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.
