Lauren Lancaster- Teacher Reflection

     Something that I really enjoyed learning about and watching in class was the Speaking in Tongues videos. Every time that I see more of the movie, I am more and more impressed. Its so amazing to see immersion happening in the classroom and students who are as young as five years old speaking a second language fluently. Even more than what my future classroom could look like, it has made me think about what I would want for my own children in the future. I think its such an amazing opportunity if you can have your children in an immersion classroom, learning a different language from such a young age. I have been to and taught in schools that have language classes starting at a young age but I have never been to an immersion classroom where the teachers only speak a specific language for the entire day. Personally, I only took two years of a language and it was not until I was in High School. I think that this will hinder me in the future. Therefore, I think it is so amazing that parents are taking advantage of the immersion programs around them. I am excited to see the rest of the movie in class. 

    This past weekend, I observed a music class for students ages three to five. The teachers used very little words when singing songs and used a lot of props. I thought a lot about how this type of teaching would be very beneficial for ESL students, because they would not be intimidated by learning with the other students. No one would be focused on words, but all of the students would be able to enjoy the music and the learning that they gain from it. This also made me think about how I want to learn more about using music in my classroom. I think that it is a great tool to use in order to bridge some of the gaps that ESL students have between themselves and their peers. Currently, I am taking MUS 463 which is about integrating music into the elementary classroom. It has been helpful that my professor is sensitive to the ESL students when speaking about having them in the classroom and how music can be a great way to help them learn. I really enjoy being able to bridge the gap between my LLT and MUS class, because my professor gives great examples of how to help ESL students with music. Some of the examples she has given are having students listen to music in order to hear the different aspects of the music. She was also specific in teaching us how we should have students listen to music that does not have any words or music that is in a completely new language so that all of the students are able to learn about music without having a language barrier. Another example that we have learned about is how to use props while teaching. This is another example that I think would be helpful for young ESL students, because they would be able to express themselves in new ways that don’t involve having to speak the new language all the time.