a million dreams

Question: How has online resources and attitudes affected our teaching in communicating with ELL learners?

When I first heard that we would be starting online classrooms, I was immediately feeling anxious. As someone who enjoys talking to their students face to face, I knew this was immediately going to be a challenge. To make things trickier, the teachers were not allowed to ‘zoom’ with any of the students, as it is against the board regulations/ the union regulation. So, thinking on how to proceed with this new change, I had to start finding different resources to give to my children.

 

Upon finding these resources, I then started reading on some articles about this particular topic. It had spoke about using a resource online and then discussing it with a peer online (Hsieh, Y.C, 2017). I believe that this idea makes sense, as students need to practice what they’ve learnt from the resource/discussion. As not a lot of my students are able to properly write sentences that make a whole lot of sense, I think that using oral speech may be more beneficial to their learning and their understanding. Which is why when I read the article, I figured that students should chat with their friends in order to practice their oral communication (Hsieh, Y.C, 2017). By communicating with their classmates, this gives that student an opportunity to reflect on what they have learnt from the reading and it can also provide the other student with an opportunity to support the ELL student if there is a misunderstanding (Hsieh, Y.C, 2017). Learners can access a number of diverse information online, which gives them an opportunity to research what they have learnt (Hsieh, Y.C, 2017).

 

In regards to how to use technology to my own advantage, I found it rather easy to communicate with my students as I know how to use Google classrooms. According to a study based on how teachers felt about technology from their own pedagogy, I believe that they are correct in stating that teachers will naturally have a more positive attitude when working online  (Liu.H, Lin, C.H, &Zhang, 2017). I really hope that with this in mind, I can work towards having better attitudes towards developing better communication towards technology when I assign work to students. In order to give students a better attitude towards learning, I need to express my own positive feelings towards showing them that I am comfortable with using the technology (Liu.H, Lin, C.H, &Zhang, 2017). With this in mind, I do hope that the resources that I find for students will be beneficial towards their learning and their attitudes towards technology.

 

References

Hsieh, Y. C. (2017). A case study of the dynamics of scaffolding among ESL learners and online resources in collaborative learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 30(1/2), 115–132. https://doi-org.ezproxy.niagara.edu/10.1080/09588221.2016.1273245

Liu, H., Lin, C.-H., & Zhang, D. (2017). Pedagogical beliefs and attitudes toward information and communication technology: a survey of teachers of English as a foreign language in China. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 30(8), 745–765. https://doi-org.ezproxy.niagara.edu/10.1080/09588221.2017.1347572

Hello World!

Here’s a site that I’ve been tasked to research about what benefits this website can give newcomers. The site is called https://settlement.org/firstdays/

To start off, this site is for new immigrants to Canada and it is meant for informational purposes. Not only will this site provide support for newcomers, but it gives a live chatting agent to you, if you find yourself confused. Yes, everything is in English, which may make things difficult for you, but there is an option to translate the English into your own language. This site boasts about 30 different languages that you can choose from, which is pretty neat!

Here is a list of the things that they provide support on:

• Immigration & citizenship – A place where you can find information on what to expect when you arrive in Canada, immigration status, residency, and your rights and responsibilities in Canada.
• Notes about Ontario- Some things to know and day to day life in Ontario. As well as information about the communities in Ontario
• About Canada- Notes on what to prepare for when you come to live in Canada
• Employment- Support on what you can do to plan for your future job in Canada and ways for you to discover what other types of jobs you can get here!
• Translated information- Take a look at more information that is translated into your native tongue
• Discussion Forum- A forum with others (much like you) that discusses different questions about Canada/ providing you with answers to your questions
• 10 articles about Canada- Some things you may want to know about living in Canada
• Housing – A guide on what type of house you would like to buy/rent. This area also touches on living in Ontario, Emergency/short-term housing, some house safety, and also some housing for seniors. There is also a little subforum about recycling and monthly expenses.
• Health – This area supports in OHIP (what is it), Medical professionals and where to find them, information about healthcare services for families or for yourself
• Education –  An informational guide on different educational opportunities that you may want to read upon, support for your child’s education, ways to improve your English
• Community – Support on how you can meet similar people in your situation in order to help you to adjust to your new life in Canada. This area also has information on where you can find activities that may interest you.
• Legal Services- Information about the Canadian legal services that helps protect you in your day to day life. This area gives you information about your own legal rights and responsibilities in Canada.

I do hope you check out the site and that it helps you out!

With love,

Andrea

Question: With ELL parents, what is the most effective way to support them with their transition into Canada?

From personal experience, I know how important it is to keep in constant communication with parents. At the last school I worked at, I sent home a newsletter every single Friday in order to show to parents that I was willing to open up my classroom to them. I was to provide a clear understanding of what I was doing during the week and what students were learning at the time.

Basically, the takeaway from that was that… parents are really interested in how their children are doing. This does not only apply to ELL students, but to parents in general. With ELL parents, it is even more vital to support the family into a smooth transition into the school (Kim, 2011). Naturally, when first meeting them, you are to have a face-to-face interview/talk. It’s the best form of communication out there, as it will promote positive home support for the future (Panferov, 2010). Not only have I tried this myself, but I’ve seen parents look and sound a lot more relieved once meeting in person to discuss how their child is doing. As well, not only will meeting in person support the parents, but it will provide you (as a teacher) and opportunity to teach them how to properly use online material (if they are having trouble). This is particularly helpful towards ESL parents who also struggle with English.

By using online translations for the web, this will help the parents with reading what their child is doing online. Giving parents resources for translating the English text to their native language will help them support their children when their child is struggling with an assignment. Of course, if that doesn’t work, it’s important to offer them the opportunity to meet in person to go over their concerns (Panferov, 2010).  Especially now that we have Google Classrooms and such, it’s important to know that students and parents know what we are learning online. Naturally, if you don’t hear from the student after a while, it’s important to follow up with a phone call to the parents to make sure that they are understanding everything properly.

Something that I also discovered in Hong Kong is the fact that ESL parents are very into literacy. Meaning, that reading is one of their favorite things to do. Something to help the parents and to help the students bond (as sometimes the student will end up succeeding the parent in the English language) is to find duo-language books for students to practice reading (Kim, 2011). It is also a way to promote family time, as many parents are often very busy with work. Another opportunity for parents to communicate with the teacher and the classroom is to come in to do volunteer work, as they can engage in sharing their home culture with the class (Panferov, 2010).

I do hope some of these tips/tricks will help support you in your future classroom.

 

References

Panferov, S. (2010). Increasing ELL Parental Involvement in Our Schools: Learning From the Parents. Theory Into Practice, 49(2), 106–112. https://doi-org.ezproxy.niagara.edu/10.1080/00405841003626551

Kim, H. Y. (2011). Parents’ Perceptions, Decisions, and Influences: Korean Immigrant Parents Look at Language Learning and Their Children’s Identities. Multicultural Education, 18(2), 16–19.

 

I’ve always believed that ESL classes need technology when teaching. It could be with any subject at all! I think that it would be very useful to add technology within the classroom.

Today, I’ll be describing why having hardware products in the classroom would be considered beneficial to ELL students. In particular, why I think it’s useful and what the advantages/disadvantages could be. I’d also like to touch base on how it could foster student engagement, promote universal design, assist in assessment, develop innovative programs for ELL students, and to integrate ELLs into the regular classroom.

First off, having Chromebooks, Smartboards, and translators in the classroom is highly suggested, as it provides that extra support the child needs. As every ELL student learns on a different Level, it’s important that each child has their own laptop so that the ESL teacher can support them with different programs that are helpful to them. There are a lot of things where ELL students need visuals and it’s the computer that can help them with that. There are a lot of websites that provide games and even audiobooks that will support the students in their learning.

Some advantages of having technology within an ESL classroom is that if fosters engagement. For example, playing games like ‘Kahoot’ for ESL students would be considered exciting and something for them to look forward to. As well, it’s a great learning strategy to keep students engaged in their classroom learning. Another advantage would be listening, as there are many videos/audio clips that allow students to listen to stories in order to further engage their learning as the internet has a huge library that some schools don’t have.

However, there are a few disadvantages with technology. In particular, technology can be fickle, as Chromebooks are not always reliable. Therefore, there may be times where laptops may not work, or there may be a problem with the SmartBoard because of technological issues. Another disadvantage may be the fact that the child may find him/herself too distracted with the technology and may end up taking advantage of using a computer. Even so, it does comes down to classroom management, to see if that child can handle using a computer during the lesson.

I feel like all classroom have technology and this does lead to a ‘universal design’ of sorts, as it has become a norm. It provides the support that it needs, a learning space for the student to learn in, a straight forward presentation when needed, and of course, it is assessable and fair. It is easy to integrate technology into a regular classroom and into assessments. Considering that homeroom classrooms should have technology within the classroom already, students who are ELL and who have their own laptops, can integrate into their homeroom classrooms with some help. There are many sites that also provide assistance with assessments, as the teacher just needs to log in to see where the child’s progress is.

Overall, I do hope you see my point in promoting hardware products within the classroom, as they are very beneficial towards the student’s educational growth.

 

Question: Should we incorporate more technology into the classroom when teaching ELL students?

As an educator that has taught overseas, I find myself always reaching to an Ipad or to a computer in order to help convey my messages across to students. In most local schools in Hong Kong, their classrooms are set up with projectors and with a sound system. They also have microphones installed into each classroom to help teachers teach in order for everyone in the class to hear them. In comparison to the schools back in Canada, this is a huge cultural shift. I am unsure of the reason on why we don’t have microphones in each classroom for teachers, as it does definitely help with making sure that teachers don’t lose their voices while teaching.

I remember teaching a grade 5 class and on the first day, I used my voice so much that I lost my voice the next day. It was then that I realized how much I actually needed the microphone as I couldn’t speak half the time I was in class. It makes me wonder if schools are investing enough into technology within the classroom. On top of that, the schools in Asia come equipped with different software programs that are guidelines to help teach students.

However, the main question that I have decided to reflect on is: Should we incorporate more technology into the classroom when teaching ELL students? Perhaps I should rethink my question and ask, “How does technology effect ELL student’s learning? Is it good? Will it be beneficial?”

Upon researching more upon this topic, I found a few articles that help me with explaining why it would be great to incorporate technology within the classroom.

“The iPad also served an important function in promoting communication between the students and teachers when the teacher did not speak a student’s language. Students mastered a complicated practice to translate text.” (Prince, J., 2017)

It’s explained that Ipads are indeed an important asset in the classroom as it can serve as a means of communication between teacher and student. Naturally, there will be rules in place, but not only will it help with Language arts, but in subjects that require a specific knowledge of words. Subjects such as Science, for example.

From looking at research, I noticed that there was an article that spoke about how Science can be a tricky subject to teach to ELL students. However, they did touch on the fact that students can engage in conversations with the teachers in order to assess what they understand. (Menon, P.,2018). Something that really struck out to me in this article is this except.

“…emphasizes the importance of including instructional strategies that encompass a range of techniques and approaches that build on students’ interests and backgrounds so as to engage them more meaningfully and to sustain learning.” (Menon, P.,2018).

All in all, I do think that ELL students will benefit with more technology within the classroom, as it does help with interacting with the teacher. Not only that, but using technology will open more doors to communication for the teacher and student by using different instructional strategies with different technological materials.

References

Menon, P. (2018). Role of Assessment Conversations in a Technology-Aided Classroom with English Language Learners: An Exploratory Study. Multicultural Education, 25(2), 42–50.

 

Prince, J. (2017). English Language Learners in a Digital Classroom. CATESOL Journal, 29(1), 51–73.

Question: How do younger ELL students get motivated to learn English online without seeing the ESL teacher in person? 

As an educator, I’ve always thought that learning online would be very difficult for ELL students, as you are unable to show the student visually on how to say the word. Not only that, but I find that learning in person is much easier to control what the student is doing. It’s hard to get a student motivated, but I feel like it’s difficult to get them engaged with what you want them to do. I’ve taught a few ESL students online before where we weren’t allowed to use Video chat. That is the major difference between ESL teaching with video vs no video.

When I taught ESL, I remembered it being very difficult as I didn’t know what to do at that point. As a young educator, I was at a loss at what to do as I had tried using a ‘point system’ and I tried talking slower to get them to talk to me.

With the experience now, I know that it’s important to understand where the student is coming from. As most students are not motivated if they have no idea what you are talking about. Finding out where the student comes from and what their background is will help you figure out their culture and perhaps what they are interested in. That way, you can begin a friendly discussion on what they know in order to incorporate some new vocabulary words they can use!

According to a study based on a point system, they stated;

“Such texts for online programs should be selected carefully to address the specific needs of the candidates and help them build on their existing skill set and knowledge base. Additionally, meaningful and focused readings should be paired with assignments that explicitly request the participants to reflect on their experiences and include references to the assigned readings and activities.” (Forte, K. S., & Blouin, D, 2016)

As I dove deeper into research, I found some articles stating that the point system does indeed work, however it works best when you’re in a classroom setting.

“…in the control classes only the more academically competent students would try to tackle reading difficult words, or elaborate when speaking. On the other hand, the majority of the students in the experimental classes were attempting to do so. The teacher was pleasantly surprised to see students who might usually sit back and observe now not only participating, but also pushing themselves further.” (Homer, R., Khe Foon Hew, & Cheng Yong Tan, 2018)

It’s clear that point systems worked in classes and that ClassDojo really did bring students together to work harder for their rewards. I really do hope that I can incorporate that into my lessons next time if I do teach online again. I do think it could be one motivator that a child could possibly use.

References:

Forte, K. S., & Blouin, D. (2016). Fostering Transformative Learning in an Online ESL Professional Development Program for K-12 Teachers. Qualitative Report, 21(4), 781–797.

Homer, R., Khe Foon Hew, & Cheng Yong Tan. (2018). Comparing Digital Badges-and-Points with Classroom Token Systems: Effects on Elementary School ESL Students’ Classroom Behavior and English Learning. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(1), 137–151.

 

As an educator who has travelled and taught in Asia, I can see the cultural difference between the Canadian education norms and the Asian education norms. For one, education is taken very seriously in Asia and the amount of stress students have is near unbearable at times. I find that the cultural jump from Canada and to Hong Kong to be two completely different worlds.

For one, I find that things in Hong Kong are very past pace.

What does that mean? Well, it means that the teachers expect students to learn things faster. They want their students to be the best of the best (naturally), but without having to change how they’re teaching. It’s the problem of doing things ‘one way’, where students will struggle in learning the English language, as they are not giving enough support for these kids. Not only do I find that their methods of teaching very ‘standardized’, but I feel like there isn’t enough flexibility. At a local school where I used to teach, these ESL students had no motivation to do well. In general, if you failed middle school, there was no possible way to get into high school, as you had to take a test to enter.

The problem with ELL teachers in Hong Kong (particularly local schools) is the fact that there is not enough support. Whenever I supply-taught at a different local school, I noticed that there were very little visuals, which was a huge problem. Not only do alot of the teachers and students rely on textbooks, but students are not taught to sound things out properly. When asked how to say a word, I’d ask them to sound the word out but the main problem was that they did not know how each letter sounded.

The foundations of the English language is super important, so when ELL teachers lack the training to teach students phonetics and simply sounding the words out, it’s a future problem for the other ELL teachers. In the future, I do hope that teachers in Hong Kong will correct this mistake in order to support ELL students in giving them more support when learning the English language.

Write a blog in which you make resolutions to yourself about how you will change the learning environment your ELLs currently experience.

As an educator, I know that there are things I need to do in order to help myself improve further. For one, I know that I need to provide more visuals for students to use when learning something new. It maybe a little nuisance to find all the pictures, but perhaps incorporating technology and throwing it up on the Smartboard will help. I know for sure that ESL student learn best through looking at pictures or even if you were to act something out for them, it gives them an opportunity to figure out what that word might mean in their own language. Technology within the classroom should not be seen as a threat, as it is a growing part of our school culture. It is evident that Smartboards, projectors, and laptops are big players within the school and it is essential to be onboard with learning how to incorporate these things within the classroom.

As well, I know for a fact that students feel much more at home when we provide dual language books. Finding out your student’s cultural background would be helpful in finding dual language books that would be suitable for your classroom. I remember working at a Kindergarten with a high number of Indian students, particular Tamil speakers. We got one of the parents in to read a book in English and in Tamil and the kids loved it! We also had another parent come in to read in Hindi and in English. Both experiences made the kids feel more at ease and welcomed in the classroom.

Another thing that I noticed would be a picture dictionary. It is hard to find one that is suitable for older students, which is why I would recommend ones that are for younger students. Even so, I believe that I should figure a way to find a dictionary for older students, particularily for Grade 5-6 students.

Something that caught my attention from something a friend said once, was a celebration of cultures. I absolutely agree with the fact that we should be celebrating different cultures and discussing what they normally celebrate. By showing acceptance and respect from where they’ve come from, it gives them an opportunity to share their own experiences. I think that this practice not only helps the students, but also helps educators educate themselves on the different cultures that we have around us. It gives us an understanding of where our students come from and what we can do to support them.

Speaking about cultures, it’s also important to invite parents into the classroom! We, as educators, want parents to feel like their child is in a safe and nurturing environment. Being in a new country is scary enough! Showing them that we are here to support them through this difficult change is just a small thing we can do for them. Invite them into our classrooms to get them to share some of their culture with us by asking them to bring in food, art, books, in order to celebrate their cultural background or just to celebrate a specific holiday they may have.

These are just a few ways that I, as an educator, can do to change my classroom! I hope some of these tips and tricks have been helpful to you. Please share with me your ideas if you have new ones!

So, I’ve been taking this little course called ESL part 2.

Basically, I’m learning more about how to support students who are English Language Learners (ELL) in a more theoretical approach. So far, I’ve learnt alot through Chomsky and through Piaget! There’s alot of information that’s being held in my head right now and I’d really like to share with you some of the key features that I’ve really enjoyed reading about.

Constructivism (learning from this article here – https://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/)

In particular, this theory is very good in getting the child to learn for themselves. It gives them the opportunity to think about their questions and to eventually find their own answers through their own understanding. From the reading, I found that students want to understand what they are learning, which is why this theory works so well. Once students become engaged by using their existing knowledge and their own experiences, this will support them in testing their own theories out before creating the answer they were looking for.

In general, I’ve seen that this works very well with younger students, as they are always looking to learn new things! Students who have that sense of adventure seem to figure out the answers quickly. However, I do notice that some students struggle as they find themselves stuck on one question and answer. It’s at this point in time that teachers are to prompt and support them in their questioning so that they can create their own answers and hypothesis.

Cummin’s Quadrant Mode

As discussed in my last post, we discussed how the Quadrant mode can be and should be successful, as it helps students take learning one step at a time. By using more communicative methods in a naturalistic approach, this will support the student by allowing them to speak English in a more laid back manner. Not only will this help with their communicative skills, but with their mental well being. Students should be at Quadrant 1 first before moving on to Quadrant 3, as that provides the most support, even when the task becomes increasingly more difficult.

Overall, the key concept that seems to be popping up has to be about the environment the students are in. By providing a positive and nourishing environment, this will not only help the student in wanting to learn, but to help them learn English without wanting to give up. We all know that learning a new language is hard, but by showing our support for their Home Language, culture, and an interest in them, this will give us teachers a hand in teaching them more effectively.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my very brief but informative summary of what I’ve learnt so far in my course. I can’t wait to share more with you on my journey to educating ELL students with the new theories that I will be learning!

 

Moving away from my normal postings, I’d like to focus more on English Language Learners (ELL) and the different types of theories that I’ve discovered in class.

One theory that caught my eye happened to be about ‘Teaching Strategy Quadrants’. As some of the theories that I read and listened to, it slowly got a little bit confusing as it all started blending in as one. However, the theory that made the most sense to me was the Quadrants theory.

What exactly is the Teaching Strategy Quadrants?

With this video here: Quadrant model

This is what I’ve understood so far.

It’s basically four different types of levels that an ELL student is able to achieve. Meaning, The very first level happens to be the easiest for ELL students to understand, such as a conversation with their peers. They are reading off of social cues and they get more hints on what the conversation is about, which gets them thinking and learning all about day to day life. ELL students are normal human beings who can think for themselves, so placing them in situations where they are with their peers and interacting with them is most ideal for the child.

The second level is a little tricker for the ELL student, as they wouldn’t get as much help from whoever is teaching them. Using the same example with the ELL student and their peers, think of it as one who is not seeing or getting any cues. They may be listening in on a conversation, but they do not have the visual. Therefore, it makes it hard to understand the conversation, as there are no clues whatsoever.

The third level is relatively similar to the first level, as this is on the left side of the quadrant. However, the third level shows more difficulty with support. Meaning, students would get help on different topics (for example: science). Some topics, such as Social studies, is hard to get ELL students to understand. Which is why we need to create cues/additional comments to help the student get to a point on where they understand what we are talking about. I really personally like level 3, as I know a few students that could benefit from this quadrant.

The last level is least helpful, as it is difficult and brings confusion onto the student. They are given tests and standardized testing when they have no clue what the test is talking about. I find it very unproductive to create tests where students have to struggle to understand what the test is talking about without the proper cues that may support them in doing well in a test. Perhaps I am exaggerating, but watching ELL students who take tests without the proper support is quite painful.

All in all, I would use level 1 and level 3 as apart of my teaching as they are the most effective for students. After teaching a number of ELL students, the level 1 part of the theory is the best for them to learn English in a conversational way. Naturally, students need to learn at their own pace, as rushing them to learn a language would prove to be difficult. As students become more comfortable in Level 1, I’d suggest to switch to Level 3 on where they can receive more support on much more difficult tasks.

I hope this makes sense to everyone!

• Andrea