REFLECTION:
Wow, this was a very challenging, yet, eye-opening course
to take! I think that the underlying challenge was linked to the content. I now
have a better understanding of the challenges and struggles our ELLs face when
learning a second or additional language I was surprised to read that the
U.S. Census Bureau identified 381 different languages spoken in our homes
across our country (Wright, 2015, p.8)! To be honest, I never really put a
whole lot of thought into the variety of components and struggles that our ELLs
experience. This course has helped me open my eyes to factors like; the age one
begins to learn the target language, the different English proficiency
levels, the crosslinguistic influences, the effects of the linguistic
environment, motivation, second language as a form of cognition, the many
different types of ELLs, the impact we have as teachers, the variety of
strategies to assist our ELLs, etc.
Taking a closer look at these factors and grasping a more
in-depth understanding of how they all interplay with each other will help me
tremendously, not only as a teacher, but also as an individual interacting with
society. In the classroom, I will be more consciously aware of our ELLs and
their levels on English language proficiency paying close attention to their
domain descriptors. To be honest, before this course I did not even know about
the different domains and descriptors for each. This is important to know
because effective instruction needs to be very different for these students
because of their levels of English proficiency (Wright, 2015, p.13). It is hard
to stand up for what is right if we lack the knowledge of what is harmful for
our ELLs and what is not. This class provided valuable insight to the
perspective of the importance of our schools providing a multicultural
education! As teachers, we need to be aware of our students’ backgrounds. We
need to understand that many of our ELLs may struggle with comprehension and
lack vocabulary (they have not had the time and experiences to develop their L2
like their L1 peers). Thus why the sink-or-swim educational policy is crazy! It
blows my mind! How will that benefit these children? I feel like that is
more like placing them in a strict survival mode and that can hurt these
children. I do not know about you but I cannot live with that in my heart. I
always place a high value on getting to know each and every one of my students
as an individual. Every student will bring something different to the
classroom, which is just life. I really want to place an emphasis on creating a
safe, positive classroom environment that portrays a little of all of our
cultures! A community! I would love to see our society, our schools, and our
community move from assimilation to acculturation. The effects of acculturation
are pro-founding. It is important to me that immigrants and their children are
given an opportunity to learn the target language (English) yet still keep
their culture intact and continue to grow in that area as well. Wright states
that through acculturation, "immigrants and their children can adapt to
the new language and culture without having to sacrifice their own (Wright,
2015, p.20). This sounds more like the team I want to be a part of. Besides, we
live in the United States, which is encompassed by many diverse cultural
groups. These groups are distinguished by gender, class, ethnicity, language
and religion (Wright, 2015, p.20). This only provides more evidence of the
multicultural education we need to provide to our students! We all have heard
that it is important to have a growth mindset. More importantly, it is
important to encourage and assist our students in having a growth mindset. I
believe developing rapport with our ELLs and their families, learning about
their culture, likes, and dislikes, as an individual will help me in the future
to implement strategies to encourage intrinsic motivation. Knowing that my
ELL's will place such high value on me as an influential person in their life,
makes me want to be the best teacher/person I can be who motivates them from
the inside out. If I am determined, in turn I pray they are determined and
together we can work through the challenges.
I think the greatest impact, my take away, from this class,
is the knowledge and perspective I have gained. I do not think my teaching
philosophy has necessarily changed, but it definitely has taken my knowledge a
step deeper and brought to light valuable information aiding me in assisting my
ELLs. Life is always about learning and I am forever grateful for the knowledge
I gained from this course. In addition, I also feel I have learned more about
the diversity in language proficiency, school demographics, and the differences
in tools are resources used throughout classrooms and schools!
All things are possible and together we got this!
Regarding my input on what aspects or topics of the class
should receive more or less attention in future classes. To be honest, overall
I think the course was implemented very well. I do not have any input on topics
that should receive more or less attention. Professor, it was smooth, great
transitions, a variety of information was provided. I like how along with the
readings, you provided PowerPoint slides. Re-reading the information
(summaries) helped reinforce the material. I also feel like our blogs brought
us closer as a class. I have taken online courses before and it is more like
you log on, do what you need to do and are done. There was no personalization
into who was enrolled in the course with you. I feel that our blogs created an
opportunity for us to grow together as not only a class, but also provided a
variety of perspectives through the videos and blogs. We each brought our own
story and shared others stories. This assist in contributing to gaining
additional perspectives about second language methodology. The course has
motivated me to learn more about our ELLs. During my interviews, I found myself
asking additional questions, not because we had to for the course, but because
I was interested in learning more! I appreciate everyone sharing their stories
and I enjoyed reading everyone's blogs and watching your videos. I hope
everyone has a blessed rest during our Thanksgiving holidays!
REFERENCES:
Wright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caston, Second Edition.
