ESL 4 Week 6

Section Eleven Reflection Paper

April Gallagher

Upload your reflection paper a out all you have learned in thi! cour!e" #n your paper tell $hat you have learned a out the follo$ing co%ponent!& a' Language( ho$ doe! L) Ac*ui!ition and L+ i%pact ho$ ELL! learn, -o$ you teach, ' .ulture( refer ack to your ho%e(!chool co%%unication infor%ation a! $ell a! other infor%ation you have learned in thi! cour!e c' / !erving0 planning0 i%ple%enting and %anaging in!truction( di!cu!! your le!!on plan! d' A!!e!!%ent( talk a out your a!!e!!%ent e1perience! e' Profe!!ionali!% ho$ ha! $hat you have learned added to your profe!!ionali!%, #nclude a page that ha! a ti%e log $ith your na%e0 the !chool0 cla!!roo%!0 vi!it date! and length of ti%e! !pent" Al!o add your $ee lie or other $e !ite URL for the profe!!or to check" This paper needs to be one or more pages and is worth 20 points.

A. How does L2 acquisition and L1 impact how ELLs learn and how you teach? #t i! vital for an ESL in!tructor to re%e% er the value of each !tudent2! L+ $hen planning goal! for that !tudent" Re!earch provide! differing opinion! on ho$ %uch of the L+ an ELL !hould e u!ing in an ESL cla!!roo%" #n fact0 the opinion! a%ong acade%ic! and profe!!ional! !ee% to vary a! $ell" 3or %e0 # elieve that circu%!tance i! uni*ue for each individual !tudent0 taking into con!ideration their ackground0 their proficiency level0 and their per!onality" 3or the record0 # never !upport fully forcing the L) on ELL! and 4for idding5 u!e of the L+ altogether" # do not elieve that ignoring the L+ i! eneficial at all" 6uch of the re!earch # have done for thi! cour!e and for the three previou! cour!e! ha! encouraged ackno$ledg%ent of the L+ a! a tool to %ake connection! to the L)" 6o!t of the 47e!t Practice!5 # encountered had co%ponent! that uilt on the ELL!2 different L+!" 8hi! opinion i! !ure to i%pact ho$ an ESL teacher prepare! her le!!on!" 6aking it a priority to !ho$ your re!pect for their L+ i! a valua le part of uilding the tru!t that i! !o i%portant et$een a teacher and her learner!"

B. Comment upon what youve learned a out culture.

ESL teacher! are often the cultural 4e1pert!5 on any !chool !taff" -o$ they react0 $hat ehavior they %odel0 and $hat attitude! they di!play are likely going to e %i%icked y the re!t of the !taff and !tudent ody" A$arene!! of that po!ition i! i%portant fro% the very eginning of e%ploy%ent" 8eacher! are going to rely on the ESL teacher to help the% %odify and adapt appropriately in %ain!trea% cla!!e!" #n addition to help $ith the L+ and L)0 it %ay fall upon the ESL teacher to e1plain cultural i!!ue! and help the re!t of the !taff uild an a$arene!! of other facet! of an ELL2! acade%ic and !ocial need!" 6i!co%%unication! and %i!interpretation! are %a9or arrier! to %any ESL !tudent!2 acade%ic !ucce!!" ESL teacher!0 then0 are often called upon to put together the piece! of the cultural pu::le for oth the !tudent! and the 4regular5 cla!!roo% teacher!" 8hey are al!o often a!ked to provide infor%ation at %eeting! and in(!ervice $ork!hop! to help other teacher! avoid cultural !tereotype! and other 4offen!ive5 thing! like ge!ture! and phra!e! that can e %i!con!trued" -o$ever0 i! it rea!ona le to e1pect an ESL in!tructor to kno$ everything there i! to kno$ a out the culture! of every !ingle !tudent in their progra%, -ardly" 8hey !hould not e con!idered e1pert!0 ut !hould have a reputation for eing al$ay! $illing to learn ne$ thing! fro% their !tudent!" 8he teacher # !pent ti%e $ith during %y 3ield Study had !tudent! fro% no le!! than !even countrie!0 and %ultiple region! of !o%e countrie! that %ay a! $ell have %ade the% fro% different countrie! altogether" What i%pre!!ed %e $a! not that !he po!!e!!ed an encyclopedic kno$ledge of each one" # $a! lo$n a$ay that !he $a! endle!!ly curiou! a out her !tudent!2 cultural ackground!" -er intere!t $a! a huge rea!on $hy # elieve !he ha! !uch a rapport $ith her !tudent! and their fa%ilie!"

C. Lesson plannin!" implementin! learnin!" mana!in! instruction" and my o servations # o !erved at t$o different !chool! for thi! cour!e" # returned to .hartier! ;alley School <i!trict one day0 ut $a! una le to co%plete all += hour! there0 !o # al!o !pent part of a day at -ope$ell Area School <i!trict to %eet %y 3ield Study re*uire%ent!" What # noticed thi! ti%e around ecau!e of eing in tho!e t$o different environ%ent!0 $a! ho$ different each of tho!e teacher! approach their 9o !" 6r!" .han at .hartier! ;alley ha! a lot of !tudent!" She ha! her o$n cla!!roo% and i! re!pon!i le for the Language Art! grade on her !tudent!2 report card!" -er planning i! a!ed on the te1t ook !erie!" -er a!!e!!%ent of the !tudent! i! !tructured and a!ed on the four do%ain!" -er cla!!roo%

%anage%ent i! fle1i le ecau!e !he often ha! %any !tudent! $ith %ultiple proficiency level! in her roo% at one ti%e" She ha! created an environ%ent $here !tudent! are accu!to%ed to getting to $ork in their group!0 !o that !he can %ove a out fro% group to group providing in!truction and guidance al%o!t like a cycle" 8he !tudent! are *uite accu!to%ed to thi! %anage%ent !tyle and the cla!! run! !%oothly de!pite the fact that !he i! often trying to divide her ti%e up et$een up to three group! at a ti%e" # in*uired a out her planning and !he !ho$ed %e ho$ !he follo$! the !tandard! for each age level and proficiency group0 $hile differentiating for the different !trength! and $eakne!!e! $ithin each group" 6r!" <2Era%o ha! a different !et of circu%!tance! at -ope$ell" She travel! to three of the five uilding! in the di!trict and only $ork! $ith one !tudent at a ti%e" -er role i! %ainly in!tructional !upport0 !o !he rarely doe! any le!!on plan! of her o$n0 in!tead helping her !tudent! $ith the $ork fro% their %ain!trea% cla!!e! for the %a9ority of her ti%e $ith the%" So%eti%e! !he2ll play phonic! ga%e! or do fla!hcard! $ith the%0 ut day i! u!ually !pent providing !upport for their other cla!!e!" /ne of the thing! that # learned i! that $hen planning for in!truction it i! critical to con!ider not 9u!t the !tudent! 4official5 ELP level!0 ut al!o to ackno$ledge other thing! like ackground kno$ledge0 cultural difference!0 acade%ic !trength! and $eakne!!e!0 and $hat each child find! %otivating"

#. #iscuss assessments e$perienced durin! this course # $a! lucky enough to a le to !pend ti%e in an ESL cla!!roo% >at .hartier! ;alley' $here the in!tructor $a! !till $rapping up her annual ad%ini!tration of the A..ESS for ELL! a!!e!!%ent" She let %e !ee fir!t(hand ho$ the te!t i! given efore !he !ent it out for grading" # $a! al!o a le to peru!e !o%e !elected re!ult! fro% la!t year >$ith per!onal infor%ation lacked out'" # $a! a le to analy:e the different report! generated y W#<A for oth the !chool entity and for the parent! of the ELL!" Seeing ho$ the data and nu% er! are generated $a! really u!eful for %e" 8hi! e1perience $a! really eneficial ecau!e # kno$ that deter%ining the proficiency level of an ELL i! an enor%ou!ly i%portant part of %aking !ure !tudent! they receive the appropriate !upport! to en!ure their !ucce!! in !chool" # a% grateful that # accidentally !cheduled %y vi!it $ith !uch fortunate ti%ing? # $a! al!o a le to a!k oth of the ESL teacher! # o !erved ho$ they a!!e!! their !tudent! e!ide! the annual Acce!! te!t" 7oth in!tructor! e%pha!i:ed giving !tudent! plenty of ti%e and lot! of

!upport! like $ord ank!0 acce!! to note!@te1t ook!0 and reading portion! of the e1a% aloud to the !tudent" E. How has what youve learned added to your pro%essionalism? # have learned five key thing! that have added to %y opinion of $hat contri ute! to an ESL in!tructor2! level of profe!!ionali!%& +' Aou %u!t e the role model in your cla!!roo%" An ESL teacher %u!t %odel the ehavior !he e1pect! fro% her !tudent!" #f you u!e good voca ulary and gra%%ar0 your !tudent! $ill e%ulate that" #f you $ant your !tudent! to get to cla!! on ti%e and e ready to go $hen the ell ring!0 then you !hould !tart teaching right a$ay $hen you hear that ding" Aou !hould not e !tanding in the hall go!!iping $ith the %ath teach a out !o(and(!o2! o viou! no!e(9o or $hat happened la!t night on The Bachelor" Aou !hould e !et up and ready to go0 and that !hould e an e1pectation of the !tudent! con!i!tently fro% the fir!t day of !chool all the $ay until the la!t day of !chool" Al!o0 if you e1pect your !tudent! to turn in $ork at or efore the deadline! you !et for the%0 then you !hould e pro%pt a out grading their $ork and providing ti%ely feed ack a out their a!!e!!%ent! and a!!ign%ent!" )' Pay attention to the support system of each !tudent" Who do they live $ith, #! their fa%ily large or !%all, -o$ do they prefer to e co%%unicated $ith, 7y e!ta li!hing a rapport not 9u!t $ith the child0 ut al!o $ith hi! fa%ily0 you are creating a tea% %entality $here everyone i! on oard to help that !tudent !ucceed" B' &et o 'ectives that are individual for each !tudent on your ro!ter" Regardle!! of ho$ %any ELL! you teach0 each one i! $orth the ti%e to lay out !oals for0 of oth the acade%ic and !ocial variety" Setting goal! $ith the !tudent0 and involving the fa%ily a! $ell0 can e a key co%ponent to that kid2! !ucce!!" #t can al!o prevent you fro% getting 4!idetracked5 a! the year goe! on" 3re*uently referring ack to >and ad9u!ting0 if nece!!ary' the!e goal! a!!ure! that everyone i! !taying on track" 4' All teacher! !hould engage in Continuin! (ro%essional Education" 8he idea of a teacher a! a life(long learner 9u!t %ake! !en!e" Co teacher !hould feel like !he i! perfect and that !he kno$! everything !he2ll ever need to kno$ a out teaching" ESL in particular i! an ever( evolving field0 and it2! i%portant to !tay current on e!t practice! and ne$ re!earch"

Co$aday! $ith all of the opportunitie! availa le online0 there i! little e1cu!e to avoid profe!!ional develop%ent" Even 9u!t doing a periodic online !earch for ne$ !trategie!0 %odification!0 and adaptation! can e in!piring and a $ay to !tay fre!h and up(to(date" D' 3inally0 ESL teacher! %u!t place !uch a hi!h value on the well) ein! o% their students0 that they are $illing to e their pri%ary advocate in !chool" .hildren kno$ $hen an adult truly care! a out the%" Sure0 !o%e teacher! say that they care0 ut their action! !peak other$i!e" .o%%it your!elf not 9u!t to the education of your !tudent!0 ut al!o to !eeing the% a! the $onderful potential adult! they $ill e !o%eday" Eno$ that it i! a privilege if they 4let you in5 and %ake you i%portant in their live!" ;alue and e proud of the honor in that?

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.hartier! ;alley School <i!trict .hartier! ;alley -igh School .hartier! ;alley 6iddle School 8EA.-ER& 6r!" Fill .han -ope$ell Area School <i!trict -ope$ell Ele%entary School #ndependence Ele%entary School 8EA.-ER& 6r!" A%y <2Era%o

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