While reflecting on this class I
realized how much I have learned in just a short amount of time. I did not have
much experience or knowledge about English Language Learners and did not
realize how much the number of ELL’s is increasing in schools. Out of the four second
language acquisition theories discussed in chapter three I agree with the
sociocultural perspective the most. When teaching students a new language I think
the most effective approach to take is to expand the amount of opportunities they
have to interact with one another and experience the American culture. “As
students learn the new language, they gain knowledge about how to use the language
in sociocultural contexts and construct their social identities through their participation
in language-mediated activities” (Wright, 2015, p.58). This theory proved to be
true because during my interview with an ELL she said she learned the most by socializing.
To do this I will incorporate lots of group work and partner work in my
classroom.
Something interesting is during my
observations last semester I observed at a bilingual school and while observing
in grades K-2 the instruction was done in Spanish only. At the time, I disagreed
with this and did not understand why they were not being taught in English.
After taking this class, I learned that the program that school was using was
home language content-area instruction. I no longer disagree with this program
and support it instead. I understand how the students must master the content
first before learning the language and I think doing so will actually make
learning English easier in the upper grade levels. This program will help them
succeed and stay up to standards as well. “Providing ELLs with content-area
instruction in their home language while they are learning English as a new
language helps to ensure that they will learn complex academic content and
master grade-level content standards” (Wright, 2015, p. 91). ELL’s will have a harder time grasping grade
level content standards if they are taught in English, a language they are
still unfamiliar with. I am glad I learned more about this program so that I
could change my opinions and views about it to be more positive.
One of the things I read that most
stuck out to me to use in my classroom was the productive talk moves. These are
ways to scaffold classroom discussions in a way to accommodate ELL’s to make
sure they are understanding what the discussion is about. Within the productive
talk moves are revoicing, repeating, reasoning, adding on, and waiting. By
doing these things it is giving the ELLs another chance to hear what their
peers are saying and gives them more time to process it. I saw a lot of the
productive talk moves being used in the observation videos I watched for the
observation paper assignment. I got to see how these scaffolding methods really
made a difference in engaging the students.
Within my teaching philosophy I have
always had a strong belief in differentiated instruction and individualizing
assessments and activities based on student’s needs. This class supported my
teaching philosophy because I got to learn more strategies and methods to use
to accommodate and teach students so I will have an easier time implementing my
philosophy beliefs into my classroom. I think the blog entries was a great way
to submit assignments and interact with one another. When I first read the syllabus,
I was so nervous to do it because I have never posted videos before or
interacted in a blog before and I am not very tech savy. Now I learned how to
do it and it was not difficult at all. I think the blog made things for
personal. In other online classes we would just interact on a discussion board.
Being able to view classmate’s videos made it more engaging and I felt like I learned
more from them than just reading a discussion board post.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for
Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice.
Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Tori! I see why you would disagree at first with the home language content area instruction, it would not make sense to only teacher in Spanish when what they really need is to learn English. I too did not understand why some schools do that but after reading the text it made sense. The students must first master their home language before moving on to learning a language completely out of their comfort zone. According to the text, “the effort to maintain or develop a home culture while learning and adjusting to American culture is neither a simple nor a straightforward process” (Wright, 2015, p. 20). There is only so much that a student can handle when in new surroundings, we as educators have to realize that it is one step at a time and we have to be very patient with them.
ReplyDeleteYou are right it is very challenging for students to maintain their home culture while being surrounded by people from America which is a different culture. Wright suggests, "school programs should reach for similar goals, that is, they should encourage ELLs to create new, positive sociocultural identities that can help them negotiate the dynamic new world in which they are living, rather than encourage students to assimilate to mainstream norms" (Wright, 2015, p. 20). This idea focuses on ELLs creating their own cultural identity that is partially from their home culture and partially from the new culture they are now a part of. Instead of assimilating into their family’s culture only or school culture only they create their own culture unique to them.
DeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Although I feel that students learning a new language should never forget where they came from and they should not try to fit in into a new culture, it is good for them to observe the school culture and learn about it as opposed to learning from it. “Educators have a responsibility to help prepare the next generation to continue working on solving important social problems related to diversity that past generations have failed to fully address” (Wright, 2015, p. 21).
DeleteHi Tori,
ReplyDeleteIt was enjoyable to read your reflection. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us. I agree with you that ESL students learn and develop their language linguistic skills the most through interacting with other native language speakers, especially with their peers and teachers. Placing the ESL students in small group activities does not only encourage them to socialize and communicate with other classmates to complete a task, but it also helps them build their communication confidence and improve their oral language skills. Similar to what Wright stated, "the most important and beneficial listening and speaking that student will do is through interaction with their teacher, their fellow ELLs, and proficient English speakers within the sociocultural contexts of their classroom, school, and neighborhood (2015, p. 170).” Moreover, teachers also need to make some modifications and accommodations to best benefit in the ESL students’ language learning process. Like what Wright said, “Some of these modifications may include simplifying the language, reducing the rate of speech, and using gestures (2015, p.53).” Therefore, ESL students will become more comfortable to learn and adapt to the new language learning as well as the content-area learning.
Reference:
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Pub.
From my personal experience seeing students learning a second language, I do agree that they interact more with peers than with their own teachers. “teachers need to find ways to make their instruction comprehensible for ELLs, and they need to provide ample opportunities for meaningful interactions in the classroom” (Wright, 2015, p. 65). They feel more of a connection towards their peers and not afraid to communicate with them. Where I feel as those students are scared to interact with teachers because they do not want to be embarrassed.
DeleteHi Elizabeth,
DeleteThank you for your reply. It is also true in my personal experience as an ESL student before in my high school years. Sometimes, it was just hard to ask my teachers every time I had questions because I felt bad to interrupt their lecture and other students’ time during class. I felt much comfortable to ask my classmates whenever I could not catch up or understand what my teachers said in the lecture. Therefore, I believe that ESL students also learn and get a lot of support from their peers besides the assistance of their teachers. Teachers should always encourage students to interact and help each other in the learning process. This way will make the learning environment become friendly and successfully. This is similar to what Wright stated, “Cooperative learning is a form of scaffolding provided by classroom peers that contributes to the oral language development of ELLs in several ways… ELLs may feel more comfortable (i.e., have a lower affective filter) speaking with their peers in the small groups than they are being called on to speak in front of the whole class. The hand-on learning that is typical of cooperative group work provides context and visual support to make the language used more comprehensible (2015, p. 170).”
Reference:
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Pub.
Hello Tori, I enjoyed hearing how this course affected your old way of thinking. In the same manner, I viewed English as a superior language to learn, at least in the United States; however, now I have learned that simultaneous language learning is possible and beneficial. Wright (2015) posits that allowing students to learn in their home language can ultimately help them learn the content (Wright, 2015, p. 117). In this style, students are also able to make use of translanguaging by “draw[ing] on what they know and can do in one language to make meanings in another” (Wright, 2015, p. 40). This helpful practice is not possible if we were to restrict the language spoken in the classroom to only English. It is important that we allow ELL students to understand the value of knowing and crafting their native language, rather than viewing it as an obstacle to their academic success.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Pub.
Hi Brandon! I thought that it was interesting that you mentioned that this course changed your old was of thinking that English was the better language. With how diverse our city and state are, I think that it was time people realized the importance of taking the time to be culturally receptive and view bilingualism as a advantage, rathe than a disadvantage. As right also mentions, there are several versions of English that are also spoken by our students but “teachers need to understand that these non-standard varieties are not ‘bad English’ (Wright, 2010, p.38).”
ReplyDelete