For my interview video blog, I chose to interview Professor Carlson, a professor of Adult Education ESL at Houston Community College. Prof. Carlson has been teaching ESL for over ten years and enjoys what he does. I started the interview by asking Prof. Carlson what type of ESL students he has in the classroom. He stated that many of his students are at the beginning or intermediate stage of English proficiency. With Mr. Carlson also being an ELL himself, he states that he can relate to the challenges that many of his own ELL students face while trying to acquire the English Language. In order for him to reach his students effectively, Carlson believes that pairing ELL students who are at various levels such as students at higher proficiency level and lower proficiency level allow for students to relate to their peers and how they learn. As I continue my interview, Prof. Carlson says that as an educator teaching ELL, the hardest part is communication. He says that many of his experience with his students understand the English language, listening and writing concept. However, when it comes to speaking it and conducting a conversation, ELLs have a fear of saying something wrong and feel embarrassed or ashamed. Wright states that “they may become aware of the gaps in their developing language and may be pushed to……..successfully communicate with others (Wright 2015 pg.168). As I concluded my interview, Prof. Carlson mentioned that as a future teacher it is crucial to encourage and celebrate the achievement of not only ELL students but all students. This aides in building that foundation with your students and in return students will emulate that in their classes. According to Wright, “ELLs can learn and reach the highest levels of academic achievement.” (Wright, 2015 pg.15)
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA:
Caslon Publishing
Hello Celester! Your interview with Professor Carlson was very informative. One of the questions you asked had to do with what challenges he faces with teaching ELL's and he responded that he had trouble trying to get his students to speak. As an ELL myself, I definitely agree with what he said because speaking in front of everyone when you don't know the language or even understand it is a difficult task. I would feel embarrassed just because I didn't know how to speak proper English. Not to mention, Wright stated that "it takes about 1 to 2 years for ELL's to develop conversational fluency in English but that it takes 5 years or longer for ELL's to catch up to proficient English speakers in academic language proficiency" (Wright, 2015, p. 40). This comes to show that it definitely takes time to actually develop fluency when having conversations with others and it also definitely takes a lot of practice.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
Hi Alexandra,
DeleteThank you for commenting on my blog. I completely agree that it does take a while for someone o acquire a new language. Wright goes on to say that teachers must have an "understanding of how long it takes for ELL's to develop proficiency in English..."(Wright 2015, pg 40). Considering that, teachers must be willing to be patient with their ELL students as they learn and develop the English language.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Alexandra ,
ReplyDeleteI agree with trying to speak a second language being difficult. Just trying to learn a minimal amount of Spanish was difficult and made me self-conscious when I had to respond in front of others who were fluent in Spanish. It is good that Professor Carlson allows the students to work in pairs with a partner. According to Wright, “Such an environment helps to lower the affective filter and thus minimize comprehensible input,” (Wright, 2015, p.61). This natural approach allows students to practice language with Peres to gain confidence while working on proficiency.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Hi Stacy,
DeleteI too had trouble speaking in front of my peers when learning French. Being afraid of making a mistake, in my eyes, held me back from truly grasping the idea of practicing a language. Although there were other students who struggled as I did, I did not want to feel embarrassed.. "Errors are a normal part of language learning" says Wright, and that correcting students errors should be done in a way that avoids embarrassment (Wright 2015, pg 157)
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
*Stacey
DeleteCeleste,
ReplyDeleteI like that you interviewed an educator that is not an elementary school setting. It seems that even though his students are much older some of the ELL concerns are still the same, like using their English in a conversational setting. One difference is that the younger students are sometimes freer to try the language in conversation because they are not as afraid of speaking or making mistakes. According to Krashen’s affective filter hypothesis,” Even though the language acquirer understands certain input, anxiety, low self-esteem, or a sense that he or she is not a potential member of the group that speaks the language- the affective filter- will keep it out,” (Wright, 2015, p.52). I like how he pairs students at even at the college level. This can encourage ELLs and help them become more confident by being paired with another more proficient ELL and by letting them practice in a small, comfortable environment.
Weight, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Hi Stacey,
DeleteWhen I first began my interview, I thought that since Prof. Carlson taught older students, that there wouldn't be many commonalities with primary grades levels. However, there was! I thought that it was really interesting to see that even adults respond better to their peers, rather than someone in an authority position. According to Wright, "partner talks.....must be based in principles of establishing and maintaining a respectful, supportive environment." (Wright 2015, pg 159). By allowing students to partner up with their peers, it creates a safe environment where they're willing to take participate and take risks.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Hi Celester, I enjoyed watching your interview with Mr. Carlson. You formulated great questions that related to the content we have been studying in class. I agree with Mr. Carlson that state exams do not accurately measure a students abilities. As Wright states, "it is important to discover what your ELL students know, so that you can provide the appropriate support to move them across the continuum (Wright, 2015)." This is accurate with the beliefs of measuring students for their abilities because some tests may have information the students cannot accurately understand due to a language they have not yet learned.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
DeleteThat is so true. Many students that I've had the pleasure of working with struggle with testing on material that they do not understand. Some test only favor those who speak the English language and exclude those who aren't fluent in the English language. Wright states that "a test written in English is biased in favor of students who are proficient speakers of English and biased against those who are not,"(Wright 2015, pg.126). Students should be tested in a valid manner and reliable manner that is conducive to their knowledge.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Hi Celeste,
ReplyDeleteI was surprised about your person of choice to interview. I have only been able to get information and perspectives from elementary teachers, so it's actually pretty nice getting the perspective from a teacher in a different age group teaching area. I can relate the feeling of embarrassment to children, there are students who are not proficient in English, so they never really like to speak out loud. They usually only speak or answer questions when it is direct and during one on one conversations. I do find that their feeling of comfort with the teacher and class does help them open up and try more of their speaking skills, which it actually improves it, slowly. Even Wright states in the book that the hierarchy of needs is important for teachers to consider when teaching children and supporting their learning at school and at home.
Wight, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing
Celester* Sorry!
DeleteHi Jasmin,
DeleteI too thought it was interesting to get a perspective of an educator in a higher level of education. As I continued my interview with, Prof. Carlson shared something that really stood out to me. He mentioned that regardless of the age of your student, building that relationship with your students is crucial. Showing that you genuinely care for your students goes a long way. Wright suggest that " teachers must know about their students expertise....", (Wright 2015, pg. 17). Once we make that effort to get to know our students, they would be more receptive to learning and developing new skills.
Wright, Wayne E. (2015) Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners, Philadelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing