Chapter 3 Blog: Views of Teaching and Learning

I truly believe the first sentence of "Chapter 3: Views of Teaching and Learning" demonstrates the weight of the responsibility we each have to help our English Language learners move along the path of English language development. The quote is: "Education is the key not only to survival but also to prosperity." In my opinion, this statement means that our students need to attain English language proficiency so that they can obtain/ benefit from their K-12 education and beyond in order to prosper in this great country. This chapter was very long and complex, full of imformation...it's hard to narrow it down. I will touch on a few things that influenced me as a teacher.

Behaviorism, by BF Skinner, including the principle of using reinforcement (rewards), and punishment were initially used, from the 1920's to the 1970's, to explain language-learning behavior. Some other behavioral methods that have been used are the: Audiolingual Method, Total Physical Response (TPR), Direct Teaching and Mastery Learning. Though each enjoyed varying amounts of success, the down fall of these behavioral methods is that the language performed under pressure and on cue- didn't always translate to spontaneous language in natural environments. I personally use the TPR methods with my language delayed and English learner preschoolers. We do a lot of movement activities where I pair a verbal word with an action. The students hear and see and then imitate. I think that this builds their vocabulary. Brain research in the last several years has shown that active learning helps children remember and retain knowledge. In the 1960's, we saw the birth of cognitive psychology. Chomsky claimed that the mind contains an active language processor, called the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) which generates rules through the unconscious acquisition of grammar.

I liked the section on "Brain Compatible Learning"- there has been a huge emphasis on incorporating brain compatible strategies in the classroom in the past several years. The text states that "Brain compatible learning helps to reconceptualize teaching by taking into consideration how the brain learns." The text also states that learning engages the entire physiology and is as natural to humans as breathing. Students remember not what they are told but what they experience. Eric Jensen, known for his extensive research on the brain, said "Sucess depends on making use of all the senses by immersing the learner in a multitude of complex and interactive experiences." This is especially true with young learners- using a variety of learning modalities- kinesthetic, visual, auditory, etc...increases our chances of helping our children learn. They, in essence, learn by doing- preschool is very hands on. We often teach or model the activity and then the child attempts it. The same is true of language- we use all different means of teaching language, gesturing, signs, verbal imitation, modeling, prompting, etc.to accomodate different modalities and learning styles.. so the child will have every opportunity of learning as much as he is capable of... Multiple intelligences is a form of brain compatible teaching that caters to the individual learning style of each student. In an article by in Science Educator, entitled "Brain Research:Implications to Diverse Learners", Madrazo and Motz state, "Learning styles are influenced by such factors as age, gender, and cultural background." Madrazo and Motz go on to explain the importance of teaching to learning styles- they said that evidence shows that students achieve more, in a shorter amount of time, when teachers teach to students' individual learning styles. (P.58)

Sposton, in his/her blog, stated, "It is important to integrate cognitive and affective learning, as this will assist in motivating the student and help them achieve the maximum benefit from our instruction." I agree with this statement. Teaching our students cognitive concepts , in a variety of ways, including through the senses will be more meaningful, more motivating, and the learning will be more long lasting than in a more traditional, boring way. Chidren like novelty
and anytime we can make learning interesting and fun by incorporating their senses, movement, music, etc... the child will learn and remember more and be better for it.

Reference
Madrazo, G. and Motz, E. Brain Research: Implications to Diverse Learners. The Science Educatorpring 2005, Volume 14, No.1 p.58

Chapter 1 Blog: Who are English Learners and their Teachers

I enjoyed reading this chapter and learning more about who the English learners are. English learners, as described in the text, means" those who are learning English as non native speakers." I have 3 sister in laws in my family who come from other countries (Japan and Cambodia) who are English language learners as adults. They have all, over time, successfully gained a verbal proficiency in English. I wonder if they might fit into the category of "Generation 1.5 Students"- describes as those who are caught between generations, having acquired some proficiency in two or more languages but not truly native speakers of English. These students are the one who speak alright in English but never attain the fluency of a native speaker, and may have difficulty gaining academic competence in English.

One thing I appreciated in this first chapter is that we may not carry the title of "Bilingual teacher" or "ESL teacher", but, many of us, in our classrooms are instructing children who are English Learners. This is especially true in California. The text stated that in 1998, California led the nation with 1.4 million English learners in need of ESL services at the K-12 level. I teach SDC preschool at a school with a very high percentage of English language learners, and I have several in my class whose home language is Spanish. Many of my students start school at age 3 having very little exposure to English. Sometimes, preschool is their first experience with the English language. I see my job as building a basic foundation of vocabulary, communication, and social skills, all parts of English Language Development, on which other teachers in the future will build.

I also appreciated learning what all the acronymns stand for. I have heard them around school, but did not know what they stood for. Recently, there was a deadline at our school for the CELDT test. Though, not in the text, I believe that it means "California English Language Development Test." After testing, I know that several from our school moved up on their levels of English Language development.

I especially appreciated the section entitled, "Challenges for Teachers of English Learners." The first challenge is to motivate English learners to achieve the highest possible level of proficiency and to gain an understanding of the target culture. In my SDC preschool class, it is all about language with all the students, but especially those English language learners. I use a variety of strategies such as scripted language, modeling, visual prompting, sign language, etc...to help my students achieve the highest level of proficiency possible in English. The second challenge is to respect the native language and the rights of its speaker. I agree with www.robinjcarver.wordpress.com that the best advice from chapter 1 is "to teach English effectively and to gain an understanding of the target culture." In the book One Child, Two Languages, on p. 172, it states that "Cultural factors play an important role in determining how and what children learn. They interface with age/stage potential, personal characteristics, and experience- giving them directions and substance. Cultural differences can lead teachers to misunderstand children, to misassess their developmental competence, and to plan incorrectly for their educational achievement." I believe that this is easier to do when the child's native language/culture is a familiar to the area, such as Spanish. It takes more energy and efforts to become familiar with a not so common language and culture. But, of course, it is worth the extra effort. Lastly, teachers who make a sincere attempt to learn the language of their students and build English on student's prior language expertise definitely have the advantage in teaching English as a second language. I speak Spanish fluently and feel that I do have some advantage as I teach young children English. I can use their native tongue as a foundation on which to build the English Language.

Good Morning!

Just wanted to say Good Morning and Happy Monday to everyone. I want to make sure that this works today... Yeah...I'm excited that I may have figured out how to blog...

Hello

Hello there fellow classmates:

Had a very difficult time getting a blog up and running. I had to start all over again. I'm hoping that this blog site works better.