The main idea of this article was to describe a very brief overview of some of the different methods used to teach English language learners. English language learners are becoming more common in many different school settings. Unfortunately, some schools do not have adequate programs to fully help the ESL students learn to the best of their abilities. The program’s goal should be to teach the student English as well as incorporate their native language. Most of us have heard about different approaches in regards to teaching ESL students. I thought Peregory and Boyle brought up a very interesting and important difference in students: some students speak their native tongue at home (language minority students), while some speak English at home (language majority students). I strongly agree with the fact that these students should be taught in different ways. The language minority students need to be taught English as well as continuing to speak their native language in the class. I think it is very beneficial for ESL students to have a full understanding of both English and their native language.
Peregory and Boyle state, “In immersion programs, students receive subject matter instruction through their second language to develop second language proficiency while learning academic content.” With this method, I think many students would fall behind in their learning. If students are being taught in the language they are supposed to be learning, I think it would be easier for them to be confused and perhaps afraid to ask questions.
The “Two-Way Immersion Programs” have interesting perspectives as they combine English speakers and minority speakers together in a classroom. With this setting, both groups are able to develop both languages. Another very popular technique is “ESL pull-out.” Students are taught mainly in the classroom setting and are later pulled out of the classroom for individual help. I believe this to be a very effective method because students are able to gain valuable one-on-one time with teachers in which they can become more vulnerable, ask more questions, and work on individual academic struggles.
I believe the “sink or swim” method to be very difficult for any language learner. I think little assistance is given to the students and learning from a foreign language can be easily confusing. With this method, students can easily fall behind and never be able to fully gain an understanding of the language.
Even though this article gives an overview of the different methods, it is very brief. Also, the authors do not list advantages and disadvantages. It is difficult to gain a full understanding of the methods.
Task: Taking your own experiences with a foreign language into account, what method do you think would best benefit ESL students? Why? What method would be least beneficial? Why?
Roshalle VanDorp; Section 002
Mallory Olian Section 2
ReplyDeleteIf I were teaching adults, I think it's important to remember, that although they are not children, they are coming into the classroom with many prior experiences and backgrounds. This being said, I agree that the "sink or swim" method is one that should never be used in any classroom, let alone an ESL classroom. I strongly believe in guided learning and if a student is left to their own devices there is too much room for error or lack of understanding. Likwise, I agree that the "pull out" method seems to be the most effective in terms of adult ESL learners. In this context, the students would be learning the content necessary for the real world and then would apply it onto their daily lives. I would be concerned however, that too much emphasis would be put on either in class time or out of class time, and that some area would be left out.
In my opinion, it is hard to stick to one method and say that I would use it with my ESL students. Because each classroom and student are different, it'd be hard to say which method I would use on a regular basis. I'd probably use a combination of many and based on how my students learn implement my own styles into them.
I've taken Spanish since 1st grade and i feel that the best method to teach people is two way immersion program. I feel this is best because then everyone learns something. The students learn from each other and they get to work with one another. This helps with the social aspect and they don't fall behind in class since some of the subjects are taught in their native language and for those that aren't taught in their native language they can ask their peers for help.
ReplyDeleteThe method that i think is least beneficial is full immersions because its easy for students to get lost and confused in class. Also they may not feel welcomed in class because they can't speak their language. It is important for students to know that they are welcomed and so is their culture. They may feel more like an outsider in the full immersion and sadly this is the method many ESL students are put in because it is the easiest for the teacher.
I am going to talk about my Service Learning placement for TE 250 to answer the question. I was placed in the only elementary school that offers help for ESL students. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the way the ESL students were receiving help. One student in particular did not speak one word of English. When I first started my placement this student was placed in an English speaking classroom with an English speaking teacher. He was only "pulled-out" for a little over an hour a day. I have to say I don't think it helped him at all. He was getting no instruction in the classroom because the teacher couldn't communicate with him, and therefore he basically sat in class and listened to some woman talk in this foreign language which he couldn't understand. As the year progressed I could see that he was getting more and more frustrated, he would cry and throw his pencil; since he couldn't communicate with his teachers or classmates this was the only way for him to show his anger and frustration. ESL pull-out is only beneficial (in my mind) if the student is getting one-on-one time AND able to communicate with a teacher or aid in the classroom. If a school can meet these standards then I think Two-Way Immersion programs would be a great idea. I like that not only are the minority students being taught English, but that English speaking students are also being taught an L2. As far as the student in my classroom goes, when it came to sink or swim, it was obvious that without more help he was going to sink. Therefore, I believe the sink-or-swim method is the least beneficial to a student. Personally, if I was thrown into a classroom where I couldn't ask questions because I didn't know the language, I feel like I would fail until I could speak the language, which at my age, may never happen, or by the time it did, I would be so far behind that I would have to retake every class that I had taken in that other language.
ReplyDeleteSink-or-Swim = Bad
Two-Way Immersion = Good
From what I have observed in my field placement the ESL students are usually pulled out of the classroom to receive extra help. The Pull-out program is what I am most accustom too and what I have seen. I find this method to be beneficial because the student is spending the majority of his/her time in the mainstream classroom where their target language is being used and also where they are with their peers but yet taken out regularly where they can receive extra help and ask questions. The extra help from an ESL teacher consists of “…English language development activities as well as reinforcement of subject matter being taught in the regular classroom.” (Peregoy and Boyle, pg. 27) Having this balance is important because the student needs to feel included in his/her classroom and also not fall behind in his/her studies. The feeling of being included comes from them being in the classroom the majority of the time and the “not falling behind” is avoided by providing a one-one learning environment. ESL students also need to make friends and interact with their peers in a social way, and this is accomplished by the student being in the classroom. By interacting with other classmates they are able to pick up on the social part of the language, which is also an important aspect of learning a second language.
ReplyDeleteI think the Immersion Education program is the least beneficial. When I went to Aruba over winter break my family went to church on Christmas Eve. The mass was spoken completely in the language of the country. I was sitting in church for an hour not knowing what was being said. I couldn’t imagine my academics being spoken in a language that I couldn’t understand even though it would be my target language. I think this program can be very discouraging for students especially when they see a bad grade on their report card because of not understanding the teacher or their work and not being able to get extra help at school. My studies are very important to me and receiving a high grade is what I strive for. Not knowing the language well enough to be successful in the class could be very frustrating.
I also agree that two-way immersion programs are the best way for ESL students to learn. Here this program serves both minority and majority language students which is extremely beneficial in an ESL learning environment. Here students are able to learn from each other, from the teacher and from themselves. As the goal is to obtain full bilingualism and biliteracy for both language learning students, the goal is easier to obtain as there are more than one person to learn from. Student group work is also important for students can teach, explain, and guide other students as they may have a clearer understanding of the material. This can make a child feel welcomed in a classroom and apart of the class. As lessons are taught in both languages, students are more comfortable asking questions, being more comfortable in their environment. With all this being said, immersion provides more positive results.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I believe full immersion is the least beneficial. This is mainly because students receive all information in the second language, even if they don’t know a word of it. This is extremely stressful and hard on a student. If a student were to receive a low or poor grade, they may question their abilities or intelligence, making them less driven to learn. Not only do students become lost, but they can’t benefit from the program if they aren’t learning anything, as they clearly can’t understand what is being taught.
I think it is so great, that you can pull from your experiences from field placement. In my home country future teachers do not get to experience the field until they are done. It is so great to see you reflect and learn from what you observe in your field placement and as we can see in this discussion thread where you are placed will also influence how you experience certain program types. It is always good to compare notes.
ReplyDelete