INLAND REFUGEE SOCIETY OF BC
Thursday - April 30, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"Haiku"

Class Profile: Write a brief description of your Practicum class. Age range, gender, first language(s), type of class, immigration status, and language goals.

The group described in this section is the first of three core distinct classes I have either observed, assisted with or was teaching directly. My work Practicum included working with four (4) different groups in three different locations or language centers. The bulk of the teaching and observations are from two classes at the INLAND REFUGEE SOCIETY OF BC (an "intermediate" and "advanced" set). The remainder come from STOREFRONT ORIENTATION SERVICES at Hastings and Jackson ("intermediate/advanced"). The fourth and fringe class in terms of observation and teaching was at MOSAIC. On a mostly on a functional level, I assisted, on several days, teaching computers to ESL students. The classes are added in the log for comment and class composition only and are not included in the English language learning activities and have been removed from the hours log. The first group outlined was identified as intermediate level. The class complement was 8 students: 4 Latinos (since they all seemed quite comfortable with each other, I assume that at least three are from Mexico and the last one, was from somewhere other than Mexico), 2 from Zaire (two very lively French speaking students), 1 from Albania (a woman named Violta) and 1 from Iran (a woman named Torana). There was a strong tendency to want to effect some form of translation (in terms of word and sentences). The modus operandi for seeking clarification specially from the Latinos was in Spanish (to me and among themselves) and the two Zairians would seek clarification among themselves using French. They are a lively bunch - with a young woman named Claudia leading the pack. She is sharp and well versed in grammar and has an excellent command of the language. She simply needs to increase her vocabulary and she will end up an excellent English speaker. They are a mixed bag in terms of age ranging from early 20s to late 50s. The group consists of refugee claimants whose language goal is to find some form of functionality for everyday language use.

i) the students’ response to the lesson
It is my observation that the aim of the lesson was to practice a new modality of thinking and using language. With the use of poetry, the class was allowed to transcend the everyday. However, there was a fellow named Damian, who mentioned that he did not wish to participate but wrote a rather profound piece. There does not seem to be any clear curriculum in the language center as well as a clear cut ranking system. Some of the "intermediate" students cannot write and they still cannot form complete sentences. Some are certainly more functional than others - but that would seem to me inevitable. I am curious about the range of disparity.

ii) the lesson content
Theme: Rhyme
Bev centered her activity, interestingly enough, on Rhyme. The object to create a class poem and individual poems using "like" and "as" (Poems based on the senses) as well as syllables (Haiku).

Warm-up: Rhyme and Associate
The object of the first warm-up was to find a rhyme for "hat" - the class came up with things like "bat", "cat" and "sat". Moving along to associate things to "Kitchen", the class came up with things like "utensil", "closets", etc. while at time still looking for a rhyme for "kitchen". Then the process was mixed around. There would be an example of a rhyme then an association.

Learning Activity:
We were to pick a theme and link it to a sense:

As a group we came up with something that sounds close to this:

Love looks like the rays of the sun
Love tastes like strawberries
Love sounds like the waves in the sea
Love feels like the softness of rose petals
Love smells like Jasmine

Then each student was asked to write his/her own poem. Later they where asked to read it out loud. Working with syllables was a bit more "interesting". As the concept was not so easily understood, the class seemed all over the place with this exercise. They managed to pull it of and wrote a class piece that I now fail to recall. They where asked to write it all down then, once again, read it out.

iii) your role during the lesson
Mainly my role was that of an observer. Bev graciously asked that I assist the students in the formation of the poems. I was told not be shy and run with it. I did.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
Apparently, there is another teacher for Tuesday. Bev indicated that it would be different and that I might be able to pick up something else from her. I will stay with this class one more day then ask to observe the Beginners and Advanced classes. I also volunteered to help the Mosaic staff with the computer instruction - they fall on the same day. So far this has been a really interesting place to gain experience.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 2 hours

INLAND REFUGEE SOCIETY OF BC
Tuesday - May 05, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"Survival in the Desert"

Class Profile:
The core of the class remained the same. The group outlined was identified as intermediate level. The class complement was 8 students: 4 Latinos (since they all seemed quite comfortable with each other, I assume that at least three are from Mexico and the last one, was from somewhere other than Mexico), 2 from Zaire (two very lively French speaking students), 1 from Albania (a woman named Violta) and 1 from Iran (a woman named Torana). There was a strong tendency to want to effect some form of translation (in terms of word and sentences). The modus operandi for seeking clarification specially from the Latinos was in Spanish (to me and among themselves) and the two Zairians would seek clarification among themselves using French. They are a lively bunch - with a young woman named Claudia leading the pack. She is sharp and well versed in grammar and has an excellent command of the language. She simply needs to increase her vocabulary and she will end up an excellent English speaker. They are a mixed bag in terms of age ranging from early 20s to late 50s. The group consists of refugee claimants whose language goal is to find some form of functionality for everyday language use.

i) the students response to the lesson
Today’s class was composed of six people today. Lucy, Damian and a new person -Olga. A new Latino fellow - who was actually the most advanced of them all. One French speaking Zairian. Eugene, Claudia and Torana were absent. They are really missed as they are the more advanced in the group. The class was able to run with as many people as there were. it went really well - good discussion, etc.

ii) the lesson content
Theme: Survival in the Desert
Bev did a really good job of getting the survival aspect going. Moreover, they centered on the analytical skills with English as the predominant language of choice - less translation and even less interruption.

Warm-up: Taste, Touch and Smell

Vocabulary:
Flashlight, Map, Compass, Gun, Parachute, Sunglasses, Knife, Raincoat, Bandage, Mirror, Salt Tablet, Vodka

Learning Activity:

Describing:
The Warm-up to this Language Learning Activity was for each person to have a set of pictures and have the Other define and describe using the senses. As an example, my copy has a rose, and ax, a coconut, a log, and a weight. I actually worked with Olga by describing this items to her and she in turn described it to me. We did this until we finished all the items.

Ranking:
The next activity Bev had us "Rank". She set up the scenario (please see attached) and in the process of this scenario there was a set of items that was to be ranked in order of importance. They were actually the vocabulary items above and the items where actually those that were in the describe section as well. The progression was as follows: First the scenario was read out, then each person was to work in solo to rank the items. They were grouped into groups of three (this was good as there was actual communication). Lastly, each group had a presenter and that caused even more discussion. They seem to all be very light hearted so discussion was very animated. I cannot imagine what it would be like if there were more people and more groups.

Grammar: ARTICLES
Bev introduced "Articles"

A, An, The, Some
Which one is definite?
(The)
Which one is indefinite?
(A, An and Some)
What is the difference with A and An?
A is used with Vowels and An is used with Consonants.
What is the difference with A, An and Some?
A, An are used in the Singular while Some is used in the plural.
A written assignment was handed out. Read out and the student where to answer the questions. To be continued on Thursday.

iii) your role during the lesson
I assisted with the preparation (e.g. the lesson plan) and was a co-teacher with Bev my second time running.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
Class seemed to move smoothly. It seemed that there was more preparation this time around.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 4 hours

INLAND REFUGEE SOCIETY OF BC
Thursday - May 07, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"mother’s day and conjunctions"

Class Profile:
The core group is still intact. The class complement was 8 students: 4 Latinos (since they all seemed quite comfortable with each other, I assume that at least three are from Mexico and the last one, was from somewhere other than Mexico), 2 from Zaire (two very lively French speaking students), 1 from Albania (a woman named Violta) and 1 from Iran (a woman named Torana). There was a strong tendency to want to effect some form of translation (in terms of word and sentences). The modus operandi for seeking clarification specially from the Latinos was in Spanish (to me and among themselves) and the two Zairians would seek clarification among themselves using French. They are a lively bunch - with a young woman named Claudia leading the pack. She is sharp and well versed in grammar and has an excellent command of the language. She simply needs to increase her vocabulary and she will end up an excellent English speaker. They are a mixed bag in terms of age ranging from early 20s to late 50s. The group consists of refugee claimants whose language goal is to find some form of functionality for everyday language use. Note: We had a mix of new members in the class. The class totaled 10 students. Torana and Claudia are back.

i) the students response to the lesson
Overall, the class was rich in discussion and there was a lively exchange of ideas. More details on the response of the class and my observations can be found below.

ii) the lesson content
Theme: Mother’s Day
The class started out with the question: What is mother’s day? What do people do in their home countries or at home to celebrate mother’s day?

Vocabulary:
Next we thought about words that we could come up with from the work M - O - T - H - E - R’ - S D - A - Y

The Learning Language Activity centered around the teams forming to get words up on the board. There were several words that seemed to build on vocabulary but with the disparity in the levels in the class, I felt that there was a lack of consistency in the range of words that came out. Hopefully, everyone was able to gain in terms of the new words.

Handout #1 - How many words can you make from ‘Mother’s Day’ and that was the item used to get them started to answer the class. This is where I see the real value of experience and formal training. I am feeling a little ‘fuzzy’ about what is supposed to happen, like I need more tools and feedback.

Grammar: Adjuncts
In the second half of the class, we pull out the Grammar material. We use practice sheets to get the class moving into conjunction.
We start with paper with page 176 on it. With examples using ‘because’ and ‘although’.
Fire, Ghost, Big Dog.....
Claudia feel afraid for fires ghosts and big dog. to Claudia (feel) [is - to be] afraid (for) [of - preposition] fires[,] ghosts[,] and big dog. [‘and’ is the conjunction]
other examples:
I am tired, I went to bed.
[I went to bed because I was tired]
I am tired. I went for a run.
[I went for a run although I was tired] ‘contrast’

iii) your role during the lesson:
This was my third day with the intermediate as a co-teacher. I plan to work with Mike on next week’s class. The composition of his class is certainly on the low beginners and should be a real change of pace. I look forward to working with him on this one. I will divide my time with him and Sashi at the computer class. I will support both of them as Teaching Assistants. Hopefully Mike will train me to take over from him on the days he is not there. More details as things progress.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
It seemed more technical today as there was emphasis on more serious aspects of language learning. More on this below. Finally some feedback. It is a class run for fluency rather than for accuracy. Correction, in terms of grammatical correctness should be in the minimal - encourage them to contribute. More on this below. I was getting a sense that I might be correcting them too much as they pronounce the word incorrectly. I quickly pulled back in terms of correction after asking Bev whether it was alright to correct them or not. She mentioned that it might stifle the will to contribute and I was promptly moved to make a correction or adjustment. Feedback like this is essential. I made a comment in conversation with Bev regarding the use of the singular and the plural. I made specific mention that Claudia would use the singular but add ‘s’ to the end of words and vice versa - removing the ‘s’ but using ‘are’ instead of ‘is’. She mentioned that insight like that is important as it allows the teacher to see where the problems are occurring and make the appropriate lesson plan adjustments. She mentioned that is why she wanted to use the ‘articles’ in the last class.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 6 hours

INLAND REFUGEE SOCIETY OF BC
Tuesday - May 12, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"The Eclectic Mix and Practice as much as you can"

Class Profile:
I was temporarily moved to assist Mike at the mixed and apparently all on a beginners (some more advanced than others) level. The class was composed of 12 students.

i) the students’ response to the lesson
The overall response, I felt, was one of challenge and eagerness to participate. My specific area of concern after all the material was laid out was to focus on the Czech family and run them trough the material with as little Czech interaction as possible. There was a lot of conversation in the identification of the items in the pictures. There seemed to be much success in terms of Language Learning Activity 2 more so than Language Learning Activity 1 - the reason for which I am not really sure of. My sense is that time was less of an element than location.

ii) the lesson content
There were three people handling the class with Mike in the helm. Mike, myself and Jackie handled the third language learning activity - Vocabulary. The class had three language learning activities: Past Tense, Prepositions and Vocabulary. Each language learning activity was designed to strengthen their ability to work with tenses and preposition. To this end, I felt that Mike was successful in making them address this issue.

LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITY #1:
Past Tense: The first language learning activity centered around the changing of Present Tense to Past Tense. Example: Bob is in class today. to He was in class yesterday too. There were 12 questions which included the first 3 that were either complete or started and the class as asked to finish them. Using the BE: Past Time.

LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITY #2:
Prepositional issues were played around by making sentences with them.

1. Above.....
The pencil is ABOVE the sofa.
2. On.....
The notebook is ON the table.
3. Next.....
The mouth is NEXT to my neck.
4. Below.....
The shoes are BELOW the table.
5. Between.....
Parvenah is BETWEEN me and Emma.
6. Behind.....
The Tree is BEHIND the house.
7. Inside and Outside.....
My Car is inside the garage and my bicycle is outside the house.

All sentences have a noun and a verb.

LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITY #3:
The last activity was the most interactive. Each grouping was divided into groups of 4 or 5 then asked to perform a specified activity that actually had to be worked at in the flip chart. To the best of my recollection, there was an activity that had to do with identifying items on a numbered picture (my group). There was a group that was working on writing a poem (Mike’s) and some other activity that had to do with Jackie’s. The class was at least trying really hard to formulate the English for the activities involved. High success level and certainly lots of practice.

iii) your role during the lesson
As the co-teacher to Mike.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
It is my understanding that Mike will not be around next Tuesday. Jackie and I will be handling the class. I will begin to teach computers to an ESL class so that should prove to be challenge in itself - teaching computers in this setting. I will continue to log it in as I will be dealing with ESL students. The challenge will be to combine them and still make progress. Preparing for ESL classes by myself will certainly be a challenge in and of itself. Moreover, it will be really interesting to get a handle on the issues regarding teaching computers to a computer class.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 8 hours

MOSAIC
Thursday - May 14, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"The computer class (for ESL students)"

Class Profile:
Mixed and apparently all on a beginners in terms of computers and a mixed bag in terms of language skills as well. The impact of the language variation certainly had a huge impact in terms of skill transfer. As if it was not bad enough to have to teach computer skills, it was made harder by the level of English competency as well as computer skill. There where about a dozen people in the class. Three rows of students with Ali and Octavio in the front, Hossien, Julia, Andrea and a fellow with a name I did not get, then there was Columba, Tanya and a Sikh fellow whose name escapes me now. They where all very keen to learn and they all had something to contribute. Tanya and Ali seemed to be the most difficult. There was much help coming from Columba so things went smoother. I was worried about running Tanya through the motions without her understanding what is going on. Julia said it best, that she needs to practice. A lot of the vocabulary is new and difficult.

i) student response to the lesson
Positive but somewhat stifled due to the lack of understanding of the new jargon as well as a more rudimentary skill in terms of the computers. Progress was slow but nonetheless steady.

ii) the lesson content
"Windows"

1.1 What comprises a "Window".
: As much as the language skills were not tested as in an ESL class, much of the time is spent explaining what certain words mean. There is the are of making sure that they understand the concept, and that they (the students) understands the concept in English. A lot of time and effort is spent making sure (in a tutorial fashion) what is going on. There was new vocabulary to explain: "Window", "Taskbar", "icon", etc.
"Files"

2.1 Mouse
: Using the mouse to copy and paste seemed to be really easy. Explaining to them to highlight and showing them is easy, there is a problem, they go through the motions without understanding the concept.

2.2 Keyboard
: They were asked to remove the mouse from reach and move as if there was no mouse by navigating using the keyboard. Using the Alt+(letter), they learned another way intuitively. Columba got it really quickly by understanding that this is an alternative way of doing the same thing, Tanya did not fair so well. In order to get her to understand the "alternative" concept, after having done all three (as explained by Soshi), Columba and I demonstrated all three consecutively. The light did seem to come on them, I asked her to do them and she seemed to be able to - this was my only mechanism for making sure she comprehended.

2.3 Shortcuts
Using the Ctrl+(letter) from the drop down menu, one gets to see the alternative of using the keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+C to copy and Ctrl+V to paste, etc. With this in mind, one would have to memorize all the specific command shortcuts. They got through it intact. In terms of a language exercise, the reading and vocabulary is certainly increased. The need to get an explanation stretched them (but correcting in this venue is not seem as desirable, somehow.

iii) your role during the lesson
As the co-teacher to Xochitl.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
To prep for Mike’s class next week, I asked all the students from the Beginners class to bring an item from their home country - there seemed to be a problem even understanding that simple instruction. They were gradually accepting of the idea and it should be interesting. The bag man concept must have some underlying linguistic mechanism other than just practicing the use of the four skills - listening, talking, writing and reading. I will have to work on that somehow. As for the computer class, we will be working on dialog boxes next week. In terms of important lesson - I feel that there is lot of preparation needed in terms of preparing the class for the new vocabulary. As much as the problems are doubled when trying to teach a new skill, the foundational language skills must be well grounded before introducing new concepts and skills, I learned.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 10 hours

INLAND REFUGEE SOCIETY OF BC
Tuesday - May 19, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"Tell me about your culture" and some other stuff (jiegi’s)

Class Profile:
Same as the last Tuesday. Mixed and apparently all on a beginners (some more advanced than others) level. The class was composed of 12 students. The class had two language learning activities: Tell me about your culture and Jiegi’s stuff. Mike was not able to make it to class so he asked us to take over for him.

i) the students response to the lesson
Overall, I thought that despite the lack of realia, there was much participation. It was difficult at first to get them to speak about their countries but once they started, there was no stopping them. The success of this activity is to make sure that the class understands the instructions and follows them to the last detail.

ii) the lesson content
LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITY #1: Multiculturalism - "Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing"
The object of the lesson plan was to involve the class in all the skills required for communication. They would first have to read the questions, speak to their partners, listen to the reply and write it all down. Since Canada is a Multicultural country, I envisioned the class wanting to speak to or about their homeland. As risky as this is, there is no subject that these students are more intimate with then their own countries. I also thought it would be good to share something about their culture and that everyone could benefit from the exchange - in more ways than one. They were asked to formulate four questions: What is your name? What Country are you from? What cultural item did you bring? and What does it represent? By asking these four questions, they would be practicing their English and writing stuff down. I did not want to interrupt the discussions as they were going full steam ahead. Unfortunately, we had to stop discussion to get the students to report on the partners information. We began by Jeigi and myself role playing the "Tibetan Prayer Wheel" story back and forth. Jeigi did not have one so we did it one way but asked the students to actually exchange information. In my opinion, it certainly did spark heavy discussion and there was a lot of exchange. It is this writer/teacher’s opinion that a class should be more student oriented and the less I talk the better. I don’t wish to lecture to them, I want them to ask questions, field answers and converse. Since it is important for them to listen and learn before they get into all the grammar stuff, then conversation is key.

LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITY #2:
Jiegi decided to read the story of Ronald. In this way explaining things like "Until" and then "Until After", etc.

iii) your role during the lesson
Primary teacher for the first part and backup/assistant teacher in the second.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
Just to reiterate, my original intent was to engage in the building up of the skill of oral communication. By asking the class to bring something that is familiar to them then, I was assuming that they would be comfortable with the subject and freely share from their experience. It was great to get them all involved that way. With more cultural items, I think it would be a really more interesting class. I will try it again in the next class. There is another critical lesson I learned (which I should have already learned from years of teaching) - the need for a backup plan - plan B. There were so few who brought cultural items and it was really difficult to get them stuff so we used a book instead. I don’t really like falling back on a book like that but rather a more coherent plan with an aim in mind. I need to find a really good lesson plan/curriculum book to base and modify my lessons on.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 12 hours

MOSAIC
Thursday - May 21, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"The computer class (for ESL students)" part 2

Class Profile:
Mixed and apparently all beginners as well. Class profile remains static.

i) the students’ response to the lesson
More bored than anything. With the advent of the party in the other room, the class as well as the instructors were very distracted.
There was a general continuation form the former class and the lack of new material may have also contributed to the class’ general sense of lethargy.
Energy level was low. I was instructed to have Xochitl lead the class and I was merely to provide a support function, which I did.

ii) the lesson content
"Windows"
There was a party over at the INLAND REFUGEE SOCIETY OF BC section so we got an extended break to go over and check it out. Since most of these students are Alumni of the IRS of BC English program, then they were networking as well. We will try to get them to watch the video on Windows 95 to get them all pumped on the various features and to generate questions regarding W95 and computers in general. I am really looking forward to fielding all the questions regarding the software. We will see where it takes us. The was simply a continuation of the previous class with Xochitl.

iii) your role during the lesson
General support function and vocabulary clarification for items such as list boxes, drop down menus, etc.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
A support function from a second teacher can be helpful in any scenario be it in a computer scenario or otherwise. The feedback should be welcome and adjustment should be made to accommodate the needs of the students. More attention should be paid to the actual goal of the class. In this case, I can see that the goal was to simply introduce the students to the Windows environment. I not really sure and maybe it is not my place to be too critical but.... certain care must be taken in terms of the progression and some modality of testing must be in place to see that the class is getting from point A to point B. The observation that I laid out applies not only to computer training but, I feel, to language as well. I am not sure where is fits in the whole scheme of things but certainly more care should be taken to get feedback and apply it to the goal at hand - whatever that goal might be.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 14 hours

MOSAIC
Thursday - May 26, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"The computer class (for ESL students)" part 3

Class Profile:
Same as last week.

i) the student response to the lesson
The response was fairly predictable. The class was happy to be in front of the computer and yet they seemed very tentative. Can this phenomenon be applied to the lack of understanding of the computer that plagues just about everyone? Maybe. However, be that as it may, I think it would be a good idea to set up a glossary of terms.

ii) the lesson content
"Windows"
General support function and vocabulary clarification for items such items as are included in Word for Windows. No details.

iii) your role during the lesson
Same - support personnel for the class.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson.
There was a lot of seeking clarification in terms of the jargon that was being thrown around. It might have been useful to take all the jargon and make up some sort of "cheat sheet" that the class can refer to. In hindsight, I can see that the function would have been really useful I use this technique now with all the articles that I give out. Avoiding the call for clarification in terms of vocabulary can speed up the learning process.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 16 hours

MOSAIC
Thursday - May 28, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"The computer class (for ESL students)" part 4

Class Profile:
More people showed up today as they must have known there was a film showing.

i) the student response to the lesson
The response to the video by Microsoft On Windows 95 was mixed. The idea was to allow the users into areas of the environment they would not normally enter. By introducing the sweeping video, it should give the class an overview as well as review of all the items taken. One half of the class liked the introduction/review, the other half complained that the video was too complex for them.

ii) the lesson content
"Windows"
Film showing and question and answer portion. We watched the training video put out by Microsoft. Answered general questions and let Xochitl take over. The general consensus was that it was a helpful exercise. There were lots of items covered that were of a review nature. There where two notable exceptions - Ali and a lady from Mexico. The former made comment that a fair portion of the film was missed due to the English skill level. The latter mentioned that it was not appropriate as it was for people who already knew windows. I simply reiterated that this was a review and in some cases introduction and that a majority of the learning takes place outside and beyond the computers. Reading and discussion are certainly part of the pedagogical process.

iii) your role during the lesson
Primary teacher and coordinator of the film showing as well as resource person for seeking of clarification.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson.
You cannot please everyone.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 18 hours

STOREFRONT ORIENTATION SERVICES
Wednesday - June 3, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"Dean" and "Tom"
"The future CONTINUOS" and "gateway to canada"

Class Profile:
The class profile for this segment is twofold. Firstly, there is the Dean’s class as well as Tom’s. Dean took over at the beginners level and Tom was teaching at the advanced level. Began by handing out stuff to the class. Class composition was 8 students.

i) the student response to the lesson

ii) the lesson content

"Dean"
Began the discussion with "I will" + verb + ing. Since the present uses "I am eating (for the present continuous) adding "I will be" makes it future continuous. It all starts with the present continuous - I am watching TV. Then you consider the past tense - I watched TV. Then you combine them by adding the future - I will watch TV. If you place the present continuous in the future the you will get - I will be watching TV.

I will = I’ll
He will = He’ll
We will = We’ll
It will = It’ll

(I noticed that he lectured throughout the class. This was interesting as it is difficult to get the class to "talk" to each other in a scenario like this. What does one do in a scenario like this? Lecture and practice them I guess. I would have had them do the activity on their own, then after which have them "report" to the class what they did - and maybe make the corrections from there.

to be - Present - I am, Future - I will be, Past - I was.....
am, was, will be
He is - fixing the sink.....
He was - fixing the sink.....
He will be fixing he sink.....

"Tom"
In the attached copy of a portion taken from Gateway to Canada, the class made a sweep of 20th century Canada - it was I thought a very useful segment to use as they are all new or prospective Canadians. We went from 1914 to 1990. Went through the comprehension section and reviewed the Vocabulary. If I were to use this, I would have run them through the reading, done the vocabulary then ended with the comprehension section. This sounds like a very useful section and I will take some stuff out of this book for further classes in the Inland Refugee Society of BC as opposed to STOREFRONT ORIENTATION SERVICES. It might come in handy as I go from place to place preparing a lesson plan for both places.

iii) your role during the lesson
As observer and co-teacher in both classes. I was able to observe and actually landed a position teaching the advanced class. The day started with observing the very beginners course (for the first hour) then ended with observing Tom’s advanced course. Tom will be leaving for Chiapas, Mexico - so I will take over from him as he will be gone and I can fill in as needed. Dean is the co-ordinator of the STOREFRONT ORIENTATION SERVICES program and he did a wonderful job, on the fly, in the beginners course as the original teacher was absent.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson.
It looked like the beginners class was more structured than the advanced - in one way it was good that the advanced got to go all over the place but there is strong need for all kinds of formal grammar training. It is essential that I be enrolled in the earliest possible Grammar course to strengthen my skill in that department.

Suggested curriculum for advanced (technically labelled "Intermediate")

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 20 hours

INLAND REFUGEE SOCIETY OF BC
Tuesday - June 9, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"Back to school

Class Profile:
The class membership includes: Mehdi, Majid, Naser, Mahtab, Kibeba, Leila, Ali, Reza, Noelia and Abel. The class has been designated Advanced. The disparity is wide, yet they are fast learners and easily, very easily get bored. Mehdi is particularly troublesome. Having done some teaching, he sees it his role to question every single new term while refusing to search a dictionary. Majid is from Iran as Mehdi. He is even tempered and very cooperative. Naser is somewhat erratic in his attendance but is very knowledgeable and must have done some traveling - he is also from Iran, Mahtab is the first of a series of women who have formed a bond. Together with Kibeba and Leila, Mahtab and her two cohorts form a triune that is head and shoulders above the rest. Ali and Reza are the remaining Iranian contingent. Noelia and Abel are from Mexico. The class is basically, once again, refugee claimants. The object is to teach them survival English as well as grammar and other such items that will make them better habituated in this new country.

i) the students response to the lesson
Enthusiastic.

ii) the lesson content
"Adjective"
Each person was asked to define themselves against an adjective. Down the line, each person was supposed to remember everyone who followed along the line in order to get everyone’s name and description. Great ice-breaker.
"Introduce"
We asked the class to lay out a bunch of questions that you ask someone who you have just met. The class was asked to rotate to two different fellow students and ask and answer the questions. Yet another great ice-breaker.
"Writing"
After the break, we asked the students to put down in five or six sentences what they wanted out of the class or anything about themselves. The results are attached.

iii) your role during the lesson
Co-teacher with Bev. She did the first part, I did the second part. We shared in the preparation for class.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson

Keeping the class occupied is certainly the best way to keep them from getting bored. There are several "clients" who wish to work on their writing and wish to practice for the TOEFL exam. I have learned that one has to make the appropriate adjustments as it is essential that one targets the class lesson to suit the students needs.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 22 hours

STOREFRONT ORIENTATION SERVICES
Wednesday - June 10, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sumo anyone & taking a side

Class Profile:
Leila, Fernando, Amir, Victor and Ghabir? - Advanced. The aim of the class is to increase their vocabulary and make them practice their English.

i) the students’ response to the lesson
Open minded and curious.

ii) the lesson content
"Sumo" - Reading Comprehension
I collected all the articles this weekend regarding the Sumo Canada Basho and asked them to read and answer questions. I am leading up to reading comprehension as will be further worked on in the next activity. Lively discussion ensued as vocabulary and culture questions where explored.
"Debate" - Articulation
Should Sikhs be allowed to forego using the Turban? yes or no and Why? - simple, based on the article, I asked the class to formulate an opinion and to defend it. What resulted was keen insight and articulate answers. In terms of making them more comfortable expressing themselves in English, I have admit I thought it was rather successful. I am leading up to a TOEFL review session. Reading and listening is an integral factor in TOEFL.

iii) your role during the lesson
Primary teacher and facilitator

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
The quickest response comes from conversation. There is also a need to be constantly infusing the notions of grammar is a more subversive way. Instead of saying: "We will be doing this grammar rule today." - just do it. Enter it into the lesson as often as possible and hope that it will stick. This way the student gets the best of both worlds.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 24 hours

Inland Refugee Society of BC
Thursday - June 11, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Formal/informal

Class Profile:
Same as Tuesday with a few additions

i) the students’ response to the lesson
Overall, generally good.

ii) the lesson content
"Writing"
I started out the class with a writing assignment (optional). For anyone who was interested, I handed out and article from Biography on Tony Blair entitled "Tony Blair: The True Changing of the Guard" by Marjorie Rosen. They are to read the article over the weekend and write a page of information on the article - of which I will correct.
: On the side, I was busy photocopying the assignments for next week. Next week we will be working on a TOEFL exam. Since some of the class asked for TOEFL training - I thought it would only be prudent to at least touch on it in one week of the class.
"Formal"
Bev started out with a scenario that was to be played out in a FORMAL setting. The whole class participated enthusiastically and there was exchange and explanations on vocabulary that was more formal in nature.
"Informal"
Same as above but with a flair for the less formal. Participation was high.

iii) your role during the lesson
Co-teacher in the delivery and execution.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
Co-teaching can be fun and the students have more of a resource to react to. There is also a cross checking mechanism. Sharing the responsibility helps to really prepare both teachers as they can feed of each others ideas as well. Attention can be paid to the students on a more one to one basis.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 26 hours

Vocabulary for "Tony Blair: The True Changing of the Guard" by Marjorie Rosen

* Hippopotamus comes from the Greek - Hippo which is Greek for horse and a derivative of tamus which means river. A Hippopotamus is a pachydermatus quadruped and is not a horse.

Inland Refugee Society of BC
Tuesday - June 16, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Reviewing for the TOEFL exam - Listening and reading Comprehension (with discussion, clarification and vocabulary)

Class Profile:
Same as with a few additions

i)the student response to the lesson
Somewhat enthusiastic and hurried me when I slowed down.

ii)the lesson content
"Part 1 - the test"
Last week I wrote: "I started out the class with a writing assignment (optional). For anyone who was interested, I handed out and article from Biography on Tony Blair entitled "Tony Blair: The True Changing of the Guard" by Marjorie Rosen. They are to read the article over the weekend and write a page of information on the article - of which I will correct." I am happy to report that I have received some feedback in terms of written reports and have began to correct them. It is my intent to have them all polished and placed in the newsletter. In the event that all cannot be published, at least one will be or form the representative work for the class. Initial responses and corrections are attached. On page 21, you will find a copy of the vocabulary work I did for the article spoken of above. Some others will compile a list of their own to show me (explanation, hopefully included). More as I get it. Furthermore, I wrote "On the side, I was busy photocopying the assignments for next week. Next week we will be working on a TOEFL exam. Since some of the class asked for TOEFL training - I thought it would only be prudent to at least touch on it in one week of the class. Bev will take Thursday as I will do Tuesday." Part 1- was the administration of the Listening and Reading Comprehension portion of the sample test attached. Bev and I read out the Listening dialogue and asked them to answer. The Reading comprehension they did on their own while answering the first 12 questions in Section 3 of the sample test.

"Part 2 - the correction"
As a logical continuation, we corrected all the questions and those with alternative answers where asked to explain why they chose what they did. If the answer was correct, we would just move on, if there was a problem, I would stop and check/refer to the correction sheet for the teachers and we would discuss it. Lively English discussion ensued.

iii) your role during the lesson
Teacher.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
It is important to keep the attention level really high and the class somewhat intense.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 28 hours

STOREFRONT ORIENTATION SERVICES
Wednesday - June 17, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Does the headline accurately and completely reflect the story?

Class Profile:
Same as last Wednesday with a few additions

i) the students response to the lesson
A bit confused at first, yet they were able to catch up.

ii) the lesson content
"Let’s have a look at the headlines....."
We started out by looking at the headlines and seeing what they could mean. We cleared up the issues surrounding the vocabulary and other possible "misconceptions." We took a break and after the break we moved to read the article and have a conversation regarding whether there was any connection to what we had discussed and what was really in the article.

"Let’s have a look at both and we can compare....."
There was certainly lots of discussion regarding all sorts of subjects. The question surrounding Bill Vander Zalm caused us to move to discuss whole system of government here and the US. Discussing yet other topics surrounding the Spice Girls, Horticulture, etc.

iii) your role during the lesson
Teacher.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
The awesome responsibility of the instructor. In this case, there was conversation regarding the levels of government, the provincial as well as federal dichotomy was explored. History and cross cultural evaluations are made (while not forgetting that the primary reason for being there is actually to get the English practice going.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 30 hours

Inland Refugee Society of BC
Thursday - June 18, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
That of which and what is your sign?

Class Profile:
Same (the advanced group) as with a few additions

i) the students’ response to the lesson
Less then enthusiastic.

ii) the lesson content
"Reading who, what, where. and when..... plus which/that"
Please see attached - there is an article of which I asked them to read and discussed the grammar issues.
"Part 2 - Horoscope"
Discussion on the Horoscope.

iii) your role during the lesson
Co-teacher.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
Conversation and topics of interest keep the class focused.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 32 hours

Inland Refugee Society of BC
Tuesday - June 23, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"Genocide and jobs"

Class Profile:
Same (the advanced group) as with a few additions

i) the students’ response to the lesson
Certainly, less than enthusiastic.

ii) the lesson content
"Genocide"
I distributed the attached article for their perusal and discussion. We were bogged down on the vocabulary which really posed a problem. In this sense, I got the impression that the class is beginning to control me as opposed to the other way around. The key will be to get all the pre-reading stuff over with prior to the reading. Vocabulary will be outlined next time.
"On the Job"
We all read the issue attached and discussed the possibilities of looking for a job. The class, it seemed to Bev and myself, did not go as smooth as it could have gone. There was a real problem with flow, which we intend to change.

iii) your role during the lesson
Sole teacher.

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
Outlined above.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 34 hours

Inland Refugee Society of BC
Thursday - June 25, 1998
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
"story writing"

Class Profile:
Same (the advanced group) as with a few additions

i) the students’ response to the lesson
Enthusiastic and sometimes jovial

ii) the lesson content
"Story writing"
We discussed the various parts of a story. The introduction, the body, the conclusion, etc. and proceeded to write a story based on pictures that Bev had collected and handed out. The class then was asked to read out the stories that they had written, much to the delight of the class.

iii) your role during the lesson
Co-teaching with Bev

iv) the most important lesson you learned during the lesson
Outlined above.

Daily Total: 2 hours
Running Total: 36 hours

END