ESL Teacher Reflection #2

In the past few weeks, I’ve noticed a lot of overlap between my readings for our LLT class and the readings for my TE 401 class.  The articles for both classes talk a lot about content-based instruction and focusing on teaching the disciplines and material rather than teaching the language to ELL students in the classroom.  I’ve also read a lot about focusing on getting the students to be able to “do” the discipline rather than learn “about” the discipline.  For example, an article I read for TE last week talked about being culturally sensitive towards students and the types of sheltered and individualized instruction ELL students can have.  Additionally, a lot of the tips they talked about for discussions and asking questions in the classroom (talking slower, waiting longer, rephrase, utilize peers, avoid idioms, clear pronunciation, etc.) were extremely similar to the ones we came up with in class.  I thought it was really fascinating that the ideas were so similar to what we were covering in our class.

Personally, I like when my classes overlap on some content/ideas because it’s great to hear a variety of opinions and views between the two classes about the content being discussed.  I think the views and way of thinking in one class benefits me in the other and give me a different perspective on everything. Even though it might be slightly repetitive sometimes, I think it helps me overall because I get to analyze the theories and ideas in a different light each time and see what works best for each situation.  I also really like how I am able to apply what I’m learning in LLT to my TE class and learn about what works for ELL students specifically in social studies lessons or science lessons.  I think these applications will benefit me at both ends in both classes.

I love seeing that ELL teaching concepts and ELL content is being covered to an extent in my regular TE courses because most people don’t get the chance to take a class like LLT and experience these ideas even though they might have ELL students in their classroom in the future.  I think a lot of the information we talk about is beneficial to all teachers, whether or not they plan on teaching a foreign language or an ELL class.

Overall, I think this kind of overlap between two of my most important classes is helping me grow more as an ESL teacher and as a teacher in general.  I am provided with multiple viewpoints on the same topic and am learning to analyze and understand these concepts in ways that will benefit my students, whoever they may be.