Language- Chapter 6

Reflection:
In my teaching career, I have working with a handful of English Language Learning families; mostly families who have children with a learning disability. During this chapter on Language, I was surprised at how many different languages, accents, and dialogues our nation has. In my district alone, there are 47 different languages. Trying to provide a quality educational program from these students is the goal of my school district, but it can sometimes be difficult. When I was interviewing one of my school's ELL teachers, I was surprised at the number of programs and assistance that we provide our ELL students and families. For my project, I illustrated the pros and cons of each of the programs available in my district. I learned the various levels that ELL students need to master before proceeding to the next level. Beginning this chapter, I had a little knowledge of the programs available for ELL students, but I didn't know the complete process. My school has a high ELL population, so understanding the levels is very important.

My Project:

School Programs for English Language Learning Students

            The goal for most schools is to provide all students with a high quality educational program that will allow them to be successful in the future. When students from different language backgrounds enroll in my school district, the students are given a State English Language Proficiency Assessment to ensure that students are placed in programs to provide additional help in developing English skills necessary to be successful in school. My school uses a combination of instructional methods to assist students with developing English language proficiency and academic achievement. The programs available to students learning English are optional, and families can exit their child from the programs at any time. The programs range from traditional pull-out, push-in, direct, specialized instruction, collaborative teaching, and newcomer programs.

First, the traditional pull-out programs allow the students to be placed in small group classrooms according to their language level. Teachers are taking students out of the classroom during an intervention block to teach students by using supplemental material similar to the core material presented in their classroom.  The pro of pulling students out into a small group is that it allows students to learn with peers at their level. Students can gain confidence learning English with a group that is similar to their ability. The con of pulling students into a skills group is that students from different grade levels can be placed in the same group. This can affect the confidence of the older students in the same class. I have directly witnessed students at the middle school level have severe behavior problems due to the fact that they were in a class with students two years younger than them.

Second, the push-in program allows students to be fully immersed into the general education curriculum. The pro for this program is that it allows students to be exposed to language modeling, social modeling, and academic instruction in English with the support of the teacher or paraprofessional. The con for this program is that students can get overwhelmed with the academic and social demands in a general education setting. This can be detrimental for the student’s confidence and love for learning.

Third, the sheltered instruction (specialized instruction) approach allows students to gain English proficiency by learning content in an all-English setting. Instruction would be adapted to the students’ proficiency level and supplemented by additional content, strategies, and interaction. The pro for this setting is that students will learn English at their pace in order to gain proficiency with the English language and academically. The con for this setting is that students will not be mainstreamed, which inhibits them from learning social and language skills from their peers.

Fourth, the collaborative teaching allows students to be in the general education setting while working with an additional, specialized teacher. The teacher uses multiple teaching strategies and modify curriculum to fit the needs to the students. The pro for collaborative teaching is that students remain in the general education setting, where language and social modeling is taking place. Another pro is that a teacher who has specialized in working with English Language Learning students is in the classroom modifying curriculum and teaching using additional strategies. The con is that teachers need to learn how to collaborate with each other and have a strong, teaching relationship; or the idea of collaborative teaching loses its effectiveness. It takes time and effort to build strong, teaching relationships.

Finally, the newcomer program concentrates on the basics of developing language skills both speaking and listening. When students enter the United States, the first program is the newcomer program. Instruction is conducted in English and focuses on reading, writing, vocabulary, speaking, and listening. Instruction, also includes, learning social skills needed in the classroom setting as well as in the community. The pro for this program is that students are introduced to the English language while learning basic rules for functioning within the school. This program allows students to learn the basics of English in order to communicate with classmates and teachers once mainstreamed into the school setting. The con for this program is that students are only in the program for a few months. Unfortunately, students have only learned little of the English language, which makes it difficult interacting with classmates and teachers. Some students feel uncomfortable and lost within the school.

My school district strives to make the learning environment meaningful and safe for all students. Using a combination of instructional models, English Language Learning students can be successful in the school setting. As I illustrated the pros and cons for each program, I feel that my district does a nice job transitioning students into their appropriate, academic settings. Interpreters are hired to ensure that parents fully understand their rights as parents and how their child is being educated. Students are monitored frequently to keep advancing them into programs until they are fully mainstreamed into the general education setting. I would like to see students in the newcomer program for a longer duration to help with establishing acceptable behaviors and learning social norms. I believe that this would help with a stronger, smoother transition into the school setting. Overall, these programs are designed for the students and accommodation to their unique learning needs.