How We Collect Student Data

At OYIS, we use a Google Form to collect data about students with concerns. This helps admin, coordinators, learning support, and teachers to see, as a community, which students are coming up on our collective radar. It shows us frequency of submission and why the submission was made. This can inform how we talk with teachers during our collaboration meetings.

On the form we have teachers fill out, we have a field asking for more details on the concern. This field includes the following, and this was recommended by our Head of Inclusion when she came to our school.

This allows teachers to quickly choose one by clicking a button. If there is a need to add more context, the teacher can add a comment at the bottom.

I experimented a little last year with making the categories a little more dynamic. The idea was to analyze the data every month and then put the most frequent responses in the list for the next month. 

That hasn't happened yet, but as I write this, I wonder if that is the best approach. 

I Made an IB Testing Accommodations Timer

I get really confused when I am dealing with time. I don't know what it is, but it gets me every time. 

Many students taking the exams qualify for additional time. Because of this, we write the starting time, when there is 30 minutes remaining, 5 minutes remaining, and the ending time on the whiteboard.

On top of my own deficiency with adding numbers, there is sometimes more than one student taking a test at a time, and now that there are even more tests happening, sometimes there are different tests happening with different students who might all have different accommodations. 

It gets complicated. 

So I thought about how technology could help me here. I knew I needed a timer, and I needed it to find the times for 30 min left and 5 minutes left and the end time based on the start time and the accommodations time.

So I turned to Claude to help me. It wasn't easy, but after 8 prompts, I came up with the following app. 

https://claude.site/artifacts/3db52944-61db-4d82-9434-5dbf0a7cb157

If you try it, let me know how it can be improved.

Talking to your child about Artificial Intelligence

Since November 2022 when ChatGPT was released to the world, it’s seemed that AI has been everywhere in the news. Since then, AI has become a force in technology and has taken the world by storm. We have already seen examples of its uses in different fields from history, archaeology, and law enforcement. More urgently, universities are starting to partner with AI companies, which will further their adoption.

image created with FreePik.com

As AI continues to grow, it is important to have conversations with young people about their relationship with AI. The MIT Technology Review offers some guidance for parents with 6 points to talk about:

• AI is not your friend,
• AI is not a replacement for search engines,
• You might be accused of using AI even though you have not used it,
• Systems are designed to get you hooked and might show you bad stuff,
• Use AI safely and responsibly,
• Don’t miss out on what AI’s actually good at.

AI is not your friend

AI technologies have been programmed to sound human. In their answers they look back at their programming and predict the next most logical word. These AI models have become scarily good, so it is important for children (and adults!) to keep this in mind when using AI tools. This is especially important when using a site like character.ai where you can chat with different personalities and users can even make their own.

AI is not a replacement for search engines

There are only a few AI tools that are connected to the internet, so when asking for information about current events. AI tools are programmed to please the user, so when answering, they might hallucinate, or, make things up.

When talking with young people, remind them to check the information they read. Can they find other stories about it with a web search? Have they heard adults talking about it? Verifying information is more important than ever.

You might be accused of using AI even though you have not used it

If a student produces a piece of work that does not match their performance in the classroom or their past work, teachers look for answers. With AI being prevalent, that is the first thought many teachers have. This is why is is important to have notes or draft work that shows your work is your own. If you can show that, most teachers will be appreciative. It might also help to show your teacher your work throughout your process. This can be as simple as asking a teacher to help, even when you do not need help, to show the teacher what you are doing.

Systems are designed to get you hooked and might show you bad stuff

Talk to your child about algorithms and how these technology tools are designed to be addictive. Companies like YouTube use powerful algorithms to give their users recommendations that keep them on their platform for a longer period of time. After understanding that this is how these companies make money, and that time on site equals greater profits, I imagine more children will become mindful of their habits.

Use AI safely and responsibly

There are many kinds of text-based, image-based, video-based AI tools. With images, come potential risks with inappropriate content. Some AI tools without guard rails can generate images you might not want them to see. Talk to children about using AI responsibly.

Don’t miss out on what AI’s actually good at

AI is better at some tasks than others. AI tools can create essays and articles, but the writing can be a little redundant. AI tools are better for brainstorming, organizing, finding connections, and finding out what ideas you might be missing. After telling AI my problem, I sometimes ask it to tell me what I might be forgetting or missing. Doing this helps me to use AI more as a thought partner than a blunt tool.

It’s a matter of having a trusting relationship

At OYIS, we believe in having open and honest communication about technology from an early age. These conversations should start when children are young, but can begin at any age. Have frequent conversations with your child about technology and model for positive ways to use technology for your children.

Activities with Second Language Learners and Working Memory

I was back at tennis this past weekend. I go every weekend, so it is not surprising.

Photo by Lucas Davies on Unsplash

Tennis lessons always start with a warm-up. If this were a part of my own lessons, I might call it retrieval practice. We usually practice backhands and forehands for a few minutes at a fast pace. 

After warming up, we usually take a drink of water and then gather as a whole group to see what we will be doing. This part of the lesson is a station rotation model where we break up into four groups and practice different skills on different parts of the court. 

Then we play a match or a match-like game.

But, I want to focus on direction-giving here and how it can affect students.

The coach usually gathers us as a group and often numbers us off. Then we get the directions for the activities. Remember, this is up to four different stations that are explained to us. It can take a lot of effort to try to remember what is happening and how many balls we play until we change players. Finally, we need to remember which direction to rotate when changing stations.

The other day I found myself daydreaming during the directions. I have been taking lessons long enough to know what each station was, but I missed the details. 

I think it is best to number off after directions are given. That way groups will be able to concentrate on remembering the important part - the skills they are supposed to be practicing.

When I used to use the station rotation in my grade 1 classroom, I made videos of me telling the students the directions of the station and what they should be learning there. It helped keep them independent.

My Second Attempt at Presenting - an Improvement

Yay! Improvement is good, right? 

NOT ME! - Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

BEFORE

What I would change

1. Slow down

Wait for the audience to catch up

2. Focus the presentation

I think my presentation was too broad. I threw ideas into the slideshow as they entered my brain. 

3. Practice with my co-presenter

4. Ask for less time. 

One hour was too long. I was tired and could feel myself starting to 

What might a revised presentation look like?

• Divide the ideas into three sections - what we do for students, what we do for teachers (to use), and what we aspire to do.
• Slow down - explain more. 
• Give more concrete examples.

The Venn Diagram of an Inclusion Coach

I wonder what it would be like if inclusion teachers meet with the coordinators. 

Hear me out - I think inclusion teachers are really coaches. 

As an inclusion teacher and coach (inclusion coach?) I see things in the classroom that can help teachers. I see tweaks that teachers can make such as: shorter lectures, improved slide design, more scaffolding, etc. 

But where does the inclusion support end and the curriculum support begin? What does the Venn Diagram look like for this?

Scaffolding in Inquiry

I was able to catch a few minutes of the Toddle webinar, "Designing authentic inquiry with Tonya Gilchrist" today and I came away with a nugget I want to share with the teachers at my school. 

Teachers often overestimate how much prior knowledge or skills the students bring to a lesson. One teaching technique I am trying to emphasize is for teachers to go slowly, break down tasks, and give scaffolds to students.

In the webinar, Tanya shared how this might look in an inquiry-based writing program. 

The flow of her lesson (for a school she was not working at) was:

1. Find out what is being taught. This class was learning about self-management skills.
2. Connect the learning to a big idea. Here the class was already learning about self-managing.
3. Give them a sentence stem and have them complete it.
4. Give more scaffolds.

How to talk to your child about technology usage

Integrating technology into teaching and learning makes up a large part of our program at OYIS. Students are required to use their devices in class and it is expected that they make good decisions when using the device. Getting your child their own device is a big step for both your family and for your child. For children, it is a powerful tool they can use to interact with friends, play games, and connect to the world in general. For parents, it can be stressful and, at times, challenging to navigate. But negotiating an agreement with your child doesn't have to be as complicated as you may think. 

Already your child's homeroom teacher talks with students about how to responsibly use technology at school. At home, talking with your child about technology usage will alleviate many problems that will arise.  Ideally, we should allow children to have some agency in how they use their devices and help them to make good choices. 

A good place to start is with the 5 W’s - Where, when, what, who, why, and how. Beginning with the 5 W’s as a starting point, you can open lines of communication with your child and establish the rules you have as a family regarding areas such as screen time, storage, and safe sites. 

So, what might this look like?

WHERE

Where the device can be used in the home is a simple and effective way to begin the conversation. Think about the places in your home where you might use the device and talk about where a good location might be. 

One rule of thumb is to keep screens visible. Children should not go into their rooms to "do homework" or be able to keep their screens hidden from view. Establish a norm at your home to always use computers with the screens being visible. 

A good way to keep computer screens visible is by having the screens face the center of the room.

When talking about where devices can be used, also consider the physical care of the device. Keeping the device away from liquids and food will help it to last longer. 

For example, a conversation could start by asking one of the following questions:

• Where is a good place to use devices? [image] 

• Is it OK to use the computer at the dining room table, or is that not a good place because of food?

• Is it OK to use a computer on the floor, or is that not a good place because it might be stepped on? 

Allow your child to arrive at an answer about where they can use the device, but also be flexible about allowing the conversation to be open to other questions and topics as well. It will be natural for the conversation to move to when, what, who, why, and how questions next. 

WHEN

“When” questions are a good chance to bring up the topic of sleep. You can discuss how the device affects sleep and why they should not use it two hours before they go to bed.

Other questions might be:

• When is a good time to use the device?

• Should it be used late at night?

• Should it be used right when they wake up?

• Can it be used before reading or homework?

WHAT

It is important to show children that devices can be used to create amazing things that we can share. We can create art, movies, podcasts, books, or almost anything we can think of. With that in mind, it suddenly can seem like a waste of time to always consume content by watching movies or playing games.

The key is balance. How much time should you be doing for each?

• Talk about what the device should be used for. 

• What should I use the device for?

• How much time should I be 

• Can the device be used for only watching videos or playing games?

• What can we create using the device?

WHO

The internet is mostly used for communication and information exchange, so talking about appropriate people to communicate with will come up in conversation. The question of “who” could also lead you to talk about who your child can share their device with. Also, be aware that many children share their passwords with each other. This should be avoided. In general, children should only share passwords with parents and teachers. If your child would like to collaborate with a friend, encourage them to find a service that allows them to do so without sharing an account. 

A few questions to guide the conversation on who:

• Who should I be communicating with right now? 

• Who should you be communicating with online?

• Is it a good idea to let others use your computer?

• Is it a good idea to let others have your passwords?

Finding your niche online is a process we all go through. But it is best to let your child know they should keep themselves safe online by being aware of who they can trust. 

WHY, and HOW 

Also, talk about why you are using the device and how you will use it. 

• If you are using the device to mostly consume, is it for school?

• Can you be creating something instead of simply consuming information? (One of the PYP Learner Profiles is to be Knowledgeable. Being Knowledgeable means that you share your knowledge with others.)

These questions can help you find a balance for the device that works for your household and can give your child ideas for how technology can be used. When talking to your child, you can use the school's technology agreement [K-2, 3-4, 5-6] or the Common Sense Media Family Agreement as a conversation starter. Read it together with your child with the questions above in mind. If their agreement works for your family - that is great! Use it. If not, there are places to add your own ideas, or you could even write a new one together with your child. 

CITATIONS 

Kaohsiung American School 1:1 Parent Presentation

Shifting Our Schools Podcast: Episode 173

Why Should Teachers Use the ISTE Standards

Part of the Technology Coach action plan for our school is to introduce the ISTE standards to teachers. Since I will be leading this PD, I will need to be able to answer the questions of "why do we need this?"

Every journey begins with a single step. Maya Angelou by thammerlund

Why?

... the age-old school question. Students ask it, teachers ask it, you know administrators ask it, but aside from giving an overview of the standards, 

When I introduce this, I need to explain why we are doing this in my workshop. 

The three reasons I am considering now is:

1. Standards give a goal that allows teachers to work backward,
2. Standards help make connections to other subjects more visible which can inspire interdisciplinary learning; that idea of transfer,
3. The ISTE Standards connect to our school-wide action plan and will help us come more inline with the accreditation bodies' recommendations as well as our own mission and vision.

Students collaborating using technology that enhances learning

Making a Presentation Message Pop

Photo by Product School on Unsplash

It's the first week of the new school year. This year feels different - it feels uplifting. It is amazing how much influence an administrator has on the environment.

During the orientation last week, many of the presentations were sit and get and the information felt forced. I get it. I do that too.

But there was one that I saw and I was thinking, I'll bet that I can improve upon that presentation. Here are a few of my ideas.

A Sample Presentation

1. The first ideas is to simply make the font bigger. I wasn't wearing my glasses, so I sat in the front row and I still couldn't read the font. 
2. The second idea is to use the larger font and highlight the information you want to emphasize. 
3. You could make this appear while you say the points and with different colors.
4. Another take on this idea is to just pull out the main points from the text and make them big while making the paragraph text smaller.
5. Another idea is to take out the points completely and talk about them one at a time.

What is Your Lesson Flow?

When I was a teacher, there were times when I threw together an assessment. It happens, I know, but my life would have been easier had I planned better. 

• Did I start with the unit standards and look at them?
• Did I plan a final project or assessment that would allow the students to show they could meet the standards?
• Did I make formative assessments that aligned with my unit plan?
• Did I create a universal screener that showed me where students need help?

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

One thing I am trying to encourage teachers to do is to use a universal screener. As a learning support teacher, the universal screener gives me the data I need to better understand where students are. This gives me information about how I can group students to more efficiently support them.

Unit Concepts

Standards

Assessments / Outcomes

Create Universal Screener

Unit Plan / Path

Formative Assessments

Lesson Plans

Time Spent Coaching as a Year One Tech Coach

This was a post that was left as a draft from when I was coaching at KAS in Taiwan from 2015-2017. This data was from my first year as a tech coach. One thing I would add is the number of minutes per interaction.

Time spent per interaction

The Willing ... and Able

For most of my career, I have been studying teacher growth. I have found, as I am sure many readers have found, that one-shot workshops and other quick-fix forms of professional development often have little impact on teaching and learning. For that reason, my colleagues and I have spent more than a decade studying instructional coaching.                                                                                             

Jim Knight

Coaching is all about relationships and understanding. The more I understand teachers, the better our relationship, and the more likely it will be that we can achieve our goal.

#techcoach #educoach #diglitcoach supporting Ts via @isteconnects https://t.co/F1gcA0zMPQ #asiaed pic.twitter.com/bCZvUuNWhH

— #asiaED Vip (@asiaEDchat) November 10, 2015

There is no manual for starting a coaching program or being new in the role (and if there is please send it to me), so, as a result, I spend a lot of time reading or interacting with other technology coaches online.

On coach I stalk follow is Kim Cofino, who has started coaching programs at several schools (so maybe she has a manual) and one thing she has suggested is to work with the willing in year one.

I really like this approach because teachers who are willing are more likely to be open to change allowing me to showcase interesting work teachers do so I can enrol more teachers.

I have taken this approach this year, but one thing I have noticed is that there are teachers who are willing, but not able. And there are those who are able, but not willing.

My Averse Reaction to Blocking Sites

During a recent coffee morning (a forum for the school to talk to parents about different issues), a fellow teacher asked my opinion about blocking specific sites for children. 

This question corrected to me was unexpected.

There have been times in my role as a technology coach and teacher that I have counseled parents when students are having a hard time finding balance with the technology they use. 

However, I would only monitor computer use and block sites as a last resort. I prefer to use education and open communication to influence behavior. 

Photo by Ludovic Toinel on Unsplash

Here are my suggestions for getting the process started:

Start when the child is young

When possible, begin to have conversations with your child when they are young. All the steps flow if a routine has been established when the child is young.

Use the internet together

Connecting to the point above, try sitting with your child when they use the internet. Be genuinely curious about what they are doing. If they are playing games, maybe you could join in. It is helpful for you to listen in when the friends are chatting with other players so you understand what they are talking about.

With your child's permission, of course.

Normalize conversations about internet use

Frequent conversations about internet use will normalize them and these conversations will be come a part of 

Normalize having screens always visible

This has to start at an early age and should happen in both the home and school. Students should know that an adult could potentially see what they are doing at any time. This is for safety and helps those who help them when they need it. 

(Have you ever tried to solve a computer issue when a student is jammed into a corner?)

Do not allow technology in bedrooms

Students will try to take their computers into their rooms and will use the excuse that they gave homework to do it. As much as students don't like homework, it is used as an excuse to get out of many things, isn't it? 

In my experience, students who bring computers into their rooms will often stay up later than usual doing things other than homework. It's best to leave this temptation off the table.

Have students self-monitor their use

This was an idea I had during the coffee morning. I suddenly thought of this while talking to a parent when discussing options other than full-on blocking or more monitoring. 

The idea is to have students chart their digital use. They would write things like the date, what they did, how they felt after it, and how long they used it for. The important one is how they felt, but I also think that keeping track of the time using it is important to know as well.

I should make that template.

Listening to Music in Class

When I first started teaching classes that were 1:1 devices, students would listen to music when they were working. 

I thought this was fine as long as they used headphones. I mean, I like listening to music when I work too.

Then I changed schools, and changed grades, and going myself in primary school. We were not 1:1, but my students frequently used computers for writing, research, or digital art projects. These students used to want to listen to music we well. Again I allowed it as long as they used headphones. 

I was then moved into a position of learning support where I could see many different classrooms and the different levels of agency teachers grant to students in classes. I was also able to observe student behavior from the sides.  It was shocking to see how much time students spent adjusting playlists instead of working. 

Time went on and I was teaching a coding course where students followed along. Students would all be at different points of the lesson and were required to again use headphones to listen to the introductions and follow along. 

The students I was teaching here ranged from grades one to six. When I'd check on on them, almost without fail, the younger students all had their volume to the max. They would argue when I'd lower it and couldn't understand why I was invading their space. 

I get it. I was being intrusive, not having played in a band, I know about hearing loss. They're too young for that. 

Those experiences changed my mind on music in the classroom. 

With these experiences in mind, I have paid more attention to it in the grade 5-8 classes I support. I see music being more distracting in grades 7-8.

The takeaway (one of the takeaways) from this article (https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/writing-for-impact/202407/music-to-write-by) is the following: 

If you want a creativity edge, listen to music before you write. Silence is then golden.

So, students work better with silence. 

How might we shift our culture to be more inclusive to students who need silence when working. When thinking? 

How can I advocate for this?

Closing Meetings with a Focus on what's Important

— Nancy in Lux (@NancyinLux1) June 29, 2024

This post on X got me ....

Let me start over.

This Tweet on Twitter got me thinking. I was thinking about how our inclusion learning support team conducts meetings and staff meetings overall.

Our faculty meetings use a two-column meeting agenda. In one column is the issue, and in column 2, is how it is responded to. Our SEN team adopted that same template in the beginning of last year. 

That meeting agenda did not work for me because it didn't always have an action item.

So, I looked around and found a template that had an additional column for action items. We ended up adapting it.  

I am still looking for a better meeting agenda template. I think for the time being, we need to put these items on the calendar.

before on the left and after on the right

Back to the Tweet. 

I really like these suggestions from Nancy. 

Every decision we make should be about the students or about teaching. I think it is good practice to reflect on them.

I guess I'll need to make a fourth column.

Please, please, add the agenda to the calendar event.

My Experience Spacing Out in a Lesson

I have been taking tennis lessons for over ten years here in Japan. I initially started to improve my Japanese ability, and it eventually grew into a "love of the game".

Photo by J. Schiemann on Unsplash

It's been more than 10 years off and on of this Japanese language learning strategy. It is helping me understand more vocabulary in tennis and kinesiology, but it is also reinforcing what good, inclusive teaching looks like; albeit through non-examples.

Definition from DuckDuckGo, attributed to Wordnik

Non-examples are examples that are shown for a clearer example, ie, it's not this, but this. The first time I saw it was in the Frayer Model and I think it fits in well with this tennis lesson since the lesson was not designed to be inclusive.

In this lesson:

Non Example 1 - Not using Visuals

The coach mostly spoke his directions and pointers. Occasionally he would draw on the sand to show positioning, but that was for whole-group instruction.

Non Example 2 - Not Modeling

Only occasionally would the coach actually do what the skill was we were practicing. Modeling how to move your body when you hit the ball, where on the racket to hit the ball, and where to position yourself on the court are all things that I think could have helped me understand.

Non Example 3 - Long Explanations

Sometimes the explanation went long. During these times I found myself thinking about other things -- important things I might add -- and suddenly, we were told to get into position. At these times, I was often lost. It made me think about how often I get mad at students who are not "paying attention" in class. However, since transitioning to a learning support role, I have noticed how long explanations have been in some classes. Teachers could be more effective if they limit their delivery.

Non Example 4 - High-Level Vocabulary

Along with long explanations, using high-level vocabulary is a way that can confuse learners. It has happened, that I will be in a lesson, and the coach will use a word I do not know. Sometimes when that happens, I try to understand the word I did not understand. This happens to some students as well. 

Non Example 5 - Not giving us time to practice

Sometimes I will be corrected in how I hit the ball. (Actually, this happens often.) When this happens I need to practice what I had been shown to try to understand the coaching. It does not always happen and I am often left to try to remember what was said.

Non Example 6 - Low Volume

The tennis club I attend has three, indoor courts. With the fans, AC, and other lessons happening when the coach is speaking, I can sometimes miss what is said. Modeling and using other non-verbal methods of teaching could help with the low volume during the lesson.

What they do well - 

The above aside, I have learned a lot from the way these lessons are run. The two best methods they use are station rotation and repetition.  

Station Rotation Model

The tennis lesson is broken into 5 parts.

1. Warm-up - stretching
2. Warm-up - hitting
3. Station Rotation - one of the stations is the "teaching point" for the day where the coach can "confer" with the participants.
4. Rotation Game
5. Game

The majority of the lesson uses a kind of station rotation model. This gives students a chance to practice many skills in a shorter amount of time. It also gives the coach a chance to confer with students and give them more individualized instruction. 

Repetition

Each lesson follows the same structure - the station rotation model I outlined above. This helps me to predict what will happen in the lesson and decrease the cognitive load I need to understand the directions. 

While I think that repetition is important, I also it is important for students to maintain their cognitive flexibility. 

This post was meant to help me better think about UDL and how it could fit into my own experience.

A Second Look

I am currently taking the Senia Certified Educator Level 1 series of courses. In the last course, or maybe it was longer ago now, we were asked to make presentations we could take to the staff to give them more information about different disabilities (autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.). Since we [inclusion support teachers] are taking the Senia course as a team, internally we divided the topics so we could start building a library. 

I was hoping to get dysgraphia, but when I chose, last, there were only a few left. I don't remember what they were off the top of my head, but I ended up with executive functioning.

I made it for the course, but when it came to what I was going to present to the staff, I had to think of how to make it effective with the 5 minutes I was given to talk. 

Yeah, 5 minutes to talk about executive functioning skills and how to teach them. 

When thinking about how to organize my presentation, I wondered how I could be most effective. How could I convince my colleagues to act on what I was telling them. Afterall, unlike the other presentations about learning needs, this was something a little more actionable than just to sit and listen.

My flow was along the lines of:

1. Introduction where I showed why they are important
2. Showed the data that teachers had been submitting themselves
3. Made the connection for them that if you keep submitting requests for support for a kid who doesn't have organization skills, maybe it is time to start teaching them
4. And hey, organization is an executive funcation
5. Here are some other executive functions

My intent was to grab their attention and convince them to look into the data they are collecting on their own students. A few teachers told me they enjoyed it. I was uncomfortable giving it to them because of how it might be taken. 

So, if I were to do it again, I might rearrange the presentation to lead teachers to their own conclusion then nudge them toward my conclusion. 

After:

Overview

Why they are important

Talk about them

When you look at the data, what could you look for?

Do you see any EF you could teach to?

Allow for practice with feedback right away

Photo by Richard Sagredo on Unsplash

In my tennis lesson, we were using a kind of station rotation model. When I was working with the coach, he gave me feedback on the way I was hitting the ball. Right after that, I rotated to a different station and did not have a chance to practice what he had told me.

I felt a little cheated.

I wasn't mad at the coach, I understand his predicament, but I wanted to use the feedback he gave me, right away, so  I would not forget what I had been told. 

Then I wondered about my own students. 

Am I giving them time and space to act on my feedback? 

Or do I simply give it to them and send them on their way at the end of class?

How can I utilize technology to give feedback in a better way for students?

This would probably mean sitting with students to make sure that they understand the feedback as I give it and send them off to practice after giving it.

In other words, the workshop model.

Playing tennis in Taiwan on a hot day.

My Language Learning and Teaching Story

The following was something I wrote for a course I took last year. I just found it again.

###

I am currently working at Osaka YMCA International School as an Inclusion Teacher in Grades K-9. (An inclusion teacher is a learning support teacher.) I work with Tier 2 and 3 students to help them meet the expectations of the classwork. I also work with teachers to modify instruction to meet the needs of all the students in the class to help the class run more smoothly. I feel the de Oliveria, et. al. article sums my position up with the quote, "teachers need to be able to create inclusive learning environments where all students have the opportunity to succeed." (2019) This is exactly what my goal as an Inclusion Teacher.

I am a native speaker of English having been born in the USA. For the majority of my adult life, I have lived in Japan. I was about to write that I have studied the majority of my time here, but thinking back on it again, that would not be a true statement. As I have gotten older I have become less interested in studying.  

In 7th Grade, I chose to study Spanish. That was what all my other friends were taking and it was something I heard around from time to time. Thinking back at the classes, I can see how the teachers were trying to teach and the pedagogy they were using, but still, I was not engaged.

I have been abroad for twenty years now, with most of my time being in Japan. I came here as a university student thinking that a semester would get me fluent. I joined an aikido club and I went out with people. I found that people wanted to hang out with me because of my English. This would come up again. At the end of my trip abroad, I was not fluent but felt like I had a good handle on the language. I transferred to another university and was placed in Japanese 101 because my prior classes did not count. I spent the next two years unengaged for the most part. 

When I moved to Japan, I started learning Japanese. I studied in a number of ways: by myself using textbooks, reading, and trying to use the language as much as possible, informally in a coffee shop with someone who was interested in teaching me, more formally in a language conversation school, and finally went to school full-time to study the language. My progression went from focusing on grammar in a Skinnerian way (Rojas, 2023) to using it interpersonally, and back to the rote form of learning. 

I suppose a teacher who knows more about the grammar and rules of a language could be more creative and therefore more effective. I just wish that my own teachers had “broken the fourth wall” more in their teaching to give me insight into what teaching methods they were doing and why they were doing it that way.

I currently only speak English and conversational Japanese. I have been living in Japan for 20 years, aside from a two-year stint in Taiwan. When I first came here, I studied very hard. I had a goal of becoming a translator. I did pass the JLPT N2 test (supposedly business level) but did not pass the N1 test (native level) - twice. I feel embarrassed to tell people how long I have been here. These tests were focused on input skills, rather than truly assessing one's mastery of the language. 

A few years ago I accepted a job in Taiwan and was able to study Chinese. It was very similar to my experience learning Japanese with a textbook, verbs, and phrases being thrown at me. I was able to pick some things up more quickly since I had the background knowledge of kanji, or Chinese characters, from my Japanese study. I found many of the readings of the characters had the same sound as the Japanese. This was very helpful. 

All this taught me that learning, like feedback, should be applicable and actionable as well as the importance of background knowledge. Language learning in a social context works well when in the beginning stages of a language. Feedback has also been shown to show students where their strengths and weaknesses are (de Oliveria, et. al., 2019). 

When I first came to Japan, I was teaching adults basic English conversation from a textbook. The adults came from a rigid grammar-based language-learning experience in Junior High School and High School. Older adults here I found, felt more comfortable when they understood the grammar rules. I find that is similar to all adult learners; we adults want to know processes, while children are unencumbered with rules.

I do not like calling myself an expert because I am learning every day. So I will focus here on experience. In my teaching experience, I have used many cycles such as the Inquiry Cycle, the Design Cycle, and the Writing Cycle. I feel that the Teaching Learning Cycle (TLC) falls somewhere in between these. As an elementary homeroom teacher, I was taught to model for the students when teaching them. I still find that true today. Whether working with teachers in a technology workshop or working with students who are learning to write, humans learn better with a model. I think it is more than just a model. I think the multi-modality nature of the task allows us to better understand and remember what we learn.

That brings me to some possible areas of research. I am interested in learning more about Universal Design for Learning and how to apply it to my position. I am interested in researching the adult learner and how to effectively use language-learning apps. I think, though, that I am most interested in motivation and [language] learning. Seeing my own motivation start to wane makes this one timely for me. Another possible option I just thought of is how to best study. These options appeal to me to help students, yes, but more selfishly for myself.