I have never had an ELL student in my classroom, so I do not have firsthand experience. However, these articles have been extremely helpful and I believe that they would prepare me well for the day that I do have an english language learner present in my classroom. In "Differentiated Instruction for English Language Learners," I was reminded that each student has his/her own experience, and this significantly affects how he/she learns. Therefore, as an educator, I must embrace these needs and do all that I can to differentiate and meet these needs. "Differentiation is a balance between academic content and students' individual needs." I believe that this quote is a great way to explain this term. Because students learn differently, teachers must differentiate in order to ensure that all students have an equal chance of success. In my internship classroom, I differentiate in order to create equity in the classroom, so that no student feels at a disadvantage. I believe that differentiation is especially important with regards to ELL students. A teacher must pre-assess these students, and consider many factors including their proficiency, readiness, learning style, culture etc. Only when a teacher fully understands his/her student can she/he effectively differentiate. The article mentioned advice for differentiation for ELL students that I have never thought of before : "Differentiate homework." I believe that this is something that is rarely done in the classroom. However, it may result in some students being bored as they have already reached mastery, and some being extremely challenged and frustrated. Though differentiating homework is a task that may be time consuming, I believe that it is a must in my classroom.
The article "12 Ways to Support ESL Students in the Mainstream Classroom," was also very insightful. The methods that were new to me or I thought were the most interesting were:
Ford, K. (n.d.). Differentiated Instruction for English Language Learners. Retrieved March 07, 2016, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/differentiated-instruction-english-language-learners
Gonzalez, J. (2014). 12 Ways to Support ESL Students in the Mainstream Classroom. Retrieved March 07, 2016, from http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/supporting-esl-students-mainstream-classroom/
Greene, R. (2013, October 25). 5 Key Strategies For ELL Instruction. Retrieved March 07, 2016, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2013/10/25/strategies-for-ell-instruction/
The article "12 Ways to Support ESL Students in the Mainstream Classroom," was also very insightful. The methods that were new to me or I thought were the most interesting were:
- Communicate with the ESL teacher - Though this strategy is simple, I never considered how highly effective it would be. Building this relationship between the classroom teacher and the ESL teacher would ensure cohesion, and make the transition a smoother process for the student. I definitely plan to implement this method.
- Honor the silent period- I believe that I am told to get new ELL students to speak as much as they could. However, this perspective makes sense and I believe that students should be given time to simply absorb as much as they could.
- Look out for culturally unique vocabulary- I believe that I can identify with this personally. Though I speak English, I come from a completely different culture, and there are often times that I want to use my own culture's vocabulary. As a teacher, it would definitely be useful to be aware of this and understand it when the time comes.
- Dont make a child speak for his entire culture - I have two perspectives on this point. I believe that it could be beneficial, and that a student may be proud to share his culture in front of the class. However, as a teacher, I would always check with the ESL student before to make sure he is comfortable with it.
Ford, K. (n.d.). Differentiated Instruction for English Language Learners. Retrieved March 07, 2016, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/differentiated-instruction-english-language-learners
Gonzalez, J. (2014). 12 Ways to Support ESL Students in the Mainstream Classroom. Retrieved March 07, 2016, from http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/supporting-esl-students-mainstream-classroom/
Greene, R. (2013, October 25). 5 Key Strategies For ELL Instruction. Retrieved March 07, 2016, from https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2013/10/25/strategies-for-ell-instruction/