During my interview with Mr. Dang I realize that his experience as an ELL was not the same as mine. Although we both attended schools in Texas his experience was a lot different than mine.He mentions he was grouped in classrooms with
other ELLs including Spanish speaking students.According to Wright (2015)
language minority students “covers all students in the United States who speak
other languages other than standard English” (p.5). Mr. Dang's
experience is different from mine because during my early elementary age I was
placed in a Vietnamese bilingual classroom.My
hometown was heavily populated with a lot of Vietnamese students. From what I remember each grade level had one Vietnamese teacher that would teach all the ELL students who qualified for those accommodations. Fortunately for me I had Vietnamese teachers who
supported us both in learning English and bridging the gap between the two
languages. I believed this eased my experience in learning English more
smoothly since I was able to language transfer quicker between English and
Vietnamese or vice versa depending on the circumstances. As compared to Mr. Dang's experience he had a difficult time adjusting between the English instructions and transferring his knowledge to and from his native language. He did not have a positive experience as I did.
In Chapter 5, the author talks about sheltered
instruction.This idea benefits ELLs
because as teachers we need to make the instruction where our students can
access it.If we bring it down to there
level they are more likely to understand the material and be engage.Wright states, “Sheltered instruction
observation protocol model offers guidance to teacher who use shelter
instruction by helping them systematically plan, teach, observe...”
(p.92).In my field study I have seen my
Mentor Teacher use sheltered instruction for her ELLs.I have seen her pull students to her
computer to review terms ahead of time so they are able to connect new English
words to their native vocabulary.These
last few months she has used multiple ways to help her ELLs understand both
Math and Science content. This is important for our students because when they see math problems it is easy to solve if its just a number sentence. What I have seen is although they know how to solve the problems they can not comprehend what the question is asking if it is stated in word form. However we can help our ELLs by sheltering instruction will benefit and boost their confidence in the classroom.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Thom! It was interesting hearing you interview Tim. What really surprised me was that even as a highly educated professional, who was born in the United States, Tim said that there were still some words he would not use while talking because he might have trouble using it properly or pronouncing them. As Wright said, “ The urban institute also reported that the majority of LEP students are U.S.-born citizens, finding that 76% of elementary school LEP students and 56% of LEP students at the secondary level were born in the United States” (Wright, 2015, p. 6). It really highlights that just being born in the US does not make someone a native speaker and that we as teachers cannot really take it for granted. We can encourage our students to use words they might not be familiar with so that they will not grow a fear of using new language and learn from mistakes in a safe environment rather than in their future work environments.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Rusty, Your comment reminds me of Language socialization research that was mentioned in our text. I think in Tim's situation he was stuck in the middle not too sure if he should focus more on learning English or keep speaking Vietnamese. As a result, he is not confident in either languages. Wright said "As students learn a language, the gain knowledge about how to use the language in sociocultural and construct their social identity..." (Wright, 2015, p. 58) This part could be Tim was not able to have this experience as a young child and with age this happened to affect him negatively.
Hi Thom! I really enjoyed watching your interview with Tim. It was interesting to hear about his experience. However it was upsetting to hear that in either language he isn’t confident. Which is devastating because I feel like everyone should have one language they’re confident in, weather it’s there first or second language. As educators we should encourage our “ELLs to maintain and develop their home language while they develop proficiency in English” (Wright, 2015, p. 23) as well. Not only are educators avoiding subtractive bilingualism from happening, but also they’re helping their students be confident in both languages. I know how it feels to not be confident in one language and it really holds you back from a lot of things, but if we the educators help maintain and continue to develop not only their home language, but English as well. We open up many more opportunities for the students and they wont feel restrained because of their speaking abilities.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Anna, I think in most cases both teachers and specialist has to work together to provide support for our ELL students. I have seen in some cases where students get "Pull-out English as a Second Language" (Wright, 2015, p. 90)can score high enough to be exit level of these programs, but they struggle in whole-group instruction even with teacher and peer support. What I also notice too is my ELL student would never accept my assistance when I offer help. (I offer assistance to my whole class when I see them struggling)I think between student and teacher their has to be a strong communication base. With my placement I have seen educators collaborating to help students succeed but i think a lot has to do with the student too. They have to want to succeed and not be afraid to ask for help when they need it.
Hi Thom! I really enjoyed watching your interview video. It sounds like Tim and my interviewee have some similarities. When I interviewed my friend Hi, she said that she still has trouble with grammar in English as well and has had trouble writing her papers in college. I thought it was really interesting how he said that English is backwards compared to Vietnamese and other languages, which would be helpful for an ESL teacher to know. Some languages are more similar to English than others, and I think that is another reason why ESL teachers need to know their students’ backgrounds since many ELLs "may experience a cultural and linguistic mismatch between the culture and language of their home" (Wright, 2015, p. 23). If the teacher is knowledgeable of the student’s heritage language, then it is easier for he or she to point out specific things that are different between the two to help the student learn the grammar correctly.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Emily, In Vietnamese there are phrases and words where it can not be translate word for word in English and some are in reverse translation. Our text talks about traditional second language teaching approaches and methods researches found were not effective. One example the Grammar-Translation method, "students were required to analyze and memorize rules of grammar, then translate languages between the two languages" (Wright, 2015, p. 60) Imagine if our students had to this today. How could we even help our students if we do not understand the languages our students spoke.
Hi Thom! After watching your interview and reading some of your comments/replies I think it’s just crazy how some words in Vietnamese do not translate to English. I cannot imagine the struggle it is for students whose heritage language is Vietnamese when they come to a n English speaking school and are placed in ESL classes. It must be a lot for ESL teachers as they strive to help their students have an easy transition to learning English. This make me wonder how it was for you when you were learning English, and if that is motivation for you to help ESL students struggling to learn English.
Hi Thom! It was interesting hearing you interview Tim. What really surprised me was that even as a highly educated professional, who was born in the United States, Tim said that there were still some words he would not use while talking because he might have trouble using it properly or pronouncing them. As Wright said, “ The urban institute also reported that the majority of LEP students are U.S.-born citizens, finding that 76% of elementary school LEP students and 56% of LEP students at the secondary level were born in the United States” (Wright, 2015, p. 6). It really highlights that just being born in the US does not make someone a native speaker and that we as teachers cannot really take it for granted. We can encourage our students to use words they might not be familiar with so that they will not grow a fear of using new language and learn from mistakes in a safe environment rather than in their future work environments.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Rusty,
DeleteYour comment reminds me of Language socialization research that was mentioned in our text. I think in Tim's situation he was stuck in the middle not too sure if he should focus more on learning English or keep speaking Vietnamese. As a result, he is not confident in either languages. Wright said "As students learn a language, the gain knowledge about how to use the language in sociocultural and construct their social identity..." (Wright, 2015, p. 58) This part could be Tim was not able to have this experience as a young child and with age this happened to affect him negatively.
Hi Thom! I really enjoyed watching your interview with Tim. It was interesting to hear about his experience. However it was upsetting to hear that in either language he isn’t confident. Which is devastating because I feel like everyone should have one language they’re confident in, weather it’s there first or second language. As educators we should encourage our “ELLs to maintain and develop their home language while they develop proficiency in English” (Wright, 2015, p. 23) as well. Not only are educators avoiding subtractive bilingualism from happening, but also they’re helping their students be confident in both languages. I know how it feels to not be confident in one language and it really holds you back from a lot of things, but if we the educators help maintain and continue to develop not only their home language, but English as well. We open up many more opportunities for the students and they wont feel restrained because of their speaking abilities.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Anna,
DeleteI think in most cases both teachers and specialist has to work together to provide support for our ELL students. I have seen in some cases where students get "Pull-out English as a Second Language" (Wright, 2015, p. 90)can score high enough to be exit level of these programs, but they struggle in whole-group instruction even with teacher and peer support. What I also notice too is my ELL student would never accept my assistance when I offer help. (I offer assistance to my whole class when I see them struggling)I think between student and teacher their has to be a strong communication base. With my placement I have seen educators collaborating to help students succeed but i think a lot has to do with the student too. They have to want to succeed and not be afraid to ask for help when they need it.
Hi Thom! I really enjoyed watching your interview video. It sounds like Tim and my interviewee have some similarities. When I interviewed my friend Hi, she said that she still has trouble with grammar in English as well and has had trouble writing her papers in college. I thought it was really interesting how he said that English is backwards compared to Vietnamese and other languages, which would be helpful for an ESL teacher to know. Some languages are more similar to English than others, and I think that is another reason why ESL teachers need to know their students’ backgrounds since many ELLs "may experience a cultural and linguistic mismatch between the culture and language of their home" (Wright, 2015, p. 23). If the teacher is knowledgeable of the student’s heritage language, then it is easier for he or she to point out specific things that are different between the two to help the student learn the grammar correctly.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Emily,
DeleteIn Vietnamese there are phrases and words where it can not be translate word for word in English and some are in reverse translation. Our text talks about traditional second language teaching approaches and methods researches found were not effective. One example the Grammar-Translation method, "students were required to analyze and memorize rules of grammar, then translate languages between the two languages" (Wright, 2015, p. 60) Imagine if our students had to this today. How could we even help our students if we do not understand the languages our students spoke.
Hi Thom! After watching your interview and reading some of your comments/replies I think it’s just crazy how some words in Vietnamese do not translate to English. I cannot imagine the struggle it is for students whose heritage language is Vietnamese when they come to a n English speaking school and are placed in ESL classes. It must be a lot for ESL teachers as they strive to help their students have an easy transition to learning English. This make me wonder how it was for you when you were learning English, and if that is motivation for you to help ESL students struggling to learn English.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete