Michele Reese
Final Project 2012
University of Missouri-Columbia
Why do I do this? It's easy to see.
Here are a few of my favorite people. I want to welcome them here and make sure that they are equipped to participate fully and share their gifts with the world. I'm always trying to find better ways to do that. This website documents part of that process. Let me introduce myself.
3 -2 -1 - Action!...
“I think acting and drama is great because I want to be an artist and I get to share what I feel and what I think and it helps me understand stories, and I like pretending.” - Mabinty Bangura- student interview, 2012.
Sometimes I think we are killing the love of learning in them. They have so much life and energy and they are told to sit still and be quiet. I hate pushing and pulling and prodding. I much prefer enticing.
I have been teaching English as a second language to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders since 1998 in a large, urban school district in Ohio. I currently have about 45 students who come to me in a pull-out program. The amount of time varies according to the students’ needs. I have my beginning level students for 80-90 minutes a day and a few of them come back in at other times. My more proficient English speakers come for 2 – 3 times per week for 45-60 minutes. This year I see my more proficient 5th graders daily during part of their social studies time, so we include that content in our class. I have quite a bit of flexibility in what and how I teach, so I can be very responsive to the needs of the students. Every year is different.
When I look around the classroom I might see students from Nepal, Guatemala, Senegal, Burma, and Somalia all working together. We also have students from Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Congo, Central African Republic, Kenya, Djibouti, Mexico, and El Salvador. Many times their only common language is English which can make it interesting when they are new to the country. Many of my students have fled war torn countries. Some were born in refugee camps. Some have seen great atrocities. Bits of stories seep out into the classroom – the other day I had a third grader start to tell me a few things and then she stopped herself and said, “Ms. Reese, you don’t want to know what happens in my country.” I said that it was ok and she didn’t need to talk about it and we moved on. The little girl who made that comment has learned so much this year. At the beginning of the year, she wasn’t reading. Now she is reading books that other 3rd graders are reading. I wish I could bottle up what she has and give it to everyone.
Part of my philosophy of teaching includes three main requirements. BERs – Basic Education Requirements - they called them when I was at OSU. My personal BERs are: Buy-in, Engagement, and Relationship. There’s a lot more to teaching, but to me, these are must-haves. First you need buy-in which means, the students need to see that there is something in this for them. There is a point to it – a benefit. In some communities that is assumed. In others it is not. If I’m in a place where it is not, then part of my task is to secure it. The second requirement is engagement. If students are not engaged in what I’m presenting them, then they are not learning (at least not what I’m teaching). It’s not ok to say that they don’t care or they don’t want to learn. Everyone wants to learn. You can’t stop learning. I need to find a way to get them engaged. Lastly, relationship - students need to know that I, as a teacher, care about them. I enjoy them - laugh at their jokes, take an interest in their interests, attempt to incorporate their interests into lessons. I am aware of the expressions on their faces. I scan the room for confusion, excitement, boredom, sadness - I see the development of empathy as a main goal of education as it is the consideration of a perspective that differs from one's own. In order to learn empathy, a person must experience it. This happens in the context of relationship. With these requirements in view I had to choose a topic for my classroom inquiry. I believe that this project addresses engagement and relationship. My students were very engaged when we used drama and I found that it is an excellent way to teach about other points of view - other perspectives - throughout the various types of dramatization.
With so many possibilities to choose from for my classroom inquiry project, it had to be something useful that I (and the students) would enjoy. I have used drama in the classroom before and I wondered what the research said about it. I had a book from a class I took a few summers ago (It was peer reviewed and evidence-based, so I thought it would be safe). I read an article called, Doing Literature: Using Drama to Build Literacy, (McMaster, 1998) and I thought, “Perfect!” I like drama, I believe children learn by doing and experiencing and I want to build literacy in my students. My guiding question became, “What happens when ELLs engage in dramatic activities?” So, I jumped in, started reading and writing, using drama in the classroom, bought a book about drama to get new ideas, took a lot of pictures and video and here we are.
My goal with this project is to share with other teachers what I’ve learned about the efficacy of using drama to teach language and literacy. They are my audience. I begin with a literature review. Then, there is an introductory presentation that provides a basic outline, defines what I mean when I speak of drama and offers some suggestions for preparing to use drama in the classroom. Following along the menu are pages for different methods and applications of dramatization in the classroom - story retelling, character interview, human-slideshow (tableau) and drama in math. At the end I have included presentation handouts that can assist teachers in planning and implementing lessons that incorporate dramatization. In each section I have included data samples such as photographs, video clips and student work so that I can share what this looks like. Much of my analysis is attached to those artifacts.
The format for my project was originally intended to be a PowerPoint presentation only, but it got too big to share and send. I think this website format still communicates the same information - actually it communicates more because I provide an analysis alongside the data. Also, it will be easier to share. I hope that it inspires others to try a new idea or two.
Sometimes I think we are killing the love of learning in them. They have so much life and energy and they are told to sit still and be quiet. I hate pushing and pulling and prodding. I much prefer enticing.
I have been teaching English as a second language to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders since 1998 in a large, urban school district in Ohio. I currently have about 45 students who come to me in a pull-out program. The amount of time varies according to the students’ needs. I have my beginning level students for 80-90 minutes a day and a few of them come back in at other times. My more proficient English speakers come for 2 – 3 times per week for 45-60 minutes. This year I see my more proficient 5th graders daily during part of their social studies time, so we include that content in our class. I have quite a bit of flexibility in what and how I teach, so I can be very responsive to the needs of the students. Every year is different.
When I look around the classroom I might see students from Nepal, Guatemala, Senegal, Burma, and Somalia all working together. We also have students from Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Congo, Central African Republic, Kenya, Djibouti, Mexico, and El Salvador. Many times their only common language is English which can make it interesting when they are new to the country. Many of my students have fled war torn countries. Some were born in refugee camps. Some have seen great atrocities. Bits of stories seep out into the classroom – the other day I had a third grader start to tell me a few things and then she stopped herself and said, “Ms. Reese, you don’t want to know what happens in my country.” I said that it was ok and she didn’t need to talk about it and we moved on. The little girl who made that comment has learned so much this year. At the beginning of the year, she wasn’t reading. Now she is reading books that other 3rd graders are reading. I wish I could bottle up what she has and give it to everyone.
Part of my philosophy of teaching includes three main requirements. BERs – Basic Education Requirements - they called them when I was at OSU. My personal BERs are: Buy-in, Engagement, and Relationship. There’s a lot more to teaching, but to me, these are must-haves. First you need buy-in which means, the students need to see that there is something in this for them. There is a point to it – a benefit. In some communities that is assumed. In others it is not. If I’m in a place where it is not, then part of my task is to secure it. The second requirement is engagement. If students are not engaged in what I’m presenting them, then they are not learning (at least not what I’m teaching). It’s not ok to say that they don’t care or they don’t want to learn. Everyone wants to learn. You can’t stop learning. I need to find a way to get them engaged. Lastly, relationship - students need to know that I, as a teacher, care about them. I enjoy them - laugh at their jokes, take an interest in their interests, attempt to incorporate their interests into lessons. I am aware of the expressions on their faces. I scan the room for confusion, excitement, boredom, sadness - I see the development of empathy as a main goal of education as it is the consideration of a perspective that differs from one's own. In order to learn empathy, a person must experience it. This happens in the context of relationship. With these requirements in view I had to choose a topic for my classroom inquiry. I believe that this project addresses engagement and relationship. My students were very engaged when we used drama and I found that it is an excellent way to teach about other points of view - other perspectives - throughout the various types of dramatization.
With so many possibilities to choose from for my classroom inquiry project, it had to be something useful that I (and the students) would enjoy. I have used drama in the classroom before and I wondered what the research said about it. I had a book from a class I took a few summers ago (It was peer reviewed and evidence-based, so I thought it would be safe). I read an article called, Doing Literature: Using Drama to Build Literacy, (McMaster, 1998) and I thought, “Perfect!” I like drama, I believe children learn by doing and experiencing and I want to build literacy in my students. My guiding question became, “What happens when ELLs engage in dramatic activities?” So, I jumped in, started reading and writing, using drama in the classroom, bought a book about drama to get new ideas, took a lot of pictures and video and here we are.
My goal with this project is to share with other teachers what I’ve learned about the efficacy of using drama to teach language and literacy. They are my audience. I begin with a literature review. Then, there is an introductory presentation that provides a basic outline, defines what I mean when I speak of drama and offers some suggestions for preparing to use drama in the classroom. Following along the menu are pages for different methods and applications of dramatization in the classroom - story retelling, character interview, human-slideshow (tableau) and drama in math. At the end I have included presentation handouts that can assist teachers in planning and implementing lessons that incorporate dramatization. In each section I have included data samples such as photographs, video clips and student work so that I can share what this looks like. Much of my analysis is attached to those artifacts.
The format for my project was originally intended to be a PowerPoint presentation only, but it got too big to share and send. I think this website format still communicates the same information - actually it communicates more because I provide an analysis alongside the data. Also, it will be easier to share. I hope that it inspires others to try a new idea or two.
Methodology
My literature review revealed new ways of incorporating drama into the classroom and I was ready to try them. English language learners need more time to develop new vocabulary and need support in reading comprehension. I wanted to see what would happen when I put an emphasis on drama and my question became - What happens when ELL students engage in dramatic activities?
Throughout my research I collected data on my students using the following methods: photos, videos, work samples, surveys, interviews, observations, and teaching journals.
Photos: I kept my camera in my purse and used it frequently. I photographed student work samples that followed dramatizations. I used photographs in our "human slide shows" so that students could used them as writing prompts which they later turned into books. I photographed while students were writing because I wanted to capture their engagement on film - a picture is worth a thousand words. These photographs helped to jog my memory when I was reflecting on our lessons.
Video: I videotaped the students' skits. This way we could review them and they could further internalize the story. This also focused their acting and gave them an opportunity to share with other students and to reflect. Parents who came in for conferences appreciated seeing their children in action.
Work samples: I collected writing that was in response to dramatization - letters, summaries, scripts, sequels, student made books, and the videos.
Surveys: I surveyed the students towards the end of the project. They rated their likes and dislikes of particular activities and wrote a few comments about what they learned.
Interviews: I interviewed groups and individuals throughout the project. I was continually asking them if they felt like what we were doing was helping them to understand what we were reading. I used their input to restructure some lessons.
Observations: I kept track of what worked and what didn't work in my planning book.
Teaching journals: I started a traditional teaching journal, but I had trouble keeping up with it. I think I used the camera more as a photographic journal to jog my memories.
Throughout my research I collected data on my students using the following methods: photos, videos, work samples, surveys, interviews, observations, and teaching journals.
Photos: I kept my camera in my purse and used it frequently. I photographed student work samples that followed dramatizations. I used photographs in our "human slide shows" so that students could used them as writing prompts which they later turned into books. I photographed while students were writing because I wanted to capture their engagement on film - a picture is worth a thousand words. These photographs helped to jog my memory when I was reflecting on our lessons.
Video: I videotaped the students' skits. This way we could review them and they could further internalize the story. This also focused their acting and gave them an opportunity to share with other students and to reflect. Parents who came in for conferences appreciated seeing their children in action.
Work samples: I collected writing that was in response to dramatization - letters, summaries, scripts, sequels, student made books, and the videos.
Surveys: I surveyed the students towards the end of the project. They rated their likes and dislikes of particular activities and wrote a few comments about what they learned.
Interviews: I interviewed groups and individuals throughout the project. I was continually asking them if they felt like what we were doing was helping them to understand what we were reading. I used their input to restructure some lessons.
Observations: I kept track of what worked and what didn't work in my planning book.
Teaching journals: I started a traditional teaching journal, but I had trouble keeping up with it. I think I used the camera more as a photographic journal to jog my memories.