Alexandra has a very direct question to ask each of you with regard to ESL students:
Do you have any ESL students in your class? What strategies does your teacher use in order to make sure that those students understand all that is going on in the lesson? Were you an ESL student when you were in elementary school? As you observe ESL programs do you have any questions or any suggestions that you would like to make with regard to these programs? Should there be ESL programs in our public schools or do you think that we should consider total English immersion programs, that is, programs where there is no transition for students? Let me hear your ideas, concerns, opinion.
In the class I am observing there are seven ESL students (which is a lot considering the class only has 19 students). These seven students get pulled out twice a day and the ESL teacher comes in the classroom for Math. I think ESL programs are absolutely needed. English is the main lesson in the classroom and if these students do not understand it, they will be lost. ESL programs help students with the English language. I have been in my observing in this class for a little over two months now and I already see progress in the ESL students reading. The teacher that I am observing does not work one on one with the students, but she does spend a good amount of time working these students during guided reading. I was never an ESL student, English was always my primary language, so I never had to experience that. My cousin was in an ESL program for six years before he graduated out of the program. From what he has told me, they focus heavily on phonics and how words are sounded out. I know that my cousin has learned several great reading and spelling strategies from this program ( touch spell, tap it out). It is hard for students when they do not understand the English language and I think ESL works as a great transition into the classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn my previous placement, I had four ESL students. At the end of everyday, an ESL teacher would come in to help the ESL students during guided reading and social studies. During the time the ESL teacher was in the classroom, he would help the ESL students if he saw them having trouble with the topic. He would ask the student questions in their first language or ask them to explain what they did not understand. These students were able to speak English, but they did sometimes have difficulty understanding directions or word phrasing. However, I believe that having them immersed inside the classroom helped them to better understand the English language. With the support of the general education teacher as well as the ESL teacher/ ESL program, I believe the students were getting the best education possible to reach academic success.
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