Personal Beliefs

My personal beliefs will influence the way I teach someday. After learning about ELLs, it makes me want to be able to help them learn the best way possible. Differentiation will be huge in order to make sure all of my students needs are being met. We were all pretty much immigrants at one point in time and we have to realize we need to accommodate our ELLs if we want to stay competitive worldwide. 

We have discussed in one of our classes that it shouldn't be called "achievement gap" but "opportunity gap". This is a systematic problem and not an achievement problem. Our students are not going out of their way to not pass standard tests, its external forces that are not enabling them to do so. 

Teaching ELLs is more than just good teaching. We need to learn more about how to teach effectively. When you have a serious medical issue, would you go to see a general doctor or a specialist? When going to a fancy restaurant do you want a chef or a cook to prepare your food? The same goes with teaching ELLs we need more than just good teachers, we need good teachers with specialized ESOL endorsements. 

Definition of Success

The term "language proficiency" has been defined many ways, which makes it difficult to assess language proficiency. English language proficiency is somewhat limited to oral language assessment, which can become problematic because written English is becoming increasingly important with the rise of technology.

English language proficiency is often seen as an important prerequisite to success however, the relationship between the two is more complex. Limited English proficient does not automatically mean low academic success.

Einstein did not talk until he was 3 or 4 years old and many of his teachers thought he was lazy growing up. Intelligence is not one single component, which is seen in Gardner's multiple intelligences. We have to be careful and not jump to conclusions about our students. We need to begin each year with a clean slate and not buy into the self-fulfilling prophecy.

As teachers it can become hard to define success. With No Child Left Behind, standards become enforced and we begin teaching to the test. I think a good way to help form our definition of success is to ask what do my students need to know to be productive contributing citizens.

Halle, T., Hair, E., Wandner, L., McNamara, M., Chien, N. (2012). Predictors and outcomes of early versus later english language proficiency among english language learners. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(1), 1-20.

Possible Solutions

Word walls are a great tool to implement in the classroom. Word walls are a place on the wall with vocabulary students have learned and include visuals to support the words. 

Image Retrieved from: http://www.hammond.k12.in.us/kenwoodes/wwall1.jpg

Teachers should also use multi-sensory, interactive lessons to encompass all types of learners. Inquiry based teaching can be very beneficial because it allows students to explore and come to their own understandings with guidance. 

The use of a child's home language can also be beneficial in the classroom. This can improve the social climate of the classroom. It can present learning opportunities for the ELLs and the other students as well. It can also promote respect for other cultures. 

According to Freeman & Freeman (2011), there are also many kinds of programs districts use when it comes to ELLs. There are many programs that do not work, but there are also several that do. The programs that work are Late Exit or Maintenance Programs, Enriched Immersion, and Bilingual Dual-Language education. These programs emphasize importance of first language in conjunction with acquiring English. 

Freeman, D. E, & Freeman Y.S. (2011). Between worlds: Access to second language acquisition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemenn.

Achievement Gap for ELLs- Part 1

The term achievement gap refers to any significant and persistent disparity in academic performance or educational attainment between different groups of students, such as white students and minorities. Some of the achievement gaps are standardized tests between white and Asian-American students and African American and Hispanic students. Another newly acknowledged achievement gap is between American student's test scores compared to international student's scores. (http://edglossary.org/achievement-gap/) 

What is causing the "achievement gap"?

The United States is going through a demographic shift due the ethnic and racial composition of our society changing. During the past 20 years, the proportion of Hispanic students doubled from 11 to 22%. The number of students kindergarten through twelfth grade that speak another language has tripled between 1979 and 2008.

ELL children may be at risk for low academic achievement not only due to language difficulties, but also because of various family circumstances. Some of the problems ELLs face are being in poverty and their parents having low education levels. This is a never ending cycle if we do not start education our ELLs and reducing this achievement gap. There are many factors that influence second language acquisition and those are: personality characteristics, immigrant status, SES, how developed their first language is (L1), and how different their L1 and L2 are. 

There are also many factors that affect SLA that are completely out of the students control such as, low quality schools, ineffective teaching, poor school facilities, student overcrowding, inferior resources and programs, and lower achieving or inexperienced teachers. There are so many factors that influence how our ELL and students in general can perform academically, demonstrating the need for active effort in remedying some of these problems.

Jackson, J. K., & Ash, G. (2012). Science achievement for all: Improving science performance and closing achievement gaps. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 23(7), 723-744.