According to Wright, “An English language learner (ELL) is a
student who is in the process of attaining proficiency in English as a new,
additional language” (Wright, 2010, p. 1). ELL’s come from different countries
all over the world and are becoming more common in American public schools. As
a teacher, it is very important for me to recognize this growth of ELL’s in the
classroom and understand what my responsibility will be as their teacher. “The
ways educators choose to view their ELLs affect the ways they organize teaching
and learning in their classes and the ways administrators structure programs in
their schools and districts (Wright, 2010, p. 2). While I am nervous to have
ELLs in my classroom with the fear of not giving them the best education they deserve,
I know that the more research I do and the more tools I have for teaching ELLs
the more confident and successful I will be. Having a positive outlook is key.
With a positive outlook I will organize engaging and meaningful learning
opportunities for my ELL students.
One of the problems in defining and identifying ELLs is “determining
when an ELL has attained enough proficiency in English to be redesignated as
fluent English proficient” (Wright, 2010, p. 3). I can see how many students
fall short of the help they need by being pushed out of the program because of
passing one English proficiency test, but still needing the additional services
they were receiving. This transition from ESL classes to general education
classes is huge and this is where I hope to be a support system for those
students coming into my classroom.
Blog Entry 1: https://youtu.be/sgelBhauflg
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ReplyDeleteYes, building a community and making the students feel welcome will really help the ELL's. To do so the text mentions that "teachers need to know the following about each student: (1) language and literacies used at home; (2) ELP level; (3) educational history in the home country and in the United States; (4) length of time in the United States; (5) reason for immigration; (6) number of siblings; and (7) parents' educational history, employment, and proficiency in English and other langues" (Wright, 2015, p. 23). By finding out these personal details of the students life, the teacher can adjust instruction to help blend in the students background and culture into the classroom so they feel more welcome and to help them establish their identity. It can also help the teacher supply them with resources they may need based off of the information they discover about each student.
DeleteTori, I really enjoyed your video! I really thought it was cool that you learned a lot of Spanish during your mission trip in Mexico. I also definitely agree with you when you said that you wanted to make every child feel welcome in your classroom. I feel like building that community helps all students, but it will definitely help the students who are ELLs because it will make them feel like they belong (Wright, 2015). I also really like how your teacher taught you Spanish in the 7th grade. I feel like learning the basics and then building on those is what helps anyone when they learn something, so I'm glad she took that approach with her classes (Wright, 2015). I also like how you related it to the basics of preschool. I feel like it was a good idea on her part so you guys wouldn't get overwhelmed and quit.
DeleteTori,
DeleteI really like the idea that you want to include what Wright said in his book about what teachers need to do for each student. I really like this idea because you will be able to understand the students' backgrounds, and so you will be able to help them if problems arise. It will also just help them to feel welcome in the classroom and safe.
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ReplyDeleteFrom your experience with your first Spanish class, it can be difficult to pick up anything at all unless there was body language to read as the teacher spoke. Even then, it would be like a game of charades. However, your experience got better in the future because your teacher acknowledged the students’ primary strengths. You briefly mentioned your disagreement with the idea of restricting the languages spoken in the classroom. This idea describes Wright's idea of subtractive bilingualism (Wright, 2015, p.22). Wright also disagreed with this idea because it reduces the use of the students’ native language. In the end, a student could end up forgetting their native language when trying to pick up on a new language.
ReplyDeleteKimberly, I am glad you mentioned how I brought up the fact that teachers should never tell a child they can only speak English in the classroom. The text mentions "encouraging ELL's to maintain and develop their home languages while they develop proficiency in English benefits the individual ELL and his or her family and community, as well as the nation overall" (Wright, 2015, p. 23). Our goal as teachers should not be to make our students forget their home language but instead help them to strengthen both langues. We need more bilingual speakers in our world!
DeleteTori and Kimberly,
DeleteI believe that Tori is correct. This world lacks people who are bilingual. Being bilingual is a gift, and a lot of people take it for granted. Personally, I have seen generations where a parent will not want their child to learn their native language so they do not teach it to them. Then, they realize that was not the right choice. I agree with Tori that our goal is to help our students strengthen both languages. I feel like we would be doing our students an injustice if we tell them to only speak English.
Hi Tori! I'm sorry your first year learning another language was not a fantastic one but it seemed like your second teacher really changed your mind. Your experience in Mexico also seemed to have a positive impact on learning Spanish. While you are nervous about having English Language Learners in your classroom you want to give them the best education. Wright (2015) suggests getting to know your ELL students because it can help you understand them and know how to respond.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching english language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice. Calson.
Veronica,
DeleteYou are very right when you mentioned getting to know your ELL's so you can understand them and know how to respond. I want to build a relationship with all of my kids and I need to get to them as individuals to do so. The text says "information about the student's ethnicity and culture may help explain some of the student's behaviors in class and suggest things the teacher can do to be sensitive to his or her culture and incorporate aspects of that culture into the classroom" (Wright, 2015, p. 24). I believe I need to know as much background and personal information that I can to best help my ELL students.
Hi Veronica, I agree with your and Wright's idea that getting to know one's English language learners is a beneficial practice. In my own classroom I hope to provide a space that is both inclusive and accommodating. One aspect of this is being aware of certain topics that may be culturally sensitive to some of our English language learners (Wright, 2015, p. 24). By doing our own research and learning about the culture that the ELL belongs to, we can foster growth in our classroom by making sure not to offend and, inversely, take steps towards celebrating the aspects of his or her culture that may differ from our own. If we take these items into consideration, then I feel good about the future of English language learners and their success in the classroom.
DeleteReference:
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Pub.
Building a relationship with your students is crucial as an educator. As you gain knowledge and skill as an educator, the better equipped you will be for how to take care of your children. After all Wright (2015) said, "experience leads to expertise." As you grow confident in your experience as an educator, you will know how to handle the students in regard to their experiences.
ReplyDelete