CUIN 4361 Vblog 2

 

Hi everyone! I decided to interview Dianna Polnac who is a 2nd grade ESL certified teacher who has been teaching for 27 years.

 

 

 

Dianna provided me lots of insight into the world of teaching ELLs in the classroom. Since I am about to have my classroom with students who may very well be learning English as they come into the school year, I thought it was important to ask questions about best practices for teaching ELLs. She told me how fulfilling it is to see a student come into your classroom knowing absolutely no English, to now reading, writing, spelling, and comprehending things in English. Now of course it takes time, which is why I was not surprised when she told me to have lots of patience when working with ELLs. She also talked about how visuals are a huge help with teaching ELLs. 

According to Wright, “Teachers who understand second language development and who engage in effective instructional and authentic assessment practices speak to their students and listen to them talk every day. They read with their students and ask them questions about what they read (Wright, 2019). Dianna was able to share with me the progress one of her students has made, which makes me really see the importance of reading and speaking with ELL students every day. After conducting this interview, I realized that being an ELL teacher will be challenging, but I can do it because I know an effective teacher will use effective strategies in the classroom. “It has become clear, however, that all teachers are ELL teachers, because all share in the responsibility of meeting the language and academic needs of ELLs” (Wright, 2019).

References

Wright, W. E. (2019). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and Practice. Caslon. 

CUIN 4361 Vblog 1

 

Hi, my name is Elijah Lawson and I am graduating from UH in May. I cannot wait to get started in my own classroom with my own students.

As I stated in my video, learning a second language is something that is extremely challenging regardless of who it is. Students learn in different ways in the classroom which is why it is important for teachers to differentiate instruction. Learning Spanish was challenging, but it was an amazing experience. I still have a long way to go if I ever want to become fluent, but I know that I was given a great start with how I was taught in school. I took an intro Spanish class in 7^th grade, but the teacher for that class was always changing so it felt like we really did not learn much some days. We would have substitutes a lot and on those days, we would just read books we brought from the library, none of them being in Spanish of course. On the days we did learn with an effective teacher, I enjoyed the way they would provide visuals for things and would be very patient with us when trying to speak correctly. In high school, I had a great experience learning more and more of a new language. The teachers made a huge difference.

I believe that an effective teacher must establish a safe, fun learning environment for their students. My Spanish teachers made class fun by incorporating different projects and activities throughout lessons. My teaching philosophy places emphasis on the teacher being able to teach in an equitable way for all students, regardless of their culture. According to Wright, “ELLs represent a wide variety of ethnic and cultural groups.” (Wright, 2020, p.18). A teacher who knows and can try and relate learning to a student’s culture has a better chance of really connecting with an ELL student and making it easier for them to adjust to the culture of the school they attend. “Helping ELLs succeed academically requires helping them adjust to the culture of the classroom and the school…” (Wright, 2020, p.20). 

References

Wright, W. E. (2019). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and Practice. Caslon.