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!