Module 3: Week1: Activity 1: Create Persona(s) of Students in the Digital Age

The Plan:

I currently teach at Bewegung, a kindergarten in Seoul, Korea. The school is based off a German model and is very activity based. The students’ schedule starts at around 9:45/10am. After a morning snack and free time to run around, the classes start 10:10. Throughout the day the students will have 30 minutes of class followed by 10 minutes of free time, there is a 50 minute lunch break at noon. Because of the continue breaks throughout the day I find the students are in an excellent attitude to learn in the classroom.  I will be observing the students from the morning until lunch.

The classes are conducted in both Korean and English at about a 50/50 rate. The classes I teach in English are reading, science, phonics, and storytelling.

The students in the school are all Korean between the ages of 3-7. Mainly I teach the 6 & 7 year olds but I definitely interact with the younger students during the breaks between classes. As I mentioned above the school is very activity based so the children learn through games, building, and creating. However my classes often use books. Aside from CD Players in the classrooms and computers for staff there is no technology used for the lessons.

My plan is to document the classes I attend and teach tomorrow. I’ll try to interview some of the older students but in all honesty their English language level is pretty basic. I’ll capture some classes by video and interview some of the other teachers in the school to obtain information for the report.

Some Questions for the teachers/staff:

Do you think these students would benefit with more technology in the classroom?

How important do you feel learning through technology is in this current age?

What motivates children to learn at Bewegung?

How do you think the young age of these children affects their ability to learn?

Do any of the students in the school have any special needs?

Are there any specific subjects or activities that the students enjoy above others?

Are there any other conditions affecting the students’ learning?

Questions for students:

Do you find the lessons in school interesting or boring?

What is your favorite in class?

Would you like to have computers or videos in class?

How often do you use computer/tablets at home?

What do you use the computers at home for?

The Report:

First of all a brief overview of the persona of my students and the information I received from my interview questions and observations. The students in Bewegung rang from three to seven years old. All of the students in the school are currently Korean although I was told that foreign students have attended in the past. Most of the students started at the school at around 4 years old and this school is the first regular interaction they have with people outside their own family. Needless to say the three and four year old children have a problem adjusting when they first enroll. The class sizes are pretty small for the most part. The largest class, the six year old class, has 12 students. The seven, five, and four year old classes have eight, ten, and six students respectively.

Although I don’t have access to any financial information from the student’s families, I can guess from the tuition of the school and the job titles of the parents (and the handbags) that they are fairly well off. I would guess they are upper-middle class. Quite a few of the parents are both full time professionals. In terms of cultural influences I would say there is not a lot differentiating the students at this school from children their age in other countries. While they are fully aware they are Korean they seem to be fairly ignorant of the outside world. A few had been on family trips to Guam, the Philippians, and Thailand. Their interests lie in things like Lego and other toys, dinosaurs, strange cartoons that I have never heard of, and other typical childhood fascinations.

As I mentioned in the plan, Bewegung’s lessons are very hands on and activity based. In the classes students are often creating something or working on a project. These activity can be a music, math, or science lessons but they could also be more abstract and based on critical thinking and problem solving. One lesson I observed with the 7 year old class was a science lesson in which the students were making a sundial. They learned about shadows, the place of the sun in the sky throughout the day, and telling time. Another interesting aspect of the student’s day is their frequent free (play) time, ten minutes between every class. The students are very social and active during this time and often some of the themes and activities from the lesson spill over into the free time.

As far as the staff and teachers knew there were no students that had be diagnosed with any kind of disability. There were no students with physical disabilities however, is obviously at least one student that has pretty extreme problems with the material and probably has some sort of learning disability.

The school is filled with games, educational toys, and tools for art activities. In terms of digital technology there is none. It is pretty rare for a kindergarten in Korean to have no screen in the classroom and it seems to be a conscious choice by the school. When the children were asked if they wanted video and computers for educational games in the class, the students unsurprisingly said yes. At home the students have regular access to TV, computers, and tablets. Some said they have regular access to these tool and some said their parents wouldn’t let them use them. Most of the students said they use their computers and tablets for games, however, these games sound like they have educational purposes rather than being purely for entertainment.

The students at Bewegung seem to enjoy their time at the school. The ratio of time studying in the classroom and independent play time seems to work well to keep the students focused during lessons. While I think tablets, video, and other digital technology could be incorporated into the classroom at this school there doesn’t seem to be a great need for it. 

Modual 3: Week 1: Activity 3:Applications of Brain-based Learning in a Digital Age

Brain based learning is the idea that learning can be done more effectively when the brain is stimulated. This can be done a number using a number of educational techniques but the basic idea is that by doing something memorable to connect the class content to it has a better chance of being retained. Eliciting an emotional response to help the brain create connections and keep new information. Watching YouTube videos of this online one can see that a lot of the brain based lessons involve chanting and hand and body motions, however, these is not the exclusive methods for brain based learning.  


Many forms of technology can be used to help the brain make these connections in the brain. These can be in the form of videos, games, apps, as well as interactive books, programs, or websites. Different devises can also be used to help make a lesson more memorable, touch screens can be particularly useful as the can combined a visual, auditory, and kinesthetic experience.


Brain based education is based on many factors that together help the student greatly. This method is also very social and many of the activities involve interacting in groups or with a partner. Within these groups members will often repeat facts or explanations from the teacher. This is because talking about something will allow you to remember it better than if you just hear it. This is also true regarding writing, writing can be better than reading and listening for retaining knowledge. Basically by having students sit still in a classroom and listen to a teacher lecture we are putting then in a position to fail at learning.


This brings us to another important part of brain based learning, a student’s environment is highly important in making the brain function properly. The classroom climate must be a safe, stress-free environment. Altering the environment with different types of lighting, smells, music, or silence, can help in learning. Different seating for different subjects is one example of altering environment to increase the capacity to retain information.As was mentioned, technology can be integral in a brain based learning environment. Specifically digital technology in the classroom has boomed in recent years with whole fields of study (ie. edtech) becoming prominent. So how can technology come together with education in a brain based classroom?


Certain video games that have material that is suitable for the classroom would be an excellent way to make content stimulating and memorable. They can be a good method for team work and interaction while relaying information through multiple senses. Educational video games can make the learning memorable and the likelihood for retaining the information increases if the game is played over and over.


Touchscreen tablets can also be a great method of delivering content in a creative, interactive, and engaging way. There are many creatively made apps for almost any subject imaginable. The format works great with topics that have a visual element that can further the understanding of the subject. Many interactive books are also available for tablets and often enhance the experience of the story with sounds and visuals.


Finally with technology gaining influence in the classroom it is important to remember that the focus of the classroom should be the students and their interactions with each other. Students also benefit from a linking of indoor and outdoor activities.

Sources:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/video-games-learning-student-engagement-judy-willis

Sprenger, M. (2010). Brain-based teaching :) in the digital age. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

http://feaweb.org/brain-based-learning-strategies

http://thesecondprinciple.com/optimal-learning/brainbased-education-an-overview/

http://thesecondprinciple.com/optimal-learning/usingbrainbasededucation/

http://greggfestastuff.blogspot.kr/p/brain-based-teaching-learning-with.html

Planning for English Language Learners (Teach-now Module 2: Week 4: Activity 3)

Almost every class I have taught in Korea has had students with a wide range of English speaking, reading, and comprehension ability. They are students who seems to excel at all aspects of learning English. This student will consistently speak up and want to answer questions. Some students are almost the exact opposite and will rarely pay attention and have consistent trouble doing the basics in the class. Then there are students who excel at some parts of the class and not with others. While some students may be comfortable speaking to answer questions but has trouble with syntax and grammar, others may excel at book work and reading comprehension be have difficulty speaking aloud and pronunciation.

                

            The text book that I currently use with one of my classes in focused on reading but also has a science or social studies section that relates to each story. The section in the current chapter is about storms and how to measure them. Covering these sections can be a challenge because some of the concepts can be beyond some of my students (they are 6) but usually they enjoy it.

For this lesson we will be reading through the three pages discussing the topics covered in the three pages and then hopefully if we have time the students can talk about their experiences in storms or other kinds of extreme weather.

              

            First off with the reading we usually take turns reading a sentence or two at a time. Different students will be at different levels of reading ability. While some fan fly through the sentences with ease others will have to sound out each syllable. I’m lucky to have a small class so I can spend a bit of time individually to help them if need be. After each student reads a sentence I usually ask another student a specific question about what was just read. The complexity of the sentence will depend of the level of the student. Using flash cards or pictures on the board can help a lot with students who have trouble with comprehension. I can use multiple ways of describing or explaining a concept or word to the student. If all else fails I will use Korean to make sure they get it before moving on to another student.  For the students who already have a good grasp of the topic or works I will try and talk about the topic in a context outside of the story. In this case the topic is storms so I could asks them when storms happen, if there is a storm in the winter how is it different from a summer storm, etc. A fancy way of explaining this would be teaching metacognition or authentic assessment but basically I want the students to think about what they are reading while learning how to read rather than just learning the sounds that go with the letters.

          

             For students that have trouble with getting the concepts of a story or reading, I often try to incorporate something that the students are already interested or would be familiar with. For my students I could use the lightening that a power ranger character can shoot, or even an amazing real-life video that shows and insane storm. Korean lays claim to creating one of the first rain gauges and some students may be familiar with that.

Special Education Referral Process (Teach-now Module 2: Week 3: Activity 3)

                In preparing for this assignment to analysis the special education referral process within Korea and realizing the difficulty of getting access to someone in that system, I thought it might be useful to compare the American method of referral (with which we have become very familiar throughout this course) and what I have learned of the Korean educational system.  

                While it seems there definitely are similarities in the two countries, one of the biggest differences that stuck out to me was the method (or lack thereof) for identifying those with disabilities. It seemed that a lot more prevalent system is in place in America. Korea, it seems, relies almost solely on the parents to get the process started while because of IDEA, a number of people are in the position to do so. The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (IDEA) allows a referral for evaluation to be made by teachers, principals, parents, social workers, doctors, or others concerned with the child’s welfare. While in Korea recommendations and suggestions can be made, not a whole lot will get started with out the parents will. It could be assumed that the parents would have their child’s best interest in mind and this would not be a huge issue, however, there are a number of factors that might cloud their judgment. Social stigma, denial, a feeling of shame, or a lack of education on the the topic could all be a factor. There could also be the fear that if their child is classified as someone with a disability they might not receive the level of education they would within the regular classroom.

                Within the referral process brought about by IDEA, students suspected of requiring special education will go through a process shown on the left which will ensure an initial evaluation to determine eligibility and then later a revaluation of the student to see if he/she is benefiting from the system that has been put in place. Students in America will be provided a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. There is a system put in place for an appeal of the evaluation if the parent disagrees and process can be halted if the parent doesn't wish for it to continue.  
             
               In Korea it seems there are some similarities and a few key differences. While it seems there is a wish to have all children attending regular classes with their peers, modified curriculum for those with special needs can be used and students can spend significant time away from their class. Also it seems the parents trump all other authorities and have the final say in which classes the student will attend. Without knowing more about the situation in Korea, I would say it would benefit giving educators a little more control over at least administering test if an student is suspected of needing extra attention. It seems that although the parents do have this power it probably only be a matter of time for them to realize special education would be needed. If students are expected to keep up with the workload and subject matter of the class it would eventually catch up with them. Delaying the referral and evaluation process may cause more damage. 

Note: Because I currently work only part-time at a private academy, I didn't have direct access to someone through my school. I did however reach out to some people who work in special education in Korea and did get one person willing to answer my questions. I sent them but haven't heard back yet. When I do I will add them to my blog and to the discussion board. For now I had to rely on the answers Ian Pollard generously posted and a few other online resources I found and shared below.

Answers provided by Ian Pollard:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zhV3nrwtquMvj5cAOiP9ZvxrTGKCU0t8ABdYLiy8jjw/edit?usp=sharing

Other material:

http://tash.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/A-comparison-of-special-education-reform-in-South-Korea-and-Japan.ppt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8eG66Mzo5M

Edit: i received the answers to my questions at the last minute, you can find them here.

Infographic on Student Data in Korea (Teach-Now Module 2: Week 2: Activity 1)

Clinical Observation Activity: Parent Teacher Meeting (Teach-Now Module 2: Week 2: Activity 2)

Module 2: Activity 2: Clinical Observation Activity: Parent Teacher Meeting

Here is the link to the Google Doc for the analysis for these two PTA meetings: