Blog Entry # 4: Reflection

           This course has taught me that students learning a second language must have the support within the classroom to ensure that content, regardless of language, is accessible to all students. Knowing and understanding that an ELL student can come from any multitude of backgrounds and have different levels of understandings and needs, I can begin to learn how to reach each one. It is the educators job to teach the next generation how to work together to solve social issues related to diversity in which their previous generations did not (Wright, 2015. p. 21). Educators can make it so that ELL students do not struggle as much in their learning process by understanding ELL students.

Before this class I may have said that I could have taught ELL student without any problems. However, from what I have learned in this course, read in the text, and seen in the videos, I would have been way over my head without the right strategies to support me and my ELL students. I understand that learning a second or additional language is a difficult thing to do, but educators can create learning environments that cater to ELL students. One thing I want to do in my classroom is promote bilingualism on the individual and societal levels. I want to create an environment where students can feel safe in talking to one another in the language that they are most comfortable with. I want to work with the class to show each student that people with a different language should be excepted and not dismissed or shamed. Another shift in my thinking is understanding the variety of programs available for students acquiring a second language. It is not only students learning English as a second language. For example, Wright discusses the bilingual immersion program that specifically targets English speaker who want to learn a second language (2015. p. 103). There are programs that are geared towards native English speakers learning Spanish, Vietnamese, mandarin, or any other language as their second language.

            I am taking away a great deal of information from this course that will be able to help me in my professional career. First, I know I will try to apply to districts that provide students with dual language, developmental bilingual education, or Heritage language type of programs. I know that I will not be pushing any programs such as submersion, AKA “sink or swim” style programs. Wright describes this program as dumping a student into the mainstream classroom without any support or assistance at all (2015. p. 111). One strategy I will implement is the natural approach strategy in my classroom. According to Wright (2015), the natural approach pushes for comprehensible input so that ELL students can learn the language and learn how to naturally structure the language (p. 61). Through this approach I can utilize a variety of techniques that will help ELL student learn how to naturally comprehend the content input that I will give. Spending time in my placement school and learning what I have from this course, I feel that I should work towards getting an ESL supplement certification. I can learn much more going through the process that I can ensure that I will be able to make each of my ELL students successful. However, regardless of having the certification, I will be serving those students in my classroom as some point or another, so I should be prepared.

            PowerPoint's helped synthesize the information from the textbook. These made for an excellent study guide and quick review of the chapter that we covered. Having a professor that responded so quickly and was so accessible was tremendously critical for my success in the class. Here is an example of what kind of contact teachers should have with their stakeholders (students, parents, etc). Content wise, all material and assignments were helpful in exposing me to the realities and ideas that will help me in the classroom. I would take nothing away from the course. However, one thing that occurred to me as I worked on several assignments is how to support students who are ELL students but who may also have other special needs such as special education. How do teachers effectively ensure they are not over labeling ELLs as needing special needs while at the same time ensuring that students who do in fact have special needs are not left behind? Maybe a few videos regarding this can be made available.

The only area of this course that needs improvement is the organization of the blackboard files. However, this has begun to shift and become more organized as the weeks go by, so it may be that this is being taken care of.

I have always considered diversity and the importance of promoting a positive environment that celebrates diversity in my classroom. However, I used to focus on diversity as racial diversity, economic diversity, and ethnic diversity. The idea of language as part of a person’s identity and an essential part of diversity is being added to my personal philosophy for teaching. I understand that great educators never stop learning and this is what I intend to do for myself and my students.

Wright, Wayne. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.