Entry 4: Reflection

Throughout this course I have found that my perspective of teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) has changed. At the start of this semester, I was under the impression that working with ELLs and having them in my classroom would not be a challenge. Now, I realize that teaching students that are learning an additional language can be an overwhelming obstacle of its own. I’ve learned that every student is different, and as a result, have their own individual needs in order to be successful. Now, I feel that I am more knowledgeable and aware of how to adequately accommodate to the needs of my ELL students in order to help them learn and reach their fullest potential.

I believe that this course will impact my practice as a teacher in the sense that I will be more aware of the needs of my students. I realize the importance of understanding that all of my students are unique, and that it is essential to meets their specific needs in order for them to have the most quality learning experience possible. I will be more considerate of my students in inclusive classrooms, as they may feel they are struggling and want to be at the level of the other students. Last, it is extremely important to give emotional support and encouragement as I facilitate in the classroom. In addition, I believe the course will help me pay attention to small details in the future. For example, it may be helpful to my students if I include visuals, or allow them to work in partners. These small details can make all the difference to an ELL. Overall, I feel that I have become more aware of the various ways I can help my students learn.  

            Throughout this course, some topics received more attention and emphasis than others. Personally, I felt as though there could have been less emphasis on the blog entries. It was helpful to receive feedback from peers, but often the requirements (such as the amount of comments/responses per entry) made the blog entries feel very overwhelming. To the point that I was no longer focused on learning the material, but instead, trying to stretch out my thoughts to fulfill the requirements. On the other hand, I would have appreciated more attention being put towards preparing for tests. As the tests cover multiple chapters, with a great amount of information, I would have found some sort of study guide to be helpful.

            Overall, I believe this course has impacted my teaching philosophy in a positive way. I have always found myself to see a great deal of importance on ensuring my students build character and strive to become an overall better human being. As I’ve taken away so much information from this course, I believe I can use it to help my students improve and become the best individual they allow themselves to be. I understand that learning a second language, as well as teaching students that are learning a second language, can come with its own set of obstacles and challenges. However, I strongly believe that with enough patience, effort, and persistence, my students will find success and a love for learning.

Entry 3: Interview with an ELL Teacher

For this entry, I interviewed Stephanie Gomez, an Eighth Grade Science teacher from Lewis Middle School (Aldine ISD). Ms. Gomez enjoys working with her ELL students, as she loves to serve as a strong support system for them. She does her best to push them to their fullest potential and constantly encourages them to always strive for better. She admits that often her ELL students face challenges through reading comprehension. Her students are able to verbally communicate their understanding of a specific topic, however, they may struggle to read about that same topic when taking a test. In addition, it is a challenge for her to work with students on such a wide range of levels. She explains that it can be difficult to meet all of their specific needs. She finds that scaffolding has served as an essential and helpful strategy in her classroom. Building on the students’ prior knowledge and breaking concepts down has helped her appeal to their different levels. Wright defines scaffolding as, “evoking a construction metaphor, where scaffolding is temporarily used to build something and removes once the building is completed” (2015, pg. 57). In addition, she implements a set routine in her classroom. Every day the students walk into her classroom and complete a warm-up that allows them to work on vocabulary and major concepts in a variety of ways. For example, through peer tutoring, critical thinking, etc. Wright wrote, “Indeed, vocabulary should be one of the main components of daily ESL instruction, with further development through sheltered content-area instruction” (2015, pg. 160). It is evident Ms. Gomez enjoys working with her ELL students and is focused on helping them reach their goals. 

Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.

Check out the interview here! 

Entry 2: Interview with an ELL Student

For this entry I interviewed my mother, Norma Gomez. My mother was born in Mexico and moved to the United States of America with her family when she was only two months old. I learned that she found the transition to be difficult as she did not have much help and guidance at home. At the time, she only knew how to speak Spanish, and she was thrown into an environment where she had to learn how to communicate in order to get by. Not one single person at home spoke English, only Spanish. Not only did she have little assistance at home, but there was also minimal assistance at school. When my mother was in school, the teachers had a very hands-off approach. The did not do much to incorporate helpful strategies into the classroom or their lessons. Instead, they would simply pair her with a student that was a fluent English speaker. They would also tell her to refrain from speaking Spanish in the classroom. According to Wright, “When teachers look only at English, or only at standard English, they render the students’ other languages invisible and deny the students the opportunity to use their languages as resources” (2015, pg. 39). My mother became a fluent English speaker around the age of 7. She does not credit her parents, her siblings, or her teachers for becoming a fluent English speaker. She credits learning English to her peers and her environment. Wright wrote, “Sociologists today view language as holistic, dynamic social practice or discourse, and they look at the ways that people use language to make meaning in context” (2015, pg. 37). Learning a new language goes beyond academics, it’s about fitting into a new society. Although it was difficult learning a new language, my mother is proud of where she comes from and who she is today! 

Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.

Check out the interview here! 

Entry 1: Self-Introduction

Hello! My name is Melissa Gomez, I am a Senior at the University of Houston. My major is Teaching and Learning, specializing in 4-8 ELA. I have always loved working with children, and I am so excited to develop a career that allows them to grow as individuals! Check out my video here.