Ell Observation

The special education teacher did not have to be her sole teacher, but the general education teachers were not really communicating with the special education teacher unless they were complaining or disregarding her advice. The general education teachers could have been using the special education teacher as a resource to brainstorm ideas with about Juanita’s education, but instead they tended to ignore her advice. There were also may issues regarding the roles each teacher played. The general education teacher was doing the very minimum for Juanita when it came to addressing her behavior and school work and leaving it all up to the special education teacher to instill discipline during

Mr. Escalante used specific behaviors at first, providing rigid structure–he laid down the law at the beginning to demonstrate his high expectations and resolution to accomplish the end goal. He seemed to not care if any student just decided to be done. He gave them no opportunity to behave disrespectfully, by challenging each one right where they were. He led well at all levels: he taught with fervor and gusto, speaking individually to each student’s unique needs, as well as conversing respectfully with parents, and providing his input to other teachers. He took a more laissez-faire attitude by simply giving the school board an ultimatum of quitting, should they not abide by his requests and methods. This proved useful in that environment.

The all too familiar situation of English language learners (ELLs) struggling in a classroom that is not meeting their needs is the theme of this short film. ELL’s present unique challenges for teachers given how the California educational system calls for only one year of English language development (EDL). After this time, English language development goals rest on the shoulders of the general education teacher with the additional requirement of infusing SADIE strategies into their daily lessons.

She did this based on a belief that it would help ELLs and non-ELLs alike. The students in the second class reported that classmates were “friendly and nice” and the teacher “likes other cultures.” The results of this study indicate the very important role that a teacher plays in creating and modeling an atmosphere where ELLs are accepted, encouraged and participatory in a learning community.

All these strategies gives all students an equal opportunity to practice English, participation and involvement. ELLs students when it’s time to read or participate in class they may be reluctant to speak because of their lack of proficiency in English or feel uncomfortable in an environment where they have to share their ideas. ESL teachers must provide a positive and supportive environment that offers significant influence on student comfort level, success and participation that requiring ELLs to use the language in front of class without force them

When an educator walks into her classroom for the first time, she needs to be prepared to encounter students that come from a variety of backgrounds. The children will be in different stages of language development, and the educator must accommodate for each of these students. Magruder, Hayslip, Espinosa, and Matera (2013) state, “The US Census Bureau projects that by the 2030s, children whose home language is other than English will increase from roughly 22 percent to 40 percent of the school-age population” (p. 9). This increase in second language learners will cause the educator to accommodate for those needs. Second language learners “need teachers who welcome them and recognize their unique abilities, what they know, and what they need to learn” (Magruder, Hayslip, Espinosa, and Matera, 2013, p. 10).

During our last class I had the honor of speaking with, Mrs. Laura Verges, an elementary school ELL teacher. She told some of my classmates and I, about her experiences, both negative and positive, and gave us a great look into what it’s like to work with young English language learners.

I observed the kindergarten classroom of Sarah House. During my observation, Ms. House completed a language arts lesson with her students. Ms. House used both whole class instruction and one on one instruction during her lesson. I felt that she did an amazing job with classroom management and created lessons that were not only engaging, but fun for the students.

The first student that I conducted the lesson with was a girl I named Shiloh. Shiloh was an eight-year girl that was in the second grade, but would be entering in the third grade in the coming Fall. Her mother explained that she was an ESOL level two student. She was born in America, but both parents are Hispanic. The father is Cuban and the mother is from Venezuela. At home Shiloh’s family mainly communicates in Spanish. Shiloh’s mother explained that she wanted her daughter to speak Spanish at home because she does not want her to not learn Spanish or forget “where she comes from.” As I learned in TSOL I many parents do this this because they do not want their child

School board members across the country want to better serve the students who are English language learners. Because countless English language learner students spend part of their academic day in a regular classroom, the general education teachers need to be trained to understand instructional strategies and techniques to aid in advancing this population of students (Stover, 2015). Consequently, it would also be beneficial for school board members to support the bilingual and English Language Learner Specialist in training all teachers in the district on ways to better serve this population.

I interviewed an Instructional Aide that I work with at Cottonwood Elementary. Her name is Marcela and she works with the Kindergartners. She moved from Argentina to New York when she was 3 years old and her first language was Spanish. Her mother put her in preschool when she turned 5, to help her learn English. Marcela shared with me that when she went to school she felt very sad, disconnected and was constantly looking for other children that spoke Spanish. She did find a girl who spoke Spanish and she became “buddies’ with her. The girl that she befriended would help her by translating everything the teacher would say, which was all in English. Marcela said she was speaking English by Kindergarten, but she must have had a strong accent because they put in her in speech

I had an opportunity to meet the ELL teacher who is responsible for educating ELL students in the district. She allowed me to observe her teaching a couple of her students at Brighton Elementary School. The teacher informed me that she teach ELL students using Scholastic books and a Scholastic app. Additionally, she informed me that the scholastic app is usually used to help students replace missing words in a sentence, and also assist students with pronunciation, punctuation, & comprehension. The students were able to tap on a word and the computer would pronounce the word. The teacher had several strategies that she utilize in her classroom to help students understand the English as their second language, for instance, she mentioned

During the 1990s the immigrant population expanded quickly and by a large amount. According to Eggen and Kauchak (2007) “experts estimate that by the year 2020 two thirds of the school population will be African American, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American. This means there will be great cultural diversity in our society and in our schools.” Educators will need to be educated on how to teach in a diverse classroom. Teachers will need to have an understanding for English-language learning children and the way they learn. All educators must be able to teach ELL students while encouraging them to continue to use their native language while learning to speak English. Teachers must also remember to try to keep all families

Regarding the English teacher, she has utter freedom in what and how to teach. Nevertheless, she tries to plan the lessons with the main teacher to try to present the learners similar vocabulary in Spanish and in English. The aim of the institution is that students can approach to English in a friendly and positive atmosphere. Regarding the group I have been observing, it is integrated by 12 learners, aged 3 and 4 years old.

Mrs. Tijerina has a sturdy relationship built with her students. She has desire to see them succeed and flourish in the Spanish culture while mining high expectations. Mrs. Tijerina wants every single student to be involved or to give feedback. There was not a single student in the classroom that did not participate in discussion or did not have a chance to voice their opinion. Mrs. Tijerina treated every student with respect, and expected that she would be respected as well. If a student was talking out of hand, Mrs. Tijerina was capable to getting them to stop immediately. Since she has a strong desire for the students to excel, she predominantly speaks in