Interview with Amy!
Amy also ensured students participated in the maintenance of the classroom culture, allowing them to insert aspects of their backgrounds and culture into the classroom environment. This type of inclusion closely relates to Wright's views on how second language acquisition and learning benefit from the inclusion of a sociocultural perspective in the classroom (2015, p. 56). In combination with including students' backgrounds in the classroom, Amy also engaged in strong communication practices. Both Ortega and Gass discuss how vital clear, well-maintained communication channels are for teachers - and Amy stresses their importance with ELL students and families (2013). This communication allows the families and their students feel a sense of community within the classroom.
Finally, differentiating one's teaching style seems especially important for the growth and development of ELL students' learning. Amy mentions that different methods of instruction and direction can help reaffirm many topics within the content area. Though she was a math and science centered teacher, she did tell me that the methods discussed by Wright and Ortega apply to any content area in schools (2013; 2015).
After interviewing my mother, I recognize the value in differentiation and building a strong foundation for relationships with my students. The more I know about them and their backgrounds, the better I can prepare them for learning. Scaffolding and implementing their cultures into different aspects of my teaching and classroom are just some of the methods she provided.
Thank you for listening to my interview! Merci pour ecoutez a mon interview!
Ila
Gass, S. (2013). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. New York: Routledge.
Ortega, L. (2011). Understanding second language acquisition. London: Routledge.
Your mom is correct in saying that math is one of the most difficult things for ESL learners to learn. Story problems are extremely difficult for them to learn and that's why at my school we avoid doing story problems with ESL students until we believe they are ready for them. When the students become embarrassed by their first language it makes it very difficult to try and speak the language they are learning. Praise is very helpful and is really great when you also measure their improvements and show them that. I've noticed that students feel a sense of pride translating for their parents when their parents visit the school. Families are very important when it comes to learning a second language and when they bring English activities into their households it helps their children a lot.
ReplyDelete"The teacher's job is to provide comprehensible input in a safe and enjoyable classroom environment." (Wright, 61.)
Eric, I completely agree with your use of Wright's ideas concerning the creation of a viable learning environment (2015). I like the idea of holding off on word problems until a student has demonstrated the appropriate level of proficiency in English. Both you and my interviewee agree that praise and acknowledgement are crucial for ELL students to feel confident enough to learn the content. I also agree that translating for families to ensure they are involved in their student's learning is an important resource for schools to provide. What type of teaching strategies might you want to utilize as supplements for English Language Learners to have when learning your content?
ReplyDeleteHi Ila, like you my mother is a teacher as well except she teaches pre-kinder. But like your mother says, teaching algorithms is a whole different language, when you are an ELL coming in to learn math, like she said it's difficult enough for the regular English learners now imagine the ELL's. I love that she praises the children for knowing another language, and bringing it up to the whole class to let them know that they know another language, and this help them build confidence, by letting them be who they are from their (roots). Wright says that a teacher who helps their students out when learning a new language it helps students to be more successful (Wright, 2015). I can relate to what your mother said about acting as their parents translators I still see this today at the Elementary school I go to volunteer at. It's pretty good practice for the children who are switching between both language to translate the messages to their parents.
ReplyDeleteWright, E. W. (2015). Foundations of Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Caslon Publishing.
Jesus, I also have experience as a preschool teacher! I agree with your points on math and language arts having aspects that do not translate well between the content areas. However, I have found that, by talking about the types of lessons I want to create with an English, social sciences, or natural sciences teacher helps make the lesson more engaging and differentiated for different types of learners. I also agree that praise and affirmations of knowing another language, and learning another language, help grow a student's confidence. Wright's discussion of teachers' roles in English language learning focus on how we can model behaviors we wish to see in our students, and providing ample opportunities to practice the language (2015). What types of behaviors would you model? What are some strategies that you have seen teachers use at the school you volunteer at? Would you use the same strategies, or are there any elements you would change to better fit your teaching style?
DeleteThat is something that i struggle with having the students understand. A lot of students don't realize that some words don't really translate into English very well. What I try to do is make it seem like a treasure hunt and have them look in a theasarus for a word that might be similar to it. For example, in Spanish, there is a word that means something is too sweet and you can't eat anymore of it. It's just one word. In English, the feeling doesn't translate too well. I tried to get them to find a similiar word and that's how I go about words that don't translate too well.
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DeleteTo answer your questions Ila, I would model behavior I want in my classroom like keeping your desk neat as a model for your students, not interrupting students or adults when they speak, apologizing when appropriate example: hitting another student by mistake or on purpose. Strategies I've seen in the Elementary school I volunteer at are extinction, some teachers try to ignore "negative behavior in hopes of getting rid of it", others take action by taking away their recess time so the students can reflect on what they did was wrong. "The teacher's job is to provide comprehensible input in a safe and enjoyable classroom environment." (Wright, 61.) As for teaching strategies, I've seen many teachers is: Making work into group work for collaborative learning, Demonstrating how things should be done before allowing the students to do the work themselves so they won't be stuck and asking questions on how to do this or that. I would use most of these strategies, and tweak others to improve performance and overall efficacy.
Wright, E. W. (2015). Foundations of Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Caslon Publishing.
Hey Ila,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the point about parental involvement in the classroom that you made.; One of the points that Wright made was to increase parental involvement even as far as creating literacy programs at the schools. This is an idea that can be rather difficult to do but can have a huge pay off in the student's life. Many parents with ELL students also do not speak English and getting them involved and learning the language can provide a student with a healthy role model to follow as they learn the language and can provide a more encouraging environment for the students in the class. Parental involvement is already one of the most beneficial things that a student can have a with ELL students this can make a real difference in their education and as a result their life.
Andrew, I am glad that you agree that parental involvement is crucial for students to succeed - especially if they are an English language learner (Wright, 2015). As far as the difficulty teachers face with language barriers, alternatives to speaking their language or having a translator includes written correspondence via language-assist apps. Another alternative - one that I employ daily - is a phrase book I have created for Spanish speakers (we do not have students who speak any other language, however, you can use this method for any language). If students must call home, I have them use the phrase book; if I need to call a parent, I use the phrase book. Common phrases include: "(Student's name) was disruptive/sleeping in class", "(Student's name) said/did __ in class", and I preface conversations with "I apologize for my accent, I am using a phrase book with limited knowledge of the language. Please use simple language."
DeleteI also like the idea of creating a sense of belonging by having parents who are learning English model positive behaviors for their students. What type of behaviors who you hope to see your students exhibit? Would you ever use a phrase book/language assist app?
I love the idea of a phrase book in the classroom. This is something that I might consider when I am in my own classroom. Another resource that we us in my classroom is Classdojo. If the parents are connected to it the you can contact them through a private message which also has a translation tool built in to it. This help a lot because I can communicate with a parent and they can talk back, the big limitation I have found with this tool is that it does not work over vocal communication. This is where I can use the phrase book. There are also translators at my school that can assist, but these are great tools to use that do not require someone to actively translate for me.
DeleteI believe that Classdojo would work well as a supplementary tool for communication between guardians and teachers. As the educational environment shifts to a more inclusive one, I find that many teachers are being encouraged to either learn a new language or already be fluent in a language other than English. I am glad that you detailed how to use the resource and what situations this tool might prove useful in. Wright discusses a variety of supplementary measures to improve communication between faculty and parents (2015). Other than Classdojo and phrasebooks, do any other methods seem plausible in your own classroom? What are your thoughts on administrative personnel strongly encouraging teachers to either learn a new language or become ELL certified? Do you find any supplementary certifications useful for your plans for the future - or any that seem interesting?
DeleteHello Ila!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed listening to your interview with your mother. I think classroom culture is definitely a huge factor in student success. I think it's great that your mom made sure to include the students and their backgrounds in their classroom culture. According to Wright (2015, p. 17), “knowing the student’s home language or languages allows the teacher to provide primary language support that can accelerate the student’s acquisition of English and comprehension of academic instruction". Showing that you know something about the students individual backgrounds and culture really shows the students how much you care about them and is a great motivation for them.
Wright, E. W. (2015). Foundations of Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Caslon Publishing.
Joselyn, I am glad that you found the interview I conducted useful. I agree that classroom culture plays a significant role in how effective our teaching can be for students to connect with. I mentioned that it was valuable to encourage students to share and express their backgrounds in the classroom environment; how would you encourage this behavior? Additionally, you express an interest in providing supplementary language tools for students to use while learning the content (Wright, 2015). What types of tools would you implement in your classroom? Personally, I find that anchor charts and an interactive word wall work well as passive tools, and classroom discussions that emphasize the use of math language (I participate in a math class) work well as active tools.
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