Hello,
Today I had the opportunity to interview Sara Gil who's primary language is Spanish and learned English as a secondary language she is considered a ELL. To see more of our interview please click on the link below.
https://youtu.be/7-GAHr_yllI
Reflection:
Sara, was introduced into the English language when she initiated elementary school. She was placed in an ESL program to help her transition form her primary Spanish language to English. Just like many ELL students out there her transition was not easy. She faced some challenges with pronunciation and at times spelling, she shared with me that at time she would be embarrassed about her accent because some words in English were difficult to pronounce correctly. As Wright states in his book that English speaking children knows about 6,000 words by the end of grade 2, yet ELLs only have about 2,000 words (Wright, 2015, pg. 35). ELLs have a major gap to fulfill compare to their peers. I believe that Sara would sometimes feel she need a little more practice to communicate properly and to speak with the proper words to be understood. She also stated that her teachers were very patient and took the time to teach them in various ways such as visuals, charts, songs to reinforce English. It definitely required her to practice more outside of school to get her to where she is now. She now use English more than Spanish, but has not forgotten about her primary language, it is important to embrace bilingualism, English is the dominant language in the United States but our founding fathers embraced the diversity (Wright, 2015. pg. 68). Sara keeps using Spanish daily, she even helps translate documents and is able at the same time to communicate in English, thanks to the educators that took their time to teach her with the different learning skills.
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Hello Rubi,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed watching your interview very much. Sara mentioned that one of her difficulties when learning English was with pronunciation. This is common with a lot of English Language Learners. According to Wright, (2015, p.31) student difficulties in pronunciation often have to do with the fact that some English phonemes may not exist in a student’s home language, and vice versa. Knowledge in phonology helps teachers understand issues related to pronunciation, accents, and regional varieties of English. It is important for teachers to be aware of that especially during oral language assessments. As future educators it is important to be aware of the potential struggles that our ELL students may face. It is important to provide them access to all of the tools to the best of our abilities. I think technology is a great tool to help with pronunciation. Students can be exposed to interactive games and videos. What do you think are some effective ways to help students with pronunciation difficulties? Thank you for sharing your video!
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing.
Hello Yerali,
DeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts with me, I believe that a constant practice of the terminology that students feel are difficult should be practice often if not daily. By doing this the student will master pronunciation and feel comfortable the next time they use the term. As the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect", I truly believe this will help all the ELLs master English. Interactive Games and video as you mention are also a great way to master the language. See you in Blog 3!
Hi Rubi!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your interview with Sara. It isn't unusual for English Language Learners to run into challenges with pronunciation. According to Wright (2015), an accent is usually a result of small differences in phonology between English and their native language (pg. 31). This is very important to understand as a teacher and help students to feel comfortable about. It usually helps English Language Learners to adapt and try to speak English if they feel comfortable and know they aren't the only ones who struggle with pronunciation. To know that English Language Learners are way behind than their peers adds more pressure on them and as Wright mentions, it is the teacher's responsibility to understand these obstacles and do our best to best assist them. Spanish is the number one language spoken by English Language Learners (Wright, 2015, pg. 11). It is so great to see the motivation Sara has to keep using her Spanish but also go through her journey learning English head on and being optimistic about it. It is very inspiring. Support is the number one thing that I will always advocate for because it is stories like Sara's that make what we do so much more worthy. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Hello Farah! I completely agree that it is extremely important for students to not feel shy and uncomfortable in a classroom. It is the teachers job to make the student feel comfortable enough to speak and answer questions. If students do not feel safe and comfortable in an environment I feel as if it can hinder their learning experience.
DeleteHello Farah,
DeleteI want to thank you for watching my interview with Sara, I agree with the author that teachers should take responsibility to help their ELL students who may find themselves having difficulty with pronunciation and accents. I believe that ELL students should also invest extra time in practicing with other classmates to practice, by doing this they will master pronunciation and be more clear when communicating with others. Sara had support from her teachers and sibling which has helped her until now. As future educators we must learn from all these interview so we are able to help all our future ELL students. See you in Blog 3, Farah!
Emily Staska,
DeleteYes, it is a teachers duty to help bring out the best out of their students, especially those that want to learn and improve. Creating a comfortable environment where fear or shame is set aside can greatly help their students. Teachers can really impact their lives when they are fully invested in their student’s success.
Hello, Rubi. Thank you for sharing your interview with Sara with us. As a former ELL myself, I can empathize with the struggles Sara had. As a child, especially as an upper elementary and middle school student, I always feared that my English was inadequate compared to my peers. I hated speaking in front of my class, however, I wish I could have taken advantage of the opportunities I had to practice my English. At the same time, I regret not going out of my way to retain my first language, Vietnamese. Similarly to Sara, my mother tongue is no longer my dominant language, English is. Did Sara ever learn Spanish formally? In addition to speaking Vietnamese to my parents at home, I also attended Vietnamese classes on Sundays at my local church. Under the U.S. Constitution, language-minority communities are able to offer heritage language programs after school and on weekends to children and adults alike in order to maintain their home language (Wright, 2010, p. 72).
ReplyDeleteHello Thanh,
DeleteYes, being an ELL is not an easy road to be in, there are many struggles that you are faced with and being ashamed of speaking especially in front of a class must be really hard. You and many other ELL students are faced with that challenge at their schools. Having to speak and write essays can be challenging and scary. This is where teachers must bring their knowledge and experience to help their students through these difficult times and help them progress and become confident when communicating. Even though Sara uses English more now she has not forgotten the Spanish language and keeps using it daily with her parents and other family members. Just like you, Church has also helped her retain her language and embrace her primary tongue. See you in Blog 3, Thanh!
Hey, Rubi! I’m glad to hear that Sara had family and a community that helped her retain her first language. It was always important for my parents and me to be involved in the Vietnamese community even after moving to the United States of America and keep our culture and language intact.
DeleteHi Rubi! When watching your interview with Sara, I realized that there was a similarity in the way that instructional content was presented between her answers and my interviewees. The person I Interviewed whose first language was also Spanish told me that she remembered there being a lot of pictures used. Sara stated that pronunciation was one of her biggest struggles. “Student difficulties in pronunciation often have to do with the fact that some English phonemes many not exist (or may vary slightly) in a student’s home language.” (Wright, 2010, p.31). As educators, we must have knowledge of phonology to better understand issues related to pronunciation and accents (Wright, 2010, p.31). Thank you for sharing your video with us.
ReplyDeleteHello Daijah,
DeleteThank you for stopping by and watching our interview, yes a lot of ELL students are visual learners and teacher use these great tools to educate them. In this form they are able to help them retain the information better. Charts, drawings, and colorful images can make a great difference when teaching ELL students. Also learning songs in English can help them pronounce better. As future educators we must relate to our ELLs and their needs, see you in Blog 3, Daijah!
As I continued to watch more of our classmates interviews, I kept seeing the same connection in visual learning. That goes along with your statement about many ELL students being visual learners. I also think that using charts and drawing help students make connections between their native language and their second language.
DeleteRubi, Thank you for your blog! I enjoyed your interview! It is unfortunate and seemingly a common theme for English Language Learners to feel embarrassed or afraid to speak aloud for fear of mispronouncing a word. It is our job as educators to educate ourselves about the student’s native language to prepare for challenges and to also create an accepting and supportive environment. Spelling is definitely a challenge for English Language Learners. Wright (2015) says that “English words today are not spelled the way they sound” (p.36). This can be especially confusing for student whose native language has a strong connection to spelling and pronunciation, like Spanish or French. Thank goodness Sara’s teachers were patient with her and used visuals and other resources to help her learn.
ReplyDeleteWright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing