Teaching+Reflection-Stephanie+Atkinson

Tutoring Reflection  Before this class, I never realized how narrowed my vision was of people from other countries. I unconsciously assumed that people from other countries were basically the same, basing my presumptions and grouping them by physical characteristics. As I tutored and began to learn about each student, they had varying personality traits and strengths just as Americans do. It is not that I thought that people’s views from other countries were wrong, it is that I never took the time to learn about the differing experiences people from other cultures have had.  Before we watched the film Amreeka, we talked about the differences in architecture in Saudi Arabia and America. I don’t remember their names, but they said it was weird that houses are built out of wood in America, whereas theirs are built out of cement. Until then, I naturally presumed structures around the world were built mostly from wood or metal. If I was to hold up pictures of a typical American house being built in the framing stages, people from some cultures might be confused what I was referring to. I also found differences in familiar food such as fish, which I never thought to classify separately as salt water and fresh water fish before I spoke with Andre. It is important before beginning a unit to know each of my student’s background experiences which will enable me to find culturally relevant pictures to aide understanding. “It is important to choose text with topics that students, particularly English learners, will have had experience with, such as family, animals, pets, or moving” (Syrja, 2011, p. 137). Even in discussing families with students, there are many differences which I will need to consider when choosing books and pictures, whereas family structures vary widely within the U.S. and throughout the world. I feel by being able to speak and tutor ELLs in person has helped me think critically about what it means to provide comprehensible input. For example, I used the phrase ‘in the morning’ in another class for an activity. Questioning what is culturally relevant, I researched roosters and realized that showing a rooster with a sun rising might be interpreted in a religious manner.  By including and building upon my future students’ culture and prior experiences, it will help them feel accepted and valued by providing familiar material, which will help lower their affective filter. “We also reinforce for students the importance of maintaining their culture as part of who they are” (Syrja, 2011, p. 88). I also believe involving families and developing a partnership between families and schools will help our students feel more welcome, because the trust developed between home and school will positively transfer to the student.  One way to involve families is by asking if books or pictures accurately portray their culture. As we watched Amreeka, there were many details that differed from the English 1010 students, even though Palestine and Saudi Arabia are located fairly close to each other. I also think it’s important to provide resources available and where they can be located in the student’s home language if possible, which will also help the families feel welcome. By asking parents what they expect from the school system, it will help me understand and find ways to include them in their student’s education.  I found by being placed in groups of native English speakers and ELLs, we would naturally look at another teacher with questioning eyes for help to clarify a concept or we’d briefly talk about our reasoning behind differing ideas. We’d also feed off of each other’s thoughts which I believe helped the English 1010 students better understand the concept. Just as we looked to each other for clarification and would help each other explain our ideas, the ELLs also helped each other with clarification. We all took turns listening to each other as our ideas unfolded. By placing native speakers with ELLs, they will learn academic content while learning conversational English in context. If students are able to work in groups, or able to talk quietly during individual assignments, they will feel less stress by being able to ask questions and clarify their understanding. I also felt that allowing time to get to know one another helped lower everyone’s anxiety levels. I was really nervous, especially the first tutoring session, but my anxieties faded as we learned about our similarities and differences.  In order for my students to learn, it is imperative I continually evaluate my teaching strategies based from what my students did or didn’t learn. By self-reflecting on my students’ successes and failures, I will be able to adjust strategies to meet my students’ needs. “When teachers of ELLs use this process, they not only identify the practices that bring the best results but, more important, can help others replicate those results” (Syrja, 2011, p. 99). I also believe that working as team and implementing microteaching will allow growth for students and educators, because observation from another educator will be able to provide insights on strategy strengths and weaknesses. Microteaching also allows educators to use, modify, and enhance each other’s ideas.  I learned it is critical to connect content to prior experiences. I also learned even though students may not speak very well, or have a heavy accent, does not indicate their proficiency in each literacy domain. Using differentiated instruction and assessment through graphs, TPR, pictures, picture books, graphic organizers and more, ELLs will be able to successfully learn and show their mastery of academic content. Through self-reflection and learning about my students and their families, I will be able adapt instruction to the needs of my students. References

Syrja, R. C. (2011). //How to reach and teach English language learners.// San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.