Interview with Ms. Barbosa
Here is the link of the Interview: >> click me !! <<
Here is the link of the Interview: >> click me !! <<
Hello! For
this Vblog, Ms. Barbosa has agreed to share out her personal experiences as a Science
Teacher with English Language Learners. Ms. Barbosa has been teaching for four
years and is also a Spanish speaker. Throughout the video, she shared out some
of her experiences and suggestions to create the positive learning
environment for both her non-ELL students and ELL students.
Ms.
Barbosa mentions that she has had ELL students who were immigrants and spoke
Spanish. In order to accommodate to these students who struggled, she allowed
students to use dictionaries and write some of their responses in Spanish. In
regards to assessments, an alternative way to assess students for Science would
to give them the opportunity to arrange pictures in a sequence (Wright, 2015,
292). Although Ms. Barbosa does not have struggling ELL students this year, we already
differentiate our assessments by adhering to different type of learners and student-choices.
For example, we allowed students to showcase their product in two different
ways either as: creating a comic or writing a story. This appealed to both
different types of learners as creating an illustration is a universal
language. In addition, giving students these choices create a welcoming
learning environment where they can relate to their peers through motivation
and interests.
Another
interesting point I would like to discuss is the opportunity for students to
assist each other. Ms. Barbosa previously had supportive bilingual students who
helped their ELL peers with both the instructions and activities. In regards to
pairing students, teachers could arrange the seats to where lower-level ELLs
are seated near a bilingual student who can provide quick clarifications and
assistance when needed (Wright, 2015, p. 306). In the interview, Ms. Barbosa
mentioned that these students may struggle socializing with other students,
therefore having a seating arrangement in mind may build a social pathway for
the students not just through cultural similarities, but also through proximity.
After interviewing my mentor teacher, I now have a better understanding of the
importance to be as mindful as possible with my ESL students in ways to assist
not just through content, but as well as being involved with my students’
cultural differences by establishing a welcoming environment.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English
Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia,
PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Michelle! I think it is great that your mentor teacher has a particular seating arrangement implemented that would aid lower ELL's in being able to receive help from their peers. I feel as though since this seating system is already taking place in your classroom it could be of use during carpet time. Since at times teachers use a Think-Pair-Share strategy in which students turn and talk to their partner and discuss a question asked by the teacher regarding a specific topic. According to Wright (2015), since ELL’s are only talking to one student “if they are asked to report their answer to the class, they have already had a chance to practice answering with their partners (pg. 171). This strategy is great because it lessens the chance that an ELL student will mispronounce a word or simply disassociate themselves from class discussions because they are afraid that they are saying something wrong. Since they would have already “practiced” what they were going to say and learned from their non-ELL partner or a bilingual student it increases an ELL’s confidence when it comes to answering a question out loud. Allowing ELL’s to interact and socialize with their peers gives them the opportunity to learn more content vocabulary as well as simply learn sentence structure which I believe is something teachers should push for.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015, Print. Second Edition
Hello Melissa! I like how you included a different perspective of how the seating arrangement could be used such as during carpet time. It is very important to expand the social group for the ELLs that way they can experience different context of their peers. For a traditional ESL classroom, students would listen to audio recordings and then answer a series of comprehension questions (Wright, 2015, p. 166). In my perspective, I would prefer to use audio recordings as a supplement material but I would also like to provide a visual aid such as a video to make it more coherent for my students.
DeleteHello Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI think it is very interesting that you decided to ask your teacher about the parent involvement with English Language Learners. Like all of our students, we want their parents to be involved in their education as much as possible. However, I completely understand that sometimes parents can be discouraged from wanting to be involved especially if there is a language and cultural barrier. I also loved the way the ESL teacher you interviewed discussed using primary language support which according to Wright (2015) refers to the use of the child's native language as a support during instruction--whether sheltered or ESL. I believe this is one of the best ways to teach an ELL instruction that adheres more to the celebration and resourcefulness of one’s language as opposed to the deletion. The mentality the teacher you interviewed has on giving the extra effort to learn the native language of her students to support them intrinsically and academically is a great trait to have as a teacher and one I hope to have as a teacher as well.
Hello Alyssa! It can be discouraging for ourselves too because the initiating learning of an individual stems at home. If teachers cannot get a hold of the ELLs’ guardians and their child is not communicating in class, pairing students with similar cultural background would make them feel a bit more comfortable hopefully. In addition, I like how you mentioned the motivation, because students feed off each others’ energy. If students can see their privileges in the classroom, they would have a higher chance of succeeding academically (Wright, 2015, p. 19).
DeleteHi Michelle,
DeleteI completely agree that one strategy a teacher can use if the student is not communicating in class and you aren't able to reach the guardians is to make the child more comfortable by pairing with students of a similar situation. I will say, however, that sometimes doing this can be counterproductive. Students with similar situations can bond and we of course want out students to succeed socially, however if teachers are not strategic about the pairings it can lead to partners or groups of students who feel no intrinsic motivation to further their learning in the language. This helps when students are required to perform tasks such as a "think-pair-share". Students with different levels of English mastery who complement each other can serve as a great source of support and scaffolding opportunities according to Wright (2015).
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (Second ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Hi Michelle! As I was watching your interview, I heard that Ms. Barbosa mentioned not having a lot of parent involvement with her ELL students. I have seen this myself as a student teacher. Many students would not come back with their homework done because they had no one to help them at home. One of the schools I student taught at actually started English classes for the parents every week night. I think these classes are a great idea. Wright (2015) mentions that "the majority of ELLs are ethnic minorities from low-income families"(p.13). I think that if programs like this can help the parents, the parents will be able to help their children.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015, Print. Second Edition
Hi Almira! Keeping in touch with parents every week sounds like a great suggestion. May I ask how is the process done? Is it face to face or virtual? When teachers get the chance to talk to parents, it should always be a positive communication. We should always try to encourage our ELL children that we are not trying to create an assimilation where students are sacrificing their own language, but make it as an addition to their learning experiences (Wright, 2015, p.20). This will create a warm learning experience for the student, as well as relieve the parents from the cultural adjustment.
DeleteHi Almira! I have also witnessed not a lot parent involvement at the school I student teach in. However, I believe parent involvement is extremely important in a ELLs education. When building relationships with the students we must participate in involving ourselves with the parents too. Wright (2015) mentions teachers must get to know their students cultural and how it influences their learning in school. Teachers can get some more insight of the students cultural and its influnece in learning by communicating with the parents.
DeleteWright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (Second ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Hi Michelle,
DeleteAs a student teacher, I have seen multiple ways this is done. One of my mentor teachers invited all of the parents to the classroom to get to know them and their background. Wright (2015) states " teachers also ned to know their students' cultural backgrounds and how culture influences learning at school" (p. 17). My mentor teacher believes that getting to know the parents will help her become a better teacher for students, especially her ELL students.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015, Print. Second Edition
Hey Michelle, I think it is so cool that Ms. Barbosa offers alternative ways to assess students. I also think that it’s very helpful, because ELL students may understand the concept of science and may not be able to translate their comprehension into English. I think Science is a very good content that adheres to ELLs because you can use inquiry-based investigations to effectively teach them, especially because it can be so hands-on. Rupp says that “hands-on science classroom [are] rich, highly motivating language laboratory, pointing out that discovery science offers an arena in which ELLs can try out their maturing ideas about scientific phenomena using their expanding English language skills” (Wright, 2015, p 279). By providing ELL students a opportunity to learn that is not depending using English, it lets them expand their comprehension and makes learning English more fun and incentivizing.
ReplyDeleteWright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (Second ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Hello Lam! I’m glad you pointed out about Science and the inquiry investigations. In addition to the inquiry projects, there is a lot of freedom both regular and ELLs could do. However, there is also some disadvantages such as introducing vocabulary content. Introducing Science vocabulary is another obstacle that ELLs need to overcome, and it is much difficult if they are already struggling with their secondary language. To overcome this, creating vocabulary charts through modeling or shared writing before they conduct the experiment would increase their comprehension (Wright, 2015, p. 280). For example, teachers could model a sentence stem for a hypothesis statement that includes a “If and then” statement.
DeleteHey Michelle, thanks for replying to my comment! I can see what you mean when you say that there is a lot of freedom in inquirà projects. Something that I wonder about is how would you overcome teaching vocabulary as an obstacle? I know that Wrights says “Teachers, however, needs to ensure that their science classroom is indeed a language laboratory” (Wright, 2015, p 279) Learning English through hearing alone is not sufficient enough, so other tan visuals and translations, how would students acquire their L2 as well as comprehend the concepts in science? I know that there are systems and langugae objects teachrs can provide; which approaches would you take? Wright, 2015, p 280)
DeleteWright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (Second ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Hello Ms. Lam,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your interview. Accommodating for science can be quite challenging as one tries to make the lessons inquiry based and pace through higher level questioning to ensure higher level thinking. This rapid pace and push for hands on learning can be overwhelming for an ELL as they would have to balance understanding new vocabulary, language acquisition, and still develop a higher understanding of the state standards covered. As stated in your reflection, using comic strips or writing a story is a modification that Wright hints at where, “outlines and graphic organizers can help them [ELLs] identify the main ideas and information structure of the text” (Wright, 2015, p.282). These visual modifications to process new information is beneficial to the ELL’s as they can retain, go over, and practice the variety of topics in class. I would also like to say that your questions concerning parental involvement is unique as I did not consider such factors within the theories Wright presents. I would agree with your mentor teacher that parental involvement is a hit or miss as external factors such as work, difficulty of materials, and managing the household can place a strain on family participation in school.
Works Cited
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (Second ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Hello Ms. Rodriguez! Visual modifications is a universal language that all students could understand. In addition to providing these visuals, another modification we could do is to simplify the English text (Wright, 2015, p. 283). Although there are some misconceptions of simplifying the concepts, teachers need to keep in mind that we need to have a tier of thinking questions in order to address all learners. One thing I like to do is initially ask higher thinking-questions first. If students are unable to answer the higher thinking question, I then proceed with the rephrasing the question.
Delete