Levine and McCloskey
How do teachers connect to the homes and families of their students?
Chapter 3, Pages 45-49
This section talks about the benefits of parent involvement in schools and the existing challenges that prevent parents, especially the parents of English Language Learners, from being able to become fully involved in their childrens’ education. According to the text, there are studies that show that low income students experience a rise in grades, as well as an increase in the expectations that their teachers have for them, when their parents are participating in the school community. Despite the vast benefits to parent involvement, there are still many educators and administrators who don’t prioritize involving parents, making little to no effort to include parents who are unable to involve themselves in the traditional manner. This is a significant barrier to achievement for students with backgrounds of low income and ELL students. As the next generation of teachers, it is important for us to drive change and engage with the parents and guardians of our students so that we create an inclusive environment.
In particular, what stood out to me was the suggestions of keeping parents updated of their student’s individual success stories through e-mail and sending out newsletters, in multiple languages, detailing what the classroom is up to. As a former ELL student myself, one of my family’s biggest struggles was our vastly different schooling and work schedules inhibiting communication. My mom worked night shifts and my dad worked very long hours. If my teachers wanted to connect through the traditional format of a phone call, it meant that either my mom’s sleep or my dad’s work were interrupted. The widespread use of e-mail as a communication tool allowed my parents to be involved with my education in a way that was more comfortable and open for them. Additionally, translated newsletters allowed my parents to read the news without my brother or me assisting them. Making involvement as easy as possible increases parent participation and makes the school a more welcoming environment.
One suggestion that I would alter is the suggestion of inviting parents to come volunteer in the classroom. While I do agree with inviting them into the classroom to volunteer, I think it’s important to make sure that you’re offering parents an alternative way of getting involved that doesn’t involve physically being in the classroom. In my personal experience, my parents and the parents of my other ELL friends were often unable to make it to class because of work conflicts or a feeling of embarrassment at their lack of English ability. They still wanted to participate and be involved, but there were no other options for them to be included. In my future classroom, I hope to be able to include the parents of my students in ways that are more flexible and accessible. If we’re learning about a student’s culture and their parent is interested in teaching a lesson but can’t physically come in, we could host a video call or play a prerecorded video. If a parent is uncomfortable being on video, they can just provide suggestions or resources. If we have parents with a legitimate interest in participating in our classrooms, we should take every opportunity to engage with them.
Organize the Physical Environment to Promote Language Learning
Chapter 4, Pages 58-61
This section discusses how the physical environment of the classroom has a significant impact on the learning that occurs within it. The text takes the time to differentiate between public areas and private spaces: public areas are those areas which all students share, like the chalk/white board and bulletin boards, while private spaces are spaces where students can feel comfort and at ease in a personal space. The way which the teacher chooses to utilize and treat those spaces can completely alter the energy and flow of a classroom. I found this portion of the chapter very interesting and chose to focus on it because it was my first exposure to this mindset—I had never thought too deeply about the setup of a classroom, even as a student who would spend countless hours in the classroom. Starting with seventh grade in junior high, the classrooms I spent my days in tended to be uniform in appearance, only occasionally changing when my class engaged in a special project like a socratic seminar. As I reflect now, I realize that it is also around this time when classrooms no longer felt like a home away from home.
One way in which I wish the textbook expanded on this topic would be that I wish it offered more information on how to give students those private spaces when students spend less than an hour in the classroom and share the desk with several other students throughout the day. The strategies mentioned by the textbook of allowing students to have personal items for comfort, just like teachers have personal items at their desks, works well for elementary schools where students stay in one classroom for the majority of the day. However, as mentioned previously, most middle schools tend to deviate away from this and many students will share the same desk throughout the day. Aside from the attachment most people get from sitting at the same desk everyday, what can teachers do to make students feel more comfortable and in control in their private spaces?
I also would have enjoyed the textbook offering more information on how to cultivate a comfortable collaborative space. While chalk/white boards are seen as the ultimate collaborative space, they don’t seem to offer much in terms of actual collaboration between students. In my experience as a student, going up to the whiteboard meant more anxiety as I struggled to write with the whole class watching. When I think of collaboration, I think of the “u tables” where students sit in a half-circle around the teacher and have a guided discussion. While this can still be nerve wracking, it does give students the opportunity to work through their thoughts with a significantly smaller audience and the guidance of their teacher. These tables are a public area of the classroom where anyone can sit, yet they seem to bring about discussion and collaboration like no other. They are a comfortable public place, one that I really hope to utilize in my future classroom.
Teacher Tools for Oral Language Development
Chapter 5, Pages 97-105
This section discusses various tools that teachers can use in order to aid with oral language development. I thought it was very useful to have it laid out like this, as the concepts seem to build on each other and the text provides very clear explanations for each strategy. Additionally, the examples showing both oral and written strategies helped me considerably when constructing my portfolio.
One of the strategies that I know I am going to have to do a lot of work on in order to correctly implement it is giving students ample wait time to respond to a prompt. I am the kind of person who really dislikes silence and will be the first to speak in order to fill it. Giving students enough time to first process the question and then formulate a response is critical to having good classroom discussion, and is a critical component of all of the other strategies that the text discusses. If the teacher is just feeding students the correct answer, it does not allow students to use their critical thinking skills and they are not truly learning the content. Providing wait time, as well as repeating, recasting, reformulating, and prompting are important steps that contribute to having a productive conversation from which students, particularly students who are English Language Learners, can process and learn.
This chapter connected well with much of the content that we have learned in this course, as well as the content that I have been learning in TCH 248 this semester. Oral language skills are what all other skills are built off of, and providing students with opportunities to build on and strengthen their oral language skills will in turn strengthen their reading and writing skills. This chapter proved the importance of all content teachers working together to ensure ELL student success because all content areas have opportunities for ELL to strengthen their English abilities. The strategies discussed in this chapter can be used in all areas with little or no need for adaptation, like graphic organizers and word walls. These strategies require little work to implement, but make the lives of ELLs easier while improving their learning and work.
Assessment
Chapter 11, Pages 266-272
This chapter was particularly relevant to me because assessments and their effectiveness has always been a topic of interest to me. As a student, I never put much thought into the mechanics surrounding an assessment. I knew that I preferred multiple-choice tests over short or long response questions, and that I dreaded taking the annual state standardized test, but their presence and impact on my grade and overall well being was never something I contemplated. This chapter was incredibly interesting because it explained the many sides of what it takes to be a good, well-rounded assessment.
Choosing the kind of assessment to give was the first section to surprise me. Whenever I picture an assessment, I always picture the standard test where one is given a set amount of time to answer a set amount of questions. Seeing that an assessment can be given over multiple days or weeks and can include a variety of different factors completely changed my mindset on what a lesson plan or unit must include. If assessments can be used to track a student’s progress over a larger amount of time, we will be better able to supplement their education where needed and give them a holistic assessment. Additionally, if all students are showing less understanding in some areas compared to others, then the teacher can adjust their lesson plans to serve their future students better.
I also found the section discussing the fundamental principles to be very fascinating. Learning about how assessments can often be ‘double-dipping’ in that they are first testing ELLs on their English vocabulary and reading comprehension, then testing the student on their understanding of the content, hit very close to home. I went through this myself; I remember crying in third grade when I didn’t know what a question was asking me, let alone what the answer was. It’s important to me that I never give an assessment that students cry over, and the many suggestions that the text provides for alternatives have been a great resource. In particular, I like the idea of putting together portfolios because that gives students a more concrete feeling of being in charge of the outcome of their grade. Students who feel like they have actual control over their learning feel empowered, and empowered students will feel more connected to their education. School should not just be somewhere where students come to listen and occasionally take a test, they should be active participants in the process. By rethinking the necessity of standard assessments, schools can focus on teaching content instead of teaching to a test.