http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/english-language-learners-failed-by-system/
I love reading articles about news in education and this article struck me for a few reasons. I am very interested in the subject of teaching English as a second language in public schools. It seems like schools have a difficult time making these programs successful. It is hard to know how much time each day these students should spend in the ELL and how much time they should spend being integrated into the mainstream classes. I am also interested because I will be moving to southern California to teach in just over a year and I will most likely be faced with having students in my classroom who do not speak very much English. I want to know how best to teach them. What I do not like in this article is that I do not feel that it taught me anything important. It explains that the programs in NY and LA will be reformed according to some master plan, but what is the point of reading this article if the writer is not going to explain to me what this master plan is? I want to know exactly how the programs in these schools is going to be improved.
I'm interested in this as well. There are several ELL students in the three classes I observe in my practicum, and I'm curious as to whether they have ELL classes or whether they are completely mainstreamed. I'm going to need to ask my co-op about that. I'm also reading a book for my language & learning class right now called "An Island of English: Teaching ESL in Chinatown," and it's providing some really interesting insight. Thanks for the link! :)
ReplyDeleteAs a former (and continuing) ELL student, I'd like to say that the most important things to be aware as a teacher is to recognize (1) that students are capable to learn, even though they may seem to be rejecting to learn/acquire English, and (2) that we, as their mentors, should get interested in their culture. Besides, whenever possible, we must relate our teaching to their needs and interests.
ReplyDelete-Luis