My name is Brandy Winner. I will be graduating from the University of Houston in December, 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Teaching and Learning. I will become certified to teach early childhood through sixth grade. I hope to teach in the younger grades of elementary school. I live and plan to work in Fort Bend County which is a very diverse county. Fort Bend County is home to families that speak many different languages. I know that I will be using what I learn in this class, Second Language Methodology, in my future classroom.
My future classroom will incorporate many strategies and tools that we are learning about. We will celebrate diversity in my class and learn from each other. I will provide visuals and labels in my lessons and around the classroom to help all of my students learn new vocabulary. I think that language is best learned when given lots of opportunities to use their new words. Cooperative learning is something I will promote in my classroom so that students can interact and learn from their peers. When using cooperative learning, “The students have to talk and listen to each other to get the job done. ELLs may feel more comfortable (ie., have a lower affective filter) speaking with their peers in the small group than being called on to speak in front of the whole class.” (Wright, 2019, p.181). In my future classroom, I will also use Think, Pair, Share when we are working as a whole group during carpet time and this will provide an opportunity for students to have time to think about their answer and listen to another student before being their volunteer to answer. According to Wright, “Think-Pair-Share engages students in paired conversations and provides built-in wait time in a low-risk environment.” (p. 182). I will use technology and any tools that I can to help my students be successful. I want each of my students to be able to communicate and feel safe and valued.
Wright, W.E. (2019). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (3rd edition). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing. Print.
Brandy, I believe your cooperative learning will help your students especially if they are ELLs. Students learn more from their peers and examples than by just one person, the teacher, saying it. especially if another student is fluent in their language there could be an amazing friendship about to begin! I also believe that think, pair, share is an amazing strategy regardless of which grade you are doing, i will also be using it with my 8th graders. I also believe that communication is essential for all kinds of learning, as well as interactive learning, whether it be adding technology in or moving them to carpet time for a whole group discussion, this will really get your students engaged! Bye, Yaneli.
ReplyDeleteThank for your response Ms. Zamora! I agree that students do an amazing job of teaching their peers. I think that giving students the opportunities to work with others is a wonderful strategy for learning and also developing and working on social skills. Communication is definitely essential in learning and especially in interactive learning. I will try to make sure that my students feel safe to explore new vocabulary and express themselves comfortably.
DeleteBrandy, what a neat experience to be able to do school alongside your children. Kudos to you on juggling school and family life!
ReplyDeleteYou have effective strategies lined up for your future classroom (cooperative learning, think-pair-share, leveraging technology), and your ELLs will really benefit from those. Cheers, Grace
Thank you for your comment and encouragement!! Juggling is exactly what I feel I do sometimes! I am excited to take what I learn in this class and help my current students in my student teaching experience. I also look forward to using these strategies and experiences in my future classroom to help all of my students.
DeleteHi Brandy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story. I am happy to see that you have multiple people in your life that mean a lot to you. I admire the fact that you chose to go back to school. That is awesome! Most of all, I admire your plan to celebrate diversity in your classroom. Students need their individuality celebrated and highlighted whenever possible. A person's background tells a lot about who someone will become. According to Wright (2019), teachers must be aware of multiple aspects of a student's language in order to help facilitate their transition as an ELL student. (pg. 30) That may be something we could also make sure we have in order to fully celebrate a student's diversity.
Wright, W.E. (2019). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice (3rd edition). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing. Print.
Hi Paula! Thank you for commenting on my blog! I value your perspective and know that you have personal experience in your background which will be amazing for your future ELL students. I love that you speak about celebrating individuality and understanding where students come from and how to help them successfully transition in their language experience at school.
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