ESL Teaching Reflection 11/27

I really enjoyed our last class session that dealt with technology. In thinking about my future teaching, I would like to incorporate technology into my classroom, as I feel it can be beneficial for all students if used in the correct manner. From taking CEP 416 over the summer, I improved my knowledge about how to effectively incorporate technology in the classroom. However, I feel that once the course was completed, I forgot how beneficial technology could be for the students and class as a whole. Our last class reminded me of the important role technology can play.

One thing I learned from CEP 416 was to not just use technology “just because.” There should be a specific goal in mind for why a specific technology is being used in the classroom. In a video I watched during the class, I was able to see how classroom instruction is changing due to technological advances in society. At one school in the Detroit area, the school completely revamped how lessons were taught, specifically regarding math in the video I viewed. With the ability for the teachers to record their lessons, the students could watch the lessons at home. During their normal math time in school, the students would then complete the homework for the lessons. Not only did this allow students to receive help from their teachers one on one while completing their homework, this flipped classroom drastically improved their test scores and graduation rates. Students could work at their own pace by watching the lectures at home, where they could rewind the video if necessary in order to understand the content being taught to them.

In thinking about how this can be applied to English language learning students, the flipped classroom can be beneficial for that type of instruction as well. By recording lectures and posting them online, ELLs are able to review the material at their own pace. While it may be more difficult depending on the proficiency levels of the students, the teacher could adjust the type of content given in the lectures to fit the needs of his or her students. I feel that this type of instruction would not only benefit ELLs, but it would also be effective for lower ability students who may struggle in class. From my own experience in my field placement, many students struggle to understand the math lessons. I feel that if they were able to review the content at home, even while completing their homework, they would better understand and grasp the math concepts. Of course, the age level of the students would also be important for the teacher to take into consideration. Because the video I saw dealt with high school students, they were familiar with technology and able to use it efficiently and easily. However, with elementary students, it may be more difficult for them to know where to go to access the videos on their own. Also, the type of community the students live in, such as their socioeconomic status, would also affect how well the flipped classroom would work. If students do not have access to computers at home, they would not be able to view the lectures unless they used the school or library computers of their community.