Blog Entry #4 Reflection Writing

Before this class I wasn't aware of the difference between the English Language Learners and the ESL students. After taking several tests and doing many blog entries within this class, I have gained a better understanding about the ELL students. Such as with the ELL students it can get very complicated to assist them on while doing certain lesson within a whole group. However, in order to overcome that problem it helps to work with them one on one sometimes to deliver the right understanding about a certain content. Also when the teacher is modeling and showing pictures about the certain task to the students it can be beneficial for them since it is giving them a visual understanding about the criteria. Also there are many techniques that can be used to help ELL students become successful in an educational manner. One of the technique that has became successful with students within my student teaching class is cooperative learning skill. Sometimes working one on one with the student can be beneficial but also having students working with their peers can be beneficial as well. Because students need to work with each other in different groups that way they can share their understandings and can always help each other out in a different aspect. Also when the students are working with each other and interacting with one another they are gaining a better understanding about the concept with a different aspect. Researchers have stated, "That is, any knowledge and any capacity to engage in regulated activity appears always first at the social, interpersonal level during activity with others and only later can be seen to operate also at the psychological, interpersonal level." (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 224). I think in a classroom there should be plenty of opportunities for students to work with each other, that way they can understand new concepts towards different concepts and can socially interact around each other as well.

However, I think this class has definitely impacted me towards professional practices. Because within my current student teaching class, I have five ELL students. So everyday I use a new technique I may learn about within this class to ensure whether the techniques are helping the students become successful as the researchers had stated or I can use a different strategy representing certain information towards the ELL students. And sometimes it does take a little time to get the message through the ELL students, but at the end once they understand the concept very well it is a cherish able moment I can value while teaching the ELL students. In the future when I have ELL students within my classroom, I can have them seated next to students that are at a higher learning level than them that way it is easier for the ELL students to receive help by asking quick questions when I may not be nearby. Also I think when I am working around the ELL students I should involve more visuals and hands on type activities to help the students understand the content better. Because the more visuals and hands on activity the students work on they are able to comprehend the task better and can make connections towards the task the next time they may see it somewhere.

Also while being a part of this class I have done numerous amounts of blog entries that I have not done before in my previous classes. I think the blog entires at first were very confusing and hard for me to do. But after doing multiple blog entires every week and posting videos on certain blog entires, I thinking using a process of posting daily blogs on my website where the parents have an access to it and can get the daily news about what had occurred within their child classroom would be very beneficial for me in the future. Because as a student while doing the blog entires for this class it really helped me stay on task with my assignments and stay updated with other classmates entires as well.  It helped me learn more about my classmates teaching experiences within their schools while currently doing student teaching. And I thought that was many experiences we learned about within our classmates blogs helped us stay on track with many things we may want to accommodate in our classroom as well to help us become successful too. I think in the future I can use a certain blog entry technique with my parents. That way they are updated about their Childs classroom. Also when there are any exciting events that may have occurred within the classroom I can post it on my blog that way the parents can visit it daily and stay updated with their child classroom. 

Blog Entry #3 Interview of a Bilingual Teacher

For my interview with a bilingual speaking teacher I decided to interview Ms. Momin. She is currently teaching at Barrington Place Elementary school. However, they are not a Bilingual or Dual language school but they have majority of ESL speaking students. Ms. Momin works with students and teaches like a Bilingual teacher also has experiences from many years of teaching in different Bilingual schools. Also Ms. Momin teaches every Saturday at her church and her class is a Bilingual speaking class. Because majority of the students at her school speak a native language. She communicates with them in English and their native language as well. Ms Momin uses many strategies to help her students comprehend certain lesson. She uses things that can work best for individuals and at times she uses multiple manipulative because every student comprehends certain criteria with different understandings. Researchers state, “Human language manifests itself in spoken, signed, and written systems across more than 6,500 languages documented to date.” (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 2). Just like Ortega, Ms. Momin helps many of her students work together and scaffold from each other. That way they are able to speak with each other clearly and start getting used to certain everyday words they may be using. So it is easier for many students to write with certain everyday strategies they may be using within the classroom. Ms. Momin always wants her students to feel comfortable that way they can express themselves so it is easier for Ms. Momin to provide them the  best support they may need. There are many other methods Ms. Momin uses within her classroom as well. She has word wall words the students can always refer back to or use while writing a story or to have access to use them at all times. Researchers state, “The single most important source of L2 learning is comprehensible input, or language which learners process for meaning and which contains something to be learned, that is, linguistic data slightly above their current level” (Ortega, 2011. Pg 59).  Ms. Momin always encourages her students to positive aspects. If theres a certain word she may not know then she goes above and beyond just to help the student better by researching about it or going on google translate. Ms. Momin has a well structured classroom which is always motivating for all her students. She never wishes to give up on any of her students. She always wants to help her students in any way that may work for them. Often times when students are working with each other she wants her struggling students to learn and not just follow along. So she groups her low learning students with her middle learning students as well. She doesn't just group her low students with a high students. Because she doesn't want her high students to do all the work. Ms. Momin has encouraged me to teach my students in many different ways that are always beneficial for them. 

Click the link to learn more about Ms. Momin!Interview of an Bilingual Teacher Video

Blog Entry #2 Interview of a Second Language Speaker

Reflection:
By interviewing Mrs. Le I learned about many challenges everyone faces in their life. However, they can also overcome those challenges with the support from their friends and family. When Mrs. Le was very young it was a very difficult time for her to communicate in school with her friends and teachers. Researchers have stated. "For one, in the case of very young children who are exposed to several languages, it may be impossible to determine whether the two or more languages in question are being learned simultaneously (that is, bilingually or multilingually) or sequentially (that is, as an L2)." (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 5). Even with many challenges and struggles she still continued to learn English. She then started getting pulled out for ESL classes, which was very beneficial for her. I can relate to that, because when I had first started attending schools in America I was struggling to comprehend certain instructions in English. So I started attending ESL classes which really helped me improve in my writing and fluency as well. Even though sometimes people may have to attend ESL classes for several years it is very beneficial for them throughout the upcoming years. For example, Mrs. Le had to attend ESL classes for several years and even though she was unable to speak English very well, she was still a good writer. Main way Mrs. Le received support was with her classroom friends and teachers as well. She wasn't getting help by having a translator translate a certain lesson to her. But her teacher and friends communicated with her in a well educated manner where it was easier for her to grasp the language in a new way as well. Mrs. Le also received help with her grammar because it was really different compared to what she had known. Researchers have stated, "Whether in second, foreign or heritage language teaching, the battles have been for and against traditional grammar teaching and alternative meaning-oriented proposals, including communicative language teaching, task-based curricula, content-based instruction and focus on form instruction." (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 8). With the help received with communication and certain instructions being presented to the students it made things easier for Mrs. Le to make connections and comprehend certain criteria better. When Mrs. Le used to live in a small community she faced few challenges where people would make rude comments when she would pass by them. Which would leave her to question her lifestyles compared to others. However, her friends in school never let her feel different around them. Researchers have stated, "Sympathizers of anti-immigrant movements in various countries lament that newcomers to their societies allegedly refuse to learn the language of
the majority and persist in settling for rudimentary survival language skills only, even after decades of living in their new country." (Ortega, 2011, Pg. 8). However, when Mrs. Le had came to America she was ready to learn English and overcome all the challenges she was going to be facing. Even with the daily struggles she was facing from her neighbors, that didn't stop her from becoming successful and becoming a leader for young individuals in her current lifestyle. Mrs. Le is currently a first grade teacher and teaches a GT class in the grade level. She also tutors children after school to help them with math or any needed subjects they may need help on.

To learn more about Mrs Le please click the link below. Thank You!
Interview of a Second Language Speaker Video

Blog Entry #1

Hello, my name is Seemin Maredia and I am a senior at University of Houston. I am majoring in Early Childhood Education and hope to teach Kindergarten through 2nd grade students. Because I love teaching new things to younger students and they are at a developing stage. Where many of the children need additional support to succeed in the future endeavors they may face in upper grade levels. However, I currently live in Sugar Land, Tx and am student teaching in FBISD at Sienna Crossing Elementary School. 

Please click the link below to learn more about myself:

BLOG ENTRY #1 VIDEO