Teaching English Language Learners

Observation Dates: 2/29, 3/1, 3/3, 4/19, 4/21

Hempfield Area Senior High School
Observing Mr. Swan Algebra I

Getting to observe, tutor, and teach in Mr. Swans room was an

experience I will keep for a lifetime. Finally getting to spend some time
in the classroom applying what we have learned for weeks was so
refreshing. At first it was difficult to try and figure out what strategies
needed to be applied, but the more time I spent there the more I was
able to figure it out. Having a positive fun loving attitude was one of
the successes I found when not only working with the ELL students, but
the class as a whole. At first I could tell the ELLs were uncomfortable
working with a complete stranger who is not fluent in the language
they speak. However, having a friendly and inviting domineer allowed
them to open up more by the end of my time with them. Giving the
students a lot of information to process when helping them with
problems was very ineffective. While my intentions were to try and be
thorough with the students, I could see that the more I talked the more
they were getting lost. When I was correcting them on their method of
factoring, it would have been better to keep it short and sweet while
also demonstrating what I was saying. This gives the students both a
visual and verbal explanation of what to do. One of the changes I

would make to the lesson plan would have to be the amount of

problems the students are doing. While I understand Mr. Swan was
trying to get the students as much practice as possible, I feel it would
have been better to make sure they were not creating bad habits. I
think it would be better to teach students how to solve fifteen
problems perfectly instead of thirty problems and only doing half right.
Mr. Swan does a great job interacting with the kids and making sure
everybody is involved. He likes to joke with students to make them feel
more a part of the class. There were many areas I found I could grow in
as well as some areas that went well.
The two ELL students in the class were both of different oral
language proficiencys. One of the students was at the developing
stage and the other student was at the expanding stage. One of the
best accommodations I saw offered to the students with the
incorporation of a Spanish teacher in the classroom. This was a great
accommodation because it broke down any potential barrier or
confusion between the students and myself or Mr. Swan. The Spanish
teacher was able to repeat directions or translate any words or phrases
that could not be understood. Fortunately enough, math is an area
where there are not many words, but there was a ton of explaining and
directions being given out. You could see on the students faces a level
of relief with having a teacher who was fluent in their language. One of
the TESOL standards I felt I took advantage of was the use of the four

language domains. Having the ELLs listen to me explain and work out
problems exposed them to the listening aspect. When the students
were having trouble, I would have them repeat back to me what I was
explaining to them to confirm their understanding. Seeing the students
write out and solve the problems was the ultimate way to show
comprehension in the lesson. For example, the developing student
came up to me confused on how to start a factoring problem. I verbally
demonstrated how to start the problem and had him then show me
what I had just demonstrated. While he did not say anything verbally,
he did start the problem correctly and seemed to understand. I
attempted to incorporate some of their culture by using some of the
little Spanish speaking skills I have acquired. Sometimes when they
answered a question correctly I would respond with bueno trabajo
which means good work in Spanish. I would also give greetings and
departures in their language. Hopefully this showed I had an interest in
their culture and could relate to them on some level.
I tried to incorporate a number of effective instructional
strategies while working with the ELL students. One of the strategies I
used was modeling the practice. Having a large smart board in the
class was one of the ways to display to the students what needed to be
done. Doing examples of problems on the board really appeals to
visual learners who need to see things done step by step. Also making
the students work alone is a necessary strategy. There needs to be

some proof that the students are getting ahold of the lesson and can
do the work on their own. Mr. Swan opened me up to this by starting
one class off by having students complete three problems on their own
that they did the day before. This serves two purposes: one being the
ability for students to rely on their own skills to complete tasks and
secondly activates prior knowledge and retention from previous days.
One of the instructional strategies I wish I had used was the working in
small groups. Having the ELLs work with one another or with other
classmates would have given them a different way in which to work. I
also believed that would help them evolve socially. The idea of learning
off your peers and having good relationships with classmates is very
underrated. ELLs need that social interaction and help from
classmates in order to truly be successful. There are so many different
strategies that can be applied when working with ELL students that it is
critical to try out as many as possible to make sure the students are
successful.
My first day consisted of me observing Mr. Swans class
specifically the ELL students. I paid attention to how much they
participated, how they interacted with other students, what seemed to
be difficult for them, what seemed to be easy, etc. While taking note of
the students, I also tried to take note of what Mr. Swan was doing as
well and what strategies did and did not work for him. He is really
hands on with the students and forces them to work hard and solve as

many problems as possible. The second day in the classroom for me

was more of the same. I thought it was good to observe like this on a
different day because the students may have been having a bad or
good day last time and things could be different. I noticed how one of
the students in particular never seems to be interacting at all. He does
not participate and when Mr. Swan tries to talk with him he shows little
to no emotion. The other ELL when spoken to or asked a question is
able to be vocal or at least tries too. I cannot tell if the one student
struggles with English or just really shy. That day I also made more
observation top what the Spanish assist did to help the students. She
was always confirming or reassuring the students of what needed to be
done using only Spanish. The third day I got to participate a little bit
more. Students were asked to solve problems on the board at one
point during class. The ELLs would then come to me and I would check
the how they did. At first I was nervous I must admit because I have
never worked with ELL students before. But the more they came back
to work on problems the more comfortable I felt. Having to check the
problem, try and communicate with them, and make sure whats being
taught was understood was stressful. My fourth day I was also in
charge of checking the problems for the ELL except this time the
problems were a little more difficult and forced more interaction
between me and the students. While I was able to demonstrate some
of the factoring mistakes on paper, I also needed the help of the

Spanish teacher or Mr. Swan to make sure the students were getting
everything I said. I noticed both students would have a blank
expression on their face or not say anything if I confused them or they
didnt understand what I said. This was frustrating for me because I felt
like I was failing them in the sense I couldnt get across to them what I
wanted. On my last day I planned on fixing some of the mistakes from
the previous days. The students were preparing for an exam and I was
in charge of distributing the help. I would ask to see the problems the
students were struggling on and worked through it with them. I also
tried having the ELLs communicate more with me and repeat back
what I was saying. Even the quieter ELL was slightly more verbal and I
looked at that as progress.
Being in the classroom really opened my eyes up to what an
English Language Learning student goes through. There were times
where you could look at them and just see they were confused or
frustrated on what to do. What makes it even more difficult is that they
may struggle verbalizing those concerns and they may go unfixed. I
believe ELL students want to fit in with their new culture and be
successful. I watched the two ELLs who wanted to learn about math
and were in class everyday trying to become better students. There
were some students who were regular fluent speaking kids who were
not trying at all and struggling with the concept of factoring because
they did not care. This got to me in a way because either of the ELL

students would kill to be able to fluently speak English and not have to
go through some of the challenges they face. At times it was visible to
me that the students do not entirely fit in with their classmates. As a
teacher it is important to make sure they get rid of that feeling. They
are just as much a part of that class as any other student. I came into
the observation thinking that the children would be there just trying to
learn math and solve problems. Going through this process has shown
me that it is so much more than just being able to factor or solve
equations.

I think there is a lot that can be done for students who are here
from other cultures. There should be somebody to help them become
as fluent with the English as possible. This could be a Spanish teacher
like I witnessed, a speech teacher, or something that students can
always have access too. The better they are at speaking a new
language, the better they will become socially and academically. Also,
there should be monthly observations of the teachers who are
instructing the ELLs. These observations would ensure that the
student is keeping pace or on pace to show advancements in their new
culture as well as make sure the teacher is progressing the student.
Some teachers may look at ELLs as a burden or inconvenience. By
having those thoughts, they are only hurting the students, which is the
worst thing could possibly be done in teaching. Finally, I think their

needs to be more incorporation with the parents in the academic life of

the ELL. Setting up a way to meet with the parents of an ELL and
discuss the progress or any concerns that you or they may have could
be very beneficial. As teachers, we only get a small portion of the day
to spend with these students. Making sure our ideas are being
understood and supported on the home front can be a huge help in the
growth of a student. There have been so many positive experiences
and lessons I have learned from these ELL observations. I have gained
an even greater appreciation of what these students have to endure
and it makes me realize how important the role of a teacher is to them.
Having seen this, I will make it my mission to get them the success
they deserve and so greatly desire.