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.
Hello Ms. Pinto,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your interview. After viewing your interview and reading your reflection, I agree with your interviewee that pictures (7:12) and their applications in different subjects helps students with meeting the standards and objectives. Following your supporting statements from the WIDA Consortium of having beginning level ELLs, the students abilities to understand their surroundings begins as a visual experience and short oral directions (Wright, 2015). When tying the level of the student and the strategies used, WIDA English language development standards present performance indicators in three parts; language function, content, and support or strategy (e.g. from collections or pictures) (Wright, 2015, p.266). Hence, it is important for teachers to implement these indicators when accommodating various content areas to make it comprehensible to ELL students.
Works Cited
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (Second ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Hi Mayte,
DeleteThank you for your feedback. As you mentioned, it is important for teachers to implement the indicators mentioned when making accommodations for ELLs. Wright states that, "ELLs also differ substantially in their level of English Proficiency" (Wright, 2015). This statement emphasizes the importance that one size does not fit all and that just as native English Speaking students require certain accommodations so do ELLs. When I think of accommodations that teachers make for their ELLs, Mrs. Carbone always comes to mind. In what ways has your mentor teacher or other teachers you know implemented these in their own classroom?
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research,
Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hello!
DeleteAfter observing my mentor teacher and another teacher who works closely with ELLs I have been able to spot some differences in accommodations. For instance, the instructor who works closely with ELL’s provide Spanish translation while the other teacher does not. The other instructor who works with a very low population of ELL’s provides resources such as word walls or pairs students by having an ELL with a bilingual student. Overall, the accommodations are important for the classroom not only to differentiate but to ensure that all students can reach a level of success through equitable practices.
Hi Mayte, thanks for the second reply! It's interesting that your mentor teacher and the other teacher differentiate instruction in different ways. Wright emphasizes the importance of teacher collaboration when he says, "...the bilingual and sheltered classroom teachers can help each other and the mainstream teachers by sharing ideas and resources..." (Wright, 2015). This collaboration could be (or already is) a way that your mentor teacher and the other teacher communicate about what types of accommodations they think ELL students need and how to implement them in the classroom. I like that the other teacher pairs her ELLs with bilingual students. In my second interview with an ELL, she described the same type of situation that took place when she was in school learning English as well and says it was very beneficial to her.
DeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hello! This is one of my favorite interviews.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Carbone definitely sounds like an amazing teacher. She seems very committed to helping ELL students be successful in learning the language. I think it is amazing that she mentions that ELL students add their own interpretations and offer their own insight on different things like books. This might be because of their beliefs and their culture. I think it benefits students and teachers because it allows us to experience other points of view. It also deepens our understanding on different cultures. Wright states that “Multicultural education can help prepare all students to live in our multicultural society, with attention to the complex social challenges…” As Wright says this helps with discrimination and racism because those are issues that still threaten society (Wright, pg. 21, 2015).
Hi Mayra,
DeleteI also appreciate Mrs. Carbone's excitement for ELLs adding their own interpretations of texts/content presented to them. Wright talks about "cultural adjustment issues" (Wright, 2015) in the text. He states, "English-speaking students from the dominant group generally find that the culture of the school closely matches that of their homes, and thus they have an advantage as they enter school" (Wright, 2015). On the other hand, ELLs are dissimilar because they experience different things at home. Although Wright labels this as an "adjustment issue", one can take the view that Mrs. Carbone has and label it as a way of making new connections.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research,
Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Danielle, thank you for sharing your interview with Mrs. Carbone. The way you describe, as well as what Mrs. Carbone said in her interview, sounds like she really tries to meet the needs of each individual English second language student she has. Even though she is a math/science, Mrs. Carbone understands the concept that reading does not just happen in the reading block. Wright (2015) states that reading happens all day, in all content areas, therefore every teacher is a reading teacher. Mrs. Carbone seems to have a clear understanding of this, and even though she is not an ELA teacher, she still makes sure she knows where each of her students stands, and how she can help them succeed.
ReplyDeleteHaylee,
DeleteThank you for your comment. Mrs. Carbone has experience teaching ELA so I think that has helped her accommodate her ELLs in her math/science classes tremendously. I agree with Wright especially after seeing how much reading takes place in math, which is something that I was not exposed to when I was in elementary school. Wright states that teachers can draw on knowledge of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics in order to help them accommodate ELLs with vocabulary, grammar, and spelling (Wright, 2015). This is an idea that I think Mrs. Carbone would agree with, seeing as she has used her knowledge of linguistics to help her students.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research,
Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hello Haylee,
DeleteWe have the same appreciation for Mrs. Carbone and her understanding of student reading abilities. In my observations, I have seen math teachers lack to put any importance or emphasis on the student’s reading competence. They believe that the student’s reading comprehension has nothing to do with numbers in math. However, math tests have high language demands that pose significant difficulties for ELLs (Abedi & Lord, 2001). If ELLs are not getting the appropriate attention and practice in reading, it can cause disconnect in their other content courses.
Hi Claire,
DeleteI one hundred percent agree with everything you just said. Nowadays our students are expected to read word problems in math that require reading comprehension, it isn't all just numbers, algorithms, and memorization of facts. It's much different than when I was in elementary school and I see my students struggle with it daily. As the WIDA Consortium suggests, asing visual aids (pictures, symbols, diagrams) for my ELLs who are at the entering/beginning level helps tremendously when solving math problems (Wright, 2015).
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.