esl ::: emily's so luscious

Practicum, Day Six

Tonight only three students showed up for class, so it's a good thing no one came to observe me. I met Pedro, the assistant, and he is going to fit in nicely, I think. He doesn't seem to overuse Spanish - answers questions about English, and helps with instructions. That, I can handle. Kay brought another laptop, so now we have four laptops and a desktop, which is enough to split the class into two groups (when we have a full class, that is). Genia has been doing that already, working with beginners on computer and low-intermediates out of the book, and then switching after the break. I like the idea of having two groups, based on level, but the computer/book combo isn't communicative. I'm willing to use it, b/c the students have said they like using the book (I'll find out more when I do my needs assessment), and I can see that some of them enjoy the computer. Starting in March, I want to try a cyclical pattern with my class, since it seems to be working for Aaron. I'm thinking something like:

• 6:00-7:00 - Individual book or computer work (some students come early to catch up or review)
• 7:00-7:25 - Beginners on computer, low-intermediates on book
• 7:30-7:55 - Whole class communicative activity (with movement)
• 7:55-8:05 - Break
  
• 8:05-8:30 - Low-intermediates on computer, beginners on book
• 8:35-9:00 - Whole class communicative activity (with conversation)

Genia and I winged (should that be "wang"?) tonight's class, since the lesson I'd planned depended on a full class. Lee and Carmen were there early, and Genia had them started on the computer before I got there. I had just started playing with the Heinle Picture Dictionary CD-Rom when Luis came in, sometime around 7:30. It's a good program! It's not fancy like Rosetta Stone, but it will actually do more, aside from the pronunciation demo. It's divided by topic, like the print dictionary, and once you choose a topic, you can "explore" a picture which includes common vocabulary related to that topic - you click a little circle next to a dude wearing a hat, and a little picture of the hat pops up at the bottom of the screen, along with the word "hat", and a little speaker icon, which you can click to play the pronunciation demo. After you've played with that for a while, you can go up to the top and pick a tab - activities, reading, spelling, etc. I checked out the activities, which include flashcards, wordsearches, matching, and I can't remember what else. Carmen loved the wordsearches. I set her up with that, and stayed with her to help with pronunciation and explanations when needed. Genia worked one-on-one with Lee, and Pedro with Luis. It was a bit ridiculous to have three teachers for three students, but at least they got plenty of attention.
I've been thinking a lot about needs assessment, and what kind of questions I want to ask for this class in particular. I need to know if they want more or less bookwork, and if they want it, do they like the way it is or do they need something different. I need to assess their level individually, b/c I don't think Genia has identified them accurately. Do they want to work on the computer, or is it a waste of time? For those who don't want computer, would they like to work ahead in the book, or do I need to make additional worksheets for them - would they like to use flashcards? ... Do these things go in a needs assessment?
We're approaching a time of transition, when Genia leaves. It seems to be a perfect opportunity for me to reassess and implement changes.

posted by E.M @ 9:38 PM