Reflection Week 6

To determine the level of difficulty for my lessons, I reflect on the type of information I
presenting. For instance, will there be abstract concepts with intangible vocabulary or will we be
using Tier 2 or Tier 1 vocabulary? How many Tier 3 vocabulary words will I be introducing and
how do they interact with each other? Lessons with high level concepts are already, in some
sense difficult, so the tasks in which I have the students interact with the words should, at first,
be comfortable and simplistic. Then, as we become more familiar with the terms, we can start to
cultivate applications that are more difficult and nuanced in the context of the subject area and
outside the subject area. I tend to build my lessons at the beginning of the unit by focusing on
literal and inferential questions and concepts, maybe sprinkling in some critical thinking by
having students apply what they are learning to themselves and their community. Then, as the
ideas develop, I introduce other academic materials (multiple sources) and we evaluate the
concepts in different situations and from different perspectives. Comparing and contrasting two
texts or ideas with the same vocabulary and concepts is a more difficult critical thinking skill for
middle school and elementary students to develop. This information comes from both research
about the acquisition of vocabulary and concept (or as Shane Templeton says in Vocabulary
Their Way Vocabulary knowledge is essentially content area knowledge), as well the unique
backgrounds and previous concepts that the students bring to the classroom. Its always smart to
start off a new unit or lesson by asking kids to demonstrate what they already know (as well as
refer back to the standards from their previous year to see what they should already know as an
entry point into the new materials). For instance, when I taught 5th graders about Photosynthesis,
I decided to introduce the topic through an engagement with solar panels and the transfer of
energy (a 4th grade standard) which the students proved to know very well. Students sometimes
break the mold for your expectationsfor the better and worseand I always plan an extremely
hard task as well as a simplified version of the task to meet the needs of the students at various
checkpoints throughout the lesson. An example would be if Im asking students to define the
word region based on their own experiences with the word and they all for the most part generate
a textbook definition, I discover that my lesson is too easy (half of it is introducing the varied
region classifications!) I can pull from my extra materials and move straight into the How to
apply this word part of my unit.
 Free Response
I am learning that I really do care about the diversity present in my classrooms, that it
accurately represents the student body and their diverse identities and backgrounds. In Thailand,
at the international schools and in the general society, English is used as a social currency that
separate the wealthy Thais from the poor Thais, the smart students from the dumb students
and the English only policy at the school is not only upheld by the staff but the students as well. I
hear students approach each other to speak in their native language, only to be turned away by
their peer as they say If you cant speak English then dont talk to me. I really feel that the
policy has only helped the students who already speak English well and have left the struggling
language learners without a community to talk with. I see many of my students with little
proficiency in English sitting alone at lunch every day and I cant help but wonder if they were
allowed to communicate in their primary language if this would help them better assimilate into
the school environment and make friends. In my classes, I dont break up the groups of students
who sit together because they are the same ethnic or language background. I encourage them to
take notes or speak in their small groups in whatever way best supports their learning. However,
if we mix up the groups for other activitiesprobably with less emphasis on vocabulary and new
conceptsthey communicate in English across cultures.
I have also noticed that resources and material are hard to come by in Thailand and that
stationary is not globally standardized. There are no College Rule notebooks and three ring
binders here! Students write in tiny journals that look more like diaries and have two ring binders
with sleeves for paperwork instead of hole punching everythingbecause the hole punches dont
have the measurement tabs at the end to make sure you are puncturing the paper at the same
place every time. I am slowly learning to navigate what to expect from studentsand their
contributions to the class resources and what I need to find in Tesco or private mom and pop
shops that line the city streets. Slowly but surely I will find the items for my lesson plans to make
them even more engaging and interactive. For now, I have been modifying my typical activities.
Thailand just got Amazon last year. I am hesitant to navigate the mail system here, but am going
to do a trial run of that website soon too!