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 7th 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).Wright, W. E. (2019). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and Practice. Caslon.
