Entry 4

Learning about the foundations for teaching English language learners has opened my eyes to many factors that I will take into consideration when teaching ELL students in the future. Through learning about the research, theories, policies, and practices provided in the text, I feel as though the information I’ve gained knowledge of will prove to be helpful in my teaching career. In regards to my teaching philosophy, I feel as though this course has made me stand even firmer in my belief that differentiating instruction to fit the needs of students from every background is extremely important. From understanding the diversity of ELLs to language and education policy for ELLS, the depth in which teachers understand their ELL students across the board matters. In chapter 1, Wright mentions several things teachers need to understand about their ELL students. Among these include awareness of linguistic diversity, knowing students’ ethnicity, building relationships with students, cultural backgrounds, and understanding that not all ELLs are immigrants (Wright, 2015). I believe that through building relationships with my students, I will be able to do all of the things mentioned above.

            While I’m not sure what specific content area I will teach—because I will be certified in all subjects—I found the second language methodology topic about assessments to be very interesting and informative. More specifically, I found the information about accommodations for ELLs to be very insightful due to the fact that, “Providing tests in the ELLs’ native language or using other accommodations is not as easy as it may seem” (Wright, 2015). Even more surprising to me was that the two kinds of accommodations used for ELLs testing of content material is access to testing in their L1 and simplifying the language used on the test (Wright, 2019). I found this interesting because if ELL students are given accommodations such as visual cues/representations, manipulatives, read-to-self phones, word walls, etc. during instructional time then it only feels right that they should be able to use these tools during testing.

Lastly, I will say that the VBlog was a very different, but effective and interesting way to learn from my classmates about the topics discussed in class. It was informative because it allowed me to hear interviews with all different kinds of ELLs and ELL teachers, as well as understand the views that my peers had on the topics discussed throughout the course. The assignments and time put into the blog posts were not ideal for someone who is student teaching, working full time, and taking four other classes, but I felt like I was able to learn a great deal through my peers nonetheless.

I enjoyed being able to receive feedback from my classmates and reflect on the pieces of information that they cited because it allowed me to think about things that maybe I wouldn’t have on my own. Learning about my classmates’ experiences with ELLs was also very interesting and made me want to learn more about my father’s first language, which is Hindi. I delved deeper into my own cultural background and learned some very interesting things that I will be able to share with my students. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to interact with my peers in this way and found it very beneficial to my learning.

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research,

 Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.

Entry 3: ELL Teacher Interview

Click here to watch the video

I would first like to say that Mrs. Carbone is a wonderful teacher. I’ve seen her teach and her passion and determination to connect with all of her students and meet them where they are is something that should be recognized. Next, I would like to discuss the differences in the ELLs that the interviewee mentioned. Mrs. Carbone mentioned that her Arabic-speaking ELLs tend to struggle more when it comes to their second language. She identifies them as “beginning”, and the WIDA Consortium describes students at this level to have the ability to “Sort pictures, objects, according to oral instructions; Follow two-step oral directions; match information from oral descriptions to objects/illustrations; Describe pictures, events, objects, people; Restate facts; Locate and classify information; Make lists; and Produce drawings” (Wright, 2015). Based on the interviewee’s description of those students, I would agree that they are at this level.

Wright states that in order for ELLs to use written and oral language to meet standards, “…all teachers must develop a foundational understanding of language and language use”(Wright, 2015). Mrs. Carbone demonstrates an understanding of language and language use when she is able to identify the subsystems of language that her students struggle with the most. When discussing struggles, the interviewee also mentions that her Arabic students struggle with semantics—specifically homonyms, or “words that have two or more different meanings”—and derivational morphology which “addresses word formation…the way words are derived from other words...” (Wright, 2015).  Recognizing that not all of her ELLs struggle with their second language in the same way helps Carbone adjust her teaching and make accommodations for her ELLs.

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research,

 Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.

Click here to see the interview

For my former ELL student interview, I decided to talk with a friend and current student teacher, Ana. Ana grew up in Mexico and did not move to the United States until she was 4 years old. Ana grew up in a Spanish speaking family and didn’t learn English until she was enrolled in school in the U. S. In my interview, I speak with Ana about what school was like for her in terms of learning a second language, certain things that she struggled with in school, and some of the positive influences she experienced while in school. Ana also touched on some of the obstacles she faced while developing her language, how she overcame them, and how learning a second language has influenced her outlook on learning a second language.

Since Ana did not have any schooling to compare to that of which she experienced in the United States, it seemed like she had a very positive view of her education. Although this may be true, she did mention some parts the new language she struggled with. Ana mentioned grammar, or what Wright formally calls “Syntax” which is “the study of the rules of governing that way words are combined to form sentences and the rules governing the arrangement of sentences in sequences” (2015). This was not surprising to hear, because it is something that I have seen and watched many students struggle with in the field. After defining the word “syntax”, Wright goes on to state that, “For ELLs, producing grammatically correct phrases can be a major challenge because the rules for syntax vary across languages” (2015). Ana went on to say that switching between her native language and her second language can be difficult because of this. Overall, Ana has excelled in her second language and is studying to become a teacher. I have every bit of confidence that she will have the same influence on her students as her bilingual teachers did on her.

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research,

       Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.

Entry 1: Introduction

Video Link Here

As you saw in my video, I grew up in a monolingual household in Texas. Although my father speaks Hindi, my brother and I do not. I actually don’t remember ever hearing my father speak Hindi until I was in my teens. Most of my friends as a child and teen spoke English but I didn’t have very many non-English speaking friends until college. I have met and made friends with many people who are bilingual—English being their second language. One of my peers throughout the time that I have been in the Education Program at the University of Houston is Ana. I interviewed Ana last semester and she told me about her experience learning English. Ana, who was born outside of the United States, would be considered a “Foreign-Born ELL” (Wright, 2015). Part of SLA that I find interesting and am excited to learn more about are the different sociocultural factors that come into consideration when instructing students. According to Wright (2015), teachers should be familiar with things such as students’ home languages and prior schooling. Ana’s heritage language is Spanish, meaning that is the language that is spoken at her home by her family. I agree with Wright when he says that it is important to understand these different sociocultural factors so that teachers are, “…able to provide effective instruction” (Wright, 2015).

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research,

 Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.