Technology:
Many of the sessions I attended were related to technology, obviously. I picked up as many handouts as I could. I will scan them and add them here. I didn't really learn anything new, but that doesn't mean you won't :)
Saudis:
I also attended the Saudi sessions that Bill and Laura wrote up so well. Here's my takeaway (since I see no reason to add my notes to theirs): getting Saudis to interact with people of the opposite sex, particularly from their own country, is a huge problem everywhere. Many teachers are responding to this problem by being very sensitive and not requiring their students to do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. Respect was a big buzzword in these sessions; the students must feel that we respect their culture.
I walked away mostly frustrated that no one had any suggestions we aren't already trying. I think we're very respectful of the Saudis. At the same time, do we not have an obligation to push them outside of their comfort zones? Many seemed to think that requiring them to work with the opposite gender would only be counterproductive. I can't imagine how it can be any more counterproductive than not forcing them to interact with each other.
Curriculum writing:
Mostly a useless session. One thing I definitely took from this session was the presenter's insistence that programs provide a diagnostic essay as part of the placement exam. She felt that a student's writing reveals much about their English proficiency. I tend to agree with her. Notes from that session:
Teach the students not the material
Scope and sequence (the what and the order)
Compares curriculum to a thanksgiving dinner - can exist with just turkey, but will be boring. Students need a variety, but don't teach what's unnecessary
There should be a diagnostic essay
Writing rubrics
An interesting session. I liked very much the idea that we shouldn't put anything on a rubric we don't dedicate any class time to. If you don't teach spelling in class, you can't mark students down for spelling things incorrectly. Presenters also made the important point that we should not live and die by rubrics - if this is the only method you have to evaluate writing, you are not doing a good job of evaluating your students' writing.
Article about rubrics: Panadero and Jonson 2013 - usefulness of rubrics
Rules of assessment: show models of good writing, create criteria and scoring rubric at same time, teach students the language of the rubric
Components of a rubric: Evaluation criteria, quality definitions, scoring strategy
Approaches to scale development:
Brainstorm all possible criteria, prioritize - choose only 3-7 criteria, determine levels, quality definitions
Performance driven rubric: use a yes/no scale - questions, if answer us yes, move up scale, if no, move down scale (binary scale - Turner and Upshur)
Data driven scales (Knoch 2006)
5 questions for usefulness:
Does it reflect course curricula, projects? (Weighting is important!)
Does it match up with your theory of language and the purpose of the test?
Does it align with the task and the kind of language produced?
Does it fit with my students' abilities and range of performance?
Is it easy and consistently used by students and teachers? (Shouldn't have to create a new one every time)
Perceptions of rubrics: teachers think students don't find them useful, so include students in the development of rubrics.
Never depend only on a rubric.
Concept of voice in rubrics: "The criteria not chosen shape the outcomes as much as those that are chosen" Haswell 2005
Orientation course
I went to a great session on how to develop an orientation course for students. Though my notes are not long, I was very inspired by this session. It reminded me of the experiential learning course that Laura and I created. I think we should seriously consider how we make our current orientation more dynamic and get the campus community more involved. Notes from that session:
Orientation course: takes them to planetarium, library tour, conversation partners and conversation table (paid program - they pay the partners), culture shock wokshop, police officer visit, counseling center visit, health center visit, career resource center visit, environmental health and safety lecture
Their course lasts three weeks, students like short, intensive course, good to meet their resources on campus
Get students to fill out a personalized form about their vital information; passport expiration dates, etc. so that they don't forget this information.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Notes from TESOL: Laura
Thursday, 11am
HARMONIOUS TRANSITIONS FOR UNIVERSITY SUCCESS
- transition course to prepare students for the university…
- (Elective, 4 hours per week)
- University offers conditional admission
- direct admit to Miami after completion of the IEP
- this program
- key part of program needs to be about getting IEP students in touch with American students - making connections
- create experiences for cross-cultural learning - provide time for reflection after
- needs to be ongoing experience
- case-based learning - UM Press text used…. issues of interest for college students
- incorporate service learning - get them involved
- use pre- and post- experience reflection time
- use peer mentors - greatest influence on other students
- involve as many stakeholders as possible
- create win-win situations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, 2pm
INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION BTW AMERICAN AND DOMESTIC STUDENTS
Suggestions from students for how to get internationals and domestic students to be involved with each other:
American students interested in cultural things (campus events, world history, foreign films, campus clubs, etc.)
International students interested in practical things (food, study groups, conversation practice)
The problem is, American students are self-segregating anyway…
Drexel - REQUIRE activities - "Family Groups" who have to go out and do an activity together in the community…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, 3pm
OUT AND ABOUT
task-based speaking activities
Oral Projects
- expose to university social and academic community
- multiple exposures of similar tasks
- several projects
- group or individual
Step 1 - Task Description, Student Preparation
Step 2 - Instructor Feedback
Step 3 - Pre-Activity Practice
Step 4 - Out and About Task
Step 5 - Debrief session
Step 6 - Followup Activity
Step 7 - Reflect
Social and Academic Group Tasks
- Learning about student organizations and attending meetings
- getting information on campus
- surveys
- conversations
Visit a professor during office hours
conversation groups
listening/speaking journal/blog
career or job fair
presentations
Notes from TESOL: Laura
Thursday, 10am
ENGAGING LEARNERS THROUGH TEAM FIELD WORK PROJECTS
- do field work projects instead of final exams - communicative objectives…
- teachers can use creativity and fit themes/topics to needs to group
- non-textbook instructions
- students exposed to authentic language
- opportunity for experiential learning
- encourages team work
- motivates with real world activities
- confidence that English can be used outside of class
- Project Theme Example: An Insider Guide to Washington, D.C.
- Step 1 - Prepare for field work
- provide students with list of local sites
- students preview website
- find out who interested in also visiting that site
- form groups
- 2 weeks to complete
- Step 1 - Prepare for field work
- Teach Powerpoint from the very beginning - teach outlining and format…
- Introduction
- Content
- Point 1
- Point 2
- Point 3
- Point 4
- Conclusion
- References
Thursday, 6:45pm
VDMIS Business Meeting
Meeting called to order 6:55pm
In attendance…. Laura Ray, Kenneth Chi, Johanna, Ahmed AlShlowiy, Dong-Shin Shin
1) Leslie Kirshner-Morris - IS Leadership Council Chair
-part of her
duties is to visit her interest sections… congratulate and celebrate the
work we have been doing this past year… presented a certificate to
Kenneth to celebrate his hard work over the past year
Web 2.0, StoryBird, Animoto, Go to meeting, etc.
2) Minutes from last year's meeting - who has them? Tony or Joyce?
3) Questions about how to present at Academic Session and InterSession were answered
4) Questions about how
to register for the IS were answered… also, we shared information about
our Community Page on the TESOL website as well as Facebook
5) Chair's report about this conference…
- 3 major presentations
- 1 - Academic Session - using VDM in the area of ELT (Friday afternoon)
- 2 - one session with Elementary Ed - Joanna, Ken, and Crystal presented (Thursday afternoon)
- 3 - one session with ESP [intersession] (Saturday afternoon)
- 40-50 proposals were submitted… ~12 on program
- There were 2 newsletter issues this past year
- Joyce and Laura staying on as editors this year
- We had the table set up today - Laura did an online sign up form
- Ken prepared a video about our interest section using PowerPoint animation
- hard
copies of all past newsletters are on a disk - can we sell this? Is
this allowed? How do we do it? -OR- can we upload this to the website?
- 7) Ken's powerpoint - we need to define in a "positive way" how we
are different from CALL… we need to define ourselves more clearly - we
may need to add a clarification of our identity to our mission statement
as well….
- there is a video on the powerpoint that may be a copyright issue
- for next year's booth, we need to request a TV - also, can we have someone in charge of the booth next year?
- apply for limited funds for a special project? (ex. the scanning project)
6) for 2013-2014…
- List of IS Leaders
- Johanna Katchen - Chair
- Jason Levine - Chair Elect (due to personal reasons, he would like to postpone becoming Chair for 1 year… Johanna has stepped in)
- Kenneth Chi - Past Chair
- Newsletter Editor - Joyce Cunningham and Laura Ray
- Community Manager - Vacant (we are still determining whether or not we need this position)
- Tell members they can go to website and download handouts… (for
those who presented in VDM, we can request that people upload their
power points onto our community page [this can be done at the same time
as when we are soliciting newsletter articles]
8) for 2014 conference
- Next year's theme… Portland's theme will be "Explore, Sustain, and Renew"
- Jennifer Lebedev - Pearson - invited by Ken to present at Academic Session next year
- BRAINSTORM - (10 word limit) explore, sustain, media, ways, using, video, renewing, remediation… old activities with digital twist … bring back the old using the new? ex) Laura's SCVNGR activities…
10) Tomorrow's
presentation - Intro, then Sevi (?), then Joanna and Ken present 2nd and
3rd, then Ashley and Laura, then questions
11) Voting for next
year… Ken thought voting online could be a problem? when we have a very
small group at TESOL, it is hard to vote in person, so Johanna thinks
online might actually be better
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, 10:00am
Opening Eyes and Minds with Local Community Based Research
Brain-based learning…
We need to train the brain to see…
ETHNOMETHODOLOGY
1) When students first
arrive, they make a lot of observations… but then they are here longer
and then with the pressures of school, the excitement begins to shrink.
There's a lot out there, but we close down and stop seeing what's around us…
2) Projects are picked by the students… if the activity is personalized, they are more apt to learn the content.
3) Novelty - things that are new and immediate make the brain think…
4) put yourself in someone else's shoes… ask why people do the things they do… get information from the source
Notes from TESOL: Laura
Thursday, 4pm
SAUDI ARABIAN FEMALES IN MIXED GENDERED U.S. CLASSROOMS: FURTHERING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
UNC-Charlotte IEP… Jeanne McCloskey
- Saudi women in the classroom
- sit in the front or back
- preferred to work alone or with another woman… difficult with husband in classroom - sometimes ok if male student from another country or if chair in between
- Culture of the Classroom
- impossible to define Arab culture
- resist blanket statements about cultural group
- interest in future research
- how to teachers and female Saudis negotiate learning in the classroom?
- Lit Review
- literature is extremely limited on this population
- focus is on identity - Muslim, gender… International student… IEPs provided a wealth of info
- focus on Saudis in regular university classes… also, research on Muslim-American (mostly K-12)
- Children in K-12 settings
- Education for women in Saudi Arabia
- elementary through higher ed separated by gender
- 2009 King Abdullah U for Science and Tech open for men and women
- Successful Strategies
- understanding and explaining your own subjectivity
- establishing yourself as a trusted teacher
- interviews, journals, and social media
- creating classroom culture
- design activities around students' interests
- YOU MUST CREATE A CONNECTION WITH STUDENTS to get "approval" - it takes a long time to do this
- Girl's night out… coffee dates… cooking day… shopping… sign up for preschool/elementary school… friends and family event
- Open Forum
- lack of modeling of behaviors - example of new father never seeing a man do certain things like change diaper…
- being respectful of culture… but what about mutual respect? if they are going to enter the university, they need to interact.
- popsicle sticks - to help facilitate good participation…
- what about getting information on what the system is like in Saudi…
- video project workaround
- puppets to take on different personae?
- religious discrimination concerns
- don't have to accommodate if changing educational values?
Friday, 11:00am
Saudi Women as ESL Students
Expectations, Challenges, Solutions
Self-generated set of solutions will be offered
Problem Statement
- Saudi students in the US
- Islamic tradition
- Gender segregation
- male teachers for females teach through CCTV or 2 way mirrors
- Coping with cultural differences
Research Questions
1) How well do Saudi women's expectations of Wester educational practices match their eventual experience?
2) Is attending classes in a co-ed environment a challenge for Saudi women? If so, why?
3) What can teachers,
student, and their families do to better prepare and help Saudi women
succeed in a Western education system?
Context and Study Design - IEP
where from? married or single?
interviewed 4 individuals
69 questions on survey instrument (Interview)
also, asked questions about equality and independence
students were intermediate level or higher - not in U.S. for longer than 11 months
Self-reported Positive self-perceptions, challenges will be discussed
friendly teachers
quality of instruction
academic rigor
comfort level in classroom?
respect of cultural values?
things that surprised in class?
received grades, attendance, taken more seriously
Self-reported negative Perceptions
Group work
working with men was not mentioned? wants one-on-one interaction with native speaker
speed of instruction (grammar class)
tardiness policy
the concept and interpretation of plagiarism
biggest concern - plagiarism?! not group work?!
Challenges
Working with male students
no discomfort reported re: having male teachers
different re: male students… males from other countries ok, but not Saudi males because they may laugh at her
majority students seemed to believe that female students should be given the choice to work with men or not
pressure from families was not felt (except the Riyadh married)
sometimes student feels like the other men in class might judge her for speaking with other men in the class
stereotypes of Saudi culture and students
teachers sometimes don't understand
Saudi students are normal and should be treated the same as other students
Traditional clothing
some students changed, others did not - individual choice was mentioned
Advice for future Saudi women
follow teachers' advice
take it easy and it won't be hard
study English before you come
if you aren't strong, you can't come here
people with no self-control should stay home
Pedagogical Implications
Answers to research questions
Teacher/admin training
participation in co-ed group work
monitoring the pace of instruction
defining expectations and rules clearly
SO, what should we do??
there is a fear of ridicule by Saudi men…
there is a double standard for Saudi women who come to the U.S. and "change"
recommendation - ask the students what makes them comfortable and talk
to them about what to expect in the university
Notes from TESOL: Bill
Factors Influencing Chinese ESL Students' Social, Cultura and Academic Transitions"
Akiko Ota, Michigan State ELC and ABD at Portland State in Post Secondary Ed otaakiko@msu.edu
(at the MSU ELC, 60% of the students are Chinese. 80-90% of the Chinese students are in the higher levels. The lower levels are majority Arab.)
700,00 plus Chinese students in US. @39,000 ESL students. Increasing annually by more than 20%. Their presence adds an estimated $22 billion to the US economy. (where's mine?)
Problems: * ESL language problems *Campus resources (unfamiliarity)
(Transition periods: 1. grieving, 2. adjusting, 3. full transition)*old social networks are left behind. * social/cultural challenges *linguistic problems *uncerstanding local and institutional culture
* being a minority for the first time *difficult to integrate without knowledge of higher education in the US
Inteviewed eight male, eight female students. All in second semester of first year, all in the highest ELC level (which is a credit course.)
Individual Themes:
1. cultural relations with Americans
2. want to separate from the other Chinese
3. adjustment to US culture and economic life
4. presence of the Chinese community
5. rigor vs respect
#1: Are your cultural relations with Americans successful or not?
"I only have Chinese classmates or suitemates."
"I'm the favorite Chinese in the dorm..." This student was elevated and included in American parties. This is considered important. (Miss Ota added that this particular went out of his way to speak with the Americans on his floor, hang out with them, go to football and basketball games with him, and he was very popular.)
#2: "Too many Chinese on campus."
The Chinese students want students from other countries. "How can I speak English? Tell the ELC we need more diversity." AUDIENCE COMMENT: "In our college we wouldn't let the Chinese room together and our program went way up. (improved). Ota: "Our dorms open and close for vacations and they have other priorities in assigning rooms." (thus it is difficulty to arrange non-Chinese roommates and so on...)
"The rich Chinese are trouble. I'm not rich. I want to study." (laughter)
#3. Money management is a big problem. First time in life managing money. Always done by parents in China. They want to eat 'home food' so they frequently go to restaurants and funds are quickly gone. In China, money managed a month at a time. Here the money must be managed for a whole year.
#4: "I became lazy because other (Chinese) students were lazy."
Students make hasty housing contracts for a whole year. They want to find something off campus but end up regretting it. Far away. Transportation difficulties. Can't afford car. Always trying to sublease.
#5: High Workload=High Prestige in the Chinese student world.
Students were proud of how demanding their high schools were---hours and hours of homework every night, a marker for a high quality school and education (and by implicatin a smart or good student...)
"My high school was great. Busy every day. But the ESL has very lilttle homework--this is very confusing--class for four hours, one hour of homeowrk--what do I do for the rest of the day?"
Students are used to constant workload, so the ELC has less respect.
Control vs Freedom: too much freedom in the ESL in the US.
Misconceptions about what is good. In China we have "homework classes." (study halls?)
Student and Teacher Expectations
1. "ESL teachers don't know me. I don't get enough attention--as I did in China."
2. Chinese expect: "Do not ask. Just explain."
3. Foreign teachers in China: relaxed. Classes are fun. No problem if you don't do the homework.
(implication is that these teachers and their classes are not taken too seriously...)
Pedagogical Differences
1. "You need to explain more--more information on the board."
2. "Too much discussion is a waste of time."
3. Curriculum and Testing: In China, testing is from the textbook.
In China, do the homework, do the text=you are ready for the exam.
What can we or should we do?
*students also need to change, but that's not enough. But we have to adapt somewhat even if they have wrong expectations. We must find a middle ground.
(the sample was too limited--only sixteen students)
Comments and questions
#1: "We say American methods will help them succeed. Are they aware of that?"
Ota: "No. They're not. So, how can we help them understand?"
#2: "In their culture they don't ask questions because that is seen as challenging, losing face."
Ota: "Yes. I come from that background. (Ota is from Japan) Our intentions as instructors is not enumerated fully. [I think of Dr. Ren Zhongtang here at ODU, who has his PhD in Education worked in the Ed School for years. Now he is head of the Chinese language program at ODU. He would make an excellent informant on this topic.]
#3: "There is an overlap." (not enough information?)
Ota: "Yes, there is not much literature on this subject..."
#4: "Did the students express desire for special disciplines?"
Ota: "No. This is not a discipline specific program or research project."
#5: "What kind of orientation do you have?"
Ota: Our orientation is not mandatory. There is a competing orientation from the Chinese students' organization.
Akiko Ota, Michigan State ELC and ABD at Portland State in Post Secondary Ed otaakiko@msu.edu
(at the MSU ELC, 60% of the students are Chinese. 80-90% of the Chinese students are in the higher levels. The lower levels are majority Arab.)
700,00 plus Chinese students in US. @39,000 ESL students. Increasing annually by more than 20%. Their presence adds an estimated $22 billion to the US economy. (where's mine?)
Problems: * ESL language problems *Campus resources (unfamiliarity)
(Transition periods: 1. grieving, 2. adjusting, 3. full transition)*old social networks are left behind. * social/cultural challenges *linguistic problems *uncerstanding local and institutional culture
* being a minority for the first time *difficult to integrate without knowledge of higher education in the US
Inteviewed eight male, eight female students. All in second semester of first year, all in the highest ELC level (which is a credit course.)
Individual Themes:
1. cultural relations with Americans
2. want to separate from the other Chinese
3. adjustment to US culture and economic life
4. presence of the Chinese community
5. rigor vs respect
#1: Are your cultural relations with Americans successful or not?
"I only have Chinese classmates or suitemates."
"I'm the favorite Chinese in the dorm..." This student was elevated and included in American parties. This is considered important. (Miss Ota added that this particular went out of his way to speak with the Americans on his floor, hang out with them, go to football and basketball games with him, and he was very popular.)
#2: "Too many Chinese on campus."
The Chinese students want students from other countries. "How can I speak English? Tell the ELC we need more diversity." AUDIENCE COMMENT: "In our college we wouldn't let the Chinese room together and our program went way up. (improved). Ota: "Our dorms open and close for vacations and they have other priorities in assigning rooms." (thus it is difficulty to arrange non-Chinese roommates and so on...)
"The rich Chinese are trouble. I'm not rich. I want to study." (laughter)
#3. Money management is a big problem. First time in life managing money. Always done by parents in China. They want to eat 'home food' so they frequently go to restaurants and funds are quickly gone. In China, money managed a month at a time. Here the money must be managed for a whole year.
#4: "I became lazy because other (Chinese) students were lazy."
Students make hasty housing contracts for a whole year. They want to find something off campus but end up regretting it. Far away. Transportation difficulties. Can't afford car. Always trying to sublease.
#5: High Workload=High Prestige in the Chinese student world.
Students were proud of how demanding their high schools were---hours and hours of homework every night, a marker for a high quality school and education (and by implicatin a smart or good student...)
"My high school was great. Busy every day. But the ESL has very lilttle homework--this is very confusing--class for four hours, one hour of homeowrk--what do I do for the rest of the day?"
Students are used to constant workload, so the ELC has less respect.
Control vs Freedom: too much freedom in the ESL in the US.
Misconceptions about what is good. In China we have "homework classes." (study halls?)
Student and Teacher Expectations
1. "ESL teachers don't know me. I don't get enough attention--as I did in China."
2. Chinese expect: "Do not ask. Just explain."
3. Foreign teachers in China: relaxed. Classes are fun. No problem if you don't do the homework.
(implication is that these teachers and their classes are not taken too seriously...)
Pedagogical Differences
1. "You need to explain more--more information on the board."
2. "Too much discussion is a waste of time."
3. Curriculum and Testing: In China, testing is from the textbook.
In China, do the homework, do the text=you are ready for the exam.
What can we or should we do?
*students also need to change, but that's not enough. But we have to adapt somewhat even if they have wrong expectations. We must find a middle ground.
(the sample was too limited--only sixteen students)
Comments and questions
#1: "We say American methods will help them succeed. Are they aware of that?"
Ota: "No. They're not. So, how can we help them understand?"
#2: "In their culture they don't ask questions because that is seen as challenging, losing face."
Ota: "Yes. I come from that background. (Ota is from Japan) Our intentions as instructors is not enumerated fully. [I think of Dr. Ren Zhongtang here at ODU, who has his PhD in Education worked in the Ed School for years. Now he is head of the Chinese language program at ODU. He would make an excellent informant on this topic.]
#3: "There is an overlap." (not enough information?)
Ota: "Yes, there is not much literature on this subject..."
#4: "Did the students express desire for special disciplines?"
Ota: "No. This is not a discipline specific program or research project."
#5: "What kind of orientation do you have?"
Ota: Our orientation is not mandatory. There is a competing orientation from the Chinese students' organization.
Notes from TESOL: Bill
Saudi Women: Expectations and Challenges. Friday 11 am. Florin Mihai (male, U of Central Florida) and Rollie Lewis (female, Valencia College, Orlando):
Did a research project on Saudi women in ESL. Factors are Islamic tradition, gender segregation, cultural differences.
Islamic tradition and education in KSA: women students and male professor would be in separate rooms with a one way mirror--students could see the teacher and could ask questions.
Research questions:
1. How much do exipectations (of education in the US) match with your actual experience?
2. Are co-ed classes a challenge? If so, why?
3. What can we do to help Saudi women navigate this new environment?
Four subjects for the project--four Saudi women:
a. age 33, single, from Jeddah
b. age 27, married, from Jeddah
c. age 24, single, from Medina
d. mid-30s, married, from Riyadh.
All four subjects were very different. (d.) was covered completely, including a masked face. Their English level was Intermediate and they had only a few months time in the US.
[We can see that this data base is much too small to draw too many conclusions. Yet, the responses are genuine and valid and worth considering. The presenters also understood that this is a very small sample, but felt that they had gotten some rare and much-needed information from Saudi women students.] Bill
Self-reported positives about study in the US.
1. Friendly teachers who are willing to answer questions. Teachers make us feel comfortable.
2. High quality instruction.
3. Academic rigor.
4. The amount learned in class. They were learning a lot in the classroom.
Self-reported negatives.
1. The amount learned in class (!) (...see #4 above). This refers to the speed of the class. "I hate grammar...I can't understand quickly...teacher spoke too fast."
2. groupwork: felt that she didn't learn. didn't like speaking with non-native speakers.
3. tardiness policy: one liked it, another didn't..."It's too strict." (chuckles from the attendees...)
4. plagiarism: concept and interpretation. Didn't know it was a problem--it's not a problem in KSA--one student in trouble for plagiarism very honestly felt she had done nothing wrong and felt offended.
Self-reported challenges.
1. Working with men. (One woman had worked with men in KSA.) Felt that Saudi men would laugh at them in the classroom, or that they may be judged by Saudi men. But didn't feel uncomfortable with a male teacher. Should let the student choose to work with men. Would be angry if forced to work with a man. This was an issue based on religion and based on custom. In general the women said they felt no pressure from their family on this issue, but felt great pressure from their husbands.
2. Working against stereoptypes of Saudi culture.
3. traditional culture. Two wore traditional clothing. One dressed in all black and a veil. One wore a veil in KSA, but does not wear it here. Why the scarf? Three said 'religion' but gave not details. One said that this is instruction from the Koran but that it was up to the individual woman to follow.
Each woman was interviewed individually, with no other person in the room.
The Saudi women worried about other students not understanding Saudi culture.
Their advice for future Saudi women?
"Here (in the US), you are responsible for yourself. If you are not strong, don't come here."
"Follow the teacher's advice. Sometimes the teacher is right." (laughter from the attendees)
"Take it easy and it won't be hard." (relax? don't stress too much?) The transition wasn't that hard--if they have had an opportunity to work with men (before they come to the US) it would be easier here."
"Study English before you come."
Pedagogical Implications
Expectations generally matched. Difficulties arose because of differences in education cultures--tardiness, plagiarism.
Coed classes? Answers varied, based on the woman's personality, life experience, commitment to religion. There is fear of being ridiculed by Saudi men.
Some were simply shy women by nature.
Rollie: How to help them succeed.
1. Their fear is very real to them. (A Saudi man said, "I would never want to marry a Saudi woman I met here (laughter). They have changed--the veil is gone--they talk to men."
2. Female students want to be asked (not ordered). Talk to the women about working with men.
3. plagiarism: They don't understand fully. They don't understand that one line copied is a bad thing. Paraphrasing exercises help, but they just don't get it. They need extensive practice.
4. monitor the pace of instruction. Make rules clear from the beginning.
Last quote from one of the Saudi women: "Not all students (Saudi women students) have the same way...some cover, some don't. For each student therre is a way to understand her."
Audience comments from the Saudi session:
#1 (woman teacher from Boston U): "...there is great change going on. We've found that there is great variance (in attitudes, ability to adjust to working outside Saudi culture, e.g. men working with women) depending on the level. Lower levels had the hardest time adjusting..." There seemed to be a good bit of agreement from the attendees.
Malcolm (the presenter): "I don't want to change their culture..one Saudi woman once said to me, 'We heard that all American men change diapers...'" (laughter from the attendees). Mrs Malcom mentioned "...respect....it's not been modeled..." I believe this referred to American teachers needing to respect the Saudi culture.
#2 (Ashley of ODU): "...I feel lilke the respect is not going both ways..." referring to Saudis need also to respect American culture and there is an element of the Saudis dictating the environ or even the rules of the classroom.
#1: "...they will have to learn from us..."
#3: "...we are preparing them for (American) classes..." (mainstream classrooms in American universities.)
#4 (man): (in our program) "...we've learned to follow body language (don't stand too close, be careful about looking into the faces)...we must see them as individuals---we must read their reactions and respond...we must become a 'respected teacher' (Saudi concept and term) ."
#5: "...they seem uncomfortable in mixed groups. A good model is to offer everyone the same amount of respect."
#6: "How do you balance? There are time limits...they must move beyond ESL quickly... (thus they feel under pressure--pass IELTS, TOEFL, etc)...we tell the student, 'We can't give you an exception...'"
Malcom: "There is a fine lilne. I do make exceptions for things like sick children. And unlike men, the women don't negotiate classwork (or homework?)..."
#7 (man): "...teachers feel overwhelmed. How to control? We don't 'control'--we facililtate. (referring here to aggressive students trying to speak all the time). I use popsicle sticks. Each student's name is on a stick. When the student raises his (or her) hand, I pull out the stick, answer the question and lay the stick down. This is the way they learn to take turns."
woman #5: (mentioned that Isabel Coleman (unclear who this is) came to our school (U of Denver)...there are 65,000 Saudis int he US now...there is so little information about the educational experience in their own country..."
Saudi man sitting in front row: "I am a grad student doing research on class participation. Saudi women have a negative attitude to men. (men here in the US? seemed to imply that...) Back home it is different...there is very limited time spent with men...it is not easy to adapt...it takes time...ladies (Saudi) are now establishing their identity...it is not easy..."
#5: "...you need to publish..." (sounds of assent from the masses...)
Malcolm: "...quite a bit is coming out (publications)...interviewing is helping (interviewing Saudi women in the US). A Saudi woman said to me, ' This is NOT who I am...my brother will not let me speak...' (referring to herself and her behavior in the classroom. The brother was either in the same class or in the same program.)
For men, after age 13 or 14, there is no talk about women. (added later that they always talk easily about their mothers and their cute younger sisters. But culturally, they cannot mention women who have entered puberty or adulthood...)
Saudi man #2 (standing in back. Clearly in command of English and familiar with American culture and university settings. Mellow guy...): "It's our culture. Even for me, it's hard to speak to a Saudi woman. Especially if I know her husband or brother. It is custom and it is ideology (referring to religion I think...)...we can not cross this (line). I am doing research on Saudi's perception of studies--difficult to get access to women--all research is coming from interviewing or questioning (Saudi) men..."
Saudi woman: "The question should be "How can we engage? We have to consider cultural background. We can't talk to Saudi mates...we have this deep in our minds. How?"
Malcolm: "It's carefully engineered. Get things randomly..." (not clear what she meant, but it seems to be that we are getting information, but it is random. 'engineered' may refer to Saudi male/female relations.)
#8 (US man): "We did video projects. We cut out faces (photographs--usually well known people like actresses or singers...) and put the faces on sticks...the ladies took on the personna of the person on the mask..." (this allowed them to respond freely and without anxiety...)
Woman #6: "Things are diverse. (all the women are different in temperment and personality...). Ask a Saudi woman, 'What are you comfortable with?' Don't guess (ask them). They are very diverse."
Did a research project on Saudi women in ESL. Factors are Islamic tradition, gender segregation, cultural differences.
Islamic tradition and education in KSA: women students and male professor would be in separate rooms with a one way mirror--students could see the teacher and could ask questions.
Research questions:
1. How much do exipectations (of education in the US) match with your actual experience?
2. Are co-ed classes a challenge? If so, why?
3. What can we do to help Saudi women navigate this new environment?
Four subjects for the project--four Saudi women:
a. age 33, single, from Jeddah
b. age 27, married, from Jeddah
c. age 24, single, from Medina
d. mid-30s, married, from Riyadh.
All four subjects were very different. (d.) was covered completely, including a masked face. Their English level was Intermediate and they had only a few months time in the US.
[We can see that this data base is much too small to draw too many conclusions. Yet, the responses are genuine and valid and worth considering. The presenters also understood that this is a very small sample, but felt that they had gotten some rare and much-needed information from Saudi women students.] Bill
Self-reported positives about study in the US.
1. Friendly teachers who are willing to answer questions. Teachers make us feel comfortable.
2. High quality instruction.
3. Academic rigor.
4. The amount learned in class. They were learning a lot in the classroom.
Self-reported negatives.
1. The amount learned in class (!) (...see #4 above). This refers to the speed of the class. "I hate grammar...I can't understand quickly...teacher spoke too fast."
2. groupwork: felt that she didn't learn. didn't like speaking with non-native speakers.
3. tardiness policy: one liked it, another didn't..."It's too strict." (chuckles from the attendees...)
4. plagiarism: concept and interpretation. Didn't know it was a problem--it's not a problem in KSA--one student in trouble for plagiarism very honestly felt she had done nothing wrong and felt offended.
Self-reported challenges.
1. Working with men. (One woman had worked with men in KSA.) Felt that Saudi men would laugh at them in the classroom, or that they may be judged by Saudi men. But didn't feel uncomfortable with a male teacher. Should let the student choose to work with men. Would be angry if forced to work with a man. This was an issue based on religion and based on custom. In general the women said they felt no pressure from their family on this issue, but felt great pressure from their husbands.
2. Working against stereoptypes of Saudi culture.
3. traditional culture. Two wore traditional clothing. One dressed in all black and a veil. One wore a veil in KSA, but does not wear it here. Why the scarf? Three said 'religion' but gave not details. One said that this is instruction from the Koran but that it was up to the individual woman to follow.
Each woman was interviewed individually, with no other person in the room.
The Saudi women worried about other students not understanding Saudi culture.
Their advice for future Saudi women?
"Here (in the US), you are responsible for yourself. If you are not strong, don't come here."
"Follow the teacher's advice. Sometimes the teacher is right." (laughter from the attendees)
"Take it easy and it won't be hard." (relax? don't stress too much?) The transition wasn't that hard--if they have had an opportunity to work with men (before they come to the US) it would be easier here."
"Study English before you come."
Pedagogical Implications
Expectations generally matched. Difficulties arose because of differences in education cultures--tardiness, plagiarism.
Coed classes? Answers varied, based on the woman's personality, life experience, commitment to religion. There is fear of being ridiculed by Saudi men.
Some were simply shy women by nature.
Rollie: How to help them succeed.
1. Their fear is very real to them. (A Saudi man said, "I would never want to marry a Saudi woman I met here (laughter). They have changed--the veil is gone--they talk to men."
2. Female students want to be asked (not ordered). Talk to the women about working with men.
3. plagiarism: They don't understand fully. They don't understand that one line copied is a bad thing. Paraphrasing exercises help, but they just don't get it. They need extensive practice.
4. monitor the pace of instruction. Make rules clear from the beginning.
Last quote from one of the Saudi women: "Not all students (Saudi women students) have the same way...some cover, some don't. For each student therre is a way to understand her."
Audience comments from the Saudi session:
#1 (woman teacher from Boston U): "...there is great change going on. We've found that there is great variance (in attitudes, ability to adjust to working outside Saudi culture, e.g. men working with women) depending on the level. Lower levels had the hardest time adjusting..." There seemed to be a good bit of agreement from the attendees.
Malcolm (the presenter): "I don't want to change their culture..one Saudi woman once said to me, 'We heard that all American men change diapers...'" (laughter from the attendees). Mrs Malcom mentioned "...respect....it's not been modeled..." I believe this referred to American teachers needing to respect the Saudi culture.
#2 (Ashley of ODU): "...I feel lilke the respect is not going both ways..." referring to Saudis need also to respect American culture and there is an element of the Saudis dictating the environ or even the rules of the classroom.
#1: "...they will have to learn from us..."
#3: "...we are preparing them for (American) classes..." (mainstream classrooms in American universities.)
#4 (man): (in our program) "...we've learned to follow body language (don't stand too close, be careful about looking into the faces)...we must see them as individuals---we must read their reactions and respond...we must become a 'respected teacher' (Saudi concept and term) ."
#5: "...they seem uncomfortable in mixed groups. A good model is to offer everyone the same amount of respect."
#6: "How do you balance? There are time limits...they must move beyond ESL quickly... (thus they feel under pressure--pass IELTS, TOEFL, etc)...we tell the student, 'We can't give you an exception...'"
Malcom: "There is a fine lilne. I do make exceptions for things like sick children. And unlike men, the women don't negotiate classwork (or homework?)..."
#7 (man): "...teachers feel overwhelmed. How to control? We don't 'control'--we facililtate. (referring here to aggressive students trying to speak all the time). I use popsicle sticks. Each student's name is on a stick. When the student raises his (or her) hand, I pull out the stick, answer the question and lay the stick down. This is the way they learn to take turns."
woman #5: (mentioned that Isabel Coleman (unclear who this is) came to our school (U of Denver)...there are 65,000 Saudis int he US now...there is so little information about the educational experience in their own country..."
Saudi man sitting in front row: "I am a grad student doing research on class participation. Saudi women have a negative attitude to men. (men here in the US? seemed to imply that...) Back home it is different...there is very limited time spent with men...it is not easy to adapt...it takes time...ladies (Saudi) are now establishing their identity...it is not easy..."
#5: "...you need to publish..." (sounds of assent from the masses...)
Malcolm: "...quite a bit is coming out (publications)...interviewing is helping (interviewing Saudi women in the US). A Saudi woman said to me, ' This is NOT who I am...my brother will not let me speak...' (referring to herself and her behavior in the classroom. The brother was either in the same class or in the same program.)
For men, after age 13 or 14, there is no talk about women. (added later that they always talk easily about their mothers and their cute younger sisters. But culturally, they cannot mention women who have entered puberty or adulthood...)
Saudi man #2 (standing in back. Clearly in command of English and familiar with American culture and university settings. Mellow guy...): "It's our culture. Even for me, it's hard to speak to a Saudi woman. Especially if I know her husband or brother. It is custom and it is ideology (referring to religion I think...)...we can not cross this (line). I am doing research on Saudi's perception of studies--difficult to get access to women--all research is coming from interviewing or questioning (Saudi) men..."
Saudi woman: "The question should be "How can we engage? We have to consider cultural background. We can't talk to Saudi mates...we have this deep in our minds. How?"
Malcolm: "It's carefully engineered. Get things randomly..." (not clear what she meant, but it seems to be that we are getting information, but it is random. 'engineered' may refer to Saudi male/female relations.)
#8 (US man): "We did video projects. We cut out faces (photographs--usually well known people like actresses or singers...) and put the faces on sticks...the ladies took on the personna of the person on the mask..." (this allowed them to respond freely and without anxiety...)
Woman #6: "Things are diverse. (all the women are different in temperment and personality...). Ask a Saudi woman, 'What are you comfortable with?' Don't guess (ask them). They are very diverse."
Sunday, January 6, 2013
How to email your professor
I came across this helpful article online from Wellesley College. Last semester, I took the time on the first day of class to teach my students how to send an appropriate email to their teachers, and I have to say, the quality of the emails I received went up significantly. If you're not teaching this skill, it might be worth incorporating into your lesson plan one day.
How to email your professor
How to email your professor
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