Interview video: (click Here)
Interview Reflection:
I feel that the school that Martha attended did a great job of making sure that the students learned English but also kept their primary language. As Martha was talking about her experience in school she never mentioned that they were not allowed to speak their first language. I think this is great because it did not make them feel as if they were not allowed to speak their primary language and felt comfortable using it when they wanted to and when they did not understand something. Also, in Wrights book he talks about how schools fail in this area and do not realize that students need to talk their primary language because of their community and home society (Wright Ch.1 pg.22).
Another thing that Martha talked about was her parents speaking Spanish to her at home. Since her family spoke Spanish to her she had to find her own strategies to keep speaking and learning English at home, on her own. I believe that teachers should find tools that students could use at home to help them keep learning English. As Wright says in his book students don’t adapt to their own "American belief" but they adapt to their beliefs and their parents so now teachers have to figure out how to solve social problems that others have not been able to solve before (wright Ch.1 pg. 21).
All in all, I believe that Martha had a really good experience in learning English as a second language. I also believe that students now-a-days still go through the obstacles that Martha went through and will most likely keep going through them, but just like Martha got through them I believe all students can.
Hello Isabel,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching your interview. You asked so many great questions. Martha made an interesting point about technology and how times have changed and there are many resources available to students now. I agree that technology is a great tool for English Language Learners. As an ELL student I remember only having an English/Spanish dictionary that was very helpful. I was very limited on resources. Today, students have many resources available at their fingertips. According to Wright, (2015, p.175) a number of ESL software programs include opportunities for students to practice speaking. The better usages of technology are those that allow ELLs to talk for authentic communication purposes. Wright also states, (2015, p. 249) that teachers should not be afraid to embrace these new technologies in the classroom. Technology is changing at a rapid pace. It opens doors to so many opportunities. Most students are comfortable and familiar with using technology. As teachers it is important to utilize all of the tools available.
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Hey girl, yeah things have gotten so much easier for teachers. They have so many tools and programs available that they can send home with the students so that they can keep learning at home if their parents do not speak English. Well even if they do speak English it will be helpful to the ELL students at home. The more help the better! The only issue with this is that the teachers have to have the relationship with the student to know that the students need this extra help at home. It's like Wright says in his book "ELLs, however experience a cultural and linguistic mismatch between the culture and language of their home and school... they are at a disadvantage when schools do not recognize, value, and incorporate these differences"(Wright Ch.1 Pg.19).
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ReplyDeleteHello Isabel,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching your video! It is interesting to hear that your interviewee used flash cards to learn English because it seems to be a common learning tool for ELLs. Both myself and my interviewee recalled using flashcards when we were learning English. Although, like your interviewee said nowadays there is a lot of technology available that could assist in learning English. Specifically, Wright(2015),gives ideas such as the use of podcasts, videos or online representation as tools to help students practice their speaking with the use of technology. These methods would also be highly engaging and motivating for students(p.175). Your interviewee mentions the obstacle of using homophones. Homophones are part of semantics, which Wright(2015) describes as " the study of the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences. Individual words have semantic features that indicate various properties or meanings inherent in the word" (p.33). Words vary in definition and use in English-making it hard to grasp for an ELL and like your interviewee said even for people who English is their first language.
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Hey, yes flashcards were big and continue to be big because students I believe learn with them faster than anything else that could be incorporated in their schooling. Now-a-days like Wright says there are "A number of ESL software programs include opportunities for students to practice speaking"(Wright Ch.7 Pg. 175). This means that the students are getting more help with technology only there is some flaws because Wright states "The use of such software is limited, however, because students do not need English to talk to computers"(Wright Ch.7 Pg. 175.) which is why I believe that flashcards could be the better fit.
DeleteYou are right, there are both disadvantages and advantages to using technology. Wright mentions several ways to increase the ELL students vocabulary. Wright(2015) states that students should use oral activities, such as teacher read-a-louds, and reading texts on their own. (p. 160) These different tactics will be helpful for differentiated learning, since students learn in many different ways.
DeleteWright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Hey there again, Yes!!! I love this sentence in his book. I believe that oral learning and teaching is the best way to go! I am not saying not to use other means of teaching but when it comes to learning a new language I believe speaking is the best way for the student to learn.
DeleteHi Isabel!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad that Martha had a good experience at her school with supportive teachers. I strongly believe that students should be encourage to still keep and use their primary language. I liked how the students weren’t looked down upon because they weren’t speaking strictly English. I believe that ELL students should be put in a comfortable environment where they can comfortably learn a new language. Thank you for sharing!
Hello Taylor, I believe that students should be able to use their primary language. Its Great that they came up with the ELL program because I believe that having students in classrooms where they are all the same (All ELLs) gives them more motivation and less Embarrassment. Students should feel comfortable in the classroom and around all their classmates. This also helps the students because they do not feel that their language is hurting them but helping"… they recognize ELL's home languages and cultures as a rich resource for helping ELL's learning English and academic content"(Wright Ch.1 Pg.2).
DeleteHello Isabel,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your video! I really enjoy Martha experience. I can relate to Martha and the process of learning English with many different tools, and flashcards with illustration. Her teacher really knew how to assess her with the transitions. Learning a new language can make it difficult at times because we can confuse some words with one another. Some words in English have multiple meanings that can sound the same but, are spell differently from one another. As for example, Homophones are the biggest struggle to ELL students when they are learning English “Homophones the study of the meaning of words, phrases, and sentences” (Wright, 2015, pg. 33). I know I had trouble learning Homophones and the correct way to use it. It definitely took a lot of time and practice to understand the correct way that homophones can be used. Having teachers that help students that struggle with the transition from one language to another will be very helpful to help the students with homophones. Amazing video Isabel thank you once again.
Hey Luz, I believe that all ELL students and general ed students have a difficult time with their language development. It's hard to learn the English language because of all the difficult mumbo jumbo. Teachers need to find new ways to teach it. Its like Wright states in his book "...Teachers can move beyond traditional approaches and develop their own principle approach grounded in an understanding of language and language development (Wright Ch.3 Pg. 48).
DeleteHello Isabel! Thank you for sharing your interview with us! It was very interesting to watch your video and hear Martha’s story! Wright (2015) says that students who have parents that do not speak English at home may face additional difficulties in their learning (pg. 15). Martha mentions that she did face this difficulty in her childhood. It was interesting to hear her take on this obstacle that people learning the language face! I like the ideas that Martha brought up about all the new ways that students who are trying to learn English have access to many different resources now. Do you think this makes learning English easier than it was before?
ReplyDeleteHey Alyssa, to answer your question I believe that the new tools, strategies and programs that are in place to help the students learn English are making it easier for the students. But just like this is beneficial there are some things that do not help the students. Like Wright states in his book "The use of such software is limited, however, because students do not need English to talk to computers"(Wright Ch.7 Pg. 175.)
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