VBlog Entry 4: Course Reflection

Throughout the length of this course this semester, I can confidently say I have gained a much clearer understanding of the learning of a second or additional language for ELL students. I feel that I will be able to attend to my future ELL students’ needs more effectively because this course has showed me some of the challenges the students may face as they are working through the process of learning English as their second language. This course has also taught me specific things to be mindful of as an effective teacher of ELLs in an inclusive classroom and best practices as a teacher for creating the best learning environment for all students in the classroom. When considering my understanding of the learning of English as a second language through research, theory, policy, and practice, there are few foundations and key ideas that have stuck with me throughout my learning this semester. First, I believe an ELL instructor should always remember the reason behind what they are doing for the students in their classroom and that “the purpose of ESL instruction is to enable ELLs to develop their proficiency in English by mastering the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing to the extent that they are able to use the English language appropriately and effectively for authentic communicative purposes and to achieve academic success in English-language mainstream classrooms” (Wright, 2015, p. 90). When thinking about this important idea of the students progressing to a point where they are able to use the language for authentic purposes, it’s critical that the teacher keep with authenticity in the classroom as well, especially when evaluating student learning. Teachers "must become skilled in the use of authentic assessment tools and procedures to accurately evaluate ELLs language and literacy abilities in English and in their home languages and know how to use these results to track students’ progress and plan effective instruction" (Wright, 2015, p. 29). This is a vital aspect of understanding the learning of a second language because a teacher must know how to effectively assess if their ELL students are gaining knew content knowledge and growing with their second language. Finally, ELL instructors must learn to create a safe, risk-free environment for learning and use a wide range of professional practices for teaching all students. Wright states that "the teacher's job is to provide comprehensible input in a safe and enjoyable classroom environment" and "the teacher uses a wide variety of techniques, such as total physical response (TPR), ample visuals and realia, small group work, and any other activities involving meaningful communication that can facilitate the provision of comprehensible input" (2015, p. 61). After, observing ELL classrooms and seeing what I have learned be put into a real-world context, it is clear these foundations are critical for learning to occur and ELLs to progress with authentic English acquisition.

It is evident how much this class will personally impact my professional practice in a positive way, due to the amount of knowledge I have gained relating to foundations for teaching English Language Learners. I can’t take everything I have learned in this course regarding research and practice and use it as a tool for becoming an effective ELL teacher in the future. Whether I was learning about challenges ELLs may face early on in the semester with interviewing a past ELL young adult, or learning about effective practices and tools to utilize in the classroom when interviewing a current ELL teacher, or seeing the foundations I have learned about in the readings and videos be applied authentically in a real-world setting through my classroom observations, it is clear I can take all of this new knowledge with me into my future classrooms. I also believe this class has impacted my professional practice because I can now see a greater importance of becoming ELL certified in Texas especially and Wright points out that “many outstanding new and veteran teachers who are not certified to work with ELLs may nonetheless have ELLs placed in their classrooms. These teachers have a responsibility to do everything they can to meet the needs of their ELLs as they pursue appropriate training and additional certification (2015, p. 308). Until I am certified, I can use this knowledge I have gained as a tool for becoming an effective ELL instructor as I acquire further training and certification in the future.

This class taught a generous amount of information in a short period of time with certain topics I found more useful than others, but there are aspects I believe could receive more attention in future classes. I would love to focus more in depth on effective practices for differentiating instruction for ELLs and differentiating authentic assessment. The class text and content mentioned these topics to a degree and gave information to utilize in future contexts, however I find these aspects of ELL instruction to be very important in creating an effective learning environment and being a successful teacher to ELLs. I would feel more comfortable and confident going into my first classroom with ELLs having a deeper, clearer understanding of what I can do to cater instruction and activities to a wide variety of learners and knowing how to fairly and fully assess student learning in a variety of ways. I would also feel better if the SLM or SLA courses focused on how to understand each student’s needs based on aspects they display in the classroom, then building and catering instructional methods around those types of learning styles.

I started off in this course with my introduction in VBlog 1, where I explained my teaching philosophy. I explained that if I am in the class everyday not only teaching what I need to be teaching, but showing my students I care, letting them know they can come to me with anything that they need, and also make their learning experience fun for them, then that’s what will make them even more willing to learn, which is a huge goal for me with my future students. Having that philosophy, I felt that I will already be setting them on the right track for the full year and for being successful. This course impacted my philosophy because it solidified my viewpoint and mindset of my teaching philosophy. I know now that teaching ELLs will come with various challenges, but I should always show those students especially that I care for them, want to create a safe, welcoming environment for them, where they will be valued, and learning will be fun. I am more aware of my role in my future ELLs’ linguistic development, because I am that person that should be the bridge between where they are at when they enter my class and where they are trying to be with their English language development. I want to be that person that they can lean on during the challenging journey of learning a second language in school, and I feel more prepared than ever to take on that role for my future ELL students.

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition

VBlog Entry 3: ELL Teacher Interview

For VBlog Entry 3, I decided to interview Mrs. Reynolds, a kindergarten teacher at Foster Elementary who has been teaching ELLs in her class for 6 years now.  She has had lots of experience reflecting on what works best for the ELLs in her class, especially with them at such a young age, so I felt that she would be a great teacher to answer some questions and give some advice from the work she's done over the years. Mrs. Reynolds first told me that she currently has 3 hispanic ELLs and 1 Taiwan ELL. She told me that the biggest challenge they face is trying to follow multi-step directions and that they also struggle with understanding when and how to let her know what they want to say or do. However, Mrs. Reynolds said she's always enjoyed working with ELLs in her class because she loves the challenge and helping them grow closer to where they should be for first grade. Mrs. Reynolds also discussed with me certain approaches and methods she uses to make her teaching more effective for these ELLs and why these work the best for her students. As I suspected at such a young age, visual cues and pictorials, gestures, and manipulatives are very helpful for these ELLs in kindergarten because they are still understanding how words and writing work in general at this early of an age, especially when their English speaking peers still have challenges with words and written material. Mrs Reynolds also told me that she always wants her students to feel comfortable in the class and never scared of what is going on, because especially for these ELLs, kindergarten can be an extremely intimidating time where most of them are just starting school which makes it even scarier that they aren't familiar with the main language being used, so learning is constantly occurring. Mrs.  Reynolds philosophy reminds me of when Wright discussed the Natural Approach of second language teaching where "the teacher's job is to provide comprehensible input in a safe and enjoyable classroom environment" and "the teacher uses a wide variety of techniques, such as total physical response (TPR), ample visuals and realia, small group work, and any other activities involving meaningful communication that can facilitate the provision of comprehensible input" (2015, p. 61).

I was also curious of some of the struggles Mrs. Reynolds faces with the ELLs. I wondered how she may understand some of the students when they resort to continuously speaking in their native language or absolutely can't get their point across and communicate effectively. She said sometimes there are challenges related to understanding what they want to do or are trying to say, but she just stays persistent and they work through it together. Another instance, however, there may be rare times when additional support is in the room that happens to know how to translate, which Mrs. Reynolds pointed out is usually her last resort when I asked her more about that after the interview. I was interested in this as it is a concern of mine for my future ELLs so I found where the text discusses that "when students know a translation is coming they have no need to attend to the English, and thus they acquire little English (Wright, 2015, p. 299). I was also interested in hearing some ways Mrs. Reynolds assesses these students' learning in the classroom to which she answered that she uses more visuals, lots of one-on-one time, hands on work and manipulatives, and basically whatever they can show her they know if they can't tell her. Mrs. Reynolds is a great example of when Wright explains the "teacher as evaluator" where teachers "must become skilled in the use of authentic assessment tools and procedures to accurately evaluate ELLs language and literacy abilities in English and in their home languages and know how to use these results to track students progress and plan effective instruction" (2015, p. 29). Hope you like the video!

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition

VBlog Entry 2: Interview with a Previous ELL Young Adult

For my VBLog Entry 2, I decided to interview my friend Kani who I met my Freshman year at the University of Houston. I started the interview with a few basic questions to understand what language Kani was first raised learning, where she was originally from, and at what age she began her journey with learning English in a US school. I moved on to ask Kani about anything special her teachers did that helped make the process of learning English better and she pointed out that things that helped the most were when teachers used pictures and made things visual, when she got to read books to start understanding the meanings of English words, receiving an English dictionary that she studied, and being partnered with a classmate of hers that was proficient in both Urdu and English. Wright points out that “semantics is the study of the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences” when she points of the five “subsystems of language traditionally studied by linguists,” (2015, p. 31-33) which I connected to Kani’s ability to start picking up word meaning by continuously using and looking back on her English dictionary as a helpful resource. The textbook also states that “pragmatics is the study of language from the point of view of the users, especially in terms of the choices they make, the constraints they encounter in using language,” (Wright, 2015, p. 34)  etc., which made me think of when Kani pointed out how helpful it was getting casual opportunities daily to listen to the class, speak when possible, and getting partnered with a classmate to help her make that Urdu to English transition, all of which highlight this pragmatics subsystem of language that probably proved to be the most beneficial to Kani. She also pointed out that one of the most challenging aspects of learning English was her inability to be able to communicate the things she wanted or have someone understand what she wanted to say, she pointed out that it was a feeling of being trapped in another world. She said she would try to get a few words out and sometimes resorted to acting things out, pointing, and drawing pictures and arrows, which reminded me of when Wright pointed out that “with modified interaction… speakers may make several modifications as they converse to get their meanings across (which) may include simplifying the language, reducing the rate of speech, and using gestures” (2015, p. 53).

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition