Post #4 - Raising the Bar

This week, I was thinking about how teachers and schools support L2 students. Earlier this week, this article "Raising 'the Bar' For ELL Instruction" really got me thinking about how we (teachers) deliver instruction.

Earlier this year, I was teaching a group of fourth grade students at one of my elementary schools. It was a digital citizen lesson and the point I was trying to make is that it's fun to post personal information. The informal opening activity was a whole group participation activity - I would say a statement and students would stand if the statement pertained to them. The one statement I used was "Stand if a different language is spoken by someone at home". I was expecting those students who were standing to tell me that their older brother or sister was learning a language at school (like Spanish, German, or French). But what I got was something completely different. In just one class, there were at least 5 different languages: French, Spanish, Czech, Mandarin, Cambodian. And these languages were spoken by adults who live in the house. It blew me away and got me thinking - how much do I really know about different cultures and languages? And I realized that I don't know a lot. The article points out that many teachers view students through a "defecit lens". That was the first statement that resonated with me. We've been taught that as teachers we need to look for the weaknesses and work with the students on strengthening those areas. And this is a "defecit lens". What a lot of teachers don't seem to understand is that many L2 students already come to us possessing grit and growth mindset - from the circumstances and experiences that brought them to this country. The article was clear to point out that teachers need to change their approach to instruction for L2s. By slowing down our instruction, putting in visual and audio supports, using a variety of teaching modes, use the "read, think talk, and write cycle", and implement close reading strategies just to name a few. We need to take the best aspects of our teaching and blend them with strategies that can assist our L2 students. My biggest take-away from this article was for all of us to become more aware of different cultures and how we can be more aware of how we are delivering our insruction. There is so much more in this article that teachers can pull from to enhance their instruction. Check it out and let me know what you're thinking about. ¡Adios!

Post 3 - "How Does it Work?"

This seemed to be the theme for my reading this week... How does it work? There were two articles that stuck out for me this week. The first one "Lowell-Based Kids In Tech Expands STEM Opportunities" explored how a group called "Kis in Tech", a group focused on helping kids from low-income backgrounds expand their knowledge of math and science, received a large grant to expand their services for STEM week which just wrapped up this week. "Kids in Tech" was started in 2016 with a focus on ensuring that kids from low-income backgrounds have an opportunity to work and learn using STEM. The article was interesting, but it was the last paragraph that most intrigued me. Because of COVID-19, STEM week was held virtually. Students met online with experts from different tech companies - one company in particular was iRobot. Some employees from iRobot were interested in talking with and working with students who come from immigrant backgrounds since they, themselves had a similar background. And here's why the article caught my attention - recently, I completed some work on developing a STEAM Lab for one of my courses. Our ELL students benefit from more opportunities that STEM and STEAM Labs have to offer. Students collaborte, create, use critical thinking, and communication skills to work with others to solve problems. "Kids for Learning" was fortunate to have talented grant writers that were able to get them selected for the STEM Week. If we could get more companies and corporations to connect employees with immigrant or language learning backgrounds to students the impact could be huge. All students need role models, inspiration, and guides. The second article I read that had me thinking "How Does It Work?" was an article about the benefits of learning a second language. The article is called "Bilingualism Boosts the Brain". This is something that I've been thinking about for a few years. One of the schools that I work in had a Spanish Immersion program. The young students (1st - 4th grade) were not only participating with the grade-level curriculum, but they were also learning Spanish at the same time. The article surmises that people who learn a second language are engaging a separate "thinking" part of the brain that will help the brain to stay active. The article suggests that brain lapses such as dimensia or diseases of the brain such as alzheimers, can be delayed when a second language is studied and mastered. It is suggested in the article that when a new learned language is spoken, the brain works harder to select the right words - it doesn't seem to work as hard for one language. There are a lot of European, Asian, and African countries that ensure that their students speak more than one language. Our country does not have that requirement and it seems to me that if we had this requirement in our school curriculum that we would accomplish two things: 1. more global connection 2. more diverse language culture. Both of these articles had me thinking about connecting language to learning - how can we connect more people together and how can we use language learning to stimulate our brains? So... how does it work?

Post 2: Ensuring Learning Progress...

Some districts are experiencing more and more students enrolling whose primary language isn't English. There are so many considerations for these students that need to be considered when planning the learning environment. What are the "hooks" that can be used to help students acquire stronger language skills? How will students learn the "academic English" that is used in so many standardized test? What strategies can be used in the classroom to help students stay focused? How can teachers use a student's home culture to aid with their learning? What is the difference between a "correction" and a "criticism"? These topics are covered in an article I read called "Ensuring progress and knowledge retention among ESL students" by Douglas Magrath. I had a lot of take-aways from this article like using a ukele to help reinforce grammar, cultural reinforced instruction, and understanding the difference and perceptions of "correction" and "criticism". `This article is very much worth the read.

Another article I found that really excited me comes from Pittsburgh. The segment on the local news station is "Kidsburgh", which I found to be really catchy. The reporter spent time in a few schools to get an idea of what kinds of technology are being used for in person and remote learners, the different kinds of programs (I was really excited by the plant growing program) that are helping to level the playing field between those students who are at home and those students at school. Other teachers were using some of the tried and true websites, like Google Earth, and PBS Kids to connect students to learning in a different way. These teachers are reinventing ways to teach students even if the students are not able to learn in the conventional place (school) or collaborate the way that they used to (shoulder to shoulder). The article is called: Kidsburgh: Pittsburgh-Area School Districts Use Technology To Help Students Learn In New Ways.

Post 1: Supporting our English Language Learners

This week, I received numerous alerts about remote instruction and how it is impacting our English Language Learners. The learning curve is very steep - not only are they trying to understand a new spoken language, but the computer language has also become (in some cases) even more important. Teachers are left screencasting directions instead of the in-person support. The readings I've done this week indicate that students learn best when students are in the classroom and teachers can provide face to face instruction with time for facilitating. I've also been reading a lot about the tools that teachers are using to better reach their students during this time of "at home instruction". Platforms such as Zoom, Seesaw, Schoology, and Google tools are helping to bridge the gap between face to face and remote instruction. As an elementary librarian, I am always looking for ways to enhance my instruction of information literacy and foster a love of good reading. Nothing can take the place of good face to face instruction, but the tools that we're using are at least helping to make the learning more meaningful. Here's a link to an article I found very interesting.

Post 1: Read, Read, Read A Book!

One of the most important ideas that stuck out for me this week was the fact that the more we read or are read to, the more we internalize language. Conversation alone does not cement the syntax, rhythm, pace, and word selection as much as reading does. The article linked here is just one example of some of the articles I read this week in regards to the benefits of reading for language learners.