ELI Classroom Partner meeting #1 – Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Words cannot begin to describe how special I think this experience will be. On the
first day, I was partnered with Sun tae (Sunny) who is an oral skills student from South
Korea. I was also partnered with Gang who is also an oral skills student from China. Since it
was the first day we went around and introduced ourselves. Sunny described is life back in
South Korea and that he likes going to the rec center and eating Chick-Fil-A. Gang talked
about his 3 year old daughter. When I asked Gang what he and his daughter do for fun he
could not think of a word for a slide. He ended up drawing a slide on a piece of paper and
made the sound of a kid going down a slide. I noticed that Gang is extremely smart and
knows a lot about geography and trivia. He has been to multiple countries and seems to
have a good grasp on the English language. The more specific words he struggles with.
Sunny however seems to be more opposite. He is younger than Gang so I feel this makes a
big difference. Sunny knows about different types of pop songs, American movies, and
different slang that people our age use. Part of our assignment on this day was for each of
us to say different common phrases in our own language. These phrases included hello,
good bye, nice to see you, and I don’t speak English. It was very interesting to discern the
difference between Korean and Chinese. I learned right off the bat that Chinese is extremely
difficult. There are so many different tones and meanings to the same word, it seems so
hard to keep up with. However, Korean seems more like a language I would enjoy learning.
Overall, I think that both Sunny and Gang are pretty far a long in their journey with
learning English. For the most part, they understood everything I was talking about. I do
have to remember not to babble and talk about very detailed things like I do with my own
friends. I am looking forward to the rest of this experience because I think it will be a
learning process for all of us. Gang and Sunny seem to understand the basics of the English
language, it is just the detailed and more specific terms that they struggle with.

ELI Classroom Partners meeting #2 – Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Today, we started off with a trivia game. The professor split us up into 2 teams, each
with 2 classroom partners. The questions that were asked were based on world geography.
It was interesting, one person in our group knew just about every question the professor
asked, even the capital of New Zealand. After this was over we split up into our small
groups again. I was partnered with Sunny again and Vi, who is from Vietnam. We were
given a work sheet to work on together today. The first part was just asking about our
weekend, hobbies, and things happening in the world. I asked them if they watched the
Super Bowl. I was surprised as to how much they knew about it and how much they keep
up with the NFL. I can tell that Sunny is more advanced in his English than Vi. He answers
more questions and he knows more word meanings just based off of what we do in class.
Sunny is also very good at annunciating his words. This could maybe be because the
Korean language does not have many tones to it. Vi has a very thick accent and it was
sometimes hard for me to understand what he was saying. Once we sounded out each
word and repeated saying the word multiple times, he eventually could pronounce it
correctly. Even though the worksheets that the professor provides the students look pretty
easy and simple, they provide many opportunities for the students to open up other
conversations. I think that is why they are all making good progress. Something I noticed
that was really neat was that when Vi or Sunny did not know a word but the other one did,
the one who did would help out the other in trying to help them pronounce the word
correctly.
ELI Classroom Partners meeting #3 – February 17, 2016
Today we worked on worksheets the entire class period. I worked with Vi and Aschi
again. They seemed to be really good friends so it made this session very fun. The
worksheets we worked on today focused on opinions, agreements, and disagreements. This
was somewhat of a difficult concept because some of the phrases that were used on the
worksheet were difficult and seemed like they could go either way with disagreement and
agreement. I read the phrases out loud and the students had to write on the worksheet
whether or not it was an opinion, disagreement, or agreement. The ones that seemed to be
the most tricky would have “but” in them. It was difficult for Vi and Aschi to understand
that this but is a negative term. However, once we went over multiple times, Vi and Aschi
seemed to understand the concept. They answered the ones they did on their own
correctly. I noticed that they were helping each other which I feel can help them out a lot
instead of just doing a worksheet or listening to a proficient English speaker. The next part
of the quiz consisted of different questions that were to be answered in an opinion. I asked
the questions and the students answered. One question that I asked was if they think that
public schools should require uniforms. Both of them said that every school from their
home countries required their students to wear uniforms. They asked me about schools in
the United States and I told them that the majority of public schools do not require students
to wear uniforms. I also told them that it is mainly private school that do this. Both Aschi
and Vi were shocked to hear this. I find it interesting how different our countries are and
even how much more strict other countries are with education. This experience is so neat
because not only are we getting to gain knowledge about teaching students English, but we
are also learning about other cultures and getting to compare those cultures with our own.
Since we may have students in our classrooms from different cultures than our own, it is
important to have some type of background knowledge of that certain culture.
ELI Classroom Partners meeting #4 – February 24, 2016
Today the professor had the class split up into two equal groups. We played a game
that is similar to the popular American game, “Heads Up”. One player puts a card with a
word on their head and everyone else in the group has to describe that word well enough
that the person with the card on their head can guess it correctly. We used pretty basic
words such as hand, arm, dog, and cat. There was one other classroom partner in my group
and we just decided to lay low and let the students practice their English by describing the
words. It was interesting to see how hard the students are on themselves. If they could not
guess the word before the timer ran out or they mispronounced a word, they would try to
say the word again and then clarify with me or the other classroom partner if they had the
meaning right or the pronunciation right. There was one student who caught my eye. Her
name is Aschi. She knew exactly how to play this game so I had her announce how to play
at the beginning instead of one of us doing it. She explained the rules extremely well and no
one else had any questions to follow. I learned today that she is actually married and lives
with her husband here in College Station. If you look at her she seems very young, however
when you have conversations with her she comes across as extremely mature and you can
tell that she is very well educated. I cannot remember where she is from so I will have to
ask her next time. She also had a lot of questions about my life. She asked what I was
studying, where I am from, and what my hometown is like. She was shocked to learn that I
lived in a town with a population of roughly 1,000 and thought that College Station was big.
I find it extremely interesting how different areas are around the world. Aschi has a pretty
strong accent, but I can tell that she knows many different English words. It actually
surprised me how often she knew what I was talking about. There are many times where I
babble and start talking about things in great detail and the students look at me with a
blank stare. It is taking some getting used to having to think about everything I say and how
I say it.
ELI Classroom Partners meeting #5 – March 9, 2016
Today we worked on another worksheet. I worked with Yung Un and Aschi once
again. The worksheet we had was a group activity. It was for spring break and we were
seeing who was going to be doing what. There were about 10 different scenarios, for
example going out of state or staying in College Station. Most of the students were traveling
to somewhere in Texas or staying in College Station. This activity promoted social
interaction and helped the students practice their English. It was also interesting to find out
what people were doing over the break. For the other part of the worksheet I was supposed
to read 5 different words that sounded similar. The instructions would be to tell me when I
say the word that ends in “s”. Most of the time the correct word would be at the end. For
this instance, we put an object in the middle of the table and when someone knew an
answer they would grab the object. This game became very competitive. I was surprised by
both of my students because each time one of them, if not both, got the answer correct. I
was surprised because some of the words sounded a lot alike so I figured they would get
confused, especially because I do not annunciate very well. We then flipped turns and I had
the students read the words so they could get practice saying each one. Like I said, a lot of
them were very similar. When we finished I was so glad because both of them then asked
me about meanings of some of the words. I found it so neat that each one of these students
is so interested in the English language. This goes to show how if you are not accustomed to
a certain country and its language that you are willing to do whatever it takes to learn this
language. After this we played a game of bingo. The students had to write vocabulary words
they had been learning into a bingo table. I think it is very beneficial when a student writes
down the word they are learning, this way the can pronounce the word on their own and
get a feel of how it is written. The bingo game lasted for the rest of the class period. I could
tell the students enjoyed this.
So far I have learned quite a bit about other cultures and people, including myself. I
have also seen excellent progress in some of the students, especially Gang. He is so
interested in learning different words, in fact, he writes down everything he learns each
day. I asked him why he does this and he says it is so he can go home and teach his
daughter the same English words that he is learning. What has surprised me the most
about the students is their willingness to learn and their dedication to working on English
outside of the classroom. I am looking forward to another 5 weeks of the program.
ELI Classroom Partners meeting #6 – March 23, 2016
Today, the professor has everyone in the class discuss what they did over spring
break. We were divided up into groups like always and she had the classroom partners ask
a set of questions that she had already prepared for us to ask. The questions asked us
things about where we went and what we did when we were there. I was paired with Achi
and Sunny today. Achi went to San Antonio and Austin and Sunny stayed in College Station.
Once we were all finished talking in our small groups, the professor had us do an activity.
For the activity, each person takes a turn being the person others ask questions about. So,
this one person thinks of something they did over spring break or somewhere they went,
but they do not tell anyone, they keep it to themselves. Now, everyone else takes turn
asking a question to try and figure out what the other person is thinking. It is kind of like
the game Headbands. The object of the game is for everyone to figure out what it is that the
person did or where they went over spring break. The catch is, the question has to be
answered in a yes/no format. This was pretty difficult for some of the students. The game
requires you to think critically and make inferences, which is hard for some English
language learners. One students had a hard time coming up with a question that had to be
answered in a yes or no format. One thing I noticed was that the other students were
helping them. I have learned over this semester that peers play a major role in the success
of a student. Each one of them can benefit from each other because they can motivate each
other, encourage questioning, and they all have different experiences. It was very neat to
see the students help each other and benefit from each other. Social interaction is key when
trying to become proficient in English. This is why it was so important for me as well as any
other educator to facilitate conversations and to make sure they everyone is participating
with one another. I am beginning to see each student I work with become more and more
interested in the English language.
ELI Classroom Partners meeting #7 – March 30, 2016
Today, the professor had us go on a scavenger hunt to find different items. Some of
them included a building, something of a particular color, someone smiling, something
historical, and the list goes on. I was paired with Vi and Sunny. We had to find something
that was funny and Vi ended up taking a picture of Gang, another student in the class. Gang
is very funny and never fails to lighten the mood. When we began the scavenger hunt, both
Vi and Sunny knew exactly what to do. I was impressed because they knew what
everything the professor had us find meant. The only one that they struggled with was
something historical. They knew what it meant, they just had a hard time applying it to
something physical that we could take a picture of for proof. There were a couple times that
we had to go up to random people if they had something that we were looking to take a
picture of. I say this because I was worried that Vi and Sunny were going to be too nervous
to go up to them. However, they proved me wrong once again. They went up to the people
without any hesitation and spoke to them in a way that was clear and easy to follow along
with. I was extremely impressed with how clear their language was and how appropriate
their body language was. I have seen the students sometimes go up to people and kind of
get in the other person’s face because they don’t know any different. They don’t mean this
in a bad way, it just must be normal for them in their home country. It was very exciting to
see Vi and Sunny handle this particular situation very well. Once we all finished taking
pictures of what was on the list, we met back in the classroom for a group discussion. The
professor had each group go up in front of the class and present 3 different objects that we
found. I let Vi and Sunny go up there because I didn’t think they would need my help. Turns
out, I was right. They presented very well. The professor informed them that they would be
presenting over a topic of their choice at the end of the semester so she went over some
important things to remember when presenting. We talked about eye contact, being loud,
and using hand gestures. I definitely saw all the progress that Vi and Sunny have made
since I first met them throughout their presentation today.
ELI Classroom Partners meeting #8 – April 6, 2016
Today, we worked on an idioms worksheet. It was just to help them identify different
idioms and what they mean. Some of the idioms included foot in your mouth and draw a
blank. The professor had us, the classroom partners, read the idiom and then read 3
different options of what the idiom meant. The students were to tell us what they thought
the idiom meant. I was paired with Gang today. He seemed to have a pretty good
understanding of what most of them meant, but he needed more clarification. In my
opinion, I feel like this was something that the ELI students in my class were not ready for.
They have a hard time understanding basic words sometimes, so putting meanings
together is a little difficult for them. I think this should be something that is introduced
later on in the learning process. For the circumstances, I think that Gang did an excellent
job in trying to figure out what the idioms meant. After this, we played a game that was
similar to the “telephone” game. Instead of whispering things into people’s ears, we drew
them in a notebook. The first person was told by the professor of what they were supposed
to draw. They drew it to the best of their ability. Then the next person would do the same,
and so on. Once everyone was finished, the last person would try and guess what the
picture was supposed to represent. This was very helpful for the students I think. It
encouraged them to critically think and to try and draw conclusions without having much
information. This is something that seems to be very difficult for those learning English and
all of the different aspects of it. I find this activity very fun and I think it is something that is
appealing to students who are older. It is often hard to find games and activities that don’t
tend to be “childish” or too easy for older students. Over this semester if there is one thing I
have learned it is that it is important for teachers to find material that is appealing to his or
her students. I have seen throughout the course of the class that when we focus on material
that is appealing to the students, they are more involved and they pay a lot more attention
to the topic as well.
ELI Classroom Partners meeting – April 13, 2016
Today, the professor had us work with the ELI students on directions and
understanding different ways to explain where something is. We had two different
worksheets. The first one, there were about 10 different pictures and a word bank with 10
different directional phrases. The students were to match the picture to the phrase. We
were allowed to help them as well. There were two phrases, between and next to, that were
difficult for us to figure out. I even had trouble. The picture was not very explanatory or
authentic in my opinion. I think it would have been helpful if the pictures were more
detailed. We spent only a few minutes on the worksheet and then we came back together as
a group to have a class discussion about the worksheet. It seemed that this worksheet was
fairly easy for the students. The next activity was actually really fun. Each person in your
group got a map. One person had some locations labeled and the other person had different
locations marked. They both had the same map though. Then, each person had a word bank
and you were supposed to ask the other person where each place in the word bank was
located. The students in the class had done something similar to this before, so they
understood the goal of the activity. However, it took me a while to actually figure out what
was going on. I think this is a perfect example of how most students need background
information or need to be introduced to something before they are expected to sit there
and participate. This activity also challenged their sense of direction and how to
communicate effectively in English. This is something that applies directly to real life so it is
important that they master this concept. I noticed that throughout the activity, they were
helping me more than I was helping them. They knew exactly what to do and how to
describe and ask where a place on the map was located.
ELI Classroom Partners meeting – April 20, 2016
Today was the last day for me to meet with the ELI students. The partners were
supposed to present a topic that they researched at the end of the week so the professor let
them work on it with us and to practice presenting in front of us. I worked with Sunny. He
was going to present about the variety of relationships on campus. He was going to tie this
into love and how it affects different people. I thought this was very interesting because
everyone else was doing something simple or something that is pretty straight-forward. I
help Sunny organize all of the different information he had. We split it up into three
different groups. I was very impressed with the depth of material that Sunny showed me.
He seemed to have much interest in love and relationships. Once we organized everything,
I had him go over his presentation in front of me. I noticed that he was looking down at his
paper a lot. I told him the tip I find very useful is actually learning a lot about what you are
presentation, actually understand it instead of just memorizing. If you memorize all that
you want to say, when you draw a blank you won’t remember. I also reminded him to make
sure that he annunciates his words and to be loud and clear. He tends to mumble so I told
to act like he is talking to the person in the back of the room because if they can hear you
then everyone else will be able to hear you. I also gave him some other tips for his
presentation.
Throughout this semester, I have seen so much progress in the ELI students, mainly
through social interaction. I think they have gotten more confident in speaking with peers
who have a high proficiency in English. This is so important for anyone, but especially
college students. I also saw a very wide range in proficiency, some students knew every
word for the most part and then others used their Google Translate app every 5 minutes. I
also saw many things that the students had in common, this includes music and food. I
think it would be neat to incorporate these into instructional material because it engages
the students in learning. There are only so many worksheets that students can focus on, so
incorporating different elements of different cultures could be helpful for an ESL teacher or
even a general educator who has an ELL(s) in his or her classroom.