McCraneyCIL500Journal1

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National Louis University *

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500

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English

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Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by ChefPorcupine2137

Nicole McCraney CIL 500-MODULE 1: Reflective Journal Assignment What are some of the labels you have observed in educational settings to refer to students learning English? Some labels I have observed in the educational setting to refer to students learning English are Dual Language Learner, English Language Learners, English Learners and Limited English Proficient. Dual Language Learner is often used in an early childhood setting. It refers to students who are learning a language other than their home language, at the same time they are developing their home or native language. I don’t hear this term often. The most common label used in most educational settings is English Learners and English Language Learners. This term is primarily used to refer to students whose primary language is not English. While ELL is a term usually used to refer to students receiving English language services from their school, EL is the current preferred term of the United States Department of Education. Now, depending on the results of the language proficiency assessment, students may be labeled using a term or terms to indicate their level of proficiency in English. It can be viewed as a limiting label that oftentimes is used as a label to categorize students. By labeling students with one of these labels, we are essentially identifying them as a student that will need support in learning English while they are learning academic content (Garcia & Kleifgen, 2018). The label is designed to help us think about how we will meet the needs of these students in our classrooms, as well as a way to help us as teachers design lessons to effectively reach these students. What do the textbook authors argue are the pros and/or cons of these labels? One of the cons explicitly stated in " Educating Emergent Bilinguals" is that labels tend to focus on students’ limitations as opposed to what they can do. The term ESL specifically doesn’t take all aspects of learning English into account as sometimes, English may be a person’s third or fourth language. It also refers to a subject more so than actually speaking to a person. In the book, it also states that the author feels the ESL label doesn’t give students the chance to weave “English” features into their own language repertoire. It can also affect teachers expectations of students. Teachers may not understand the full capacity of students’ abilities due to them being labeled ELL’s. The other kindergarten teacher I work with has 5 ELL’s in her class and she was initially struggling when interacting with them as she is not bilingual. As she is understanding and learning them more she is getting better at interacting with them

which is great for her and them as they feel heard and respected and she feels that she is helping them settle into school more. A term that I don’t hear much in the school setting is bilingual/multilingual learner. This is a term that is believed to be a better fit than the English Learner label because it focuses on the students’ capacities for multiple languages. How do these arguments match up with your experience? In my experience, I have not seen where the English Language Learner label has held a student back or affected a student in a negative way. I worked in a classroom with preschoolers that were majority Spanish speakers, and they were instructed in Spanish and English. The students in the class that were of Spanish heritage but born here and only spoke English were not labeled at all. The other Kindergarten teacher that I work with has five English Learners in her class and she is not bilingual. However, with the influx of non-English speakers, I think more will be done to make sure they feel more included as opposed to separated due to language barriers. We have a lot of technology these days that can assist us such as Google Translate, language apps such as Duo Lingo and even parent volunteers are a resource at the school I am in. While I can see how labels can be seen as harmful or causing more harm than good, I see them as a way to help us understand where students are so that we can meet them where they need us to. They can help us to properly plan for students in our classrooms so that they can get the most out of instructional time. And while some see the label as creating a barrier, I see it as a way for us to better understand our differences so that we can plan ways to bridge the gap and bring students together. Garcia, O., & Kleifgen, J. A. (2018). Educating emergent bilinguals. Teachers College Press

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