Meaningful Talk Research

Selecting materials relevant to ELL’s experience or culture; strategically using students’ first languages to make the content delivered in a second language more comprehensible teaching word learning strategies that build on first language knowledge such as using cognates; and frequently using partner talk to give low-English-proficient students more opportunities to talk with more English-proficient

For teachers, I believe they are lacking in having efficient data, practices, and resources. These three categories play an essential role in educating, evaluating, and caring for ELL students. Communication is a huge factor when it comes to instruction in the classroom. In the past research has shown poor communication between teachers, students and families. Schools often lack in providing differentiated methods and tools to teach ELL students. Schools in the past have failed to offer the correct assessments that were needed in order to diagnose each student's needs and measure their individualized learning standards. Educators can easily become frustrated because there is such a wide range of English learners. This means academic levels are different and the educators have not received the proper training or instructions on how to correctly educate ELL students.

I would suggest that the teach speak slowly and provide enough time for the ELL student to think about a response because the students are translating words to English in their minds..

It is essential to understand English language learners’ needs because ELL students face the combined challenge of learning all the academic content as other students, while also learning the language of instruction. With the rapid growth in the size of the ELL student population in the U.S., teachers who are effective recognizes ELL students unique academic needs, unique background experience, culture, language, personality, interests and attitudes toward learning for the purpose to adjust, or differentiate, their instruction to meet students’ needs.

ELL continue to rise year after year. In EDUC 628, the class delved into the rise of ELL in America and how the best teaching methods to approach each learner with. Every ELL student is unique and has different learning process. Although the semester covered a wide variety of topics ranging from dialects to teaching methods, every module served its purpose in providing a framework for future ELL teachers. Learning about how to teach ELL was significant to me because when I first entered the school system in America, I was placed into ESL and I have gone through the process of many of these teaching methods. EDUC 628 main focus was preparing students whose goal in the future was to educate ELL. The articles and readings assigned in the class provided a funds of knowledge going into each new lesson. Coupled with the readings, hands on activities such as the mini lessons and designing lesson plans provided each student with experience that will reflect on their teaching abilities in the classroom. In my paper, I will be provided a step by step synthesis of what was learned and accomplished every week along with a brief summary of the readings. I will probe deeper into the modules and lessons that piqued my interest the most and that also challenge my mindset.

1) 1.1 Effective communication is important in developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults in all walks of life and at any age whether it be with relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues, associates or even total strangers. Also, effective language skills are essential for children to access the curriculum. In the classroom, spoken language is the main way that teachers teach and children learn. Therefore if the skill of communicating in an effective manner isn’t learned or grasped at an early age then it could lead to various complications in terms of interacting with other people, be it in the home or

ESL or ELL students are going to walk into a classroom at different learning levels. Generally, they’ll need to focus on listening, speaking, reading, and

This practice allows teachers the opportunity to gauge how much practice ELL students actually receive with speaking English in “real life”. Teachers who have participated in Shadowing programs have noted an oral deficiency in ELLs’, but have also noted that ELLs sit silently through their classes, not interacting with other students or with their teachers. Soto, an associate professor of education at Whittier College in California indicates that English-language learners spend less than 2 percent of the school day improving their academic oral language, even though it’s a critical foundation of literacy (Soto, 2014). As indicated, based on the results of this pilot program, participating teachers will plan together, how to provide more opportunities for “academic talk”, to include ELL students, during classroom activities. School administrators will also tailor, teacher development training programs to instruct teachers on how to be more inclusive of all of their students during classroom discussions and to be sensitive as to whether ELL students would benefit most by practicing the language relating to particular content areas or whether the focus should be placed more on conversational English skills (Heitin, Liana 2011). Additionally, teachers will be instructed to ensure that needed practice occurs in settings which will best facilitate ELL learner’s individual needs (e.g., some ELLs may learn better in small group discussions and others may

After reflecting on the services that my campus offers to support English language learners, I realized that although we offer a variety of teaching techniques through instruction, we seem to lack additional opportunities for students to become engaged in structured academic talk. According to Curtin (2005), the most helpful instructional strategies in the classroom were literature-based activities, oral practice, individual help, peer interaction

The students that make up the school are mostly Latino, African American, West Indian and white. Language is the medium through which students gain access to the curriculum. (Tamara Lucas). For example, Maria was placed in a dual language classroom, since arriving from Mexico and when she entered middle school that was taken away. The teacher in her English class needs to realize it takes second language learners longer to develop fluency in academic English than in conversational English. (Tamara Lucas). Ms. O’reilly should take this inconsideration when it comes to the strategies used in the classroom. Social interaction will help Maria’s language development and a method that can be useful to promote social interaction is the use of group work. Using group work will allow Maria to not only expand her English skills but also learn from the other students. Tamara Lucas states; “Scaffolding learning for ELLs requires teachers to consider the relationship between students’ linguistic abilities and the tasks through which they are expected to learn”. Ms. O’reilly has set the goal of having all the students to be on the same level at the end of the school year, this might not be a realistic goal since each child comes from different backgrounds and learn at different speeds. Different scaffolding strategies should be use to accommodate the ELLs in her classroom. Group work, sharing about ones culture, knowing the child’s mother tongue and creating a comfortable environment where the students can raise their hand or ask questions without feeling dumb or like an

Strategies for Teaching ESL Student - ESL Students in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from https://www.eslpartyland.com/teaching-esl-student

Grown-ups start addressing their children amid the principal days of life. In addition, they change their style of conversing with fit the baby's phase of improvement. This kind of infant talk is named patentees. Patentees is higher in pitch, more straightforward in vocabulary, and shorter in sentence length. It utilizes more inquiries and summons and less unpredictable sentences than grown-up talk.

If this problem is not fixed, then the student might become confused by some of the topics they might be communicating about and cause miscommunication and later become afraid to speak up. One way the article says to fix this situation is to make sure that the student knows it is okay to ask for the other person to repeat what they said to allow them some time to comprehend the content as well as, to have adequate time to answer and continue the conversation. Doing this allows the student to think about what they are going to say in addition to, understand the correct way of communication in a North American culture. Another way to fix the problem of miscommunication is to make sure that your native- English speaking students are helping your ESOL students better understand the language and they are doing activities together to initiate conversations together and get the ESOL students to practice their English and communication

From personal experience, talking to high ranking leadership can be often challenging and even risky. Sometime, I find myself in a situation where I have to bite tongue or clench my jaws. I think that most professional work place limit employees to censor their expressions. This might be another reason why my wife talk about her work as soon as she gets home. She would talk about her day regarding tasks or people. About things that she could not express at work. Professional conversations are challenging because one have to present his or her perspective carefully in a well-supported statement. Often, leadership can ask to complete unnecessary tasks. During those times, I just want to say “Sir, that is a really stupid

I put unprecedented amount of time to prepare special type of lessons for your children. I try to speak slowly and clearly, with extra explanation and repetition of any new word. I try to make the classroom a welcome and warm place for your child where he/she can open her mouth and speak a new language without fear of being bullied. As it is a challenge for the Els is for their teachers. Learning language is intense, long, and sometimes frustrating process. So, I believe that without parents’ precious help and encouragement teachers alone cannot win this battle.