WEEK 9: MAINSTREAMING ESL WITHOUT PULL OUT

Mainstreaming ESL students with pull-out classes or without pull-out classes?

  I tend to favor mainstreamng ESL students with pull out classes because it allows for the student to work in a smaller setting with a qualified teacher who has knowledge of working with students of this population. An ESL teacher is most likely to increase the student's chances of success with the second language.  They are able to implement strategies to meet the unique needs of these students.  In addition, the students get the opportunity to practice and develop the oral and grammar skills needed to become proficient in the new language.
      Whereas, if you stick a student in a mainstream class with a less qualified teacher who lacks the training to work with this population of students, it takes longer for this student to learn the new language.  The only way I see this working is if the classroom teacher is in constant communication with the ESL teacher and they collaborate on lesson plans and strategies for the student.  I believe that when classroom teachers build that solid back and forth support with the ESL teacher, it improves the ELLs chances of becoming proficient in the new language.

WEEK 8: BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

 

                                  BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

   The history of bilingual education in South Africa has been a point of contention amongst its' people since the time of the apartheid.  Therefore, it is important to recount the political and social climate of this country during the apartheid.  During the apartheid of 1948, South Africa was ruled by white minority and racial discrimination was institutionalized.  Only two languages ( Afrikaans and English) were recognized as the official languages of South Africa.  School instruction was carried out in English for White South Africans and black minorities were taught in Afrikaans.  It was believed that this educational structure sought to marginalized black minorities and keep them from learning English, the international language of success and social mobility.  Black minorities believed that instructing them in Afrikaans (the rural dialect) was all part of a greater conspiracy to keep blacks in poverty and minimizing their access to English, which was considered the language of power.
     When South Africa became a democratic country in 1994, the government changed the two-language policy that favored white minority.  It passed language policy laws that recognized 11 official languages in South Africa: English, Afrikaans, Isizulu, Sesotho, Sepedi, Isixhosa, Setswana, Isinedebele, Xitsonga, Siswati and Tshivenda.  The premise of this law was to promote multilingualism and diversity in South Africa.  According to the language in Education policy of 1997, parents were given the rights to choose the language their children would be taught in.  In addition, the schools were obligated to promote multilingualism.  In lieu of this law, the department of Education promoted additive bilingualism and the use of a student's native language as the language of teaching and learning in the early grades.
     Despite these laws, schools have not had success with their bilingual programs.  The majority of parents are not on board with bilingual education and have chosen not to have their students instructed in their native language.  They believe that instruction in English from early as possible is the best way to for their children to become English proficient.  They do not trust the school system and believe that teaching students in their native tongue will only lessen their chances of a better life.  They choose English as the language of learning and teaching.  Yet, the academic performance of these students have been less than favorable.  These students are failing to develop their literacy skills.  Linguists and educators have tried to convince these parents (to no avail) of the benefits of a bilingual education in acquiring the new language.  Using studies to demonstrate how students who are literate in their native tongue have an easier time becoming proficient in the target language.  Despite these findings, parents continue to frown upon bilingual education, opting to place their children in English only classes.

WEEK 7: THE FUTURE OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION

     We are living in a world where technological advances define what we do and how we live our lives.  This applies in all aspects of our lives, from how we perform our job duties ( by recording and applying data using technology) to how we spend our free time ( by spending countless hours surfing the net or being on social media).  Therefore, one can only imagine that in another 20 years educational programs will be overhauled or replaced by these technological advances.  Students will no longer have to sit in classrooms.  Instead, they will receive their education in virtual classrooms from virtual teachers.  This will facilitate language acquisition for students learning another language because they will be able to do more than just learn about the targeted language from a teacher.  They will be able to engage with other students using the targeted language. Through the use of different apps, students will learn and collaborate with peers from around the world.  For example, the student's virtual classroom would be linked with other classes from around the world.  A student learning to speak Spanish can practice speaking Spanish with students from Mexico by way of video conferencing.  I think this would increase student motivation significantly because it would make learning more meaningful for the students and allow them to receive immediate feedback from their peers. 
     In my opinion, language acquisition in the 21st century would be much more effective because of the use of technology.  If you think about it, the students would have countless amounts of online resources at their fingertips.  Technology would allow also the instruction and assessments to be differentiated more effectively according to the students' needs and abilities.  For instance, an app that detects the student's behavioral traits would then customize instruction, activities and assessments to the student's learning styles.  Ultimately, improving the student's motivation and academic achievement.

WEEK 7: OBAMA's SPEECH ON BILINGUALISM

Share your reflection on President Barack Obama speech on Bilingualism pg119

I totally agree with Obama that learning is a foreign language is a powerful tool.  It is a marketable skill that employers are seeking in the 21st century.  We are living in a global economy where international businesses bring in lots of revenues and keeps our economy robust.  In order to do business with people from around the world and understand their culture, we must speak their language.  Hence, employers seek individuals who are bilingual in order to improve business relationships and seal business deals that will be profitable to their companies.                                 The United States is a melting pot of different races and cultures.  It is an advantage to learn more than one language because it enables our interaction with people of other races to be more successful and productive.  In addition, it allows us to gain a better understanding of our own culture.

WEEK 6: CHAPTER REFLECTION

This chapter gave me a lot of insight on how young children acquire a second language.  I was surprised to learn that it starts from birth.  Babies are biologically capable of learning two or more languages.  In addition, for those children who learn a second language very early on (e.g when they are 1yr old) it gives them an advantage over monolinguals because they can learn new words faster.  In this chapter, it states that early bilinguals have the ability to codeswitch as early as two years old.  I can relate to this, as it is something that I have seen in my own family.  For instance, my 3 year old nephew who is speaks both English and Spanish, is able to differentiate with whom to speak each language with.  He communicates in English with his parents who speak mainly English at home.  Yet, he uses Spanish to communicate with his grandfather, who only speaks Spanish.  Hence, this supports what the book states, that from a very early age, children are able to differentiate which social setting and with which person to use each language with.
   I interviewed a 36 year old mother who arrived to the United States 3 years old with her daughter.  She hails from Mexico and her native language is Spanish.  She states that her 8 year old daughter is learning the English language at a faster pace than her.  The mother struggles the most with her pronunciation of words in English and has become self-conscious about her accent.  She admits that she does not practice speaking English as much as she should.  Her daughter who is eight years old is less shy about those things and will often help her mother by correcting her when she mis pronounces words.
     I think the differences in mother and daughter's English acquisition is due to age and motivation.  Her daughter is learning at a faster pace because her brain has more elasticity than the brain of an adult.  So it becomes more natural for the child to learn the new language.  Children and adults use different parts of the brain to process language. Children process language in a part of the brain involved in processes  that are not consciously thought of, where for adults they process language in a part of the brain where they think more consciously. This would explain why the mother feels embarrassed and self-conscious of her accent.  I also think that the daughter is also placed in more situations where she is forced to practice her English skills, while the mother who does not work, may not be able to socialize or interact with people who speak English.  The mother may only interact with people who only speak Spanish.  The daughter is also more motivated to speak the new language as she may need it to communicate in school or to make friends or play in the playground.

WEEK 5: ACADEMIC IGNORANCE AND BLACK INTELLIGENCE

Week 5: Academic Ignorance and Black Intelligence

 

This chapter was very interesting.  It is sad to read about how minorities continue to be discriminated for being different from the standard American culture.  People of different backgrounds embody the characteristics of their own culture.  Language and dialect is a big part of culture.  When teachers judge students' intellectual abilities based on the vernacular language used by members of a particular group, the assessment is unfair and inaccurate. Teachers are wrong to think that students who do not speak the standard English are less intelligent than those that do.
    There are many people who speak perfect English and still struggle with academics.  Hence, standard English may be necessary, but it is not enough to guarantee academic achievement.  We should not condemn students who do not speak the standard English.  Teachers should be trained to work with the language that students bring to the classroom and use it as a way to connect with the students and engage the student during the learning process. As far as the low achievement rates of inner city students, the focus should not be heavily placed on the students language.  Instead, we should focus our attention on the real factors that negatively affect learning for these children.  These factors include overcrowded classrooms, and lack of funding and resources in these schools.

WEEK 5: RESEARCH PRESENTATION

Click on the link below to view my presentation on the effectiveness of bilingual education in the elementary grades K-5.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ehqn43qnbsil3re/2Bilingual%20Ed%20Elementary%20Gradesxxx.mp4?dl=0