Hello everyone and welcome to my Blog # 2!
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
For this blog I interviewed Bianca Martinez.
Bianca Martinez was born and raised in Houston, TX but both of her parents are
from Mexico. Bianca is twenty-two years old and is a graduate from Sam Houston University.
Bianca’s home language was Spanish but started learning English at a young age
when her parent placed her in pre-school. She mentions that when she was in
pre-school they would teach her everything in English but was not getting
enough practice with her Spanish. Once she began elementary school she was
placed in all Spanish classes throughout fifth grade which caused her to forget
all of the English she had learned in pre-school. Once she got to middle school
her classes were all in English and she had to learn the language all over
again which made school difficult for her.
Since she was already going into sixth grade it
was expected of her to know English already. She mentions how the only way she
really picked up English again was by reading and using the dictionary. Wright
mentions that the "teacher’s job is to provide comprehensible input in a safe
and enjoyable environment" (pg. 61). One thing that Bianca mentioned in her video
was that she felt embarrassed when it came to reading out loud but the teacher
made her read regardless. I also feel like there could have been better
instruction because she had to learn by trial and error until she got the hang
of it. Wright also says that a teacher should use a variety of techniques, such
as ample visuals, small-group work, physical response, and any other activities
involving meaningful communication that can facilitate the provision of
comprehensible input (pg. 61). After her experience as a Second Language
Learner, Bianca now feels like she is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Melissa! I really enjoyed watching your interview with your friend Bianca. I feel like your friend’s story with learning English, as a second language was very unique compared to other experiences, including mine. It was interesting to hear how she started off with only speaking English in preschool, and then was transitioned into only Spanish speaking classes until her fifth grade year of school, and then back to only speaking English in middle school. It must have been a very frustrating thing for her to have to relearn English. I know your friend mentioned that when she was put in middle school, her school did not offer an ESL program to help make her with a smooth transition. According to Wright (2015) “The purpose of ESL instruction is to enable ELLs to develop their proficiency in English by mastering the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing to the extent that they are able to use the English language appropriately and effectively for authentic communicative purposes and to achieve academic success in English-language mainstream classrooms” (pg.90)
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Joanna,
DeleteThank You for commenting on my video! Her story was unique. She is my best friend and I never knew that about her. I do remember it being a struggle for her in middle school but she got it down. I wish there would have been a better way to make her transition easier but I also feel like there could have been better instruction from the teacher. Although it was expected of her to know English already, her teachers could have better assisted her. Sheltered instruction would have been great. Wright (2015) defines sheltered instruction as "making content-area instruction comprehensible to ELLs in English while supporting their English language development" (p. 94).
Hi Joanna,
DeleteI too thought that her transitions in life as a young child were very drastic and thought they would affect her language acquisition process with English. I think that her school should have been responsible for supporting Bianca with the middle school move because beyond language barriers, that is when a lot of social and peer pressures occur. This could have been a very daunting experience for her but as a future educator, I recognized that we must do our part in being advocates for all of our children.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hello Melissa! Your interview was extremely impactful from the beginning, especially when your interviewee mentioned that she learned English in head start, but once she began Elementary school she was placed in an all-Spanish classroom. It seems like her school implemented the subtractive bilingualism approach, even though her home language was Spanish. As Wright (2015) explains, the “additive bilingualism occurs when a student develops proficiency in a new language without losing his or her home language. This form of bilingualism should be the goal of all school language programs” (p. 21). I am sure it was quite frustrating for her when she got to middle school and had to learn English in a non-effective way, with no true classroom set up for her to receive the help she needed. Thankfully we have made great steps in the right directions to help our students transition more effectively now, without having to sacrifice their home language and identity. Thank you for sharing her story, and I truly enjoyed watching your video blog over your interview with an ELL student!
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Calson, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hi Megan!
DeleteThank you for commenting on my video. I totally agree that additive bilingualism should be the goal of all school language programs. I feel like it is important to not lose your home language meanwhile learning another language because your home language is a part of you and it should be embraced. It was very frustrating for her, but yes, thankfully we have many effective ways of instruction and programs that we can use to facilitate students' learning.
Hi, Melissa! First off, I want to thank you for sharing Bianca's story. I found it intriguing that after head-start, kindergarten-fifth grade, she was taught only in her native language here in the United States. To be honest, I have never heard of an elementary public school that teaches the students in a language other than English. Did she attend elementary school here in Texas? I know that I have read in other texts that learning a second language at an earlier age is beneficial to the child. Bianca describes her experiences in sixth grade, as embarrassing. I wonder if she would have benefited from a transitional bilingual education program. In the text, Wright states that these bilingual programs are common in the United States. Thus why I am surprised Bianca did not have these programs implemented in her education here in the United States. Wright states that these programs begin in kindergarten and teach 90% of the content-area instruction in the home language and 10% through sheltered English instruction (Wright, 2015, p. 97). This would have been a great opportunity for your friend to begin her journey. From this point, Wright states that over the academic years, the amount of home language instruction decreases while the amount of sheltered instruction increases until the point at which the ESL student can transition fully into the mainstream target language classroom (Wright, 2015, p. 97). This to me could have been an alternative method to assisting Bianca in her feelings of embarrassment when entering the sixth grade and her struggles with reading aloud. You mentioned that Bianca is only twenty-two years old, which again surprises me that she did not have the opportunity to learn the target language (besides pre-school) up until entering the sixth grade. I cannot imagine the struggle that must have been for her.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Second Edition.
Hi Amanda! I also thought the same thing about her education as far as it being surprising that she stopped learning English completely for a few years! That would have made the language a huge difference than many had. Since she was still in the US and had a small back ground of English I wonder if her English grew still based off of when Wright states that "children's language develops primarily from interactions (connections in social settings, especially in a supportive environment" since she was still in the US her English interactions must have not ended completely. This may have been the main thing that made her process not as hard as it could have been.
DeleteHi Gabs22! Yes, her experience is different from others' who I have heard share their story. It seems to me there are pros and cons to of these experiences. For example, I think that it was beneficial for her to have the opportunity to continue education in her home language when entering school as an elementary student. Schools that take the assimilation approach fail to take into consideration the individual needs of the student as as whole, as well as, the needs of the student's family and community (Wright, 2015, p.22). However, I think that only having education provided in her home language throughout elementary school probably made it very challenging when entering middle school and having the language learning environment change so dramatically. This must have been so challenging for Bianca. It fills my heart with happiness to know that her journey has led her to be fluent in both languages. That is a true blessing.
DeleteWright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Second Edition.
Hi Amanda,
DeleteThank you for commenting on my video! Yes, she did attend school here in Texas. It was surprising to me too because most of my peers began taking all English classes in elementary around third grade. It would have helped if she would have at least been in bilingual classes instead of just Spanish but unfortunately that was not the case. I applaud her because although she struggled a bit, she is now an individual who is fluent in both languages. Adding onto what Gabby mentioned, Bianca did mention to me that interacting with friends also helped her develop her English.
Hi Astyn, I definitely agree with you. I think that Melissa’s friend was really fortunate to have started learning English at such an early age. According to Wright (2015) “Younger students receive a much greater amount of instructional time in the K-12 educationally systems to learn a language (e.g., 6 hours a day, 5 days a week) than the typical adult learner, who may receive only a few hours of instruction a week.” (Pg.50) Although Melissa’s friends’ story was a unique one, and she had to relearn English a second time, I’m sure she really benefited from the fact that she was still relatively young when she was relearning the language.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition
Hello Melissa! Thanks for sharing your interview with your friend Bianca, I really enjoyed listening to it! I found it very interesting that she learned English at a young age, then stopped learning it I elementary school but has to learn it again once she got out of elementary. That is a very different experience than many people have with learning English in the US school systems. That is good that her parents valued her learning both languages so well that they worked her schooling out that well! When she talked about how reading and interacting with her teachers in class helped her a lot, her experience can be supported by when our text book says “learners need opportunities to interact with other speakers and reach mutual comprehension” (Wright 201. 53).
ReplyDelete