Final Exam Questions
Question 1: If you were to move to another country and were only able to communicate in your new language on an interpersonal communication level, what problems do you think you might have with academic content? What strategies could teachers use to help you better understand the concepts they are trying to teach? How do you think your new peers might help you?
I think it would be very difficult and frightening to move to another country and not be able to communicate with the people that live there. If I were a student in school, and had no language, I would need help from my peers so that I could follow along with instructions. I would copy what my peers were doing. I would also need a lot of modeling and pictures to help me understand academic content. I think the everyday types of things would be the most difficult. Things like going to the bathroom, getting a drink, snack time, recess etc. If I don’t understand language, how am I going to know the rules and procedures? I think teachers should break down the rules and procedures for ELL students and model what to do for each. Talking slowly would be beneficial as well. Peers would need to be supportive and understanding. Not only can I not communicate with them, but they cannot communicate with me either, which can be very frustrating for all. This year I have a student that spoke no English when she began. I modeled and worked with her one on one to understand directions. I also have her seated next to a student that is so supportive of her and helps her rather than tattling that she isn’t following directions. He models for her, lets her copy from him and “breaks down” what she needs to do. Overall, I think peer support is essential, and can made the transition into an English speaking environment successful.
Question 2: Do you currently have ELLs in the classes you teach? If so, what problems do they appear to have comprehending and learning the content? What strategies do you use to make both language and content more accessible to them? How do you encourage other students in your classes who are more proficient in English to play a role?
I currently have 7 ELL students in my kindergarten class. 2 of my ELL students have a lot of difficulty understanding concepts. They need instructions repeated, pictures and modeling. They both are beginning ELL students according to the CELDT test. One of my beginning ELL students moved to The United States of America 6 months before school began, however, she had barely been outside their house during that time. When she began Kindergarten, she had zero English. I paired her up from the beginning with a student that was helpful and understanding, and could model concepts and instructions. This was a huge help. As the year has progressed, she has gained more and more language, however, certain instructions are still very difficult for her. Particularly, concepts involving writing. She is still learning how to speak English, so she is not yet ready to be writing a sentence in English. My students have played a huge role in her success in learning language. They love to help her and love playing with her. My other beginning ELL student speaks English fairly well, however, struggles more with understanding. He requires a lot of modeling, instructions broken down, and peer support. I have talked with my students about how they are”teachers” for their peers that don’t speak English. This has been a big motivator for them to be helpful and understanding.
Question 3: For what purposes do you think English Language Learners should be tested in your classes? For each purpose you mention what sorts of information would you want to collect?
All students need to be tested to determine if they are meeting standards and learning the course objectives. However, I believe the use of standardized tests with beginning and intermediate ELL students is unfair and unnecessary. I believe other assessments should be used until an ELL student is reclassified as an advanced ELL. The CELDT test that is given to ELL students, provides teachers with an understanding of what level English language learner they are, beginning, early intermediate, intermediate, early advanced or advanced. The CELDT exam breaks down the areas of language, into, Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
Teachers need the information from this test to best meet the needs of their ELL students. A beginning ELL student needs a different level of support than an advanced ELL student, and teachers can prepare their lessons and materials to support each student based on the results of this test. Performance based assessments are also very valuable and are helpful to both teachers and ELL students. They can focus on oral communication and provide our ELL students valuable discussions and activities that help improve language. Activities such as: reading with a partner, retelling a story, brainstorming ideas together, and playing games. Teachers can informally assess students as they observe different activities. Performance Based Assessments can give a teacher valuable information, such as, reading fluency, sight word recognition, responses to “wh” questions and writing levels.
Portfolio Assessments are another valuable assessment and show how much a student has grown. One portfolio assessment that I use is a self-portrait. My students draw a picture of themselves on the first day of school and the last month of school. The growth a child has in that year is amazing. I also use handwriting assessments such as writing their name, letter writing and sentence writing. As a teacher there is nothing more rewarding than seeing how much your child has grown.
References
Echevarría, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2013). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model. Pearson.
Using Informal Assessments for English Language Learners. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/using-informal-assessments-english-language-learners
I think it would be very difficult and frightening to move to another country and not be able to communicate with the people that live there. If I were a student in school, and had no language, I would need help from my peers so that I could follow along with instructions. I would copy what my peers were doing. I would also need a lot of modeling and pictures to help me understand academic content. I think the everyday types of things would be the most difficult. Things like going to the bathroom, getting a drink, snack time, recess etc. If I don’t understand language, how am I going to know the rules and procedures? I think teachers should break down the rules and procedures for ELL students and model what to do for each. Talking slowly would be beneficial as well. Peers would need to be supportive and understanding. Not only can I not communicate with them, but they cannot communicate with me either, which can be very frustrating for all. This year I have a student that spoke no English when she began. I modeled and worked with her one on one to understand directions. I also have her seated next to a student that is so supportive of her and helps her rather than tattling that she isn’t following directions. He models for her, lets her copy from him and “breaks down” what she needs to do. Overall, I think peer support is essential, and can made the transition into an English speaking environment successful.
Question 2: Do you currently have ELLs in the classes you teach? If so, what problems do they appear to have comprehending and learning the content? What strategies do you use to make both language and content more accessible to them? How do you encourage other students in your classes who are more proficient in English to play a role?
I currently have 7 ELL students in my kindergarten class. 2 of my ELL students have a lot of difficulty understanding concepts. They need instructions repeated, pictures and modeling. They both are beginning ELL students according to the CELDT test. One of my beginning ELL students moved to The United States of America 6 months before school began, however, she had barely been outside their house during that time. When she began Kindergarten, she had zero English. I paired her up from the beginning with a student that was helpful and understanding, and could model concepts and instructions. This was a huge help. As the year has progressed, she has gained more and more language, however, certain instructions are still very difficult for her. Particularly, concepts involving writing. She is still learning how to speak English, so she is not yet ready to be writing a sentence in English. My students have played a huge role in her success in learning language. They love to help her and love playing with her. My other beginning ELL student speaks English fairly well, however, struggles more with understanding. He requires a lot of modeling, instructions broken down, and peer support. I have talked with my students about how they are”teachers” for their peers that don’t speak English. This has been a big motivator for them to be helpful and understanding.
Question 3: For what purposes do you think English Language Learners should be tested in your classes? For each purpose you mention what sorts of information would you want to collect?
All students need to be tested to determine if they are meeting standards and learning the course objectives. However, I believe the use of standardized tests with beginning and intermediate ELL students is unfair and unnecessary. I believe other assessments should be used until an ELL student is reclassified as an advanced ELL. The CELDT test that is given to ELL students, provides teachers with an understanding of what level English language learner they are, beginning, early intermediate, intermediate, early advanced or advanced. The CELDT exam breaks down the areas of language, into, Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
Teachers need the information from this test to best meet the needs of their ELL students. A beginning ELL student needs a different level of support than an advanced ELL student, and teachers can prepare their lessons and materials to support each student based on the results of this test. Performance based assessments are also very valuable and are helpful to both teachers and ELL students. They can focus on oral communication and provide our ELL students valuable discussions and activities that help improve language. Activities such as: reading with a partner, retelling a story, brainstorming ideas together, and playing games. Teachers can informally assess students as they observe different activities. Performance Based Assessments can give a teacher valuable information, such as, reading fluency, sight word recognition, responses to “wh” questions and writing levels.
Portfolio Assessments are another valuable assessment and show how much a student has grown. One portfolio assessment that I use is a self-portrait. My students draw a picture of themselves on the first day of school and the last month of school. The growth a child has in that year is amazing. I also use handwriting assessments such as writing their name, letter writing and sentence writing. As a teacher there is nothing more rewarding than seeing how much your child has grown.
References
Echevarría, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. (2013). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model. Pearson.
Using Informal Assessments for English Language Learners. (n.d.). Retrieved June 10, 2016, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/using-informal-assessments-english-language-learners