Blog #4 Ethnographic Narrative

Overall Impressions of the Observation:
I felt I was able to really center in on one students learning process during this observation. I, like all teachers, have my mind on several things at once most of the day. To just focus on one student for a period of time is very enlightening. I could begin to see this student's learning styles and interactions with learning come out.

What I Leaned as a Result of the Fieldwork:
Through my observation and interview with this student, I gained valuable information about his personal and educational background. I choose this student because he looked very disinterested in the lesson the teacher was teaching when I came into the room. Through observation and an interview I came to see that he is interested in learning and considers himself a good student. He appeared very shy at first, and in fact was very shy at the beginning of the interview, but really came out of his shyness as the class did individual work and several students turned to him for help. He is a leader in the class and really likes to help his classmates. I also observed him transferring between his native language and English with relative ease.

Value of Case Study Research and Analysis in Terms of Classroom Practice:
There is great value in research and analysis during a case study. One value is you can get to know a student on a personal level. Students personal lives have an impact on their school lives. Getting to know a student on a personal level can shed light on their academic achievement. Another value is the ability to understand the students personality better and give them learning opportunities based of their strengths. The student I observed and interviewed would probably be more engaged in a lesson if he knew he would be partly responsible for helping other students learn the material. I would have him be a team manager or recorder in a group project.

Value of Ethnographic Narrative:

As with research and analysis, writing an ethnographic narrative is valuable for the personal and background information it gives a teacher. Knowing and understanding a students personal life is valuable for helping a student reach their full potential. Knowing where a student has come from can help a teacher guide that student to where they want to go. A ethnographic narrative can also shed light on behavior problems as well as academic problems. I was wondering why the student I was interviewing was still a level 1 ELL student after three years in the U.S. I then found out information during the interview about his educational history that gave valuable information as to why he has not progressed faster. I also now know about some of the things he is interested in and could incorporate that into his learning.

Assist Future Teachers:
The information I gathered on this student will assist future teachers by letting them know about his personality and interest from the beginning. Some teachers would assume he is just very talkative and possibly rude for speaking while doing an assignment. They would understand that he is not rude or disrespectful, but is interested in helping other students with less English abilities than himself. They would also be able to know his family dynamics and educational background from the start. I was also able to share some pertinent information I leaned about this student with his teacher this year that will hopefully help him and his family eliminate some stress they may be under.

MTSU Honor Statement:

This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.

Sirci Stinson

10-27-10

Blog # 3 Action Research

Thoughts about action research:
I had never heard of action research before the class I am taking now. The mental picture that pops into my head when research is mentioned is not pretty. I associate research with a long, cumbersome journey into academia that would most benefit those wanting to write and publish a book. I did not associate research as something I could do in my classroom to better my student's experiences and my teaching ability. That was before I learned about action research. I now have a tool that can help me solve problems that I identify with my teaching or in my classroom and therefore maximize my efficiency. One of the great things about action research is it can be as complex or as simple as desired, according to the depth of the problem and the depth of the information the person is looking to attain. Action research can also uncover other questions as research is being done. This can lead to other ways to think about the original problem or shed light on new problems that may need to be addressed.

Ideas from my research:
I have found through my research that student-teacher ratios are important to students as well as teachers. The consensus is that around twenty students is a good student to teacher ratio, but this is not always achievable. Through my research, especially the student interviews I did, I now have better ideas of how to deal with classes that are too big or too small. I now have a sample representation of what students are looking for in a class to enhance their participation. I can adjust my teaching and classroom set up to accommodate their needs when I do not have the ideal classroom ratio. There were also a couple of questions and ideas raised by my research that have given me more to think about. One issue that was raised is the grouping of students in ELL classes. This could have more bearing on their level of success than student to teacher ratio would.

Suggestions to other teachers:
Through my action research I have realized that students are looking for a relaxed atmosphere with enough students in the classroom with them to make themselves feel less conspicuous. If a teacher has a small class I would suggest some teambuilding activities, because there will need to be a very trusting atmosphere for some students to really open up and participate. A class that is very large, on the other hand, needs to be somewhat broken apart so students can have peer support, but they can also have a sense of small community learning.

MTSU Honor Statement:

This assignment/assessment was solely written by me. In no way have I plagiarized (represented the work of another as my own) or otherwise violated the copyright laws and academic conventions of fair use. I know that violations of this policy may result in my being dismissed from Middle Tennessee State University and/or appropriate legal action being taken against me.

Sirci Stinson

10-13-10