[ola] Re: ola Digest V2 #212
- From: Nancy Parsons-Brown <nparsons@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 14:48:13 -0700
Dear OWL Family,
Please help! My fellow teacher, Alex and I are asking for some of your
great ideas. We are building a new middle school and we can give input to
the architects and school building manager as to what we want in our
classroom and how we want it to look. Cool, eh???? Since we are both using
circles and OWL techniques these are some of the ideas we came up with:
excellent soundproofing-we are noisy!
lots of closet space to store stackable chairs and tables
enough whiteboards on walls so all students can stand and write (class size
smaller than 20)
closet space for costumes and props
maybe a low elevated platform that is covered in carpet that can serve as a
stage or maybe
think sunken living room in the center (advantages, children can
sit on it and talk/write,
disadvantages....lots of jumping off, tripping over???)
good speakers built into cubbies in wall
open bookshelves for storage of materials (ie, place to put their notebook,
computer...while doing circle so they are not stepped on on the floor)
I have a sofa in my room, but not sure how much I like it-too much
bickering over sitting on it, so no one sits on it
an ability to put up a green screen for filming
Our building manager asks us to dream and request things...
What about a room shaped as a D? Platform on the straight side of D with
storage behind. The whiteboards (new paint material that serves as
whiteboard) could be on the curve of the D and on the straight part. You
could have storage in the curves of the D making in a rectangle.
I feel like a room that is designed with OWL techniques in mind SHOULD be
different than a standard classroom where the teacher is up front and
students are seated (a rectangle). Even a square would be better than a
rectangle.
For those of you who are more experienced with OWL, for what would you ask?
What am I missing?
We do have other non-language classes, so we do need tables at times.
Also, I'd like the classroom to be more comfy, and Reggio
Emilia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia_approach>feel that
we have in our elementary school.
We would really appreciate ANY ideas, especially ones thinking outside the
box or rectangle!
Nancy Parsons-Brown (Middle School French Teacher)
Alex Nicoll (Middle School Spanish Teacher)
Community School
Sun Valley, Idaho
On Sat, Nov 23, 2013 at 11:05 PM, FreeLists Mailing List Manager <
ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> ola Digest Sat, 23 Nov 2013 Volume: 02 Issue: 212
>
> In This Issue:
> [ola] Re: 1st and 2nd year -
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 17:33:13 -0500
> Subject: [ola] Re: 1st and 2nd year -
> From: Emily Gerstner <emilygerstner@xxxxxxxxx>
>
> I definitely second talk about friends and family members. Also, I like to
> hold students accountable when they talk to partners by asking them what
> partners had to say. Or, I've done activities where students respond in
> writing after some kind of speaking activity by writing about what they
> have in common/whether they agree or disagree with the people they talked
> to (i.e. "We think that...." or "So-and-so and I don't agree because..." or
> "So-and-so and I are different because....").
>
> On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 12:31 PM, Amanda Miller <AMiller@xxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
> > When I think about the novice level, I associate it with “me, me, me”.
> > As the students move into the intermediate, it’s my understanding that
> they
> > begin to talk more outside of themselves and the immediate “here and
> now”.
> > So it seems perfectly developmentally appropriate for the novice level
> > speakers to be talking about themselves! It’s what is most important to
> > them, anyway. I’ve had some success with providing my students with
> > connector words (with, because, in, at…) so that their descriptions of
> > activities can become more rich, “On Saturday, I watched Skyfall at my
> > house with my brother”, versus “I watched Skyfall”. I’ve coached them
> > through questioning to use these words and gesture towards the board with
> > the written connectors. I just collected a presentational communication
> > assessment, and many students are also using these words in their
> writing!
> > Back to other pronouns- as they bring up topics like their brother, you
> can
> > probe about their brother “Did he like Skyfall? What does he like” etc. I
> > have found that as they become more comfortable with speaking more, they
> > have begun to speak about their friends, families, and characters from
> > tv/movies. Another thing that is always fun- have the students discuss
> > polarizing topics- Do you like Honey Boo-Boo? What’s Miley Cyrus’
> problem?
> >
> >
> >
> > I hope this random collection of my experiences is helpful!
> >
> >
> >
> > -Amanda
> >
> > Amanda Miller
> > Division 1.3 Spanish Teacher
> > The Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School &
> > Sizer Teachers Center
> > Devens, Massachusetts
> > AMiller@xxxxxxxxxx
> > ------------------------------
> > *From:* ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] on behalf of
> > JoAnna Coleman [joannac@xxxxxxx]
> > *Sent:* Friday, November 22, 2013 12:06 PM
> >
> > *To:* ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > *Subject:* [ola] 1st and 2nd year -
> >
> > If I am really focusing on Novice to Intermediate skills, I feel like a
> > majority of the language is talking about myself and talking about the
> > person I am talking to, with very little focus on other subject pronouns.
> >
> >
> > Do you all try to "fit" in other subject pronouns to your conversations?
> > (ie. we, he, she, they, etc...) it doesn't seem really natural to me
> since
> > a majority of what we do are pair conversations asking and answering
> > questions.
> >
> >
> > In whole circle practice I point it out (I see myself, I see you, you
> > see me, we see each other, she sees me, etc...), but in the
> conversations,
> > it doesn't seem to naturally come up as often, at least not often enough
> > for them to internalize it.
> >
> >
> > Do you all have conferences next week?
> >
> >
> > Happy Friday!
> >
> >
> > JoAnna Coleman
> > Spanish Teacher
> > Wilson High School
> > 503-916-5280 ext. 75231
> > joannac@xxxxxxx
> > http://profecoleman.wordpress.com/
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> Emily Gerstner
> Teach For America Corps Member
> NE Ohio 2012
>
> (781) 258-4530
> emilygerstner@xxxxxxxxx
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of ola Digest V2 #212
> *************************
>
>
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