Running Header: TLE2 Bell

TLE 2 Surveillance
Toni Bell
EDUC 540A: Practicum in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Languages
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
Dr. Janis Margolis
March 10, 2015

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

Classroom Setting and Background

Teacher: Toni Bell
Host Teacher: Mindy Warick
Lesson Title: Technology and Surveillance
Topic: Past modals, compare actions to consequences
Learner Level: Intermediate Level 5 ESL Learners
Age: 20-25
Location: Kings College Language School in Hollywood, California.
Number of Students: 10
Countries represented: Japan, South Korea, France, and Turkey.
Date: 2/26/2015
Duration: 1 hour
Pre-Planning Conference
I met with my host teacher the week before the lesson and the day before to see if there
were in changes to the established lesson plan.. During the week students were taught about past
modals. Although, the host teacher frequently uses handouts to supplement the units, she actually
doubled her use of handouts for this particular week. During the pre-planning conference, she
stated that in this particular instance, she found the text particularly lacking. As a result, she
always taught the lesson with supplementary materials. However, for the segment of the unit I
was teaching, she did not suggest any the use of handouts or other supplementary materials.
The host teacher and I went over the page in the text, which would be the focus of the
lesson for the day. It was a single page with only one vocabulary word: surveillance. I opted to
include a quick review of the vocabulary words and phrases from the previous day to encourage

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

the students to use the words as part of their discussion and many were included in the discussion
questions: consequences, criticize, discipline, disruptive, get away with, get into trouble, punish,
regulation, respectful and restriction. Students were to presented with three scenarios involving
CCTV cameras, airport security and internet usage. The following discussion prompts in the
texts were based on the there scenarios:

How do these different methods help us? How might they be an invasion privacy?
Which one do you think is the most disruptive to our everyday life?
What restrictions should be put on these different surveillance methods?
Are you sympathetic to people who get into trouble in any of these situations? Why ore

why not?
What should the punishment be if you get caught doing something illegal in each of these
situations?
The primary focus for this segment of the unit was speaking. I opted to include two

additional components; a segment from the film Enemy of the State and personal story about my
experience with red light cameras.. I remember in prior classroom discussions some of students
mentioning they were fans of Will Smith. Although the film was older, I felt it was relevant to
the discussion and a cautionary tale as to what can happened when surveillance falls into the
wrong hands. I opted to include the above because I knew some of the students come from
countries that have more surveillance than the United States.
Theoretical Background
Students engaged in a variety of activities that will facilitate learning that are based in
developmental, cognitive, and sociocultural theory. Developmental theory posits that observing
how students handle moral and ethical dilemmas through discussion an interaction can assess
learning. Students should also be able to explain their reasoning. Cognitive theory suggest that
students should be able to think about material in active and strategic ways. Sociocultural

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

theory posits that learners are motivated when seeking and providing assistance, or initiating
self-repair. However, negotiation of meaning can be demotivating if there is a breakdown in
communication.
Learning Outcomes/Objectives
Students have been learning new vocabulary words related to surveillance and past modals. The
students have been exposed to the vocabulary most of the week. However, the primary focus of
the week has been on the use of past modals. Students will be able to demonstrate the following:

past modals to consider possibilities.

express disbelief and regret, and make logical conclusions.
compare actions to their consequences; recognize hardship and express sympathy.
Compare surveillance in the U.S. with that in their home country.
Examine the conflict between personal freedom and police powers.
Materials Required

White board, markers and erasers

World Class, Expanding English Fluency, Book 1, Unit 8
Lap Top
Excerpts from film Enemy of the State
Instructional Procedure
Introduction

Explain surveillance & Big Brother

Ask students about their experiences with surveillance in their own countries.
o Closed Circuit Cameras
o Airports
o Online
Show excerpts from the film Enemy of the State & and TV show Big Brother

Lesson

Have the students discuss the differences between the two excerpts.

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

Group Work Teacher will remind the students of the vocabulary words on pg. 86
(consequences, criticize, discipline, disruptive, get away with, get into trouble, punish,
regulation, respectful, restriction),
o Divide the students into groups of two or three to discuss the prompts.
o Students will write down two or three conclusions and then present them to the
class as a group.
Informal and formative assessment
The informal assessment was primarily done through teacher observation of group

discussions. I promoted discussion by providing prompts and then monitored the group
discussions. I answered questions, provided open-ended responses to promote critical thinking
and encouraged the use of vocabulary of the week as well as the use of past modals. The
summative assessment occurred the following Monday in the form a written exam that focused
on vocabulary and grammar
Several macro and microskills of speaking were informally assessed. Macroskills
assessed included the accomplishment of, communicative functions according to situations,
participants and goals, (Brown & Abeywickrama, p. 186). Microskills informally assessed
include the production of, fluent speech at different rates of delivery, (p. 186) and the use of,
cohesive devices in spoken discourse, (p. 186). The lesson was specifically designed to
assess intensive and responsive speaking.
Extension Activities
Extension activities included a joint exercise with another Level 5 class. Students
watched an episode of Mr. Bean. Students then created past modal sentences using the video as
a reference. Students were then divided into groups of five to create their own Mr. Bean
inspired skits. Students performed the skit. After each skit, students were given five to ten

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

minutes to write down past modal sentences base don the skits, and then shared a few of these
examples with the class. The teacher provided informal assessment during the writing portion of
the activity.
Differentiation
Some of the discussion questions presented during the group work activity were more
complex than others. I will work with each group one-on-one to assist these students with
difficult vocabulary words and themes. The teacher will ensure students will be paired with
individuals with different language communities and abilities..
Analysis
There were several strengths to the lesson, which can be demonstrated through various
learning theories. The students were motivated and engaged in the discussion within their groups.
Because of lowered affective filter, students were able to freely discuss the topic open and
honestly. They also brought in perspectives from their home countries. They were actively using
past modals and with and without prompting utilized the vocabulary from the previous day. Their
discussion allowed for informal assessment rooted in developmental theory. The students without
realizing it were discussing the moral and ethical implications of surveillance.
The students also demonstrative several learning strategies based in cognitive theory.
The students demonstrated co-operation by working with one another to gather information and
come to a consensus. They also asked questions of me for clarification and at times asked for
more specific examples When the class came back together, students demonstrated the skill of
summarizing by consolidating what they had had heard (Mitchell & Myles, p. 106).
There were several weaknesses to the lesson, which were rooted, in sociocultural
explanations of negotiation of meaning. Sociocultural theory posits that appropriate scaffolding,

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

recruits interest in the task, simplifies the task, and controls function during problem
solving, (p. 197). Because my time was cut in half, I had to decide quickly what elements to
leave out of the lesson. I opted to play the segment from Enemy of the State and briefly discuss
the TV show Big Brother rather than take the time to show a clip. I assumed that students were
familiar with the show because I know there are several international versions.
I also could have modeled the discussion activity more effectively, particularly for the
one group that had that had the more difficult discussion question. I could have gone more into
depth with the topics of discussion: CCTV, airport security and internet. Because this portion of
the lesson wasnt properly scaffolded, there was confusion for these students and they had
trouble negotiating for meaning. I did spend extra time with this group in attempt to compensate.
I also noticed that I use the word so as a transitional word quiet often.
My peers offered several suggestions to deal with possible time constraints and time
management issues. In the future, I will create a more detailed lesson plan divided into objectives
and sub-objectives. Having objectives and sub-objectives would better enable me to decide if
certain sections of a lesson plan can be adjusted accordingly. For example, if I discovered during
the classroom discussion that students were effectively using the vocabulary and past modals
without prompting, then I could go on to another portion of the lesson plan.
Teaching this lesson was highly enjoyable. It was wonderful to see how the students
divided into the discussion of such a complex issue. Spending time with the individual groups
allowed me to get know particular student strengths and weaknesses. The speaking exercise also
allowed me the opportunity to witness the consolidation of procedural and declarative
knowledge.

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

8
References

Brown, D. & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language Assessment - Principles and

Classroom Practice. (2nd edition). Pearson Longman, NY.
Douglas, N. & Morgan, J. (2013). World Class 1: Expanding English Fluency. National
Geographic Learning & Cengage Learning. Boston, MA
Mitchell, R. & Myles, F. (2004). Second Language Learning Theories. (2nd edition). Hodder
Headline Group, London, UK,

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

APPENDIX A TEXT EXCEPTS
See attachments

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

APPENDIX B TRANSCRIPT
See attachment

10

Running Header: TLE2 Bell

APPENDIX C Host Teacher Feedback Form

See attachment

11