Hi everyone, welcome to my blog. I hope you all enjoy my first video and I cannot wait to see the videos you all have created.
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Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. My name is Karla Martinez, I am currently majoring in Teaching and Learning with a certification in 4th grade through 8th-grade Mathematics.
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I was born in Mexico City and migrated to the United States when I was about eight years old. Spanish was the only language I spoke, and once I was in the States, I had to learn English. As the book states, I became an Eglish Language Learner (ELL). (p1) When I started school, I was placed in a bilingual class, I later was able to be in an all English class. I eventually graduated from high school, I was in the top 15% of my graduating class. The textbook states that although the schools are being held accountable when students do not meet certain standards, there is still a huge gap for ELLs.(13) I honestly did think there was a gap between me and my peers. I think that if I had worked harder I would have been able to be in a higher ranking. There might have been a gap between my school and other districts and even gaps between other schools within the district. Now that I am on a path to be a future teacher, I am going to try my best to help those students that might need extra support. I cannot control the gaps that my students might face outside of school, but I can try to make the gap in the classroom as minimum as possible.
References:
Wright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Second Edition.
Hola Karla,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to you in the way that English was not my first language. Although I was born here in America, my parents only spoke to me in Spanish and all my family members and tv that I watched was in Spanish as well. They knew English would be a language that I would acquire but they did not want me to lose my roots and make sure I knew Spanish as well. I liked that I had bilingual teachers and tutors who helped me use my Spanish language as a resource to comprehend the English language. (Wright, 2015 pg. 39)
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Hi Caro,
DeleteI think many students who are learning English only practice English while at home because their parents do not speak English. I am glad that you were able to have bilingual teachers, because like the book states many students only have the opportunity to write and read in their home language at school through a bilingual program or an after-school program. (Wright, 2015 pg.11) As someone who speaks English and Spanish, I can testify to this statement, because I have not formally written a paper or read something in Spanish since I took Native Spanish as an elective in middle school, but I do speak it on a daily basis.
References:
Wright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Second Edition.
Hi Karla! I agree with your perspective on the challenges of learning a new language. Not being able to speak a language should not be seen as a barrier from getting an education. The best way to learn a new language, like you said is to be surrounded by people who speak that language. That way they are able to listen to how the language is spoken. Building support systems not only for the students struggling but also for the parents is important. It helps motivate them to learn. Schools have been adopting additive bilingualism. “additive bilingualism occurs when a student develops proficiency in a new language without losing his or her home language.” Schools that value linguistic diversity adopt this concept.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Dana,
DeleteI think that as future teachers, we will be one of the most influential people in the way that students speak. For that, I also believe that we are one of their most significant support systems. I liked the idea of having a profile form for ELLs. (Wright, 2015 pg.24) It will not only show students that you care about where they come from, but it will also allow them to see that you are not trying to make them forget about their roots because you can incorporate aspects of their cultures.
References:
Wright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Second Edition.
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ReplyDeleteKarla,
ReplyDeleteI can tell that your personal background as a former ELL student is a big inspiration in your educational philosophy. It seems like the struggle you went through in learning English has really helped you acknowledge the struggle that other English language learners and their parents face. I love the fact that you feel compelled to be the bridge that closes the gap or disconnection between ELL students, their parents, and the education system. Your ideals demonstrate that you are well versed in being a teacher as an educated human being. It is easy to see that you are aware of what a big part language plays in education and the negative consequences that can occur when teachers ignore this correlation (Wright, 2015). I also have a strong passion to help ELL students because of my personal connection of being an ELL student. Like you, my personal experiences have allowed me to recognize how important it is to cater to the need of these students and ensure their voices are heard.
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice (2nd ed). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing.
Hi Cecilia,
ReplyDeleteGrowing up my family always told me that education was one of the most important things I could have in this world, and I want my students to know that. I do not want anyone to fall behind because they do not understand the language. The book states that there is a gap between "poor, minority, ELL, and middle-to-upper white students" (Wright, 2015 pg.13) While I know that I might not be able to close the gap for every single student I do want to be able to help as many as possible.
References:
Wright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Second Edition.
Hi Karla,
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with how you best believe students will learn by being surrounded by other students who speak the new language they are trying to learn. I think this mostly helpful for the younger students because they are more open about questions they have and are usually still learning their first language which makes it easier for them to understand a new language. Younger students are also less hesitant about trying a new language and will naturally try to find other ways to communicate with others. Thank you very much for sharing!