More Related Content Similar to Alexander Tucker's TESOL Portfolio Similar to Alexander Tucker's TESOL Portfolio (20) 2. Table of Contents
Graduate TESOL Portfolio
Introductory Documents
Domain 1: Language
Domain 2: Culture
Domain 3: Planning, Implementing & Managing Instruction
Domain 4: Assessment
Domain 5: Professionalism
Action Research
6. Content Instruction
Component 3b: Managing and
Implementing StandardsBased
ESL and Content Instruction
Element 3.b.2. Authentic Language
Use
Element 3.b.9. Relevance and
Coherence
Element 3.b.11. Content
Presentation
Unit Plan
Component 3c: Using Resources
Effectively in ESL and Content
Instruction
Element 3.c.4. Technological
Resources
School Culture Presentation
Domain 4: Assessment
Component 4a: Issues of
Assessment for ESL
Element 4.a.2. Quality Indicators
Element 4.a.1. Purposes of
Assessment
Element 4.a.4. Categories
EdTPA Unit Plan Assessment
Website Review
SIFE Student Essay
Component 4b: Language
Proficiency Assessment
Element 4.b.5. Multiple sources EdTPA Unit Plan Assessment
Domain 5: Professionalism
Component 5a: ESL Research and
History
Element 5.a.1. Historical Context Teaching Strategies Paper
Component 5b: Partnerships and
Advocacy
Element 5.b.1. Advocacy for
People
Final Paper/ Letter Responses
Component 5c Professional
Development and Collaboration
Element 5.c.3. Collaborative
Teaching
Final Paper/ Letter Responses
Action Research Paper
Field Research/ Book Review
Preface
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read my portfolio, my classmates and I have worked very hard in
this program and this portfolio is the culmination of all that work. Within, you will find examples of
all the domains, all the various facets, of my TESOL for International Educators master’s program. Each
of these domains demonstrate my understanding of the elements of my program, and show how much more
developed I have become as a teacher thanks to being enrolled at Nazareth College.
Domain 1 deals with Language, within it I have examples of how being from a different culture with
a completely different language can affect learning English, I also demonstrate how to effectively
share that knowledge with other teachers in a concise manner. I talk about topics such as how English
is changed and shaped over the years, something that native speakers usually give little thought to,
however it needs to be thought about when you are teaching students from diverse backgrounds and
cultures.
Domain 2 talks about Culture, specifically the effects of racism in the classroom and how the
cultural identities of your students need to be addressed and appreciated for them to learn
effectively. These two examples are completely opposite from each other, but are both aspects of
culture. They are also things that I rarely thought about before my program, but now I know about these
effects, I cannot stop thinking about them!
Domain 3 is all about Planning, Implementing, and Managing Instruction by Using Resources
Effectively within the classroom. This was a completely foreign topic to me before beginning this
master’s program, but it is something that is crucial to teaching. Without these steps, teaching would
be very difficult, almost impossible, and my students would most likely learn little to nothing.
Assessment is what I talk about in Domain 4. I made sure to include aspects of assessing students,
resources and ourselves as teachers. All are invaluable skills to possess as a future teacher. It is
important to be able to assess your students, that is what most people think about when they hear
“assessment,” however it is just as important, if not more, to assess yourself as a teacher at every
available opportunity, and to assess the resources you wish to use in your classroom. There are always
7. improvements we can make to ourselves and the tools we use to teach our students.
Professionalism is the topic of Domain 5, and is possibly one of the most important aspects of
this program. This is something that must be experienced; it is incredibly difficult to teach. Some
critical points of professionalism are working hand in hand with content area, and other TESOL teachers
at your school, as well as how to advocate for your students effectively. Through interacting with my
classmates, my professors, and students during my internship program I was able to get a better
understanding of how important professionalism is, and how to interact professionally with my
colleagues.
The final portion of my portfolio contains my Action Research, an essay example of all the
research that I have conducted over the course of my program. I chose an example that showcases both
field workbased research, and bookbased research, as both are necessary at times when writing papers
in academia.
Thank you for taking the time to read my portfolio, I hope that you enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Alexander M. Tucker
Nazareth College '15
Resumé
ALEXANDER TUCKER RESUME
8. Domain 1: Language
Component 1a: Knowledge of Language, Element 1.a.1. Phonology and Element 1.a.3. Syntax Language
Transfer Error Analysis Project Nepali to English
TSL 620 Language and Literacy Development for English Language Learners
Spring 2015
We were to examine one of the ten foreign languages that are prevalent in Rochester, and compare their phonology, morphology, sentence structure etc. to English,
predicting potential problem areas for ELLs that spoke these languages as an L1.
Component 1a: Knowledge of Language, Element 1.a.8. English Language Variation
Learning Log: Top Ten Words
TSL 603 Linguist and Second Language Acquisition
Fall 2014
Our assignment was to choose ten of the new linguistic terms that we had learned and to define them, relating them back to realworld experiences.
Component 1b: Knowledge of Language Acquisition and Development, Element 1.b.1. Exposure to English
Research Paper
TSL 603 Linguist and Second Language Acquisition
Fall 2014
We had to come up with a topic to research, mine was on how the English language has changed for Chinese and Japanese ELLs since they began learning it, focusing
on their instruction in their home countries vs the instruction/acquisition they acquired in America.
Domain Narrative: Domain 1
Introduction
Domain 1 is all about language, its acquisition, development, phonology, and morphology. There are many varied theories about how language is best learned or
acquired. Indeed, the very nature of how languages are assimilated into somebody’s brain (are they best learned, or acquired?; how should we apply this to our ELLs?) is
debated. In this domain analysis, I aim to prove that I have deepened my knowledge of “language” as it pertains to teaching ELLs. I will do this through an analysis of each
of the above mentioned artifacts; drawing on linguistic theories such as Krashen’s i+1, and relate how I used them in my work back to the domain of language.
Language Transfer Error Analysis Nepali to English
This project was done for TSL 620 Language and Literacy Development for English Language Learners in the spring semester of 2015. In this project we were given
ten different languages to choose from, all highly spoken foreign languages in the Rochester area, that a teacher might actually come across teaching here. We were to
examine the languages’ morphology, sentence structure, grammar patterns etc. and compare them to English, noting where there were differences and similarities. We then
created pamphlets with the information that could easily be shared with others. Within these pamphlets, we were encouraged to give some brief strategies to help these
students learn more effectively. The great thing about this project is that it taught us how to assess student’s based on their L1, to locate possible problem areas that we need
to be aware of in the future. Nepali speakers had quite a few hurdles to pass, the morphology of the language is completely different from English, written in the Devanagari
script which is similar to Hindi; sentence structure and grammar patterns are different from English as well. The Nepali language also has a highly developed, ridged respectful
hierarchy, which permeates the culture, lacking in the English language and American culture. This allowed me to know that students coming from a background in Nepali
would need extra help with these areas to make them feel more confident in their language abilities. These challenges, morphology, phonology, and systems of politeness
9. recalled George Yule (2014) in his book, The Study of Language.
Although I didn’t mention any theories directly in the pamphlet, I was influenced by the concept of teaching explicitly certain things to students that would not be
readily understood. This is a technique that both Cristina Igoa (1995) in her book, The Inner World of the Immigrant Child, and Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe
(2006) in their book, Understanding by Design. Phonology, the study of how sounds can be put together to form words, plays a big part in the learning of a language.
There are several sounds in the Nepali language, not present in English, and because Nepali is an agglutinative language, the sounds that go together to form a word can be
quite a bit longer than in English. This is something that will affect Nepali students when learning English, but it can also be extrapolated out to cover any other language.
Knowledge of how a language differs from English can empower teachers to know what role phonology will play in the students’ education. If the L1 phonology is similar to
English, the teacher might find they have little to teach, but if it contains many sounds that English does not, and is missing some of the sounds present in English, then they
teacher must teach these, and keep teaching them until students have them down.
The alphabet for one, the Devanagari alphabet is similar to Hindi and wholly dissimilar to English. Grammar and syntax, sentence structure, would also have to be
explicitly taught, because they are so different. Syntax plays a BIG role in English. Where we put our words in a sentence determines what role they play. This is not as
important in Nepali, where the role of the word is dictated by adding suffixes. Because syntax is so important, it is necessary to teach it explicitly to students that come from
Nepal, and any other students whose L1 has a similar syntax to it. In my next piece I examine, I will talk more about things like loanwords. This is something that Nepali
doesn’t have, not from English at any rate. I feel that through this assignment, I deepened my understanding of how languages are different, and how this affects the special
consideration that must be made to individualize teaching methods for specific students. I also learned how to analyze students’ L1s and target specific areas that might be
difficult for them to learn; I also learned how to quickly organize that information and present it in a coherent manner so that my colleagues can learn from it as well.
Learning Logs
This piece was completed for my TSL 603 Linguist and Second Language Acquisition class, in the Fall 2014 semester. The goal of it was for our professor to gauge
how we understood various terminology and theories, through defining them and relating them back to our lives in some way. It was an interesting exercise, because it also
allowed us to see how well we thought we understood something, and gave us the opportunity to see these theories at work in our daily lives. Some of the terms I chose to
use that relate to the domain of language are: Productivity, Cultural Transmission, Phonology, Neologism, and Historical Linguistics.
This assignment relates back to language clearly through the definitions that I chose, as these concepts are the cornerstone of many linguistic domains. Through learning
about these terms, I was able to deepen my knowledge of how languages are learned and acquired. Knowing these terms helps us as teachers to understand some hurdles
that our students will face: not only do they have to know words that are originally English, but they have to know about the wide variation in where various words come
from, and how it can affect their spelling and pronunciation. They also have to learn to deal with the various deviations from “standardized English” through pronunciation
variations like the cockney glottal stop, mentioned in my piece. Through this exercise I was also introduced to some such examples within the English language (such as
skyscraper being a loantranslation word), that I had had no prior knowledge of. This made me realize that although I’m a native English speaker, there is still much for me to
learn about my own language, and that we as teachers learn while teaching our students. These phrases relate back to my transfer error project through terms like Phonology
and Cultural Transmission, and connect to my next piece of evidence through expressions like neologism and historical linguistics.
Research Paper
This piece was completed, like the last, for my TSL 603 Linguist and Second Language Acquisition class, in the Fall 2014 semester. We had to choose a topic to
research, and pick people to interview, and then write the essay; it was a full semester project that required much planning and timemanagement. Frequent, scheduled
checkins with the professor helped to keep me on track, and not to become overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task. Through this project I learned much about the
interviewing process, making questionnaires, and that sometimes even the bestlaid plans can go awry (some of my interviewees couldn’t interview at the last moment). I also
learned that I have a particular interest in the field of Historical Linguistics, and may want to pursue that for another masters or a PhD in the future.
My topic was all about language, focusing on how the English language has changed for Chinese and Japanese ELLs since they had begun learning it. I focused on both
changes within the country (such as new slang terms), and changes that occurred due to shifting from a country where English is taught as a foreign language, to one where it
is the primary language of instruction. The paper’s topic relates directly to the domain, exposure to English, and it also refers nicely back to my previous piece, dealing with
10. historical linguistics, and neologisms. From a language standpoint, I was able to observe from firsthand accounts how the English language has changed on a subjectivebase
for the ELLs that I interviewed. I was also able to discern where some words or patterns of speech had become fossilized, where some minor interference from their L1
might have affected speech patterns, and which changes took place in their speech patterns as a direct result of being immersed in an English speaking country. It was a very
interesting (albeit drawn out) process, and I believe that it will aid me in my future plans as a teacher to know how language has the ability to change, even in a period as
short as four years. It will also serve me to know how to conduct such research, and write these papers because as a teacher, I might choose to publish papers such as this
in the future.
In this analysis, I examined how these pieces of evidence prove that I have gained knowledge of the domain of language, through new vocabulary, research skills, and
understanding of different languages as they relate back to the English language, and how this will affect the teaching and learning of English. My artifacts relate directly to
concepts of culture such as phonology, syntax, English language variation, and ELL exposure to English. Through examining these pieces together I feel that I have come to a
deeper understanding of how the various classes they come from, and indeed all my classes I have taken, fit together and teach us ITSL students what language is, and how
we can use that knowledge to better serve our students in their goals of learning English.
Works Cited
Igoa, C. (1995). The Inner World of the Immigrant Child. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Tomlinson, C., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction & understanding by design connecting content and kids. Alexandria, Va.: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Yule, G. (2014). The study of language (5th ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Evidence (1)
Language Transfer Error Analysis Nepali-English
Evidence (2)
Learning Log: Top Ten Words
Evidence (3)
Research Paper
Evidence (4, optional)
11. Domain 2: Culture
Component 2a: Knowledge of Nature and Role of Culture, Element 2.a.2. Effects of Racism
Multiculturalism Paper: Multiculturalism in Japan
TSL 604 Foundations of Bilingual and Multicultural Education
Fall 2014
Our assignment was to write a paper on multicultural laws and practices in either a foreign country (that we would be teaching in in the future) or recent reforms within
the USA dealing with multiculturalism.
Component 2b: Knowledge of Cultural Groups and Identity, Element 2.b.2. Cultural Identity and Learning
Responsive Teaching Analysis
TSL 605 Culture and Context in TESOL/Bilingual Education
Spring 2015
Our assignment was to read through Cristina Igoa’s The Inner World of the Immigrant Child and to write an analysis of what responsive teaching is according to
Igoa, bringing in other authors’ opinions on the topic to ultimately formulate our own theories about responsive teaching
Domain Narrative: Domain 2
Introduction
Domain 2 is all about culture: cultural values, how culture can affect learning in the home and in the classroom, the negative effects of racism, and how you can gain and
use knowledge of a culture to provide a betterrounded teaching and learning experience to your students. In my opinion, culture is one of the most important aspects of
teaching ELLs, as a cultural faux pas can severely impact your students’ learning. Likewise, connecting to your students via culture can bond students of a similar cultural
heritage, and activate background knowledge to deepen their connection to the subjectmatter. This is in part, what responsive teaching is about: you need to understand
your students’ specific needs, and teach to them as much as is possible. Thomlinson and McTighe (2006) talk about this and Understanding by Design in their book,
Integrating Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design, which I referenced within my first piece of evidence.
Multiculturalism Paper: Multiculturalism in Japan
This assignment was for my TSL 604 Foundations of Bilingual and Multicultural Education class, completed in Fall 2014. The assignment was to talk about recent
legislation in the USA regarding multiculturalism in the classroom, or to talk about multiculturalism practices in another country. As I am an ITSL student, it chose to write
about multiculturalism in Japan, the country I am planning to teach in once I complete my degree. After the completion of our papers we presented our findings to the class.
This paper is related directly to culture, specifically to the negative effects of racism in a culture and in a classroom because Japan, although seemingly fairly multicultural
on the surface is in reality not all that accepting of foreigners or minority students. As a result of completing this assignment I feel that I am better prepared to deal with
situations that might arise within the classroom as a result of bullying minority students. This applies to ethnic minorities, as well as anyone that might have a learning disability,
or differs from the majority population of students in any way. I feel that just knowing that this is a problem beforehand gives me the upper hand as a teacher, and that this
will allow me to better react to such behavior.
On a more personal note, my research also better prepared me for what I may face as a foreigner living in Japan. The research pointed to a trend in Japan to Japanisize
concepts: foreign food, clothing etc. Even foreigners themselves are put through this process. By far the easiest way of becoming a Japanese citizen is to be naturalized.
According to the research that I found (which I admit was biased towards proving that Japanese policies regarding foreigners are unfair), the Japanese government makes
12. the process of becoming a permanent resident and still retaining your cultural sense of self very difficult. It is interesting to note that this is only the case when a person is
planning on living in Japan on a fulltime basis, and isn’t simply residing there for study or a shortterm assignment. All of this relates back to the concept that the Japanese
culture must be preserved, and stay unique as it has due to the country’s history of isolation. However, I am thankful to say that it seems as though this is slowly changing. It
might not be during my time as a teacher in Japan, but future generations wishing to live and work in Japan may find that Japan has loosened its reigns a bit, and is more
accepting of minorities being minorities, appreciating what minorities bring to a classroom and to a culture. In stark contrast to this piece of evidence, I submit my second
piece of evidence for the domain of culture.
Responsive Teaching Analysis
This assignment was done for TSL 605 Culture and Context in TESOL/Bilingual Education during the Spring semester of 2015. Our task was to read through Cristina
Igoa’s (1995) The Inner World of the Immigrant Child and to write an analysis of what responsive teaching is according to Igoa, bringing in other authors’ opinions on the
topic to ultimately formulate our own theories about responsive teaching. I chose to incorporate Thomlinson and McTighe’s (206) Integrating Differentiated Instruction +
Understanding by Design, which I feel is closely related to the concept of responsive teaching. This piece of evidence is almost a complete turnabout from the previous
one, but I feel that both pieces illustrate important aspects of culture: that culture can be used to bring together and facilitate learning, or to isolate and hinder it.
When I first began reading Igoa’s text, I had little to no idea what responsive teaching was. That has changed a great deal since my first days of class. Our class was
almost entirely about responsive teaching, and I feel that this paper emulates that, and showcases the importance of being able to adapt to your students’ needs based on
culture and the situation. The key point that Igoa emphasized over and over again is that one crucial part of responsive teaching is understanding students’ cultural values, and
working within those values when you are able to. This theory relates back to my first piece of evidence in that if I understand the Japanese way of thinking, and know how
Japanese students learn, I can teach them in a way that they are receptive to. This will be a valuable tool to me, both as a teacher abroad and if I ever choose to teach in
America. For me, responsive teaching really embodies a core principal of being a teacher, and not just within the TESOL context. However, TESOL teachers must learn to
be even more flexible than their mainstream counterparts, as TESOL/ESL teachers in America frequently have to be able to teach both content, and language skills. As a
teacher abroad, I will most likely be teaching in a EFL capacity, so I most likely will not have this hurdle, but if I am preparing students to study abroad, and get them ready
for taking the exams which allow them to do so, I need to be prepared. For me, that is what responsive teaching is all about: watching your students, noting what their
strengths and weaknesses are, and learning how to respond to them to better serve them as a teacher.
One important concept in Cristina Igoa’s (1995) book is that while watching and nurturing your students’ learning you must also nurture them as a person. You need
to be very aware of how their culture may be affecting them in the classroom. As an international TESOL educator I will most likely be dealing with a monocultured
classroom, however it is important for me to be aware that each student has a past and a culture that will affect them personally. For instance, teaching in Japan I will
probably be teaching mostly Japanese students with a single culture, but I may also have groups of Korean and other ethnicities within my classroom. As a TESOL teacher I
need to be aware that they have a culture that is distinct from the majority, honor that culture, while teaching them to the best of my ability.
Conclusion
Within this analysis I examined two pieces of evidence that demonstrate my understanding of the domain of culture. My first piece focused on the impact of racism in
the classroom and within the foreign culture in which I plan to teach. The second piece of evidence focused on culture’s ability to help further student learning through the
practice of responsive teaching. In brief, culture can be used as a wonderful tool to help students learn, or it can be used as a mechanism to isolate and stunt students’
potential. It is our job as teachers to always use culture as a means of helping our students to learn to the best of our, and their ability.
Works Cited
Igoa, C. (1995). The Inner World of the Immigrant Child. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Tomlinson, C., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction & understanding by design connecting content and kids. Alexandria, Va.: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
14. Domain 3: Planning, Implementing &
Managing Instruction
Component 3a: Planning for StandardsBased ESL and Content Instruction; Element 3.a.4. Limited Schooling
Writing Specific Lesson Plan
TSL 620 Language and Literacy Development for English Language Learners
Spring 2015
The assignment was to go through various pieces of writing produced by a range of ELL students with limited schooling, identify one area that needs improvement, and
write a lesson plan that addressed the topic.
Component 3b: Managing and Implementing StandardsBased ESL and Content Instruction; Element 3.b.2. Authentic Language Use; Element 3.b.9. Relevance and
Coherence; Element 3.b.11. Content Presentation
Unit Plan
TSL 605 Cultural Content in TESOL and Bilingual Curriculum Acquisition
Spring 2015
Our assignment was to create a unit plan, following the standards of the area that we were teaching in. My partner, Yue Xiting, and I decided to teach in an unspecified
Asian country, following the standards set by China. Our unit was on tourism.
Component 3c: Using Resources Effectively in ESL and Content Instruction; Component 3.c.4. Technological Resources
School Culture Presentation
ITSL 607 Technology for Language and Cultural Instruction
Spring 2015
Our assignment was to create a presentation on a culture and present it using the proper technology resources to a class in a local school.
Domain Narrative: Domain 3
Introduction
Domain 3 is all about instruction: planning for instruction, managing and implementing instruction, using resources effectively during instruction, and reflecting on your
instruction after the fact. Instruction is the very core of the TESOL discipline; it literally is what we are training to do: instruct children and adults that come from cultures
where a language other than English is spoken as a primary language in English. In this domain I will use a writing plan specific to teaching children with limited schooling, a
unit plan, and a presentation that utilizes technology appropriately in the classroom.
Writing Specific Lesson Plan
This lesson plan was completed for my TSL 620: Language and Literacy Development for English Language Learners class in the spring of 2015. Our assignment
was to look at an array of original writing samples created by ELLs with limited schooling, choose one and write a lesson based on one of the errors we found within. This
lesson plan taught me many things related to instruction, such as how to go through a piece and pick out the most problematic areas, leaving the rest so as to not overwhelm
the child you are helping. This process of selection is important because if one of your students is showing difficulties in an area that seriously impacts their writing, others may
have the same problem as well, and a refresher lesson might be needed.
15. This lesson plan also prepared me for working with students with limited or interrupted schooling. I had to plan it for students that might not have had a lot of
schooling, or have had very broken lines of education. This meant that I had to moderate how I wrote my plan, working in exercises that can get children moving, having fun,
and not simply stuck at desks the entire time. I also had to think about the fact that many of the students might be dealing with emotional issues stemming from war or other
trauma, and how to either avoid such topics, or work them into their writing as a coping mechanism. These were topics I had not had to think about previously, and are
things that regardless of where I teach, I need to be prepared to handle.
Another thing that this lesson plan prepared me for is writing a lesson plan to fit certain standards. As an ITSL major, I have not had to deal with the common core
much, but it is something that I may have to deal with eventually in my career, and it is good to be prepared. The next piece of evidence I will use, utilized not common core
standards, but the standards of Chinese education, and you can see that while the standards are different, they are set up to accomplish the same goal: helping to set
benchmarks for children’s education.
Unit Plan
This assignment was for my spring 2015 TSL 605 Cultural Content in TESOL and Bilingual Curriculum Acquisition class. We were divided into groups of two and
had to create a fictional classroom, thinking of everything from where we were teaching to how many students we had, down to how many of our students were male, and
how many female. We had to decide what class we were teaching, and what our unit was going to be about, then create a unit plan. At the end of the assignment we were to
create three lesson plans for our unit, and fill out an edTPA narrative for our unit. This was a singularly unique experience for me, never having created a unit plan before. It
was definitely a challenging experience, but one that I will hopefully be more prepared for if I am ever asked to serve on a planning committee.
This evidence demonstrates my understanding and working knowledge of the planning phase of instruction because while planning a unit, you must think of
EVERYTHING that could happen and plan for as many obsticales to your (and the other teachers that will be sharing the unit) instruction. This artifact shows that I can use
relevant instruction in combination with authentic language to instruct my students (and it can be easily adapted to suit other teacher’s needs). The unit that we wrote dealt
with tourism in America, it was aimed at students that were going into the tourism industry, or wished to study abroad in America. We hoped that through the exercises and
lessons that we planned, our students would feel better prepared to study abroad in America, work closely with those that are planning to go to America, or actually work in
America themselves. While planning we attempted to make use of every available resource in our admittedly fabricated classroom, much like in my last piece of evidence.
School Culture Presentation
My final piece of evidence for domain 3 is a cultural presentation that I worked on for my ITSL 607 Technology for Language and Cultural Instruction class in the
spring of 2015. Our assignment was to pick a partner and a culture, then create a presentation using the available resources to our best ability. My partner and I chose to
write about Italy, and the medium we chose to present with was PowerPoint.
This piece demonstrates my ability as a teacher to utilize the resources I have at hand to the best of my ability in a few different ways. First, we were made aware
that the room we would be teaching in would be equipped with a smartboard and a projector. So we planned our lesson to be able to write on our PowerPoint as we went
along, soliciting answers from our students along the way. Second, the manner in which we chose to present Italy to our students was a mix of our knowledgebases: my
partner grew up in an ItalianAmerican household and as such had knowledge of how an Italian family in America functions; I on the other hand know almost nothing about
how ItalianAmericans operate, but I did spend a year in Italy, and am very comfortable about talking about general Italian culture topics. We blended our knowledge, and
presented to the students in a way that compared the Italy they may know through family, with the Italy that I witnessed while studying abroad. We thought this method
would be best because it builds off any background knowledge that they may have already possessed, allowing us to scaffold the topic for them and help them learn. This
method was chosen because according to DiazRico (2013) and Igoa (2013), activating students’ background knowledge by asking them about their personal experiences
and getting them engaged in the class, is one of the most effective ways of teaching students new information, and we followed Krashen’s i+1 theory, not giving students too
much new information at one time.
Conclusion
In this domain, we examined three pieces of evidence that demonstrate my understanding of the domain of instruction: a limited schooling/interrupted education ELL
16. writing targeted lesson plan, a unit plan, and a cultural presentation. All three of these artifacts focus on different aspects of instruction: planning for instruction following
specific standards, implementing instruction with specific standards, and using ever available resource at hand to better teach your students. I feel that through these exercises
I have a better understanding of what instruction is. I always knew it was important, it is the core of teaching at least as far as a student is concerned, but until you go through
the process of actually planning for it, you never fully understand and appreciate all the work that goes into the lessons you were taught as a child. I feel that after having done
some of this myself, I definitely have a better appreciation and understanding of what it means to be a TESOL teacher.
Works Cited
DiazRico, L. (2013). Strategies for Teaching English Learners (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Igoa, C. (2013). The Inner World of the Immigrant Child. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Evidence (1)
writing specific lesson plan
Evidence (2)
unit plan
Evidence (3)
school culture presentation
Evidence (4, optional)
17. Domain 4: Assessment
Component 4a: Issues of Assessment for ESL; Element 4.a.2. Quality Indicators; Component 4b: Language Proficiency Assessment; Element 4.b.5. Multiple sources
EdTPA Unit Plan Assessment
TSL 605 Cultural Content in TESOL and Bilingual Curriculum Acquisition
Spring 2015
The assignment was to assess a unit plan we had created prior, using the EdTPA assessment model.
Component 4a: Issues of Assessment for ESL; Element 4.a.1. Purposes of Assessment
Website Review
TSL 620 Cultural Content in TESOL and Bilingual Curriculum Acquisition
Spring 2015
Our assignment was to assess a website’s usefulness as it related to teaching or helping ELLs learn or supplement their English skills.
Component 4a: Issues of Assessment for ESL; Element 4.a.4. Categories
SIFE Student Essay
ITSL 620 Language and Literacy Development for English Language Students
Spring 2015
Our assignment was to create an assessment of the types of students that would fall under the name of SIFE, distinguish between SIFE students and other special
needs students and why it is so important they are categorized as SIFE rather than having a learning disability.
Domain Narrative: Domain 4
Introduction
Domain four is all about assessment: the issues with assessment, how to assess students’ language proficiency, and how to modify assessment for classroom based
ESL as opposed to oneonone assessment. Assessment is not limited to students’ abilities, but also covers topics such as quality assessors that push teachers to assess
themselves, their teaching methods, and their lesson plans and units. Another section of this multifaceted domain is how to know what you are assessing for, locking down
the purpose of a specific teaching tool, or element of a student’s learning path.
EdTPA Unit Plan Assessment
The EdTPA assessment of a unit plan was completed after creating a unit plan based on a fictional class in an unspecified Asian country for my TSL 605 Cultural
Content in TESOL and Bilingual Curriculum Acquisition class in the spring of 2015. The purpose of going through this process is to make you stop and gauge how you
crafted your unit plan, and more importantly why you did it the way you did. It is all about justification, something that as a TESOL teacher I will have to know how to do. I
believe that this form of selfassessment is extremely important for teachers so we do not forget that we need to know as educators why we choose to do what we do in any
given lesson or unit. For me, this recalls Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe’s (2015) book, ,Integrating Differentiated Instruction + Understanding by Design,
because they recommend that when you create a lesson or a unit plan that you think of the outcome first, and built towards it. That is what we did when creating our unit
plan, and we had to really think about why we chose to create the way we did when we evaluate our unit with the EdTPA. One example of this is looking at the specific
standards that we need to meet for our unit; Another example is that we had to be informed about our students’ backgrounds, and use that information to plan: for instance,
18. our students taken English for a few years but they needed speaking practice. So we made sure that every lesson included a speaking component. The other aspect that I
found useful is that the EdTPA not only makes teachers think about the students, the standards and the desired outcome, it encourages teachers to think of different ways
that they could have created their plan. It really does force you to be critical of yourself as a teacher, which is something that I believe is healthy, no matter how long you
have been teaching.
Website Review
The website review exercise was completed for my TSL 620 Cultural Content in TESOL and Bilingual Curriculum Acquisition class of spring 2015. The purpose of
the exercise was to review a website that is a resource for teaching English. I believe that this artifact exemplifies the domain of assessment because this exercise encouraged
us as future teachers to think about the resources that we use with our students, and how to be critical of these websites.
The employment of such reasoning will be an invaluable help to me in the future when I have to make the kinds of decisions such as which sites will I use to help plan
my lessons, what sites will I send my students to for homework or extra practice purposes? In the process of preforming this activity, we were told to look for certain
aspects of the websites: how userfriendly were they (keeping in mind the target age group), what did the websites focus on etc. Many of these points I would not have
thought of on my own, but never the less are valuable aspects to think about when recommending or using a website with children.
Being able to assess resources for specific purposes, knowing what and why you need to evaluate something, is another aspect of the domain of assessment, and
through this review I learned many concepts that I can extrapolate out to cover different facets within my teaching career. For instance, I will also be able to evaluate a
student’s work and know what I am looking for, rather than marking everything I will probably wish to focus on one or two specific problems that impede comprehension; I
will also be able to evaluate other forms of instructional materials and myself as a teacher using techniques employed in my review. Many of the assessment criteria for
students and websites employed in this review came from Margo Gottlieb’s (2006) book, Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges from Language Proficiency
to Academic Achievement.
.
SIFE Student Essay
The SIFE student assessment essay was completed for my ITSL 620 Language and Literacy Development for English Language Students class during the spring of
2015 semester. The purpose of the essay was to talk about the identifying characteristics of SIFE students, what impact SIFE students’ backgrounds can have on their
learning outcomes, and why it is so important to categorize these students as SIFE, rather than students that need specialEd, finally talking briefly about the process that
students must undergo yearly to ensure that either their SIFE or SpecialEd services are still needed.
This essay is all about the different categories that students can be placed in (in this case mainstream, SpecialEd, or SIFE) and why it is so important that they be
assessed correctly so that they may get the best possible education. If students are categorized incorrectly, then the teachers that are dealing with them might believe they
have a learning disability, when all that is wrong is that they are still in shock from experiences before being a refugee; or they may not be literate in their L1, causing the
concept of literacy to be completely foreign to them no matter their grade level.
Conclusion
The domain of assessment is very important. Teachers need to be able to assess their students, their classroom, their resources, and themselves to teach their
students to the best of their ability. Assessment can range from assessing the issues in teaching a student or group of students to assessing what track a student should take
be it mainstream, specialEd or SIFE. Teachers must also be able to justify themselves and their teaching methods, and be able to know when something could have been
done better, to correct for the future. Assessments permeate teaching and as such it is an invaluable skill to have, these artifacts will serve me well in my future career.
Works Cited
Gottlieb, M. (2006). Assessing English language learners: Bridges from language proficiency to academic achievement. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.
Tomlinson, C., & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction & understanding by design connecting content and kids. Alexandria, Va.: Association for
20. Domain 5: Professionalism
Component 5a: ESL Research and History; Element 5.a.1. Historical Context
Teaching Strategies Paper
TSL 611 Principles and Practices of TESOL
Fall 2014
The assignment was to go through various books and websites and compile a list of ten teaching strategies. We had to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each
strategy, and talk a bit about the theories associated with them. These strategies would later be compiled into a resource for all of us to use in our careers.
Component 5b: Partnerships and Advocacy, Element 5.b.1. Advocacy for People; Component 5c Professional Development and Collaboration, Element 5.c.3.
Collaborative Teaching
Final Paper/ Letter responses
TSL 604 Foundations of Bilingual and Multicultural Education
Fall 2014
Our assignment was to choose three “emails” and respond to them, addressing the concerns of the teachers such as “why do we have an ESL program” or “why do I
have these students” and, “I feel lost, how can I help these kids learn both English AND subject content?”
Domain Narrative: Domain 5
Introduction
Domain 5 is all about professionalism: the history of our profession, where our teaching methods come from, advocacy for our students, materials, and jobs; and how to
work well with collogues to be the best teachers you can be for your students. Some aspects, like the history of TESOL, can be taught. Others, such as getting along with
coworkers, and building relationships in order to provide students with the best education possible, come with time and experience and are things each teacher must learn for
his or herself. Knowing where your profession started, as well as where it is going is invaluable. Paying attentions to the history honors what has happened in the past, and
allows us to feel grateful for what we have now, so that we learn not to take it for granted. Being able to effectively advocate for our students, and our materials (especially in
an increasingly internet and tech filled world) continues on the tradition set down by the pioneers of our field to get our students the best possible education, using the tools
that will be most likely to help them achieve their goals of learning English.
Teaching Strategies Paper
This assignment was completed for my TSL 611, Principals and Practices of TESOL, class during the fall of 2014. We were to go through various books and pick out
at least eight different new teaching strategies, give a brief description of them, and write about their strengths and weaknesses and how you might modify them to fit your
needs. This assignment connects back to the domain of professionalism specifically research and historical contexts because through using books from different time periods,
we were able to observe the teaching practices that were popular based on the current theories of the time. After talking about each method, we gave our opinions on each,
and talked about how we would modify these practices based on the current knowledge we have, using modern theories.
One of my favorite teaching methods is appropriate for elementary, intermediate and higher level students, basically the students need to have something of a grasp
about how English works to perform the exercise. It is called Amazimbi, and students effectively create a new language in ten minutes and attempt to communicate with other
groups in their made up language or by gesture. I love this method for a few reasons: it can be a great way of getting students to loosen up by putting them in the role of
“someone else,” they have to assume the role of someone that speaks a made up language. This is a technique of the desuggestopedia method of teaching which became
21. popular in the 1970s. LarsonFreeman describes desuggestopedia as a method of teaching that emphasizes teaching techniques that focus on lowering the affective filter.
One such technique is “becoming someone else” during the learning process which makes students less selfconscious (LarsonFreeman, 2011). One other reason this is a
useful technique this technique is invaluable for letting other content area teachers understand for themselves just how hard it can be when you do not understand what is
being said to you. These techniques and theories that I explored in my paper are linked to the history of TESOL’s practices, but they are also linked to its future. By using
such methods to help other teachers understand how hard being in class can be for their ELL students, we can advocate for our students far more effectively than by just
using words alone.
Final Paper: Letters to Teachers
This assignment was the final paper for my TSL 604 class, Foundations of Bilingual and Multicultural Education, for the fall 2014 semester. The goal of this paper was
to give us examples of the types of questions that we will receive and be expected to be able to answer as TESOL teachers. We were to choose three different letters and
respond to them drawing on our knowledge of advocacy for our students, and our history. The great thing about this type of final is that it has such a broad range of topics
embedded within it. In my first letter, I answered a question regarding why children in a predominately white suburb would benefit from multiculturalism, especially when the
teacher is so busy preparing the students for tests. This gave me a chance to be an advocate for multiculturalism, a key part of what we do, and explain to the teacher how it
is possible to work multiculturalism into every lesson with very little effort, even lessons to prepare for regents exams! I also used Noel to get my point across that a major
benefit of ELLs learning about multiculturalism is that: in teaching multiculturalism we can instill a sense of pride in ELLs in their home culture (Noel, 1995).
In subsequent letters to different teachers I cover topics such as how to accommodate ELL students within a classroom of mostly mainstream students, and why
bilingual education is important, not just for ELLs, but for mainstream students as well. These are both real topics of debate that have been plaguing our community for years.
The first one is easy enough to answer: I advocated for good communication between myself, the TESOL teacher, and the subject teacher. Through daily communication it is
possible to work through any problems that might be occurring within the classroom, such as ELLs not understanding vocabulary. It allows the TESOL teacher to know how
to work with their kids during the time that they have them, and this whole process is an important one; As TESOL teachers we need to know how to communicate to the
subject teachers that we are there to help them and the students, and that they can rely on us. This is an important part of being a professional, building trust and relationships
with your coworkers. When we write letters like this, we are reassuring our fellow teachers that we will back them up to the best of our ability and help our students at
every opportunity.
The second topic is a little more difficult to tackle because there have been many areas of the country that have seen fit to ban bilingual education, because of the views
of a few parents that did not want their children to “fall behind,” despite the fairly overwhelming evidence that children that are educated in a bilingual atmosphere not only
learn more about another culture, they learn a new language, and consistently perform better on all exams than do their monolingual counterparts. This subject is tricky
because there will be some people that will not read the reports, and just look at the fact that bilingual education has been banned in California, and Massachusetts. It is
important to know how to advocate for teaching methods like this that while they might not be popular with everyone, can offer students a quality of education that can
enable not only the ELL students, but the mainstream students to outperform others on tests, and learn to the best of their abilities. Throughout the piece I offer some
teaching techniques which relates the second artifact back to the first, and websites that I think the teachers might find useful, as sharing ideas and resources is an important
part of collaboration between teachers.
Conclusion
Within this analysis I examined two pieces of evidence that demonstrate my understanding of the domain of professionalism. My first piece focused on the history of
various teaching techniques, and how major theories within the profession have impacted how we teach our students. The second piece of evidence focused on advocacy
and collaboration with fellow teachers. Professionalism comes in many forms: knowing where your profession came from, its history, pays homage to the people that have
come before you and honors their struggles that you might be where you are today; Working well with other teachers and being able to advocate effectively for your
students, and their resources is another part of professionalism because it is our job to get our students the best possible chance at learning English, and succeeding in this
country as is possible.
23. Action Research
Action Research: Field Experience/ Book Review
TSL 611 Principals and Practices of TESOL
Fall 2014
The assignment was for us to observe in our school’s American Language Institute (ALI), and to blend one topic from what we observed with research done from
several book sources.
Modified Narrative
Action Research: Field Experience/ Book Review
This exercise is an example of the active research that has taken place during my graduate studies in the International TESOL program at Nazareth College. The
paper was completed for my TSL 611, Principals and Practices of TESOL class for the Fall 2014 semester. The essay is a blend of field research, book research, and a
book review showing my knowledge of all these writing skills.
I decided to write about the teaching of adjectives to English Language Learners (ELLs), and backed up what I observed in the ALI with works such as Diane
LarsonFreeman and Marti Anderson’s (2011), Techniques & Principles in Language Teaching, and Lynne T. DiazRico’s (2013) Strategies for Teaching English
Learners. I also chose to review How Languages are Learned by Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada (2013), The Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and
Written English by Douglas Biber et all. (2013) and The Study of Language by George Yule (2014). I learned many things about the differences between physical field
research, and the research that comes from reading what other people have done (which is the style of most of my research up to this point).
Observing in the classroom allowed me to see in action the techniques that I had been reading about. I was able to see different methods for teaching adjectives to
students (and even participate in a few gamelike activities) and how you can modify certain methods to fit classroom size and needs. I used the books and theories
contained within to backup and rationalize what I witnessed in the classroom. I also learned that when doing field research, it is imperative that you take notes of everything
that you see and any questions that arise while you watch and interact with both students and the teacher. Notes were an invaluable part of this research, as there was no
way I was going to be able to remember everything that occurred while I was there. These notes served me well when I tied in the book review to the research portion.
The final component of my paper was the book review. For each book that I talked about I gave a brief review of the strengths and weaknesses therein. This ties
this action research to other domains such as domain 4 (assessment) and domain 5 (professionalism).
This paper is an exemplar of my research methodology because it combines realworld experiences with typical book and website research. Both are skills needed
when teaching, both are used frequently when writing, and both types of research will serve me later in my career as a teacher, and later on when I begin my doctoral
studies.
Works Cited
Biber, D., Conrad, S., & Leech, G. (2013). Longman student grammar of spoken and written English (10. impr. ed.). Harlow, Essex: Longman.
LarsenFreeman, D., & Anderson, M. (2011). Techniques and principles in language teaching (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
