My Vision Paper
Grace Singley
EDUC 100.2
September 30, 2021
Culture goes far beyond just the customs, beliefs, and traditions of an individual. Culture is everywhere and we may not realize that. Something I did not realize is that culture dives deep into the education system. It is a major factor in how some students perform academically. Especially ELLs or those students who come from different backgrounds. Historically, ELLs and bilingualism was not something that was celebrated or looked at as impressive that one could learn or speak more than one language. However, in today’s world immigration and bilingualism is so prevalent and a reality that many have to face. It is not uncommon for ELLs to face and therefore struggle with American culture in the classroom. They may struggle with the understanding of school culture, the concept of American culture, the idea of nonverbal communication, and also their social status compared to that of their peers. An example of this is as mentioned before, non verbal communication. In America, it is very common to give a thumbs up. We use it as a response to questions, give feedback and to play a common game called “thumbs up” and it is played by sticking your thumb up to answer a question . This can cause issues for ELLs whereas their thumbs up in their culture may have a bad connotation or meaning behind it. This can lead to the student or ELL to feel uncomfortable or offended. This can go for many other reasons, such as body language, hand gestures and even facial expressions. Issues like this in the classroom can lead to parent or family involvement. However, this is not the kind of involvement that you want from ELL families. Family roles involvement in the classroom vary heavily based on culture. In American culture, it is very common for families and parents to be involved in their children's academic journey. This may be different for other cultures which can cause students to feel left out or wonder why their families are not there. As a teacher with ELLs in their classroom, it is important to reach out to those families that may not be involved. Set up a meeting with them or even just an email. Include questions about their
culture at home and maybe how they do certain things. That way, you are learning things about your student and it shows your want to be involved in your students education. By understanding the response from families and parents, you can use that information to help your ELLs and incorporate their culture into curriculum and activities. That way, you have your parent/family support and involvement, you are able to support your ELLs academic growth, and appropriately communicate with your students based on their culture.
English Language Learners have many characteristics that differentiate them from the average student. One of those is their acquisition of learning a language. Especially their second language (L2). Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP) is very common and important in L2 acquisitions. It is the idea that competence in a first language (L1) provides the basis for competence in L2. ELLs also go through the WIDA stages of acquisition. The stages are as follows; Level One- Entering, Level Two- Beginning, Level Three- Developing, Level Four- Expanding and Level Five- Bridging. They are placed in these levels based on their W-APT scores and their overall composite scores. These scores test their abilities and understanding in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Despite ELLs having both strengths and weaknesses in these different contents, there are other factors that can affect their acquisition. Factors such as emotions and attitudes. These factors include, their level of motivation, their attitude towards the class, their levels of anxiety, and even their confidence and self esteem. There are a plethora of factors and characteristics that affects ELLs, their acquisition of L2 and their overall experience in school. They way they learn or do things may be different from other students. A major common characteristic among ELLs in the need for scaffolding is. Scaffolding is breaking down material so a student can better understand a topic in smaller portions. This often leads to the learning process being much slower which allows thE ELL to obtain a more meaningful and deeper understanding of what is being taught. ELLs are not only learning a new language, but they are most likely learning a new environment, culture, schedule and a different way of life. This can add onto the stress and anxiety as well.
It is important to understand the differences between ELLs and other children in your classroom. Especially the characteristics that ELLs have and the experiences that they are dealing with. Knowing that will help you to not only understand them better but will provide a pathway to teach them efficiently.
ELLs have a variety of different teaching strategies that work best for them compared to the average student. One of them is sheltered instruction. Sheltered instruction is an instructional approach that engages ELLs above the beginner level in developing grade-level content-area knowledge, academic skills, and increased English proficiency. Sheltered instruction is good for ELLs because it is a teaching approach that offers a clear, direct and simplified English that allows ELLs to better understand and grasp a concept at a slower rate. It is also an example of scaffolding which is another teaching strategy that breaks down the lesson which provides support towards a student so that they can be successful.
Although sheltered instruction and scaffolding are a productive way to make learning simplified and easier for ELLS, there is still room to make errors- nobody is perfect and everyone makes errors. However, for ELLs addressing errors should be addressed subtly and softly. This is because ELLs may not grasp why they made a mistake because they may not fully understand what they are learning either. So, how should you address errors made? You can use their errors in a positive light. Make sure your students are aware that just because they made an error does not mean their work is frowned upon. Before correcting the errors, celebrate their growth and their accomplishment for completing the task. Also, you can use their mistakes and errors as examples of what not to do. This could help them recognize what not to do for future questions or problems.
Being able to meet and communicate with the student one on one is in my opinion one of the best ways to address errors. This way, the student can ask questions that they might not be comfortable with asking in front of the class or other peers. It also allows the teacher to get an
idea of what the student may be struggling with which allows them to be able to focus on what they are struggling with and help them where it is needed most. It is beneficial for a teacher to be able to track their students progress and it provides comfort and security for ELLs which is a major factor in their success.
English language learners not only learn in different ways compared to the average student but also take assessments differently or even different assessments in general.
For starters, ELL’s are tested yearly to track their progress as an english language learner in the education system that they take part in. The test they take is WIDA. WIDA stands for World Class Instructional Design and Assessment. A WIDA is used for students from grades kindergarten through twelfth grade and is used to determine if they are an ELL or not. Not only can it determine whether or not a student is an ELL but it can also determine a students placement as an ELL (whether they may be advanced or not) and also used to track their progress as an ELL throughout their years of education.
As mentioned before, ELLs may struggle with an exam or test that is given to the average student. Whether that be the format, the style or material given out, it might not register for an ELL as easily as it could for another student. There are a plethora of exams that are used in the classroom and are more applicable for ELLs. For example, having a student give an oral presentation or performance may take the anxiety away that taking a test comes with. Especially if their reading and writing skills are not as proficient. As a teacher, you can also develop assessment activities such as reading with a partner or storytelling. For those ELLs who are more proficient in writing, a written assessment may be appropriate for them but creating an assessment that incorporates creative writing might be a beneficial way to make them more comfortable. A teacher can do a lot to accommodate an ELL when it comes to tests and assessments. An accommodation can be as simple as providing a word bank in a vocabulary quiz or a bilingual dictionary that an ELL can use during a test. You can also review a test or read
over it before allowing the students to begin. This may relieve some stress and insecurities a student may have prior to taking it. Allowing your student to take the assessment in another space that is more private is also an accommodation that might be useful for an ELL.
As a future educator myself, I look forward to learning more about how I can help ELLs succeed in the classroom and better adapt to assessments.