My goal that we wrote in class
about working with English Language Learners was to become more aware of their
struggles and find out how to better accommodate them. I saw an example of some
of their struggles first hand when we were playing the “get to know you” game
on Thursday at the beginning of class. The concept of the game was to step into
the circle if a classmate had mentioned something that you liked. While we were
going around the circle listening to everyone’s “likes,” there was a boy in the
circle who looked as if he was not aware of anything going on in the game.
Anytime we stepped in and out of the circle, he turned to his friend standing
next to him and mimicked the actions he did throughout the game. As I studied
closer, it appeared as if the boy didn’t speak English because his friend he
was next to was repeating what the classmates and teachers said in a different
language to him. One of the struggles that English Language Learners
continually deal with is the inability to follow directions if their teacher
and peers don’t speak enough of the primary language that they do. It surprised me during our
visit that while this boy was clearly struggling, the teacher didn’t step in to help him
and he didn’t ask one of us for clarification.
When I was first writing my goal, I
had no idea how I was going to progress towards reaching my goals since I
hadn’t had much experience in bilingual classrooms. After having spent an
afternoon in a classroom with ELLs, I have a better idea of some of what they
go through on a daily basis in a school where their predominant language isn’t
spoken. They have a harder time following direct instructions and a harder time
fully grasping the purpose of lessons and activities because they focus all of
their energy and concentration on mimicking their peers so they appear as if
they understand the content. Now that I’ve had a better opportunity to see
these struggles firsthand, I’m going to be more observant towards ELLs while
doing instruction, and come up with a system to better communicate the message
I’m trying to send so every student can understand what’s expected. One example
of a way I could present this concept in the future is to incorporate
dual-language key words throughout the school day from day 1. The first day of
school the students would walk into a classroom filled with labels in English
and Spanish (i.e. “Crayons” and right underneath it would say “Crayones”). If there are any other languages that are
represented in my classroom, I would make sure to incorporate those in the
labels too. Not only would it be a good idea to have these written on labels,
but I would also reference them throughout the day so the ELLs can hear me
using their language throughout the day in front of the other students so they
feel the urgency to pay close attention since I’m taking my time to learn and
incorporate their language.
As of now, I don’t see that my goal
needs to be revised or changed. I think it’s still relevant and I still have
room to discover more struggles and misconceptions that ELLs deal with on a
day-to-day basis. Once I become more
aware of these struggles, it will be time to set more goals as to how I’m going
to better accommodate these students.
I found an article from the
National Education Association that I found especially helpful in the “Strategies”
section. It listed strategies to follow in order to successfully address ELL
students.
EXCEEDS: I went over the expected word count of 500 and included
a beneficial article about how schools can successfully incorporate the use of
ELL programs to best benefit the children.
Laine,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to read blogs of other classmates that were in the same classroom that I was in. During the circle get to know you activity, I had not noticed the one boy that does not speak English until it was his turn. I only knew he was ELL because his friend had to translate what he said. I think it is great that you picked up on this before his turn rolled around. Next time we are in the preschool room, I definitely want to keep my eye on that student and see if he just mimics everything that the other students do.
I was also surprised by the fact that the classroom teacher did not jump in to assist this student or offer suggestions to us as to how he participates in class. When we were having the students complete the “draw a scientist” activity, Dr. O even tried to talk to this student in Spanish and he was not responsive. I am assuming he just felt uncomfortable around us since there were suddenly so many new teachers in the room, but some guidance on how to engage this student would be extremely helpful.
I like your idea about labeling items in your classroom in both English and the languages represented in your classroom. I think that is a great way to meet needs of all students. I also like how you talked about how you would reference these items and say them in all languages represented. It is not enough to just label the items in another language and leave it at that. The children we will be working with are so young and are going to need very basic, direct instructions for everything.