ELLs as Writers, Speakers and Leaders

When we give students a space to be role model for their peers, they feel the power of their voice. I started an ESOL student meeting for my students 3 years ago. The most powerful piece of this meeting is the student speeches. Each year, we ask two ELL students who exited from the program to speak to their peers. Thanks to technology, one of the students sent me her speech via gmail and we started a collaboration. I wish we worked on googledocs but there was a quick turn around for the speech time and she hadn't used it. (I can't schedule when my kids get sick so I missed school and then there were teacher work days. However, we worked through it.) This student has been in the US for 5 years and is graduating in June. She was so happy to write this and speak before 70 people. We recorded her speech and gave it to her on a CD. This is what writing for an audience is all about-it serves the writer even more! Here is her speech.

I came to Mt. View in 2006, with the goal to graduate faster. However, things were not as easy as I thought. I would like to share with all of you right now something that for a moment I thought was the correct thing to do. Last year I tried to quit school because I felt that nothing was going right in life. I was frustrated about the way I lived. I made the decision to stop coming to school and worked more to pay my bills, my rent and my car. At the time I thought that education wasn’t as important as money. Thank god there was one person, my sister who made me understood that once you quit from school it is very difficult to come back again. This person told me that what I wanted to give up was the most valuable thing that would make my future prosperous. Also she told me to remember that money goes like water but education stay with you forever. All of these words made me see that what I wanted to do was a terrible mistake that probably I would regret for the rest of my life. Now I owe a lot of thanks to my sister because she was the person who made me see how important education is. My advice based on my experience, is never give up. Education is the only door that conduce us to succeed in this country. That is the reason I am here, trying to pass through that door and become a professional person because I don’t want to be flipping or wrapping burgers all of my life. I want to succeed and I am 100% sure that I can do this and that everyone here can do this. We have to appreciate what we have. We all know that this is a great and an independent school that gives us the opportunity to be educated no matter how old we are. However, sometimes we take advantage of some privileges.
Many of us never take the chance to think how important is to attend at all of our classes every day. For each day that we skip from school we fall behind from every subject that we are taking plus it’s not the same borrowing notes from the classmates that been there actually hearing what the teacher said during the class period. We loose a lot of essential information that we will need if we have a project to do. Many times we have a lot of absences for things that are not in our hands but sometimes we just let ourselves to get influenced by others to just skip school. We should not let other persuade us in our decisions the best thing to do is to stop and consider the consequences that will eventually affect us in the future. Not finishing school or just skipping classes mean that you just don’t care about your education it also mean that didn’t have the courage to step up for yourself.
As you noticed members of Mt. View are our second family and for some students there are like the first one. Right here we feel that we are around of people who care about us, people who help us, no matter who you are or where do you came from. They always are there with their arms wide open waiting for us. We don’t have to be afraid to ask any questions or to talk about our lives because we know that we can trust them with our problems. No matter the reasons that you skip classes or think about dropping out of school, you have the teachers that are willing to help you with everything that is possible.
I think this great team is glad to listen to us, to help us to achieve our education, to make us better persons everyday and to obtain a better future. I’m glad that we have them as our teachers and I’m sure they are happy to have us as students. We might not be perfect but we try to be better everyday.

Tilting Thinking -Join the Technology Party

I've been working on Googledocs with my ELL's as part of NWP's Letters to the Next President project. These letters must be composed and collaborated on Googledocs. After the walk through and class playtime with Googledocs, my students thought they got the idea of sharing documents. I thought I got it too. We didn't. I realized we were relying on our previous frame of reference of what it means to write and share an email, send an attachment, craft a posting for a discussion board or blog, or even draft in a wiki. We needed to forget what we knew about writing with other technology tools.

I was stuck in "email attachment" mode for sharing documents. I didn't grasp the concept of one document is really one document until I sent the class one template thinking it would morph into mulitple single copies (reflective duh). Well each student renamed it and then I watched the storm of changes on the screen from the LCD projector. They were all renaming the same document instead of making their own versions. One person typed and then the next deleted. The actual demonstration of my misunderstanding made it click for me and my students. This was one document.(another reflective duh)

First, I learned not to skip steps in directions given from far more experienced Googledoc users. So much for trying to save time. Next, I needed to forget my prior experience and just go for a new ride. I was grasping for connections to understand how to collaborate on Googledocs so I didnt' get the point. My students just wanted to send emails so they sent new invites to collaborate with every draft they revised. I couldn't keep up.

Finally my students and I made the analogy that Googledocs is like a party. You invite others to your party and they come to your party and they leave the party but it continue to go on. We only invite someone once and they can always visit our party. If a colaborator (guest) is deleted, then the party is closed to them.

So far this is working. They like inviting others to their party and my inbox is under control.

Is Multitasking Muting Your Writer Inside?

I am in a struggle with my students over music. Yes, something as basic as music. I listen to NPR and stream community radio when I work on the computer. (Big sigh) I don't remember "music" being an issue with my Ell's before last spring. I have traced it to YouTube and other music outlets that play one song at a time so the listener is constantly clicking back in to hear a new selection. The video option is another distraction. They hear a song and peak back at the video. I don't even look at emailing or shopping going on. I finally put the kibosh on open use of music when it took one hour to type ten questions.

This is really about multitasking and how it makes us feel like we are being more productive because we are always moving. But is the work at hand getting done? There is a disconnect between daily dedicated writing and progress to move on to the next English class. So now my students and I are reflecting on learning and writing about how we personally prefer to learn. But what if your preferences aren't in your best interest? I prefer to drink coffee, listen to the news, stare out the window at my roses and be near a telephone when I write but does this help me produce my best writing?

Honestly, when I had to write entries for my national board certification, I turned off the radio, shut the door and the blinds, and read my writing again and again. Why did this help me even if I felt cut off from the world? I could hear my writing when I read it aloud.

So there is my reason for curbing music and distractions. Students need to read, whisper read, their writing to hear it's own rhythm and meaning. Theirs is the voice they should be listening to, at least most of the time.

Where is the love?

I was asking myself this after a class with my new ELL students. Now they are advanced level ELL students but not all are quite ready for prime time high school classes. We have only been together a week so maybe I was expecting too much. I thought the poster talk-gallery walk was the way to go to get them reading, writing and sharing as well as practice a paper model of a discussion board. My class last spring embraced the activity and really pushed each other to question their beliefs on the topic (slavery). The reading was challenging at the L+1 level but accessible.

Well today I was trying to get them thinking about the necessity of writing and technology for their futures. They really showed team work in the warm up. Two teams of three brainstormed 15 jobs for writers. They resourced with dictionaries, asked each other questions and went beyond saying, "an author". Two teams of three came up with 26 different jobs including: judge (verdict-many have been in court), police officer (tickets/reports), poet, senator (legislation), politician (speech), teacher (recommendations), counselor (letters), composer (music), weatherman, doctor, .... So that seemed to get them seeking vocabulary, spelling as well as polite feedback in groups. My list of jobs even had some of theirs. Okay, that felt rewarding.

Then to connect with the past I asked them to make a family tree of jobs going back to their great grandparents. I did it with them on large poster paper with markers to make it fun and get away from small, lined paper. This lost some. They had to think about the past and family they didn't know face to face. As I shared mine, they opened up. So now we had posters of family job trees and we highlighted jobs that required study beyond high school. They noticed most women 2 and 3 generations ago were homemakers. I told them of my grandparents who didn't go past the 8th grade but read thousands of books. (We can read without school!)

Okay my link goes weak with the next step. We needed more discussion on present to past jobs to then consider the future possibilities. My segway to the next activity was not strongly conveyed to young adults watching the clock after an hour of class with thirty minutes to go.

So the 7 poster quotes on technology were on the wall. I took them from Kelley Gallagher's book , Writing with Adolescents. I introduced the poster talk/gallery walk like I have in the past. Each person had their own color to write comments, opinions and responses. In looking back I see they missed the reading and interpreting part and got the walking part. They got silly and off topic. This was not productive for them but I learned the importance of full explanation and printing directions with new students.

I have done poster talk in the past as an interactive writing activity to prepare students for using the discussion board on Blackboard. It is a great bridge from sharing on paper to sharing electronically. I forgot that my students last year were immersed in reader response and it was second nature for them them to read and give an opinion and analysis. I jumped ahead too much and need to get to the reading part then the writing will really reflect their thinking. Maybe I will find the love tomorrow.

Slow down, listen and look-be

This is the week we all wish was really two weeks long without taking away from our summer vacation. When I was a new teacher, in Baltimore then Alexandria and then Fairfax, I wished I could just be left alone to get things done like putting bulletin boards up, labeling desks or rearranging furniture. I made to-do lists on legal pads but felt exasperated by reading it let alone doing it all. Well in my life as a teacher as well as a wife, mother and daughter, I have decided to rip up the to-do lists-take a deep breathe-slow down the pace and just BE. Like looking for sea glass on the beach.

I don’t’ have to “just do it” all to be effective. Teaching is not a race to build a student. We don’t “do teaching” we are teachers. Students will tell me what they need in ways that are not always obvious but if I pause, slow down to be a listener, watcher, reader, and writer; I will be a learner too. Establishing trust…this takes time but it starts with patient listening and a smile.

It is in the slower more deliberate moments that I really understand my students and what they need from me. They will wait until there is space to say what they need. I had a student last year who got a job at night driving a van for one of hotels near Dulles airport. I watched how he was in the mornings when he came in wearing a shirt and tie. Some teachers commented on how nice he looked but I noticed he was tired on these mornings in class. One of the mornings he came in early and I made him some coffee and let him get a laptop out early. I asked if he had slept. He said no, I was driving all night but I want to write my research wiki. I told him it was okay to take some more time and go get some sleep. He said he wanted to write. He was a writer in that moment. It wasn’t about doing the work; he liked being a writer. He perceived himself as a writer.

This summer, I saw my daughter’s perception of herself as a writer emerge; thanks to a teacher who gave her space and tools. My rising 3rd grade daughter attended a young writer’s camp sponsored by the Maine Writing Project at the College of the Atlantic this summer. I wish they had a middle-aged writer’s camp-if you find one let me know. It was held at a beautiful white cottage overlooking Frenchman’s Bay in Bar Harbor. She had a teacher; we called her Michele with one L. Until that week, Camille thought of writing as something to do, it was assigned, could be fun but it was just a task. She didn’t care what I tried to lure her in with-I was just Mom. She really didn’t write a lot in 2nd grade that she was bubbling over with enthusiasm about like she did in writer’s camp. Well that teacher, Michele one L, affected not only Camille’s ability to write but the emergence of her self-identity as a writer. Camille told me about her writer’s autobiography this way, “Well you know mom it’s not about whom I live with or if I have a dog and 2 cats but who I am as a writer. Well you know I like to write fiction, you know that don’t you? And of course book reports. I love writing about real stories I read like Amelia Earhart.” My daughter now perceives herself as a writer and I just don’t see how that light can be burned out. We have that power as teachers to help students become who they want to be.

If I want listeners in my room, I need to be a listener. If I want readers, I need to be a reader myself. If I want writers, I need to be a writer. If I want curious, excited learners, then I need to be a curious, excited learner. Many students come to alternative education because they didn’t’ encounter listeners, readers and writers in the larger educational settings-okay you know...base schools. When I taught in Baltimore, I caught on quickly that students chose who they will learn from. They will say in a variety of ways, I won’t learn from you. We have to be mindful of how easy it is to turn them off from learning. Being mindful and present with students is not just student centered; it’s human being centered.

We want better for the next generation; we as teachers embrace a basic love of humanity. But a love of humanity is not making excuses for behavior and misjudgments. Its not just saying I love my students. When they come to me with concerns about work, family, peers, drugs, immigration, housing, just being fed. I still have to respect their lives as well as their aspirations to learn. I can’t make their life an excuse for not being a learner. I could tell one destitute story after another about students and their circumstances but that all washes away into the distant past when they become self confident reader and writers. They are not their circumstance.

I hope you remember to pause, breathe and be with your students. Stop making to-lists and listen. Believe in yourself as a teacher and learner and so will your students.

Critical Reading of Wikis

At the beginning of making their wikis my students read some from other student at the site The Fischbowl which I mentioned in a previous post. Well they wrote their responses in a discussion board. I have copied some here. You can consider how the ELLs read the wiki and what they thought. The prompt or stimulus for the DB was: Wikified Research What questions would you ask the writers of these wikified research projects? Would you like to do this style of wiki?
What do you want to say about making your own wiki on Blackboard? Use our discussion board to comment and share with each other.

Now our DB is on Blackboard which my district calls "24-7 learning". I hear it's 24-7 homework assignments rather than interacting. But anyhow it's what we have. Unfortunately it is a closed community (I forget the more trendy tech term for this) so I am just cutting and pasting some of the student comments after reading the wikis from grade level 9th graders in Colorado.

All the students wrote an initial post with many responses to follow. I am showing just a few not the complete thread.

post A-I would like to ask the writers if they sure the wiki is reliable or not because they have the responsibility to make their audience get correct imformation. I like the wiki stuff very much, expecially that I can easily change it anytime. Also, this is my first time to do the Wiki project and I definitely have the confidence of mine. I don't know how do you guys feel about it, but I'm pretty enjoy this technology.
response-Me too. I enjoy very much working on blackboard because that is a way I can learn about the technology the students can use to work better in this country. In my country I did not even had a TV. So, I like so much working on the web.

post B-I read the both wikies, I think the second wiki is better than the first one because second person use some good examples and details. The first person didn't use any good example. I like the style of both wikies. I have never worked on an any wiki project , I am excited and i hope i will do a good job. I think wiki is a good way to learn and practice research.i think the second wiki's presauded me and i think visual plays a very important role.
response-I have never worked on wiki too, but i sure i will do fine and you too. Just try your best and i'm sure you will do your best. I liked this wiki porject because i think is fun. How about you? Do you liked this wiki project and do you think is easy or hard?
B-i am agree with you but i don't like the styles of both person and i am excited for my project too

post C-Nothing in this world is impossible.We are going more deeper and the technology also advance at the rush speed.I read both wikis and I think it was amazing and more educated.I have never work on wiki before.It help me on word and verb choice enbref in english.So,on other wiki the author try to explain the thought that most of the teenagers or people in general like.They prefered a good quality and expensif item,it does not matter when it is interresting at all.The author talk about an Ipop and the Mp3.Mp3 cost two times a price of the Ipop but still ,the quality are sollicited by population.Its how economic and technology work in the society.
response-Well, I agree with you about the technology but what about the leght do you think do we have to write the much for a WIKI.? I think they have to much paragraphs but tell me what do yo think?
C-I am so glad to read from you and I think ,we don't have to write as much but we have to give our opinion about what they did also discussing about about and give a full reason which prove that you really understand what wrote about.For example,you can talk about Ipop and Mp3,what is the differences between these?my dear try and let me know.

So what do you think? They read, responded and considered what thier wikis could be. In class discussion, hyperlinks were the big impact and were also in the discussion board.

Building a Wiki

Why a wiki? For my students, it's another genre of writing they can try and see how writing or publishing on the web is different from a print out. Their intent to inform, persuade or entertain with their writing can be the same but then it can grow. Looking back on our wiki project, I can see why it took so long from what I had planned.

This project really is the last part of 4 areas. I was inspired by Linda Christensen's work in Reading-Writing-and Rising Up and her presentation for the National Writing Project's ELL Network at UCLA last fall. My immigrant students didn't understand why the noose is a historical symbol of racial hatred in America. So I linked current events with history to make it relevant. First -What happened to the Jena 6? Why is the noose is a historical symbol of racial hatred. Do read about it happening today? Second-How did slavery come to America. Third-How did slavery spread in America. Then to our wiki project -How did slavery end in America?

In the final project, they chose their topic and looked for at least one print source and 3 online sources from our district's database. They also could check out Wikipedia to see how it was shown as a wiki but not as a source. They all knew the site so well, but not how to use online databases. Comparing the 3 types of sources was part of this first step into the project. They look different but do they act differently? (Note: for ELL's, printing an online article can be easier to analyze since they can highlight, make notes in margins and "code the text" easier. Kylene Beers has some great strategies to share. I have her book dogeared all over.)

Selecting and critically reading articles was a new skill but worthwhile. They were managing their learning and it was timely. Our school librarian was a big help in training on the database. I roamed and asked questions about the article and their topic, hoping they might internalize this questioning. I told them if they are talking to themselves, then they are on track. So before they even go to notetaking, gathering sources and reading critically was the skill we developed so that was where the time went in the beginning. They asked for more time and got it.

Speaking About Soul Teaching

http://picasaweb.google.com/georgemichelle.ohanian/AgnesMeyerSpeech/photo#5198018534966423298

I was asked to speak on behalf of teachers winning the Agnes Meyer award at the Washington Post on May 1, 2008. I've received requests to share the video, so here it is. If we clear away the labels put on our students and the subjects we teach, then what's left is people helping people grow and learn together.

Toying with Wiki's (or knock offs)

This is my retreat into reflecting upon what it means to teach soul to soul among the perceptions of those in and out of the ELL classroom. How do I perceive myself as a digital learner, or whatever the term is today at this nano second screaming by.

Since teaching in urban, near-urban, suburban areas with elementary, middle, high school and now alternative students, I ask myself what do I know? Writing isn’t enough, it’s where it goes. I used to hear that publishing was going public with writing for my students, but now the Internet is changing that. One of my ELL students froze-eyes-glazed-over-fingers-curled at the keyboard when she tried her first blog posting. How do they go from reading a draft for an audience of six student to sending it out there to faceless critics?

How do I help my Ell’s, with laptops open, asking me, “But Miss, my hyperlinks not working today but did yesterday. Why?” Then I hear, ” Miss, Miss, come here, I don’t get this.” And the defiance to the general concept of research let alone a wiki, “Miss, I’m not citing sources on my wiki, why do it, can’t I just cut and paste it all? It is faster.” What part of my professional education prepared me for how to use these digital toys with the aim of supporting my students’ second language (L2) acquisition?
Is it naive, daring or wasteful to say to my students, “Hey, lets make a wiki of our research and it will change as your ideas and learning change. How does that sound?” My students follow my lead. They nor I were award that other students were already doing this around the country. One day I tripped upon The Fischbowl and found a 100 wikified research pages. That was humbling. I was back in my preschool pottery class where all clay turned to ashtrays at my touch and the princess next to me was crafting knockoff Ming vases.

So my students are creating their wiki’s in Blackboard which is the equivalent of a clay ashtray. This in no way denigrates the dedication my ELL students have to learning about these wiki’s. I am amazed they are sticking with it despite the limited flash factor of Blackboard compared with the wikis they viewed on wikispaces.

Next year, I will take the advice of a National Writing Project Teacher Consultant from North Carolina who was showing blogging as a genre at the Rural Sites conference, “When it comes to trying out new technology ask for forgiveness instead of permission.”