Ethnographic Reflection

I found this observation to be very enlightening in terms of how the student reacts to others and where the student feels most comfortable. I chose this student because of the perceived lack of reaction to and interaction with others in our ESL classroom. I had hoped to better understand the student after this observation and through the one on one interaction. This ethnographic study gave me the opportunity to observe the student in a different environment and foster a better understanding of who he really is. The observation went well and was very beneficial.

As a result of this fieldwork, I learned that this student has been being himself in our classroom, very timid. A noticeable difference was that he does offer some interaction with others our classroom and very little to those in his regular classroom. This shows me that he feels comfortable in our classroom. One of my most important goals is to make my ESL classroom a welcoming and safe place. This study shows that I have succeeded in that.

Ethnographic studies in the classroom are of great value. They allow the educator to discover who students are, what they are bringing to the classroom and their learning, and how to help these students succeed in learning. They give the educator the opportunity to step outside of their usual roles of being instructor and facilitator and to become the observer of and sounding board to students.

The information gained from this study will assist this student's future teachers meet his needs by allowing them to create learning opportunities that involve less cooperative and group activities and more individual student learning projects. This study also shows how important the classroom environment is to this student's learning. A safe and welcoming environment is crucial to this student's success in the classroom.

Thoughts on Action Research

My action research was based on center use with older elementary school children (grades 4 and 5). This is my first year working with older ESL students. I previously only worked with Pre-K -2nd graders. A specified program is used with the older students that incorporates reading, writing, listening, and drawing. It has been a bit challenging holding the students attention and I thought the use of centers for these activities would allow for more student engagement and an increase in student learning.

I found that the art and writing centers had a positive effect on student engagement and learning. When at these centers the students showed an increased amount of creativity in their work. They were able to discuss what they had created and written and tell how it went along with the lessons. They were excited and enjoyed what they were doing. Conversely, the reading and listening centers had a negative effect on student engagement and showed little evidence of learning. Students were off task more frequently at these centers and were unable to answer most questions about or discuss what the material covered. Some students saw the time spent at these centers as "free time."

I must say that action research is very interesting. As I read about it before hand, I was not sure that it would actually work. Some things sound really good on paper but do not actually work. For me, I found that this did work in my classroom. It raised questions that, if answered by doing more action research in my classroom, I believe will help my classroom to become one where learning is achieved. Having participated in it, I can see this type of research as beneficial and would suggest to those who have not yet tried it to do so.