TE+802+09-26-08

= TE 802 - September 26, 2008 =

Preparing for Class

 * Contribute to the discussion board
 * Post your unit plan on ANGEL (this applies to most of you)
 * Have you been taking notes on your FL teach lurking?
 * Read the agenda below and sign up for a learning center.
 * Register for MiWLA (oh wait! you've already done this, right?!)
 * If you're on swap shop, be sure to post the link to your materials

Post agenda items below:
1. Assessing the way we are teaching (What if our mentor teaches one way and tests in another way, and isn't very open to the idea that the focus class or whichever classes we take would get different tests/different homework/different practice material than the other classes?) user:L2teach I second this! user:ZirollerCoaster I third this! user:Doren

2. I created a website with all of our information on it pertaining to last week's discussions/learning centers. Find it here: Education in the 21st Century user:litwins5

AGENDA
__**Are you in tune with your mentor's teaching philosophy and worldview?**__ There are 3 major zones for difference: //Analogy: Carrying buckets vs. piping system// //Carry buckets for your first guided lead teach!//
 * Philosophy (Style)
 * Management styles, grammar teaching, TPRS, etc.
 * Guided Lead Teach - NOT the time for a philosophical battle - show that you can do what the mentor does and do it well
 * Be open and respect the fact that it's the mentor's classroom
 * Effectiveness
 * Differences in perceived effectiveness between mentor and intern (TL teaching, etc.)
 * "I'm the intern, you're the mentor" - Sometimes, you might need to make note to self and live with it
 * Integrity (Right/Wrong)
 * Degrading language (students, colleagues, administration, etc.), embezzlement, appropriateness (drugs, etc.)
 * Retain your //personal integrity//

12:40 - 1:00 - Warm-up and Business

 * How's the FL teach assignment coming?
 * Unit plans?
 * Would you want your mentor (or your mentor's friend) to read your discussion board posts? Remember: They could and likely will.
 * Erich's assessment question
 * Our photos on care2.com

1:00 - 1:30 - Swap Shop
Please post your materials on the appropriate wiki page and add the link next to your name.
 * Sarah - http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com/Tener idioms
 * Laura - http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com/Music_activities
 * Alison - http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com/Assessment

1:30 - 2:30 - Learning Centers
Choose a group where you will spend the first 30 minutes. Then, you'll mix up and share what you learned with a new group. In the end, everyone will have access to the information. Please sign up for your preferred group. (No more than 5 people per group. The policy and cell phone groups should be made up of people who were in those respective groups last week.)

A. Avoiding potholes: Transitions
__Group Members__ 1. Katie H. 2.Caitlin 3. Linda 4.Heather 5.
 * How can you organize your instruction and your students so that the class period flows from one activity to the next?
 * Discuss
 * What have you found helps make smooth transitions?
 * What are the challenges of transitions?
 * Read this post from FL teach (by Cherice Montgomery) and identify five ideas you want to share with the rest of the class.
 * http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9710&L=FLTEACH&P=R31735&I=-3
 * Post
 * Your ideas (including, but not limited to what you selected from the FL teach message) here

B. Managing the Paper Load
__Group Members__ 1.Julia 2. Erich! 3. Melissa 4. Laura 5. Chelsea


 * To grade or not to grade? How can we maintain a sense of accountability along with a sane paper load?
 * Discuss
 * What have you (or other teachers) done to make grading more efficient and effective?
 * What challenges have you encountered (or expect to encounter) in this area?
 * Read this document and identify five ideas you want to share with the rest of the class.
 * [[file:Paper Load.doc]]
 * Post
 * Your ideas (including, but not limited to what you read) here

C. Purposes, Policies, and Politics of FL Teaching
__Group Members (Members of this group ought to come from last week's participants.)__ 1. Sarah 2.Mara 3. Lauren 4. Chelsea 5. Alexandria
 * What purposes for FL teaching and learning are currently being advocated? How would you articulate an appropriate purpose(s) for FL teaching and learning in the 21st century?
 * Review the main points from the resources you perused last week
 * In addition, here's a recent article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-rush-holt/why-foreign-language-educ_b_127588.html
 * Identify all the purposes you can think of that have been expressed as rationales for FL teaching. Write them down here.
 * Discuss which purposes you think are the most compelling for 21st century FL teaching. Why? Who are the people most likely to be persuaded by these purposes? Who are the people most likely to be skeptical? Write down your ideas on the same wiki page.

D. Cell Phones in the FL Classroom
__Group Members (Members of this group ought to come from last week's participants.)__ 1. Aubrey 2. Amy 3. Lindsay 4.Jessica 5. Alison


 * How can cell phones be used productively to support FL learning? What are the challenges to incorporating cell phones?
 * Any thoughts since last week? Did you receive any replies to your email inquiries?
 * Discuss your thinking on the issue at this point. Where do you want to go from here?
 * Write a document explaining your thinking on this topic. Post it here

E. Becoming Leaders in the Field of FL Teaching
__Group Members__ 1. Kerry :) 2. Jade 3. Lisa 4. Lizzie 5. Katie L.
 * How can we help shape the future of FL teaching and collaborate with other teachers and professional leaders? What "product" could we develop from our thinking about 21st century FL teaching? How can we make our ideas public? The following are a few ideas. What else can you think of?
 * Meet with the MiWLA board
 * Meet with the FL people at the Michigan state office of education
 * Post a video on youtube
 * Start a thread on FL teach
 * Design a workshop
 * Prepare an article to submit to "International Teaching and Learning Consortium" http://itlconsortium.com/about.htm
 * http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4889 - ACTFL has a new radio blog. Should we see if we could present there?
 * Organize collaboration with other Wiki users (especially our "sister schools" in Utah and Alaska) http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com/message/view/TE+802+09-26-08/5589606

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2:30- 2:40 - Break

 * Be sure to pick up your graded work from the table.

2:40 - 3:30 - Issue Presentation

 * Katie H.
 * Lisa

Housekeeping

 * No class the next two weeks. Enjoy your full five-day weeks at your placement!
 * Keep following FL Teach.
 * During your GLT, take notes on your lesson plans about what worked and what didn't and other ideas/inspirations/questions/concerns. You'll be writing a reflection of your experience in your first lead teaching and you'll need something to say. :)
 * Unit plans -- I've started assigning feedback pairs -- most of you who have already submitted unit plans have been assigned. I'll keep watching the ANGEL dropbox. It might be helpful to ask your partner what he/she would like feedback on. Be as specific as possible in your feedback. "This looks great!" is nice to hear, but not that useful. When we come back together, we'll discuss how to improve the process of unit plan sharing. I can already tell that we'll need to improve the process -- but for now, let's do the best we can.
 * Continue weekly posting on the discussion board even though we don't have class. Use the discussion boards here http://languagelinks2006.wikispaces.com/TE+802-08+GLT+1 I'll probably join in the conversation more than I usually do for these two weeks.
 * Although we won't have class, I'll still be available via email should you have questions or concerns. Also, this is a good time to bond with your field instructor. :)