Portfolio of Teaching English Language Learners part 1

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is to create a safe and inclusive environment for all students, a place where they feel supported and empowered to set high goals and achieve them. In the end, my aim is to help students become healthy, happy contributing members of society.

I aim to empower my students by learning about them and ensure their identity and their culture are reflected in the lessons and around the school. I plan to involve the parents and the wider community in the education process to help enlist a global citizenship mindset. I aim to educate myself about the latest research, best practises and technology and employ them in the classroom to best support the students need.

Reflection on growth

Having some prior experience with ELL I came into the course with my own ideas about how ELLs learn. I wanted to learn more about the theories and best practices and research-based strategies.

I was pleased that we were exposed to a broad spectrum of information that expanded my understanding of the language learning process. I enjoyed learning about the different theories, as they are the bases of practices. Prior to starting the course I believed that language is learned in a combination of the behaviourist and the interaction models of learning languages. I believe learning language is a process that needs to be taught and the learner needs to put in some effort to learn. To become proficient in a language the learner needs to be immersed in the languages. However, as we learnt about the Innatist model and contemplated on my experience with young ELL I realised that young students can pick up language innately. This understanding of the process of language learning is key for any ESL teachers as they guide the way we teach.

This course highlighted the great importance of knowing your student and their background. The STEPS assessment is an initial step to understanding the students’ abilities. However, to truly support the ELL we need to understand their journey, their cultures and having some knowledge of their language (sentence structure, grammar etc.) This will ensure we cater to students’ specific needs.

Through this course, I truly understood the importance if a community response to teaching ELLs. The whole school needs to be involved to truly create a supportive, inclusive environment for ELLs. Teachers should also understand the struggles ELL and their families face and have accommodations in place to involve and support the families.

By the end of the course, my Vision of teaching ELL remains the same. However, the more I learned in this course the more I realised I am yet to learn. To my goals, I would add my need for continuous study. I have learned a lot in the past 5 weeks, all the questions I had initially were answered and many new questions raised. I realised there are still a lot more I want to know and need to do further study and research on my own. I believe to be an effective teacher I need to take part in continuous professional development to educate myself about new research and best practises, technologies.

Key learning

Module 1- Theoretical Foundations

Language learning process

Language learning process for children and adults

The differences between BICS and CALP

Module 2- Preparing for ELLs

EduGains- English as a second language observable language continua charts

EduGAINS website has a wealth of information for ESL teacher. I particularly found the ESL observable language continua very important for ESL teachers. Here, I am able to find guidelines on expectations for ESL students at different stages. They have laid out the expectation for each elements of literacy skill at each grade level.

As ELL will many not always fall on the general language curriculum expectation, this is very useful for ESL teachers to use as a reference. This can be used to assess ELL. It can also inform teachers and the students’ expectations at each stage. As a teacher, I can use this to work with the student to co-construct goals and work together to move up the continua.

While using this I think it is important to remember that each ELL is different. Student at intermediate level may not necessary fall in the intermediate block. Also important to keep in mind, a student may be at different level for different elements (for example their understanding may be in stage 1 but their fluency in stage 3). As a teacher, we need to play close attention to each element and accurately assess our student.

Supporting English Language Learners - A practical guide for Ontario Educators

Jim Cummins- Multilingual Education for Social justice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJajycotf5M

The video of Jim Cummins- Multilingual Education for Social justice was enlightening. As a teacher I was aware of the importance of culturally responsive pedagogies but I have never before connected with social justice. . Cummins highlights that the societies’ ideas and power relations greatly influences our classrooms. Often the social power relationship is reflected in the curriculum and our teaching practices. And often it is subtle and undetected. As teachers, unknowingly we expose our students to such social power relations, deepening the social statuses that may stand.

As a teacher with classroom full of diverse students we need to be aware that our teaching habits can be unknowingly formed by social power relationships. Our practices can unintentionally neglect devalue a culture and leave our students felling devalued and indifferent from their identity. Personally, I feel this is morally wrong and can deepen stereotypes and social divides.

Therefore as teacher we need to take active steps to explicitly include student identities in our lesson and the school. It is important we challenge the social norms and as Cummins suggests, “Empower” our students. This empowerment done through engaging students with their learning, by using students first languages and cultures as a starting point to plan lessons. As ESL teachers we should build on students’ prior knowledge, expose them to relevant topics. We can collaborate with parents to help develop literacy skills in both their first languages and English. The resources and displays in the classroom and school should reflect all students’, their languages and their cultures and values. In doing so we can empower our students. Especially for our new comer ELL we can give them a sense of belonging. By employing culturally responsive pedagogies we not only engage our students with learning we are also setting and strengthening a social norm that everyone is equal and our diversity is a strengthens our community.

Key learning: Module 3 - Developing Social and Academic Oral Skills

Oral skills development

Importance of understanding culture

Incorporating prior knowledge

Our students come into the classroom with their own set of knowledge and understanding about the world. As teachers, to be effective we need to activate the prior knowledge.

• It helps to connect the learning with real life experience making learning relevant

• Review key information needed to understand new content.

• Informs teacher about students’ background and understanding. This can help teacher plan more effectively in the future.

Module 4 - Literacy Development and Engagement

Different types of reading

This module highlighted the various types of reading based on our purpose. Some times, we need intense reading to fully comprehend the text other times we just skim the text to just get a gist. Each type of reading is a skill that is required at different context. Teachers often focus on comprehension. It is important that we teach to read in the various way in order to prepare them for further education and work life.

The parallels between reading and writing

It is important to understand the reading process. Boyles (2012) showed the parallels between reading and writing. During the writing process, we teach planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing. However when it comes to reading it is often just a one step process. Boyles emphasized the importance of teaching the whole process of reading and allowing students to revisit text. While teaching reading and comprehension we need to model and teach students to follow the 5-step process of reading.

Teaching Vocabulary

Vocabulary is key to literacy skills. In the module, we learnt the importance of vocabulary development and strategies to teach them. Vocabulary is vital for students to understand text or oral conversation as well as being able to express themselves through writing. Subject specific vocabulary is also important to comprehend the various subjects.

It is important that we give explicit vocabulary instructions. The word we choose to teach should directly aid in improving comprehension and help learn new vocabulary. We should use various models such as Frayer model to introduce and teach new vocabulary. After exposing the student o new vocabulary we should also give them opportunity to use the word and expand but using the word in various context.

Module 5- Building Competence and Confidence

Dr. Jean Cinton- Teaching Strategies that Address Trauma and Resilience

This short video of Dr Clinton had vital information that all teachers must know about students that may come into our classrooms with PDST. The video highlighted that, students’ behaviors are symptoms of what happening in the brain. Often students may be misbehaving and acting out in various ways. As teachers we need to remind ourselves that the behavior is not the student. The behaviors are a result of students’ surroundings and things that may have happened in the past. We should not take it personally and try to find the core of the problem and solve that for lasting change.

The video highlighted the relation between stress hormones and the readiness to learn. When stressed the hormones make the brain work differently making it hard to absorb new knowledge. This is why creating a safe environment and helping the student gain a sense of belonging cannot be overlooked and needs to the first step towards learning.

The learning styles

Implementing the preferred learning style of the student can ensure the learning is effective. Often teachers can forget to take into account the students’ proffered learning style and teach in a way he/she feels comfortable or things students learn. In a class of many different students with different learning styles, a teacher need to plan activities that support all the different learning styles. In addition, when working one to one we need to ensure we focus on the student’s preferred learning style.

The 6 characteristics of Cultural responsive pedagogy

#ELL #ESL #EnglishLangaguge #culturallyresponsivepedagogies #teachingforinclusion