Setting Goals

Hello again! After meeting with Dr. Fischer we discussed all the opportunities to observe and worked on goal setting for my time with CFCC. I have included the goal setting worksheet detailing our conversation below.

Goal Setting & Practicum Plan

Meeting 1 Agenda

Name of Student: Dylan Sneade

Practicum Site: Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington, NC

SMART Goals:           Specific

                                    Measurable

                                    Action oriented

                                    Realistic

                                    Timely

I.   Practicum Goals.

       What would you like to work on?

a.       Activities: How do you intend to take action toward the goal?

b.      Assessment:  How will your progress be demonstrated?

Goal 1: I will spend equal amounts of time with beginner and intermediate English Learners. This will provide me with a better understanding of how to operate different levels of classes and provide me with different methods of instructions and various methods of implementation. There are various levels of evening courses and an upper-intermediate level class in the mornings. I will split my observation time between these two class times.

 

Goal 2: I will find students with specific goals that they wish to spend more time on outside of class and offer goal based tutoring services before or after class times. This will allow me the opportunity to practice teaching skills in a 1-on-1 fashion. With growing popularity of online tutoring platforms, this is a skill that could provide work opportunities. I will coordinate with students and their teachers for advising and supervising.

 

Goal 3: I will become involved in the campus community by spending time in the campus community center and learning about the specific needs of the university and city’s communities and ways to help improve the lives of those in the area through TESOL and outreach programs. I will coordinate with the student volunteers at the community center as well as the teachers and advisors on campus. 

II. Evidence.

During my first experience in each classroom, I will collect demographic information and discuss the class with instructors on challenges students have and how the class is working to help them in their lives (Standard 2: e. Standard 5: a, b). I will discuss with the teacher their theoretical background for their classroom and ways I could implement similar themes in lessons (Standard 3: a, c, d, e) as well as methods of instruction and choices they made for the class (Standard 1: a, b, c, d). I will also inquire about lesson plans and methods of assessment in the classes to see how each classroom is organized and see how I would conduct my own classroom by comparison (Standard 4: a, b, c, d).

III. Scheduling.

We’ve created an initial goal of observation for 10 hours or so, and then we will reassess our next steps from there. I will begin by observing 4-8 hours in the morning high-intermediate course, and then following I will spend time in the beginner’s evening course for a similar amount of time. After the initial experiences my advisor and I will discuss what I’ve seen and set goals for follow-on actions in my practicum.

A Beginning

   Welcome to My Practicum Blog!

Here is where I will be documenting everything I see, hear, feel, and learn from my student observation time while working to complete my Graduate degree in TESOL. I have been fortunate enough to be welcomed by Dr. Cindy Fischer from the Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC to conduct my experience. Since I first reached out many months ago, they have been fantastic, and I look forward to my time with them.

Setting

With a variety of TESOL environments to choose from, deciding which route to go is a hard decision. Since my future goals are to teach at the university level in America and abroad this school is a good fit to get my feet wet in the field. The school hosts a variety of ESL level for students to be placed in. There are multiple beginner, intermediate, and an advanced classes. There are daytime courses as well as night courses. Students in these classes come from a variety of international backgrounds, with a strong presence of L1 Spanish students. 

Goals

There are so many things one can accomplish during the course of a semester of a practicum and there are many things I look forward to, however the purpose of this blog is to document my experiences with a specific emphasis on the 5 TESOL standards.

1. Knowledge about Language
2. ELLs in the Sociocultural Context
3. Planning and Implementing Instruction
4. Assessment and Evaluation
5. Professionalism and Leadership

I look forward to sharing throughout. 

See you next time!