Michelle TS#6

Date: February 3, 2017
Time: 6:30pm
Location: The student's house
Topic/Skill: Speaking- Vocabulary
This was the first time I met with my refugee tutee. She is one of several children in her family, none of which speak much English. Unfortunately, because of the limitedness of their language ability, I was unable to gather exactly what the parents wanted me to teach. Because of this, I took time to develop a relationship with the student through coloring. Eventually, I had all of the children and adults around the table organically asking questions.
Feedback provided: Not knowing the student, my goal was to assess how much she knew. I brought a pack of crayons and a coloring book and had her sit with me and color. Each time she reached for a crayon, I asked the question "What color is this?" This was translated by one of the better English speakers. Then she would look at me again searching for the answer. I would respond with "This is (color)." Together as we colored, she began to realize I was teaching her the different colors of each crayon. As we progressed, I introduced the question "can you pass me the (color) please?" This was also translated, but the man didn't quite understand it, and I did a lot of miming to get my point across. Throughout, all the kids were showing me their colored pages. The student still could not remember all of the colors but she was recognizing the question and responding. In my opinion, it was a good start.
Lesson learned: Since the family has only been here two months, all of them need help learning English. I noticed that the older children can read words without recognition and even write simple sentences. However, the mother is really just trying to make sense of the world around her. Despite their predicament, all of them seem to be in high spirits and eager to learn. I learned that the best way to serve this tutee might also be to serve her family. It is my intention to try and bring materials that suit them all.