Entry 2
In this video, I am interviewing my boyfriend
who speaks English as a second language and is originally from Mexico. Thanks
to this interview, I learned a few things about him that I didn’t know about
before which was great. This interview also gave him the chance to remember
some things from the past. Coming to the untied states at such a young age
would be difficult for anyone especially learning a second language. Despite
that, he was able to adapt quickly and learn the language within a year or two.
In the interview, he explains that he believes that it would be a struggle for
others to learn the language if their teacher did not incorporate the students
native language somehow in the classroom. Wright states, “ effective
content-are instruction in ELLs’ home language requires a certified bilingual
teacher who is fully proficient in that language and English,” (2015, pg.91).
Without the help of bilingual teachers, it would be difficult for most students
to have that comparison between languages. Also, in the video he explains how
teachers should be aware of their students’ culture and incorporate that in the
classroom to better their instruction. Wright states,” knowing
a student’s ethnicity and country of origin, for example, allows the teacher to
incorporate appropriate multicultural education strategies and techniques into
the curriculum (2015, pg.17). I also agree with this because living in such a
diverse city has opened my eyes to how many different cultures are actually
here. If you ignore this in the classroom, your students will most likely not
feel welcome or motivated to participate in the classroom. I’m glad that I got
the chance to learn more about second language learners from a different point
of view. Thanks for watching!
Click here to watch my interview! -----> video
Wright,
Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research,
Theory,
Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Second Edition
Hi Nicole! The first thing I want to point out is how important it is that your boyfriend pointed out how valuable it was that his first teacher in America made sure to incorporate his native language, Spanish, into the classroom so frequently with the other ELLs in his class and how helpful it was that she was bilingual. Wright points out that when ELL teachers make the mistake of looking "only at English, or only at standard English, they render the students' other languages invisible and deny the students the opportunity to use their home languages as resources" (2015, p. 39). There is so much evidence, especially after seeing many of these interviews, that ELLs benefit greatly in their process of learning English when their native language is acknowledged and embraced in the classroom in addition to the English they are learning. Students shouldn't feel bad or intimidated because they happened to learn a language besides English first. It's important for teachers to keep in mind that "languages in an individual's linguistic repertoire are not separate and compartmentalized, and students always draw on what they know and can do in one language to make new meanings in another" (Wright, 2015, p. 40). This is especially important to understand with ELLs with Spanish as their native language because there are so many things like cognates and exact words that these ELLs can draw from to make the transition to English an easier process.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Megan! I’m glad you enjoyed watching my video and made some great connections. Yes, he made sure to mention how valuable it was that his teacher made sure to incorporate Spanish in the classroom. The overall helpfulness is really what guided him to receive proper learning methods and feel acknowledged in the classroom. I’m glad you mentioned from the text how students shouldn’t feel bad because they learned a different language first. I can see how a student might feel intimated towards other students that are more fluent in English then they are, but it’s important to remind these students that they should remain confident. We need to try our bests as educators to make our students feel comfortable and confident in the classroom so that they can feel motivated to learn the material.
DeleteHi Nicole! I agree with Megans comment about how valuable it clearly was that your boyfriends teacher made sure to incorporate his native language as he was learning English! The benefit of this is even talked about in our text book when Wright states that "bilingual education programs that reflect a holistic bilingual perspective bring the two languages together in intention and strategic ways… [where] teachers place the two languages side by side” (Wright 2015 pg. 59). Since she was bilingual she was able to teach this way that clearly had a positive impact on his English learning experience.
DeleteHi ladies! I also found that it was amazing that his teacher incorporated his native language, Spanish, into the classroom. That can make an enormous difference in the second language education in making connections to what he knows in his home language versus what he is learning in his second language (Wright, 2015, p.39). I also really liked the way that they were able to use their home language as a resource instead of pretend like it didn’t exist. That is a great way to teach students a second language and to help make sure that they understand it and are able to use it. Great interview!
DeleteHello, Nicole. Your boyfriend mentioned some important aspects of his education in the Texas public school system. After he emigrated from Mexico, he was enrolled in the first grade. He shared that, in his first grade class, his teacher supplied instruction in both English and Spanish. He said, during this school year, he was taught how to read and write in both Spanish and English. It is not specified, but I am presuming that this form of instruction was some variation of transitional bilingual education (TBE). Wright (2015) states that this method of educating ELLs is the most common bilingual program utilized in the United States. “The goal of TBE programs is to transition ELLs to an English-medium classroom as quickly as possible. By providing content-area instruction in students’ home languages, schools can ensure that students do not fall behind academically while they are learning English” (Wright, 2015, p. 97). This description seems to align with the one your boyfriend gave about his first grade experience. In second grade, it sounded like he received sheltered instruction, or “grade-level content-area instruction that is provided in English but in a manner that makes it comprehensible to ELLs” (Wright, 2015, p. 92). He also mentioned that many of his teachers were Spanish-English bilinguals, and if necessary, they could supplement instruction in Spanish. This teaching attribute is synonymous with primary language support, involving “the brief use of students’ home languages during ESL and sheltered English content instruction by the teacher, a paraprofessional, or the students themselves” (Wright, 2015, p. 93).
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
DeleteHi Audrey, I completely agree with you! It also seems like they might have implemented a bilingual and multilingual puristic perspective.. As Wright (2015) explains, “bilingual education programs that reflect a holistic bilingual perspective bring the two languages together in intention and strategic ways… [where] teachers place the two languages side by side” (p. 59). Since most of his teachers were Spanish-English bilinguals, they were able to really show him a side by side example of the translation and fluidity of both languages.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Calson, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Audrey! Thank you for watching my video and making some valuable connections from the text. You mentioned that because he received a variation of learning how to read and write in both Spanish and English, that it’s a form of transitional bilingual education or TBE. I didn’t realize that is what it could be called and it makes sense how it could be labeled that way. I believe that this method is very beneficial for ELLs because it’s targeting both languages rather than ignoring one in favor of the other. It might sound like hard work, but if educators have been doing this for years then I think we should continue to use this method in the classroom.
DeleteHello Nicole,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your interview with an ELL. I learned a lot about the perspective of a Spanish-speaking student that moved to the United States at a younger age. I’m sure it was such a privilege for him to walk into his first American classroom to find a 1st grade teacher that spoke both English and Spanish. With support of a Spanish-speaking teacher and watching cartoons to learn English, the most essential piece to his language acquisition was the fact that he was so young, like he mentioned. In the interview he stated that “the younger you are, the easier it is to learn English.” According to the text, by the time children are 5 years old they have a fully developed language system (Wright, 2015, p. 36). This means that although he has developed a language system, it was easier for him to learn English compared to his friends who tried to learn English at a much older age.
My biggest take away from the interview is when he stated that he believed all teachers in Texas should be trained on how to work and communicate with ELLs. Although I am not fluent in Spanish, I hope to learn more of the language over time so that I can support my ELL students that speak Spanish. Not to mention, about 80% of ELLs are Spanish speakers and there are over 3,500,000 students that speak Spanish (Wright, 2015, p. 8).
Good luck with teaching! ☺