Entry 1 Vblog
Welcome to my vblog! My name is Jamie Hernandez and I am currently a senior in my last semester of college! I am a Human Development and Family Studies major with teacher certification in Early Childhood through 6th grade. I am currently student-teaching in Pasadena ISD in a 4th-grade self-contained classroom. I am so excited to see what the future holds as I start my career as an educator!
As an English Language Learner myself (ELL), I am aware of the challenges that ELLs face in the classroom. Luckily what helped me pick up the language a lot quicker was the fact that I had five older siblings who were also ELLs. Since Spanish is our first language, we were placed in bilingual classrooms, however, after 5th grade, we transitioned from bilingual to all English. By the time I was in 5th grade, I had siblings at home speaking English 90% of the time, allowing me to pick it up myself. This made it a smooth transition to an all-English classroom since I was able to speak it, read it, and write it. I also took Spanish for three years in high school which further refined my Spanish speaking and writing skills. One of the classes was an AP Spanish Literature class and I really enjoyed it because I read a lot of Spanish texts that taught me about history, culture, and so much more. My teacher, Ms. Almanza, went out of her way to make our learning meaningful and engaging.
I know that not every ELL shares the same experience as I did with learning English, in fact, every ELL has a very unique and distinct experience. The book mentioned how “problematic” it can be to label ELLs because there exists a “massive diversity among ELLs.” From my experiences of being an ELL and working with ELLs, I recognize the importance of cultivating environments where students like ELLs feel supported and motivated to learn which brings me to my teaching philosophy. I believe that every child is deserving of a quality education where they receive the tools needed to academically succeed. I am confident that this course will elevate my knowledge of ELL and how I can best support their learning!
Work Cited:
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy,
and Practice. Philadelphia: Caslon, Inc., 2019. Print.
Hi, Jamie! I agree with your blog post and like how you mentioned that all ELLs are different and have unique experiences from one another. Even though English Language Learners have the unified label as “ELLs”, each student is an individual and may have varying accommodations or supplemental resources which differ from their peers, whether they are labeled as ELLs or not, which plays into when we plan instructional units, activities, and much more. As Wright mentions in the text, “it is important to recognize that ELLs may not necessarily come from a singular cultural or linguistic background (Wright, 2019, pg. 19)”. I love how you implement this component into your teaching philosophy and how you aim to create an environment which enriches and supports ELLs. Hearing how your siblings supported you in your English learning journey is incredible and goes to prove exactly why we as teachers need to know all about our students' backgrounds far beyond just their home languages. This reminded me of a quote from the text which states “If the student is one of the younger children in the family, and the family has been in the United States for several years, it is likely that the older siblings speak English and often use it in the home. But if the student is the oldest or only child, such support may not be present (Wright, 2019, pg. 23)”. It seems like having that support at home was incredibly beneficial to learning English since you were able to integrate the second language in an environment outside of school only. I enjoyed reading your post, as it allowed me to see a varying perspective other than my own.
ReplyDeleteReference: Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Calson, 2019. Print. Third Edition.
Thank you so much Allison for your insightful response! Yes, my experiences as well have made me realize how imperative it is as a teacher to know students' cultural backgrounds and how it influences their learning in the classroom. Knowing this information as Wright put it best, "allows the teacher to incorporate appropriate multi-cultural strategies and techniques into the classroom" (Wright 19). Thus, shows once again how knowing your students can best help teachers accelerate student learning. Thank you again for your response.
DeleteHi Jamie!
ReplyDeleteGreat response. I enjoyed reading about your experiences as an ELL student. Realizing that every student has a different experience makes a difference in how you approach their learning. The book states that teachers impact students by structuring their lessons for their ELL students. Support for students is essential in the classroom, and this also means having access to outside resources, which I realize not all students have access to. This is where teaching becomes difficult because a lot relies on the teacher for those tools. Amazingly, you acknowledge this already and have included it in your teaching philosophy!
Thank you for your response, Rebecca! I think you made a great point that not all students may have outside resources to help support their English-language learning journey. ELLs rely heavily on teacher-directed instruction so "teachers and administrators in various roles must collaborate to ensure student success" (Wright 26). By working together as a team, teachers and administrators can figure out a plan on how best to support ELLs in the classroom!
DeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Calson, 2019. Print. Third Edition.
ReplyDelete