Reflection #4

So, it has been very interesting for me to have a few of my classes really paralleling this semester. I guess I always knew that this would happen, but did not really know what it would be like. It's pretty awesome! In so many of my classes, I am learning about accommodating ESL students and working with them. I have talked about how my music class has been really beneficial, but my other TE classes have also been awesome. For example, today I had a huge paper to write about ten questions for immigrant students. Based off of all of our readings for the semester, I had to come up with ten questions and rationales for why I would ask my students these questions. I also had to explain in my rationale how I could use these questions to help the students learn better. Below are some of my questions and rationales that I found to be really interesting and tie in with so much of what we have learned thus far in LLT.

1What language(s) are you able to speak?

This is a really simple question, yet it can give teachers an insight on the abilities of the student. It is not uncommon for a student to speak multiple languages before even learning English. Therefore, if this is the case, you can know that they are very capable of functioning in more than one language, which is very helpful when learning English. It is also good to know, because if the student is practicing English already, they will be able to communicate with you in the classroom. Also, if they are not speaking English, you will know right away what kinds of arrangements need to be made in order to help this student to succeed socially as well as academically. It is better to ask this question instead of inferring their native language based off of where they are coming from. We never know what a home-life looks like, or even what languages have been spoken at home. This can be very helpful to know, because you can look at the differences between the languages writing systems in order to work from their prior knowledge and build upon that for what they are trying to achieve now. 

1What are some hobbies that you enjoy?

By knowing what any student enjoys, teachers are able to make schooling more relevant for their students. When working with ESL students, this is particularly important (TESOL, 2) in literacy programs. ESOL learners need to understand why people read and write in order to have motivation. A good literacy program is going to teach both reading and writing skills within the context of meaningful interactions. Therefore, the answer to the question above can help a teacher to provide these meaningful situations. For example if a student answered: camping. You could provide an activity in which students had to discuss with each other what materials they needed to bring camping and why these materials are important. As a result, teachers are producing and information gap in which students have to speak to each other, but it is still very meaningful for the student. Another example of using this is to use texts such as recipes for students who enjoy cooking or literature for students who enjoy reading. All of these examples elicit emotional and intellectual responses from all students. Exposure to different types of hobbies is also important to remember for ESL students, because they are not only learning a new language, but are also learning about a new culture. These activities give students a chance to learn about the culture in a non-threatening way where everyone is challenged and learning together. 

This assignment was both very challenging and eye-opening. I found it very helpful to learn practical ways to reach out to students better. Hope you enjoyed!