This week’s readings evoked many different feelings for me. The first article I read was “Assessing English-language learners in mainstream classrooms” and I have to say that after reading it I felt really, really overwhelmed. I personally, have very little experience with ELL students and have found teaching them to be a very difficult task. This article just seemed to point out all of the things you could do wrong and how important it is to stay on top of your game when you have ELL students in your classroom. I really liked the idea of the Predictability log though; I think that this can be something which helps you get to know your students, much like the “Tell me about your child in a million words or less” assignment that was talked about in the article by Joellen Maples.
The Maples article was the most interesting to me because a large part of my pedagogy involves knowing your students. I personally think that this is of utmost importance when it comes to teaching and the homework assignment for the parents it a great way to get to know the students. I like this idea because the students enjoyed it and the parents know that you’re invested in their students. A cooperative learning environment between home and school is something I value and hope to obtain in my future classrooms. One thought I had about the parent’s assignment though was how it would make the students feel? Maples talked about how some parents opened up, “They were funny, sad, hopeful and proud” she said. If a parent wrote some disappointed personal feelings about their child and the child got to read it, how does that make them feel? Is there a way that you could have the parents do this, yet have it be confidential? Perhaps they could email or mail it to you instead of having the students bring it in?
Lastly, the article on codeswitching was very interesting to me. All throughout my college education in the teaching program, the question of appropriate English ALWAYS comes up. I think that this article does a good job of explaining why we shouldn’t correct students when they speak informally. This article also gives an example of how to teach formal and informal English which I think is very useful. Having the students know the term “codeswitching” and being able to do it appropriately seems to be the best way to solve this dilemma.
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3 comments:
Megan,
I agree with the thought of feeling overwhelmed while reading the articles because of not having much experience with ELL students. I also think that the predictability log discussed in the "Assessing English-language learners in mainstream classrooms" article would be a good tool in getting to know and understand a ELL students previous experiences and give insight into how to create a classroom environment to best suit their needs. The Maples article was interesting to me too because it was a different way for the teacher to get to know her students and also involve the parents. I think your idea of mailing or emailing the parent essay would be a good idea because a student may feel feelings of embarrassment or sorrow depending on the information the parent shared. Overall though I feel like it was a good way to connect with the parents and learn about students from a perspective that you might not see at school. The Codeswitching article did bring up a lot of topics we have talked about in classes before. The article did do a good job of giving examples of how to approach situations and the outcome. Codeswitching seemed like an effective method to use English in the classroom without taking any cultural or community norms away from the students.
Megan,
I was happy to see that you enjoyed the Maples article as much as I did. I completely agree that knowing your students is one of the most important classroom tools. If we do not know our students, how can we effectively teach them? Also the way you addressed the importance of having a community both inside and outside of the classroom was great. As we read in the article, parents are the best source of information when it comes to our students/their children so consulting them is not only beneficial for us educators, it is truly positive for all parties involved. The students get a better education, we (likely) get more involvement from both them and the parents and a unique and positive environment is created. I also agree with both you and Kelsi about not allowing the students to see what the parents' have submitted. This essay is way for the parent to express with all honesty what their child is all about/who their child really is so if that includes some weaknesses or less positive content (which it most likely will and should), the student should not be exposed to the essay's content. That being stated, I would really like to utilize this essay and send it in an envelope that must return to school sealed, with the parents signature on the seal to ensure privacy.
Megan,
I totally agree with you that getting to know your students is the most important part before you can really teach in a way they can identify with best. It is also important to get the parents imput, and the idea about having it be sent to the teacher in a way other than the student's backpack is important. A parent can give such a different view of the student to you, and the letter also gives them a chance to express any concerns they have without doing so in person.
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