Entry #2
Hi welcome to my vblog #2 I chose to interview a teacher of ELLs.
For my second entry I had the opportunity to interview an amazing teacher Ms. Perez who is apart of the PreK team I am student teaching with in Pasadena. She has been teaching for Pasadena for 20 years. She has taught second grade bilingual, one year of third grade and is currently in PreK. I asked Ms. Perez questions related to teaching in a bilingual classroom with ELL students, her experience and challenges she faces. Her responses reminded me of a quote from chapter 2 that states "Effective communication with linguistically and culturally diverse students includes recognizing, valuing, and drawing on their home languages as resources in teaching and learning." (Wright, 201, p.30).
She shared with me that she has a lot of immigrants from other countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela. She explained to me that although they do speak Spanish they have different dialects because they are from different countries which can be challenging for her to teach because she doesn't know the different dialects of Spanish. She explains how she feels like they are all the same as one group but are still all so different at the same time. She explained to me many ways to help her ELL students such as when she is teaching vocabulary she uses a lot of visuals/ pictures to help build background knowledge. It is our responsibility as teachers to expose to them as much as we can. She also uses repeat after me strategy where the students say the vocabulary word with her while showing them pictures too. For PreK she also uses a-lot of hand motions to help her students understand words such as big, she should open her arms wide to represent big. Another struggle she shared with me is since all of the families and parents are so different a lot of them don't understand the culture in America. So she has to really go into detail about everything with them so they can understand. This interview gave me a good insight of ways I can help my future ELL students and challenges I might face and how to help them.
References:
Wright W.E. (2019). Foundations for Teaching Enlgish Language Learners: Research Theroy Policy and Practice (Third) Caslon.
Your blog post about your teacher is beautifully encapsulates the multifaceted journey of loving an English Language Learner. Your insight into the challenges and triumphs of navigating language barriers and cultural differences is both poignant and inspiring, especially seen in younger grade levels. It's evident that the love and dedication to your ELL students extend far beyond the classroom, shaping not only their language skills but also their sense of belonging and self-worth. The commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment speaks volumes about the profound impact educators can have on their students' lives.
ReplyDeleteHi! Thank you for your kind comment. I agree that fostering a supportive and inclusive environment is very important for teachers to do. ELL need the best support they can get and it is important that that the love and dedication for them is there even beyond the classroom. Thank you for your comment!
DeleteHi Cassie,
ReplyDeleteI really liked how detailed your interview was. I also really gave us a clear insight on how an educator has to teach young ELL learners but she also showed us how we not only educate the students we are educating their parents on their children's needs and struggles. I really appreciate the small scoop she gave us on how to help and overcome challenges we might face with our ELL students.
Hi Rubi! Thank you for sharing your comment. Yes I definitely agree that is also very important to educate the parents as well with the students. They as well can be struggling just as much with helping their child learn. As teachers it is important that we extend the knowledge beyond just the classroom. Thank you for your comment!
Delete