Jennifer Gonzalez's podcast on helping out English Language Learners (ELLs) in the regular classroom really got me thinking. She's totally right that most of us classroom teachers, me included, don't get much training on how to best work with ELLs, and that's a real problem in our schools.
Out of the 12 strategies she talked about, I've got a soft spot for numbers 9 through 12. They all boil down to respecting and honoring ELL students, and that just makes sense to me. Gonzalez mentioned how ELL students often put in twice the effort, even though it might not always show in their results. Here's how I see these strategies:
Strategy 9: Learn about your students' cultural backgrounds: I'm already on board with this one. Getting to know where my students are coming from culturally helps me connect with them better. Plus, it helps me tweak my teaching to suit their needs. Every student's got their own unique perspective, and that's something special.
Strategy 10: Don't put a kid on the spot for their whole culture: This one really hits home. While it's cool to appreciate cultural diversity, I get it that we shouldn't stick a kid with the responsibility of representing their entire culture. Every student's an individual with their own experiences.
Strategy 11: Show them it's okay to goof around: I'm all about this. Making a relaxed and safe classroom where it's okay to make mistakes is key. It creates a positive learning vibe where students can speak up without worrying about being judged.
Strategy 12: Always take them seriously: While I'm all for a laid-back atmosphere, I know it's just as important to take my students seriously. ELL students often work extra hard to understand stuff and communicate in a new language. So, even the little things they do deserve respect and recognition.
Looking ahead, I'm really feeling strategies 10 and 12, and I plan to put more emphasis on them. To see if I'm making a difference, I'll keep an eye on how engaged, participative, and academically successful my ELL students are. And, of course, I'll chat with them to make sure these strategies are helping them learn better and feel like valued members of our classroom gang. My goal is to give ELL students the confidence to succeed and make sure they know they're an essential part of our class crew.
Out of the 12 strategies she talked about, I've got a soft spot for numbers 9 through 12. They all boil down to respecting and honoring ELL students, and that just makes sense to me. Gonzalez mentioned how ELL students often put in twice the effort, even though it might not always show in their results. Here's how I see these strategies:
Strategy 9: Learn about your students' cultural backgrounds: I'm already on board with this one. Getting to know where my students are coming from culturally helps me connect with them better. Plus, it helps me tweak my teaching to suit their needs. Every student's got their own unique perspective, and that's something special.
Strategy 10: Don't put a kid on the spot for their whole culture: This one really hits home. While it's cool to appreciate cultural diversity, I get it that we shouldn't stick a kid with the responsibility of representing their entire culture. Every student's an individual with their own experiences.
Strategy 11: Show them it's okay to goof around: I'm all about this. Making a relaxed and safe classroom where it's okay to make mistakes is key. It creates a positive learning vibe where students can speak up without worrying about being judged.
Strategy 12: Always take them seriously: While I'm all for a laid-back atmosphere, I know it's just as important to take my students seriously. ELL students often work extra hard to understand stuff and communicate in a new language. So, even the little things they do deserve respect and recognition.
Looking ahead, I'm really feeling strategies 10 and 12, and I plan to put more emphasis on them. To see if I'm making a difference, I'll keep an eye on how engaged, participative, and academically successful my ELL students are. And, of course, I'll chat with them to make sure these strategies are helping them learn better and feel like valued members of our classroom gang. My goal is to give ELL students the confidence to succeed and make sure they know they're an essential part of our class crew.