EAL- Multiple Intelligences and Alice in Wonderland

       Today we were with Lonnie. At the beginning of lesson she talked about accelerated learning. And we learned that what is the capability of 5 to 7 years old children and 8 to 10 years old children.  

       5-7 years old children can forget something easily. They mostly use their hands, ears and eyes when they get knowledge.

     8-10 years old children ask so many questions. They make their decisions about their own learning. And also they help each other, if the other doesn’t capable of doing something.

Multiple intelligences

      After talking about intelligences we talked about fantasy literature or movies and effects on children. There are types of fantasy literature :

  

           FANTASY

•  Fantasy world 
•  Real world 

          Break through to fantasy world

•  Real world

                   Fantastic element

      We had read the story Alice in Wonderland, and how to make lesson plan. Then we tried to make a lesson plan as a subject of Alice in Wonderland.

      After lunch break we watched movie of alice in Wonderland, and then according to children’s age we talked as if it was usefull for them or not. And also we talked about which parts can be scary for children.

DC- Presentations in Democratic Citizenship

   In this lesson we had five presentations. They were:

  

1. Responsibility 
2. Atmosphere 
3. Decision making 
4. Collaborative working
5. Student-teacher relation  

  Every group explained their subject according to their experiences of teaching observation. We found a problem and according to this problem we tried to find solution. And also we tried to combine solution with theory.

  Our subject is Classroom Atmosphere. First we wrote our discussions on Google doc. Then we present it on Prezi. Here is the link:

   http://prezi.com/zylk6od5nuso/classroom-atmosphere/

ED- Culture and Hofstede

       This lesson we talked about culture and the theory of Hofstede. And also we watched videos about American and Asian Culture. After these videos we tried to figure our what is culture?

         Culture is not different from country to country, culture is also different in one city who lives in there. But we can not say ."Culture cannot change!" Of course culture is changeable. Different cultures effect each other. Culture comes from ancients, it can be transferred generation to generation. According to Parson:

           

           "Culture consists in those patterns relative to behavior and the products of human action which may be inherited, that is, passed on from generation to generation independently of the biological genes." 

         In the videos, anthropologist shows us differences between Western Culture and Asian Culture. Western culture's people not so close to each other, but  Asian culture's people are so close to each other. And also he/she told us in these videos USA is a country and the Asia is a continent. At the same time he/she mentioned us that culture can change where and how you are looking for. What you see then it is their culture. Because we normally know about Asian people are really different each other.

       After these videos we talked about Hofstede's culture theory. Our classroom separated according to the nationality and each group tried to find strengths and challenges. Then each group presented their dimensions. And here our dimensions:

EAL- Presentation of Observation

   We finished our observation of school and we started again our English as an additional language lesson. Before the lesson day we read about "writing" and also we wrote our blogs about "Teaching and Learning of Writing".

   Our lesson was with a guest teacher, Sanne Larsen from Copenhagen University. In this lesson, after short explanation, we did an exercise about listening and writing. Two times, while Sanne was reading the text, we were trying to write. Actually I tried to type all sentence though typing key points. It was really hard to write like that. Then we talked with our body, what he/she could wrote and we tried to combine them to get whole story. But we did not have so much parts. When one of my friend read the whole text again and we saw from the board. We realized that we had many mistakes. We misunderstood many words. I understood when you are writing something, not try to write whole sentence just write key words, then you can remember the whole story according to words.

   Second part of lesson we made short presentations about our teaching observations. At break time my group (Irene and Mertcan) try to make presentation with Prezi. 

Here is the link:
http://prezi.com/fini43gl1ws1/observation/ 

    It was really nice to hear my friends' experiences. Almost all of them, told about their positive experiences. I am very happy to hear when I think my teaching observation. 

ES- Cultural Dimensions in Turkey

     Culture is that the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/culture). Culture is very extensive phenomenon. It can change country to country or city to city where in one country. If we want to narrow it, we can see that culture can change family to family. 

     When I went to university in Turkey, I found that every student has different customs. Now, I am Erasmus student in Denmark and I have already noticed lots of differences. But I learned to be open-minded and now I speak without stereotypes. I try to attend all cultural  activity. Christmas time is very good chance to observe the culture.

     According to our self-study we tried to analysis of Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions and educational system in Turkey. Geert Hofstede's using dimensions are:

 Sometimes it is really difficult to analysis. Because Turkey is still developing country and conditionals are changing. But we tried to make analysis what we know. Here is our cultural dimensions at educational system in Turkey:

• Individualism/Collectivism
• Uncertainty/Avoidance
• Power/Distance
• Masculinity/Femininity
• Long-term/Short-term

   Hofstede – 5-Cultural Dimensions

    School is a national institution educating students collectively, but evaluates them individually. The schools are independent from each other and they are just dependent on MEB, standing for Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı, meaning Ministry of National Education. That’s why we can say the schools in Turkey are institutions depending on the state. In this article, we have inspired by our school experiences. However, some points discussed below may have been changed over time.

     1. Individualism/Collectivism
    When we look into Turkey's education system, individualism is in the foreground in the schools. Especially in primary and high schools, students work by themselves under the guidance of their teacher. In primary school level, teachers give their students some projects to be done as homework, but again students work by themselves, the main purpose in this level is to teach by practice. In high schools, the system is based on taking notes and question-answer method, this points out individualism again.

    When it is considered, the education system of Turkey tends to individualism more than collectivism. Tasks, homework or assignments, which are given to students, are generally examined individual skill of the students.

      As a result of t education system, there can be rivalry among students. Getting a higher grade than other students is significant for a student. In addition, there is hardly group works in primary and secondary schools. For instance, although Turkey’s culture is more about collectivism, activities in Turkish schools are more about individualism. Not only homework or anything else that is given to the students pushes them to work individually but also, because of that, individualism spreads among students. Many students start to think of their interests. Collectivism is common in the university education. Many students see how to collaborate. Actually, at the beginning, it might be difficult for the students who are used to work individually, because students want to be dominant this time. However this is getting to be easier for them coming days.

      2. Uncertainty/Avoidance
     Turkey’s education system has certain, clear, and strict rules. Students have to oblige with these rules; otherwise, because of their behaviors, they may be punished. For instance; students had to wear uniform but this changed last year; moreover, growing a beard or long hair is prohibited for boys and making-up is forbidden for girls. For teachers, growing beard, wearing jeans, T-shirts are forbidden. There are also many rules which are made by the Ministry of Education and the school’s headmaster, which shows the strong uncertainty avoidance.

     If we consider the weak uncertainty avoidance, students don’t want homework generally. Besides, in general, there are flexible rules in schools. For instance, students do not have to wear school uniforms, but of course this can change from school to school.


    3. Power/Distance
      Large Power Distance:
    In Turkey, beside educational system, examination system is always changed, but nobody can change it however they want. There is a saying like: “Coffee Speech”: people sit, discuss and they try to change the country, they just speak; however, there is no action. This matter can also be seen among students. For instance, students can want to have much more selective courses as they want; however, the headmaster may not agree with them. This shows that students have to obey the rules coming from the superior.
    There is a high level of power distance at schools in Turkey. The teachers are dominant and students are expected to be respectful to the teacher. Calling the teacher by his or her name is considered extremely rude. Students have to call them “my teacher”. Students in elementary and high schools greet their teacher by standing up every time the teacher walks into the classroom. The teacher’s decision cannot be questioned. 

    4. Masculinity/Femininity
   We have a patriarchal society. In the other words, masculinity is superior than femininity and masculine traits are more dominant in Turkish schools. In masculinity features, we can see that people are much more decisive, ambitious, challenging, and supporting heroism. When it comes to class environment, we can see that students want to be the most dominant in the class. Turkey’s education system is based on exams that create a big competition among students. Students have to work for their exams and they must have good grades to sustain their education. The boys, during the classes, can be loud and competitive, while girls are only interested in sharing their opinion, often this can make it hard for girls to participate in the class because of the boys’ behavior. This may cause the class to appear masculine.

    5. Long-term/Short-term
   Generally in Turkey, people depend on their traditions. After so many years, some of the people in Turkey try to protect their traditional. With globalization, some people leave their customs to be modern.. When we look our educational system, we cannot decide in which term we are. Students and teachers seem like in the short term, on the other hand, our system forces them to be in the long term. Students and teachers are used to behave according to cultural system, but the system forces them opposite.

    We follow our leader, Atatürk’s principles. We celebrate so many Bayrams, referring a nationally celebrated festival or holiday, applicable to both national and religious celebrations. In general, students do not have plans for the future for a long term. As we know, students should study decisively and patiently to make long term plans come true; however, in the schools, there isn’t something like that. When a child is asked what he/she will become in the future, maybe, his/her answer would be “engineer”, but when he/she takes the obligatory university exam, he/she chooses his job according to the grade / result he/she gets. That is to say, the student’s future and his/her ideal are changing after the examination.

DC-Democracy in Danish Primary Schools

   We observed Danish primary school about three weeks. And then almost all our lessons we mentioned observation days. While observation period I focused rules and rights in the school. In the lesson of Democratic Citizenship, Thomas divided us 5 groups and we wrote about what we found more democratic and interesting in our observation schools. In our group we found out most affective subjects:

• Equality
• Student council
• Classroom desk management
• Common decision making
• Class rules
• Responsibilities
• Collaboration working
• Free atmosphere
• Respectful communication 

     After we found out the most affective impression, some of us stayed their table some of us went the other groups' table and then we discussed the subjects. We choose some of them and each group wrote their decisions on board. Finally, Thomas and we came into decisions and Thomas wrote on board five important points about democracy in Danish Primary Schools. They are:

   

1. Responsibility
2. Classroom atmosphere / respectful communication
3. Decision making in the classroom (voting) + students council
4. Collaborative learning
5. Students-teacher relation

 Then everybody choose what they wanted to study on it. My group is 2. And we are Lucie, Mertcan, Tugay and Ahmet. I choose this topic because it is very interesting for me. The classroom atmosphere in Turkey it is very different. For example, desk management in Turkey, students sit as lines not circle, and also students cannot take off their shoes. And also student-teacher relation is really different in Turkey. 

EAL-Teaching and Learning of Writing

Teaching and Learning of Writing

     It is very difficult to explain teaching and learning of writing. That's why our observation not enough to explain something about it. And also the third day of our observation we had an interview with 6th grade, so we were not in classroom. But I will try to explain it.
      I want to write about learning of writing. Our observation classroom was actually good at writing English. The 5th grades wrote their daily routine as a poem, it needs good understanding and writing skills. Maybe, this was their homework or just once, but with this homework they can understand it more easily and permanently. The 6th grades wrote a small dialog about "progressive dinner" on their own. First, they had to create a dialog with their own words. Then they had to write it right form. So, they must be good at on writing. According to my observation, I found out that students wrote something almost all lessons. It was not matter, how they wrote or where they wrote. Sometimes they were listening something and then filled in the blanks or they created their own sentences and paragraphs.
       Now I want to write about teaching of writing. Our practice teacher did not write so many times on board. She generally spoke English or gave worksheet to students. But once, she wrote on board shopping words to teach the students the words. She wrote almost all kinds of shopping name on board, then the students wrote down whole words their notebook. Sometimes, especially when students could not understand the words, first she said in Danish, then she wrote it on board in English.
       As a conclusion, students’ ability of writing is really good. Students' learning ability of writing is improving with homework and worksheets. Teaching of writing was not using more than I am guessing, just unknown words or new words. But when we look at the students' writing skills they are totally good at.