Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Lesson Title: Cultural Adjustment and Mental Health
Date of Class: 9/22
Day of Class: Thursday
Time of Class: 3-5pm
MC: Megan C
DJ: Caroline
Assistants: Bridget
Module: Cultural Adjustment and Mental Health
How Many Learners: 18
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): n/aSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 7
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 8
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 7
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 6
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 9
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 6Total Score: 43
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): Class went more smoothly than we initially expected, given that we had a very large Arabic group and no Arabic interpreter, and another interpreter left because one of the learners in her group was coughing, and we didn’t have a mask available for her to wear. (That group consisted of a mother and daughter, and the daughter was a high-level English speaker.) We passed out resource sheets with a list of free activities in Portland at the beginning, and had one group come up to the laptop to practice typing their address and searching nearby on Google Maps. This required more of my support than I was expecting because the interpreter (who later left because of the coughing) wasn’t very eager to help. We then did choral response with the list of 10 – also challenging because we were continually interpreted by more people arriving. We then moved to asking a couple questions and giving the groups time to discuss before reporting out. The Arabic group had one high-level English speaker who reported out for the group, and who we relied on throughout the class to interpret. We decided after class that we could likely eliminate the questions about what differences they’d noticed between living in the U.S. vs where they came from, and what challenges they’d encountered so far, and move straight to what they’ve gained and what they’ve lost, because there was some redundancy in the responses, and because we’re consistently short on time. Amy, the on-site counselor for Catholic Charities then stopped by to introduce herself before we took break. Coming back from break, we did listen & point with an emotions worksheet, and then I asked them to show me the emotion (on their faces), and went around the room telling people they got it. This was easily the most fun part of class, and everyone – even the kids – were engaged. We then moved to a quick explanation of culture shock from one of the volunteers, Bridget, who experienced it herself while in PeaceCorps. I then described each of the four stages of culture shock, and connected each stage to an emotion. I then asked the group for ideas for coping with some of the harder emotions you can feel when you first move to a new place, and gave an example of something I do when I’m sad or frustrated (run). The group was very engaged in this part of class too, and many people in each group raised their hands to give suggestions. We ended with me mentioning that seeing a counselor (something no one mentioned) is another option, and reminded them of Amy and her phone number, which we’d passed out earlier in class.
Lesson Title: US Laws
Date of Class: 9/14/16
Day of Class: Wednesday
Time of Class: 3-5pm
MC: Megan C
DJ: Zadok
Assistants: Caroline
Module: US Laws
How Many Learners: 18
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): n/aSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 7
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 7
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 5
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 7
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 8
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 6Total Score: 40
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): We got started late (a continual challenge with this class, because the majority of people don’t arrive until about 3:15 and in this case, Toc was also in the room talking to people 1:1). However I passed around sets of pictures with corresponding advice/facts that related to the class topic while we were waiting for everyone to arrive. After doing Choral Response with the List of 10, we went around the room and did introductions (name, place of birth). Then our guest speaker, Officer Natasha presented through the end of class. She has a very warm presence and is beginning to adopt the “ready” tool, but we’re going to continue to work with her so she’s more insistent on it (it can take 2 or 3 ready’s before the group is actually ready). I jumped in here and there to help her regain the group’s attention. During reflection, Zadok, Caroline and I also discussed making sure we do the timed 911 phone call activity next time to support Natasha’s content around that.
Lesson Title: Employment
Date of Class: 9/14/16
Day of Class: Wednesday
Time of Class: 3-5pm
MC: Megan
DJ: —
Assistants: Caroline
Module: Employment
How Many Learners: 13
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): n/aSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 5
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 6
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 6
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 7
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 7
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 6Total Score: 37
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): We began with Choral Response with the list of 10, then did Yell & Spell with our names. I then posed a couple different questions regarding employment experience, expectations regarding rights, and steps in the job-seeking process. After giving some time to discuss, a representative from each language group reported out to the larger group. Then I or a volunteer would provide some input based on our experiences in the U.S., or based on the factual information and handouts for the class. This class turned out to be tough to facilitate. The guest speaker didn’t show up, so I extended the time for job-seeking and improvised a skit with Caroline to demonstrate ideas for how best to walk into a job interview. There were disruptions and noise to compete with throughout most of the class. There were also a number of questions regarding employment seeking and required paperwork that I couldn’t answer. Having a guest speaker from IRCO in the future would be helpful.
Lesson Title: Field Trip to Nadaka Park
Date of Class: 6/29/16
Day of Class: Wednesday
Time of Class: 2 – 3:30pm
MC: Patrik
DJ: Megan
Assistants: Ivy, Barbara, Liz
Module: The Great Outdoors
How Many Learners: 11
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): goodSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 6
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 6
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 6
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 7
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 9
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 7Total Score: 41
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): We took a bus field trip to Nadaka Park. We had a few hiccups toward the beginning of class, with a late start and then a bus that wouldn’t start, but Patrik had great poise and got us all warmed up in the parking lot doing our names, listen and do and call and response activities. We split into smaller groups because we had a good number of assistants. Once at the park, Monica-the Nadaka Nature Park Coordinator-met us and facilitated some call & response around the park. We had a few kids in attendance and one new adult learner. The learners seemed very connected and engaged, especially by the end of class when a handful of them had to be called back to the bus because they’d run off to get more blueberries from the bushes.
Lesson Title: Parks and Recreation
Date of Class: 6/1/2016
Day of Class: Wednesday
Time of Class: 2 – 3:30pm
MC: Ivy
DJ: Megan
Assistants: Barbara
Module: The Great Outdoors
How Many Learners: 13
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): Need self evaluation sheetsSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 8
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 6
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 7
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 7
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 5
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 8Total Score: 41
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): We started as a small group with somewhat low energy but that increased as people trickled into the room. We wound up with a decent sized group of 13 – we thought it might be smaller because of the class time change. We moved a couple learners around to facilitate partnerships between lower and higher level learners, and that worked really well. We had a couple new learners who caught on quickly and were active participants in class.
Lesson Title: Vance Park walking tour
Date of Class: 5/25/16
Day of Class: Wednesday
Time of Class: 12-1:30pm
MC: Patrik
DJ: Megan C
Assistants: Ivy, Barbara, Adriana, Jennifer, Jessie
Module: Busy Bees
How Many Learners: 15
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): need more alphabet sheets (completely out) and the box needs to be organized and paired downSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 9
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 7
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 8
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 8
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 6
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 8Total Score: 46
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): This class was a collaboration between PPT, Green Lents and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. We began class with the alphabet sheet warm up and spelling our names, and then we paired up learners with teachers/assistants (2:1) and moved the class outside. We walked to Vance Park, with teachers practicing language with learners along the way. We stayed in our smaller groups once there and walked around the garden, identifying various plants, trees, and insects and eating strawberries and raspberries from the bushes.The novelty of the class format seemed to be appreciated by the learners. We got back to the library a bit late, and pacing and speaking and being heard while walking along a busy road were challenging at times. But there was a high level of connection and engagement, plus we learned during reflection that one of the learners was able to identify parts of flowers by the names learned in previous classes in this module.
Lesson Title: None of your beeswax
Date of Class: 5/11/16
Day of Class: Wednesday
Time of Class: 12-1:30pm
MC: Ivy
DJ: Megan
Assistants: Barbara, Yani
Module: Busy Bees
How Many Learners: 14
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): OkSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 7
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 6
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 5
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 5
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 4
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 7Total Score: 34
What Happened: This was Ivy’s dress rehearsal, and it was a great class. She prepared a lot in advance, and that showed during the class. The lesson had good fluidity to it, with activities building on each other (e.g., dictation using a handout of a flower with its parts labeled, and later a round robin with actual flowers). The learners seemed to find the materials interesting and the energy/connection in the room was really good.
Lesson Title: Leave a message at the beep
Date of Class: 5/3/16
Day of Class: Tuesday
Time of Class: 12-1:30pm
MC: Maureen R
DJ: Megan C
Assistants: Judy
Module: Phone Etiquette
How Many Learners: 17
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): good, but the box is stuffed so full, it’s difficult to find things and pull them out. Some organization/recycling might be in order.Self Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 5
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 4
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 4
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 6
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 5
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 8Total Score: 32
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): This was Maureen’s dress rehearsal, with Megan assisting as DJ and supporting MC as needed. There was another group in the room up until 12, and we got started a few minutes late as a result. It was a large class of 17 with a wide range in learner level. A couple of learners arrived late (one half-way through), but they happened to be higher-level and were able to jump in pretty seamlessly – one looked at another’s notebook and quickly caught up to where the rest of the class was in dictation. Maureen had some difficulty developing a rhythm in the alphabet listen and point, which we discussed during reflection. We lost the attention of a few learners at the higher and lower levels during that – the letter sequences were a bit too long and providing immediate feedback became difficult. We also lost engagement during dictation a couple times, while waiting for lower level learners. Toward the end of dictation, we had a higher level learner writing in large letters for a lower-level learner to trace, which worked well. While the flow was choppy at times, the learners were connecting and helping each other a lot, and seemed to like the novelty of the telephone dialogue modeling we did.
Lesson Title: The Job Song
Date of Class: 4/14/16
Day of Class: Thursday
Time of Class: 6-7:30pm
MC: Mark G
DJ: Megan C
Assistants: Keli
Module: Talking with the Boss
How Many Learners: 7
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): GoodSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 7
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 4
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 6
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 6
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 3
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 7Total Score: 33
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): This was the first of Mark’s silent MC classes. He used a tape recorder, as well as mine and Keli’s assistance to provide instructions/initiate activities. He also tried a different technique with dictation, and had several learners each take a turn reading a line (with assistance from myself or Keli as needed) for the class to write. Keli and I would then read the line again. In reflecting afterward, we discussed this technique and had mixed feelings about it; it gave learners an opportunity to lead, and to read aloud, but a couple learners at lower levels weren’t asking to take a turn reading – so we wondered if that might have a discouraging effect on those individuals. Mark found it difficult not to talk, but the class was very engaged and seemed intrigued by the novelty of this style. He also came very prepared with notecards picturing different professions to use for a round robin, and an iPad and speakers to play a song that we listened to at the start of class, and again at the end, after we’d done dictation progression and a search & find activity – which was a nice way to pull it all together.
Copy the text below and paste into a comment, then fill it out! Please do not use your last name, or any learner names.
Lesson Title: Yes We Can
Date of Class: 3/31/16
Day of Class: Thursday
Time of Class: 6:00
MC: Mark
DJ: Megan
Assistants: Keli
Module: Other / Cesar Chavez Day
How Many Learners: 6
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc): OkSelf Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 6
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 6
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 6
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 5
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 7
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 7Total Score: 37
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): This was a small group of 6 today, possibly a result of the warm weather. We started with 2 but the others arrived a few minutes into class, and only one arrived after doing names. All the students seemed familiar/knew each other’s names. Some of the dialogue we practiced with was challenging and composed of full sentences, e.g., “Robert Kennedy was President Kennedy’s brother,” and after struggling to say it once and getting the “What?” response, everyone laughed about having to say it again. Good energy/connection throughout.
Lesson Title: Fish Ladder
Date of Class: 3/23/16
Day of Class: Wednesday
Time of Class: 12-1:30pm
MC: Patrik
DJ: Megan C
Assistants: Elena, Barbara, Ivy, Liz
Module: Salmon Nation
How Many Learners: 18
Materials Status (loyalty cards, alphabet sheets, etc):Self Evaluation
Preparation: Forgot to Show Up (1) vs. Every Hair In Place (10) = 4
Technique: Completely Incompetent (1) vs. Flawless Delivery (10) = 5
Engagement: Snoring Loudly (1) vs. Absolutely Riveted (10) = 5
Connection: Open Hostility (1) vs. Kumbayah (10) = 5
Poise: Charlie Brown (1) vs. Prince (10) = 6
Reflection: “It was ok.” (1) vs. Life-changing Epiphany (10) = 6Total Score: 31
What happened (as short or as long as you like, but be specific): It started with only a few attendees, but more showed up a few minutes into class and it became a large group of 18, with several children as well. One new attendee arrived about half-way through the lesson. Ivy brought materials for the 4th Salmon Nation module class – beads to represent salmon eggs.