Entry 3: Interview an ELL teacher
Hey everyone! Thank you for coming back to my third vlog post titled "interview an ELL teacher." I was so pleased to have interviewed Ms. Flores who is a fourth grade teacher in HISD. She has been teaching for the past five years and has truly enjoyed working with all of her students. Although the two main languages in her classroom are Spanish and Vietnamese, she is only confident in her conversational Spanish. She shared that she provides as many resources as she can for her ELLs because she believes when students feel comfortable and supported, they learn best. This is most supported in the text, when it is stated that "primary language support, when provided properly, can maximize ELLs' comprehension of English-language instruction and thus help the students acquire English more quickly and effectively." (Wright, 2015, p. 284). As she had also stated with the computer usage in the classroom, there are computer software and internet resources that provide "translations and explanations to help students interact with the program in English (Wright, 2015, p. 281). It was so amazing to me that Ms. Flores stated that she embraces bilingual culture by allowing them to speak their native language in the classroom, but also supports their English learning by incorporating resources to help them build on their understanding.
Asmara,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed listening to your interview. I find it amazing that Ms. Flores supports her students speaking their native language. She has truly created a safe environment in her class, even though she is not fluent in Spanish or Vietnamese. Ms. Flores seems to understand that it is good for her students to make sense of academic content in their own language, so that they understand it better. Ms. Flores seems to have a pluralist perspective on English language learners in that she knows and accepts that it is natural for students to speak their native language when understanding classroom content (Wright, 2015, p. 59).
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Megan,
DeleteThank you for reading and watching my interview! I think the most important thing a teacher can support in his/her classroom is a safe and comfortable atmosphere. Without a genuine support for learning in comfort, a student can truly be hindered from growing. Ms. Flores has done an exceptional job of encouraging students to learn the English language in the most comfortable environment that she can provide through collaborative work, computer games and parent involvement. She does not want to take their native language from them just as you mentioned with the pluralist perspective, supporting that is what naturally occurs to ELLs (Wright, 2015, p. 41).
Hello, Asmara. Ms. Flores shared insight about the ELLs in her fourth grade classroom. She strongly urges that students in her classroom are encouraged to speak in the language(s) that is most comfortable for them. According to Wright (2015), this open environment is important for students, because “The ways we use language vary greatly and depend on context, who we are interacting with, what we are communicating about, and why” (p.133). Ms. Flores capitalizes on the diversity of communication by prompting students of differing English proficiency levels to work together and learn from each other. Other linguistic supports Ms. Flores provides her students are video instructions and math games with directions in Vietnamese and Spanish. These supports, when compared with written or textual supports, are invaluable. “Many ELLs are unable to read and write in their home language because they have received literacy instruction only in English” (p. 129).
ReplyDeleteHello Audrey,
DeleteThank you so much for watching/reading my interview with Ms. Flores. I thought it was so important that you mentioned that Ms. Flores capitalizes on the diversity of communication by allowing the English language learners of different proficiency levels to work and learn from each other. I also agree that the resources that Ms. Flores sought out for her students are invaluable. Those opportunities she has allowed in her classroom come from building relationships with her students well enough to know what they like and what would be most efficient for them. Although many of our ELLs go home to parents that may not speak English, it is important that we do not shun bilingualism in the classroom.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hello Astyn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for watching my video and sharing your insight. Knowing Ms. Flores for several years, I can for sure say she does an exceptional job at making each of her students feel comfortable and valued in her classroom. When she told me about the computer games she has in different languages, I thought it was incredible that she sought out resources for her students on her own. My favorite part of the interview was when she said she encourages parents to read to their kids because it builds their love for literacy. Regardless if they are reading in their native language or in English, students shouldn't be stripped of their native tongue. The text states that if students lose their primary language, they will experience difficulty and shame when communicating with relatives (Wright, 2015, p. 19). Ms. Flores wants to embrace a multicultural classroom all year.