relationship with his boss, mainly b/c he is very flexible and never turns down a shift change or last minute call to come into work. Celina describes his work as a fueler, i.e., he puts fuel into various tanks of the plane while they are on the landing field.
As we began the interview using the Adult Screening instrument, we were talking about her reason for not completing more than a year of high school in Colombia. She did not initially tell me why she did not finish high school, so I decided to probe this.
After breaking into tears, she told me that her parents both had died 6 months apart from each other of natural causes. They were in their 50s and 60s, leaving herself, 4 sisters and 3 brothers orphaned. She was in the first year of high school at that time, and so she was sent to live with a family in NY (who was this family?), and never has completed her GED. Since this time, she has lost 1 brother and 2 sisters as well.
What motivates you to participate in the English Cafe?
Celina spoke about the need she has to understand the doctors whom her 22 year old daughter must see. Up in NY, the doctors were bilingual, but not here in Plantation, FL, she says.
She has also always had jobs in NY, to her good fortune, i.e., she is actually "handicapped" having neither a diploma from her native Colombia nor from the U.S. Her first job in the U.S. was at a substance abuse rehab hospital as a patient care assistant with no formal training, only on-the-job training, when her son entered kindergarten. She helped patients to take their medication and brought them their meals for 6 years. Then her patient died. She got a job next in a hotel in the laundry and worked for 5-6 more years until she became pregnant with her daughter. Her husband insisted that she take time off for 6 months after her birth, since she was disabled and was in need of much medical attention and evaluation as an infant and young child. Her next employment was with a Saudi Arabian family who employed her three days a week as a live-in, and allowed Celina the flexibility she needed to schedule time off to take care of her daughter. She worked about six years for them until they moved to their home in Lebanon.
Then she moved with her family to Plantation, FL 6 years ago. This is b/c her husband got a transfer from the airport company he works for.
How has the English Cafe helped you learn what you wanted to learn [helped you to feel successful]? Celina had trouble with the wording of this question as have others. From now on, I will use the wording above in brackets.
What parts of the English Cafe do you like?
The speaking opportunities in class. Celina explained that she really benefits from the paired partner practice specifically using dialogue (e.g., like she did yesterday in class with reference to ordering food from an Italian restaurant) with guided practice help from the teacher.
She specifically mentioned the good explanations that her teacher provides in a slowly paced English speaking voice. When Celina did not understand one thing, she was careful to graciously repeat it for her.
She said that she liked sitting at the table (I did lead this question).
What parts of the English Cafe would you change?
"It's good."
What supports you to learn?
The way the teacher explains things about the holidays, i.e., Halloween. How the teacher individually helps students during dialogue partner practice.
Her son, who has a successful military career, is living at home these past two years and is employed with the local Army Reserve Office. He has served as a U.S. Marine for seven years and has been to Korea, CA, Iraq, VA, NY, Australia, and Germany. He helps with some of the family's bills and he is very supportive of Celina's efforts to learn English. She said that he even commented positively at how she is coming to meet with me and speaks to me in English only. He also only speaks to her in English.
Her daugher knows some Spanish words, but speaks mostly all in English with her. After all, both of her children were born in the U.S. and have graduated from Amercican high schools.
She told me that she practices about 4 days a week with Jennifer on her written English vocabulary. This helps Celina to learn English too. Consequently, is apparent to me that the ideal situation would be for both Celina and Jennifer to enroll in a family literacy program together. Unfortunately, Jennifer is no longer a student in Broward Schools so they cannot enroll in the Broward County Schools' family literacy programs.
What obstacles get in the way?
-Transportation--has no car, so she must take the bus.
-Childcare--her daughter has to come with her.
-Her husband and she speak only in Spanish.
-She does not work among any English speaking people.
-Her daughter's age of 22 is now making the task of finding social and educational support services difficult. Celina has signed Jennifer up (back in 2008 at the time J. graduated high school) on waiting lists with 5-6 agencies including a language center; but so far, no one has called her.
What improvements would she want to see?
-Add more conversational practice with the other women in pairs.
-Add more morning classes.
What can the library do to motivate more people in your age group to attend?
n/a
Follow-up Questions:
How is her husband's English? I met him on 10/29/10 when he came to pick her up. He was friendly and came across as very hardworking.
Who did she go to live with in NY when she first came to the US? She said that she was 13 at the time and went to live with her 30 year old family friend after her parents died. The two of them then lived together on their own with no other family support.
What is her husband's job at the airport? He is a fueler of the planes while they are landed for service.
How many years did she work for the very wealthy Saudi American family? About six years until they moved to their other home in Lebanon. She explained at our second interview that the family had five vehicles and a very lavish lifestyle.
Why did she and her family move to S FL six years ago? Her husband got a job transfer through his company.
During the 10/29/10 member checking interview, Celina was there before I arrived. She had taken the bus to get there. She let me know that we had one hour b/c she must leave in order to vote downstairs (early voting). Her husband would be picking her up at 11:30. I was so flattered by her punctuality and her fearless attitude. Despite her limited English, she came to meet with me. This says a lot to me. I was also glad to learn more in this interview about some of the support she has at home through her 32 year son. He encourages her to watch only English TV (see Elida and Jimena).
I came home and made a copy of Celina's signed consent form. I will mail it to her this week since she does not use email. On Sat. 10/30/10, I received her return-to-sender consent form in my mailbox. I will resend it one more time, this time not including the P.O. Box #.
I met Celina in class this week (See below) in the WR English Cafe class on Tues. morning. She came for the first time to class with her intellectually disabled 22 year old daughter. I found out in speaking with her after class, that her daughter only knows English since she was born in NY, as was her son (who is serving overseas in Japan with the Army Reserves). There is something very proud and intelligent about Celina, and also a sadness about her. The best is that she is still married to an employed husband. There is only one car in the family and since the husband drives it to work at the airport everyday, she sometimes has to use a bus to get to places, and to class. She described her husband as protective of her and her daughter, but fortunately, he does allow them to take the bus to get to the library's English classes (Is this in some way an example of machismo? I did meet the husband on the day of my member checking interview with Celina on 10/29/10. He was actually friendly towards me and commented to Celina in Spanish that I did not speak Spanish. His own English was seemed satisfactory.)
I met with Celina, age 61, today. She is from Cali, Colombia and is a U.S. Citizen (2006) living in NYC for 19 years and in Plantation, FL for 6 years. I met her on her first visit to Trina's Tuesday English Cafe class on 10/5/10. She never finished high school in Colombia (see below), and still has no GED.
During the Adult Screening questions, I asked about her marital status. She is married to a Colombian American who has U.S. Citizenship & works for the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport. He trained in Colombia as an engineer and has the equivalent of a university degree. I learned in our member checking on 10/29/10 interview that he works for the same boss as he had in New York at the Westchester County Airport. He has a very good relationship with his boss, mainly b/c he is very flexible and never turns down a shift change or last minute call to come into work. Celina describes his work as a fueler, i.e., he puts fuel into various tanks of the plane while they are on the landing field.
As we began the interview using the Adult Screening instrument, we were talking about her reason for not completing more than a year of high school in Colombia. She did not initially tell me why she did not finish high school, so I decided to probe this.
After breaking into tears, she told me that her parents both had died 6 months apart from each other of natural causes. They were in their 50s and 60s, leaving herself, 4 sisters and 3 brothers orphaned. She was in the first year of high school at that time, and so she was sent to live with a family in NY (who was this family?), and never has completed her GED. Since this time, she has lost 1 brother and 2 sisters as well.
What motivates you to participate in the English Cafe?
Celina spoke about the need she has to understand the doctors whom her 22 year old daughter must see. Up in NY, the doctors were bilingual, but not here in Plantation, FL, she says.
She has also always had jobs in NY, to her good fortune, i.e., she is actually "handicapped" having neither a diploma from her native Colombia nor from the U.S. Her first job in the U.S. was at a substance abuse rehab hospital as a patient care assistant with no formal training, only on-the-job training, when her son entered kindergarten. She helped patients to take their medication and brought them their meals for 6 years. Then her patient died. She got a job next in a hotel in the laundry and worked for 5-6 more years until she became pregnant with her daughter. Her husband insisted that she take time off for 6 months after her birth, since she was disabled and was in need of much medical attention and evaluation as an infant and young child. Her next employment was with a Saudi Arabian family who employed her three days a week as a live-in, and allowed Celina the flexibility she needed to schedule time off to take care of her daughter. She worked about six years for them until they moved to their home in Lebanon.
Then she moved with her family to Plantation, FL 6 years ago. This is b/c her husband got a transfer from the airport company he works for.
How has the English Cafe helped you learn what you wanted to learn [helped you to feel successful]? Celina had trouble with the wording of this question as have others. From now on, I will use the wording above in brackets.
What parts of the English Cafe do you like?
The speaking opportunities in class. Celina explained that she really benefits from the paired partner practice specifically using dialogue (e.g., like she did yesterday in class with reference to ordering food from an Italian restaurant) with guided practice help from the teacher.
She specifically mentioned the good explanations that her teacher provides in a slowly paced English speaking voice. When Celina did not understand one thing, she was careful to graciously repeat it for her.
She said that she liked sitting at the table (I did lead this question).
What parts of the English Cafe would you change?
"It's good."
What supports you to learn?
The way the teacher explains things about the holidays, i.e., Halloween. How the teacher individually helps students during dialogue partner practice.
Her son, who has a successful military career, is living at home these past two years and is employed with the local Army Reserve Office. He has served as a U.S. Marine for seven years and has been to Korea, CA, Iraq, VA, NY, Australia, and Germany. He helps with some of the family's bills and he is very supportive of Celina's efforts to learn English. She said that he even commented positively at how she is coming to meet with me and speaks to me in English only. He also only speaks to her in English.
Her daugher knows some Spanish words, but speaks mostly all in English with her. After all, both of her children were born in the U.S. and have graduated from Amercican high schools.
She told me that she practices about 4 days a week with Jennifer on her written English vocabulary. This helps Celina to learn English too. Consequently, is apparent to me that the ideal situation would be for both Celina and Jennifer to enroll in a family literacy program together. Unfortunately, Jennifer is no longer a student in Broward Schools so they cannot enroll in the Broward County Schools' family literacy programs.
What obstacles get in the way?
-Transportation--has no car, so she must take the bus.
-Childcare--her daughter has to come with her.
-Her husband and she speak only in Spanish.
-She does not work among any English speaking people.
-Her daughter's age of 22 is now making the task of finding social and educational support services difficult. Celina has signed Jennifer up (back in 2008 at the time J. graduated high school) on waiting lists with 5-6 agencies including a language center; but so far, no one has called her.
What improvements would she want to see?
-Add more conversational practice with the other women in pairs.
-Add more morning classes.
What can the library do to motivate more people in your age group to attend?
n/a
Conclusion:
I gave Celina three 3 essays in Spanish to take home and mail back to me (has no email address). She will decide whether to mail them back to me, or bring them with her to our meeting in three weeks for member checking. At the member checking interview on 10/29/10, she said she did not have time to look at the essays (yet I saw that she still had them in her purse).
Follow-up Questions:
How is her husband's English? I met him on 10/29/10 when he came to pick her up. He was friendly and came across as very hardworking.
Who did she go to live with in NY when she first came to the US? She said that she was 13 at the time and went to live with her 30 year old family friend after her parents died. The two of them then lived together on their own with no other family support.
What is her husband's job at the airport? He is a fueler of the planes while they are landed for service.
How many years did she work for the very wealthy Saudi American family? About six years until they moved to their other home in Lebanon. She explained at our second interview that the family had five vehicles and a very lavish lifestyle.
Why did she and her family move to S FL six years ago? Her husband got a job transfer through his company.
During the 10/29/10 member checking interview, Celina was there before I arrived. She had taken the bus to get there. She let me know that we had one hour b/c she must leave in order to vote downstairs (early voting). Her husband would be picking her up at 11:30. I was so flattered by her punctuality and her fearless attitude. Despite her limited English, she came to meet with me. This says a lot to me. I was also glad to learn more in this interview about some of the support she has at home through her 32 year son. He encourages her to watch only English TV (see Elida and Jimena).
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thurs. 10/7/10 Random Notes re: Procedures Section, etc.
-Made changes to Procedures section in diss. tonight (collapsed three interviews to one interview with one more meeting for member checking and follow up with the intent of building trust).
-Changed six to eight teachers.
-Changed letters to the Literacy Contacts and Lit. Coordinator (# of interviews, # of teachers).
-Started Mimose's transcription.
-Emailed and heard from Suzi re: her trip to see Lisa on 10/20. Also, she will be co-teaching with Sandy on Sat. 10/23.
-Will see if Mimose mails me back any essays. Same with Aida. So far, Aida has not replied to my email about when she graduated from Gold Coast.
In my Ch. 4 Findings, I need to note about the conflict older learners have gone through with their grandchildren, i.e., their negative attitudes towards their difficulty with English. This is a finding of Weinstein-Shr's (1995) about sociocultural factors that support older learners' language acquisition. One is the attitudes of professionals, a second is the responses of employers, and the third is families and communities. Fourth is the beliefs and assumptions of elders themselves. See Nancy and Myra's interviews.
Literacy for older age cohorts is enhanced when 1.) educators feel they have much to learn as well as teach; b.) they have actual job opportunities to advance, 3.) have a chance to break out of their isolation (see Aida's and Graciela's interviews), and 4.) they can spend time with peers engaged in learning (Aida, Graciela).
-Changed six to eight teachers.
-Changed letters to the Literacy Contacts and Lit. Coordinator (# of interviews, # of teachers).
-Started Mimose's transcription.
-Emailed and heard from Suzi re: her trip to see Lisa on 10/20. Also, she will be co-teaching with Sandy on Sat. 10/23.
-Will see if Mimose mails me back any essays. Same with Aida. So far, Aida has not replied to my email about when she graduated from Gold Coast.
In my Ch. 4 Findings, I need to note about the conflict older learners have gone through with their grandchildren, i.e., their negative attitudes towards their difficulty with English. This is a finding of Weinstein-Shr's (1995) about sociocultural factors that support older learners' language acquisition. One is the attitudes of professionals, a second is the responses of employers, and the third is families and communities. Fourth is the beliefs and assumptions of elders themselves. See Nancy and Myra's interviews.
Literacy for older age cohorts is enhanced when 1.) educators feel they have much to learn as well as teach; b.) they have actual job opportunities to advance, 3.) have a chance to break out of their isolation (see Aida's and Graciela's interviews), and 4.) they can spend time with peers engaged in learning (Aida, Graciela).
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Wed. 10/6/10 WR Harriet/Guy's Observation
Tonight at WR, I met Harriet, a middle-aged teacher (50's, 60s) and co-teacher/Literacy Contact, Guy. There were eight l earners tonight, four men (Romuald, David, Silvio and Ernesto) and four women. Overall, the group was more talkative (less restrained) as compared to yesterday's noonday class of 16. Perhaps it is because of the "personalities" of the learners (see Janine/Jeannette's interview) or just b/c the class size was small enough to make for a workable "English Cafe" class (see Lisa and Janine's observations).
The composition of the class is: 3 Colombian (1 age 78; Ernesto, age 64), 1 Guatemalan (age 51, Lourdes), 1 Pole, 2 Brazilians (1 age 60, Elida), and 1 Indian woman (age 78). I will interview Elida and Ernesto and his wife. Elida and I will meet at her house on Sun. 10/24 at 4 pm. Ernesto and his wife (who normally comes
and this is his first class) will meet with me on Fri. 10/15 at 4:30 pm.
The lesson was very well-received by the class. They all agreed that they really NEEDED this lesson on "ed" endings, PLUS Guy had a handy worksheet with the actual rules on it--I have never seen a sheet quite as good as this one. At first, Harriet had the students try and identify the proper ending based on the rule sheet on their own (I might suggest a paired approach so students can collaborate ini English for their answers, later reported in the group). The students themselves expressed to her that this approach was not as good for them. So they asked Harriet to read the words aloud (for the proper pronunciation) and then they would write down the /t/, /id/, or /d/ sound. Guy also did a great supporting co-teaching job of describing how each rule works. Finally, students could tell why they arrived at their answers. In this class I noticed he was much more involved in the teaching of the lesson than he was with Trina. The worksheet came from the website, englishforeveryone.org
There was a great conversation at one point in the class about English word origins: moonshine, monkeyshines, cowboys, rednecks, hillbillies (cowboys and rednecks were discussed in a previous class, and Guy added hillbillies). Elida then asked about "white trash" and what it means. A pretty lengthy explanation ensued stemming mostly from Harriet but also guy as to its meaning. It was a very good example of the "give and take" aspect mentioned first by Myra (NOR teacher). This discussion made for a great way to teach American culture!
While describing "moonshine," I mentioned "till" as the word we use to describe the container in which it is fermented. The word, I later found out, is whisky "still." I believe this is what Guy called it in class.
The other cultural part of the class was the explanation from Guy about Ebonics (from the words 'ebony' and 'phonics.' A question from Elida asked about the vernacular of African Americans and why they speak English so differently than non-African Americans. It was pointed out that AAE (African American English) is a dialect. Ruth, another student, asked about Haitian Americans and how she has a tough time understanding them at work. Elida said that their native Creole "sounds like a drum beating." Harriet added how she feels about Southern dialects--that the sound of their dialects is "uneducated." This conversation tied into the question about "white trash, " and the negative social connotations.
There was a brief discussion about hand gestures and their meaning, i.e., how talking over the phone is difficult b/c for many ELLs b/c they cannot see the facial expressions and hand gestures that go along with our communications. But Ruth brought up how Skyping with a web camera (as can thenew video phones) can change that! She and I had a side conversation about the wonders of technology. Guy then said that he has considered setting a phone up in the back of the room and having a practice session with students in class.
I found Harriet's pace very good (as was Trina's), and she provided plenty of oral pronounciation practice once the learners told her how they wanted her to proceed.
I think it would help if the teachers encouraged those with the same first languages to sit next to one another, or at least encourage that & facilitate that for the (older) learners who may be coming for the first time (see Myra's interview). I thought is was great that Shaila sat right next to Harriet--I wonder how long Shaila has been coming to class...
Harriet's own age is conducive to learning for the older learners (see Myra). I found her to have empathy for them and therefore, she allowed for questions for clarification from the students and she repeated key points for them.
I found her style to be most like Lisa's and also a little like Myra's though she hasn't got the same length of relationship that Myra has (hasn't taught as long?).
The interaction and "give and take" in the class revealed that teacher and learners were very clearly collaborating together to build meaning (constructivism). Principles of andragogy were in play such as respecting the adult learners' own experience as a springboard for learning. Also the style of instruction was clearly nonformal and relaxed-- where mistakes are not only accepted, but also expected.
The feeling of a "support group" for learning was apparent too. I heard students expressing their fears and challenges, e.g. Ruth when she talked about her work as a nutritionist where she has co-workers whose English is difficult to understand, e.g. Haitian Americans. Elida too who said that she had a tough time understanding the English of African Americans and later, 1:1, she told me that it is not easy finding people who are willing to be patient with her and talk with her. her onw husband is American but lived in Brazil for 20 years. So his English is not too good; therefore, they speak Protuguese all the time. Elida does work f.t from 9-5, M-F, but I am not sure for how long she has worked there yet & what languages she is practicing.
Suggestions:
-Try some paired practice and small group collaborative work.
-Try some music with lyrics for students to decipher.
-Encourage students to talk about their fears and challenges in class, first as a way to relieve stress but also as a way to bond and begin to see them as "opportunities" (as Harriet would prefer me to call them).
The composition of the class is: 3 Colombian (1 age 78; Ernesto, age 64), 1 Guatemalan (age 51, Lourdes), 1 Pole, 2 Brazilians (1 age 60, Elida), and 1 Indian woman (age 78). I will interview Elida and Ernesto and his wife. Elida and I will meet at her house on Sun. 10/24 at 4 pm. Ernesto and his wife (who normally comes
and this is his first class) will meet with me on Fri. 10/15 at 4:30 pm.
The lesson was very well-received by the class. They all agreed that they really NEEDED this lesson on "ed" endings, PLUS Guy had a handy worksheet with the actual rules on it--I have never seen a sheet quite as good as this one. At first, Harriet had the students try and identify the proper ending based on the rule sheet on their own (I might suggest a paired approach so students can collaborate ini English for their answers, later reported in the group). The students themselves expressed to her that this approach was not as good for them. So they asked Harriet to read the words aloud (for the proper pronunciation) and then they would write down the /t/, /id/, or /d/ sound. Guy also did a great supporting co-teaching job of describing how each rule works. Finally, students could tell why they arrived at their answers. In this class I noticed he was much more involved in the teaching of the lesson than he was with Trina. The worksheet came from the website, englishforeveryone.org
There was a great conversation at one point in the class about English word origins: moonshine, monkeyshines, cowboys, rednecks, hillbillies (cowboys and rednecks were discussed in a previous class, and Guy added hillbillies). Elida then asked about "white trash" and what it means. A pretty lengthy explanation ensued stemming mostly from Harriet but also guy as to its meaning. It was a very good example of the "give and take" aspect mentioned first by Myra (NOR teacher). This discussion made for a great way to teach American culture!
While describing "moonshine," I mentioned "till" as the word we use to describe the container in which it is fermented. The word, I later found out, is whisky "still." I believe this is what Guy called it in class.
The other cultural part of the class was the explanation from Guy about Ebonics (from the words 'ebony' and 'phonics.' A question from Elida asked about the vernacular of African Americans and why they speak English so differently than non-African Americans. It was pointed out that AAE (African American English) is a dialect. Ruth, another student, asked about Haitian Americans and how she has a tough time understanding them at work. Elida said that their native Creole "sounds like a drum beating." Harriet added how she feels about Southern dialects--that the sound of their dialects is "uneducated." This conversation tied into the question about "white trash, " and the negative social connotations.
There was a brief discussion about hand gestures and their meaning, i.e., how talking over the phone is difficult b/c for many ELLs b/c they cannot see the facial expressions and hand gestures that go along with our communications. But Ruth brought up how Skyping with a web camera (as can thenew video phones) can change that! She and I had a side conversation about the wonders of technology. Guy then said that he has considered setting a phone up in the back of the room and having a practice session with students in class.
I found Harriet's pace very good (as was Trina's), and she provided plenty of oral pronounciation practice once the learners told her how they wanted her to proceed.
I think it would help if the teachers encouraged those with the same first languages to sit next to one another, or at least encourage that & facilitate that for the (older) learners who may be coming for the first time (see Myra's interview). I thought is was great that Shaila sat right next to Harriet--I wonder how long Shaila has been coming to class...
Harriet's own age is conducive to learning for the older learners (see Myra). I found her to have empathy for them and therefore, she allowed for questions for clarification from the students and she repeated key points for them.
I found her style to be most like Lisa's and also a little like Myra's though she hasn't got the same length of relationship that Myra has (hasn't taught as long?).
The interaction and "give and take" in the class revealed that teacher and learners were very clearly collaborating together to build meaning (constructivism). Principles of andragogy were in play such as respecting the adult learners' own experience as a springboard for learning. Also the style of instruction was clearly nonformal and relaxed-- where mistakes are not only accepted, but also expected.
The feeling of a "support group" for learning was apparent too. I heard students expressing their fears and challenges, e.g. Ruth when she talked about her work as a nutritionist where she has co-workers whose English is difficult to understand, e.g. Haitian Americans. Elida too who said that she had a tough time understanding the English of African Americans and later, 1:1, she told me that it is not easy finding people who are willing to be patient with her and talk with her. her onw husband is American but lived in Brazil for 20 years. So his English is not too good; therefore, they speak Protuguese all the time. Elida does work f.t from 9-5, M-F, but I am not sure for how long she has worked there yet & what languages she is practicing.
Suggestions:
-Try some paired practice and small group collaborative work.
-Try some music with lyrics for students to decipher.
-Encourage students to talk about their fears and challenges in class, first as a way to relieve stress but also as a way to bond and begin to see them as "opportunities" (as Harriet would prefer me to call them).
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tues. 10/5/10, WR English Cafe w/Trina
I observed Trina and Guy in their 12:00 - 1:30 pm class. There were 16 learners and 2 of them were men, the rest women. The atmosphere was one of familiarity with one another, and most of the students seemed to be frequent or at least "repeat customers."
I found one qualified learner participant, and she is a Colombian and 61 (Celina R.) She brought her handicapped daughter with her, Jennifer, who is a graduate of a school in Plantation. Celina told me that Jennifer is quite musically talented and plays several instruments. Jennifer was bron in the U.S. and raised mostly in NY where the family is from. Not sure yet how long they have lived in South Florida. Celina also has a son who is in the military overseas right now.
I will interview Celina at 10 am on Friday and then Trina at 1 pm.
In observing Trina, I found her to have a nice way of addressing the class. She had a nice slow rate of speech and seemed to function well in the "whole class" format. I was hoping to see more paired learning time and oral language practice. Maybe b/c I was there, the students clammed up and didn't have a longer time with Trina at the start of class in "open conversation." It was Laura who made a comment at the start of class about how it felt very quiet in the room--like "assessment time." She could have been referring to the the assessment Trina said she was going to do with them on learning styles.
I found one qualified learner participant, and she is a Colombian and 61 (Celina R.) She brought her handicapped daughter with her, Jennifer, who is a graduate of a school in Plantation. Celina told me that Jennifer is quite musically talented and plays several instruments. Jennifer was bron in the U.S. and raised mostly in NY where the family is from. Not sure yet how long they have lived in South Florida. Celina also has a son who is in the military overseas right now.
I will interview Celina at 10 am on Friday and then Trina at 1 pm.
In observing Trina, I found her to have a nice way of addressing the class. She had a nice slow rate of speech and seemed to function well in the "whole class" format. I was hoping to see more paired learning time and oral language practice. Maybe b/c I was there, the students clammed up and didn't have a longer time with Trina at the start of class in "open conversation." It was Laura who made a comment at the start of class about how it felt very quiet in the room--like "assessment time." She could have been referring to the the assessment Trina said she was going to do with them on learning styles.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Sun. 10/3/10 Re: Adult Consent Form (not available in H. Creole)
Upon reelection, perhaps I should work to get the Adult Consent form translated into Haitian creole, or even French (since Mimose does not read Creole but she does read French).
Ideally, I would do this but there are time constraints to this study that don't allow me to. It can be cited as a recommendation, however.
Ideally, I would do this but there are time constraints to this study that don't allow me to. It can be cited as a recommendation, however.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Fri. 10/1/10 My Interview w/Mimose
Mimose called me at 12:39, about 20 minutes before our interview. She was actually there before me! I was 5 minutes late (after 1 pm). She left me a very clear message in English telling me that she was waiting for me in the sitting area near the Reference Desk.
From 1:00 to 1:30, I conducted the Adult Learner Background Screening interview. My actual interview with her lasted one hour, from 1:30 to 2:30. She is willing to meet with me one more time so that I can go over her transcript with her. In fact, she doesn't use email (although she's taken the class at PE) but could if I insisted--she has a brother who is willing to have me email her using his address. I gave her a stamped, addressed envelope along with the essay questions in case she wants to mail any additions or changes to me.
She was very careful with reading the consent form. She took her time in order to understand it, and asked me a question about the meaning of the word, risk. She then asked me what my motivation is for doing this involved study. She seemed to want to check to be sure that I was not trying to poorly evaluate Nancy, her teacher. She was very complimentary of Nancy (it is clear that they have become good friends and that there is a lot of respect beteween them).
She said that she would like a copy of her consent form.
She has lived in USA for 7 years in Miami and Miramar. She was formerly a teacher in a normal school (where teachers are trained) in Haiti. She taught French, Math and Science. A year ago, she trained for 3 months to become a HHA/CNA. She began studying English at the Walter C. Young Middle School afer her second year of living in this country.
She attends school now full-time four nights a week at WCY and two mornings a week at the library. She lost her f/t job taking care of an elderly man when he died (sometime last year, but I need to check on this). I ask her to compare the formal WCY classes with the library's nonformal classes and she says that the library classes have more spoken English practice, i.e., more "give and take" a Myra terms it.
_________________________________________________________
I came home and wrote up my fieldnote. I also finished coding Nancy's transcript. I am glad I did most of it BEFORE seeing Mimose because she was able to confirm a good number of things that Nancy had told me about in her interview. One was that Mimose also mentioned the "magazine picture game" as a good one that helps her with her spoken English. She talked a lot about the 'beginning of class teaching technique' that Nancy uses, where students ask her specific questions pertaining to word pronunciation, word meanings and vocabulary, e.g. Mimose has been known to bring in cooking utensils from her kitchen, asking for the proper words for them.
Like Aida, she knows that people understand her English when she speaks and she understands what people say to her as long as they do not speak too fast. She wants to develop her fluency.
She says too that other students ask questions but not as many as her. She tries to allow others to ask their questions first, or even to hold back and not ask all of her questions in one class.
She had no "improvements" to add about the class.
One the best parts of the interview was that she suggested that we offer a class (or a series of classes) on how to communicate with doctors and other health care professionals. In her work as a HHA/CNA, she often accompanies her patients on visits to the hospital and to the doctor. She realizes that understanding what the doctor tells the patient concerning their follow-up care is vitally important. Having worked for 25 years in Haiti at a normal school teaching French, Math and Science, Mimose has a lot of experience communicating. Clearly, she values the ability to communicate in the language of her home country is very important. The rest of her family lives in either Chicago, Montreal or the DR, and they all speak the dominant languages of their respective countries too.
From 1:00 to 1:30, I conducted the Adult Learner Background Screening interview. My actual interview with her lasted one hour, from 1:30 to 2:30. She is willing to meet with me one more time so that I can go over her transcript with her. In fact, she doesn't use email (although she's taken the class at PE) but could if I insisted--she has a brother who is willing to have me email her using his address. I gave her a stamped, addressed envelope along with the essay questions in case she wants to mail any additions or changes to me.
She was very careful with reading the consent form. She took her time in order to understand it, and asked me a question about the meaning of the word, risk. She then asked me what my motivation is for doing this involved study. She seemed to want to check to be sure that I was not trying to poorly evaluate Nancy, her teacher. She was very complimentary of Nancy (it is clear that they have become good friends and that there is a lot of respect beteween them).
She said that she would like a copy of her consent form.
She has lived in USA for 7 years in Miami and Miramar. She was formerly a teacher in a normal school (where teachers are trained) in Haiti. She taught French, Math and Science. A year ago, she trained for 3 months to become a HHA/CNA. She began studying English at the Walter C. Young Middle School afer her second year of living in this country.
She attends school now full-time four nights a week at WCY and two mornings a week at the library. She lost her f/t job taking care of an elderly man when he died (sometime last year, but I need to check on this). I ask her to compare the formal WCY classes with the library's nonformal classes and she says that the library classes have more spoken English practice, i.e., more "give and take" a Myra terms it.
_________________________________________________________
I came home and wrote up my fieldnote. I also finished coding Nancy's transcript. I am glad I did most of it BEFORE seeing Mimose because she was able to confirm a good number of things that Nancy had told me about in her interview. One was that Mimose also mentioned the "magazine picture game" as a good one that helps her with her spoken English. She talked a lot about the 'beginning of class teaching technique' that Nancy uses, where students ask her specific questions pertaining to word pronunciation, word meanings and vocabulary, e.g. Mimose has been known to bring in cooking utensils from her kitchen, asking for the proper words for them.
Like Aida, she knows that people understand her English when she speaks and she understands what people say to her as long as they do not speak too fast. She wants to develop her fluency.
She says too that other students ask questions but not as many as her. She tries to allow others to ask their questions first, or even to hold back and not ask all of her questions in one class.
She had no "improvements" to add about the class.
One the best parts of the interview was that she suggested that we offer a class (or a series of classes) on how to communicate with doctors and other health care professionals. In her work as a HHA/CNA, she often accompanies her patients on visits to the hospital and to the doctor. She realizes that understanding what the doctor tells the patient concerning their follow-up care is vitally important. Having worked for 25 years in Haiti at a normal school teaching French, Math and Science, Mimose has a lot of experience communicating. Clearly, she values the ability to communicate in the language of her home country is very important. The rest of her family lives in either Chicago, Montreal or the DR, and they all speak the dominant languages of their respective countries too.
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