ell case study interview

TEACHER INTERVIEW

Please describe your ELL teaching experience:

My name is Chanie Weissman. I worked in Lakewood Public School for 7 years. I worked with many Spanish speaking children but did not have any formal ELL  training at that time. This was a springboard to learn to make modifications for these children. I then went to school to become ESL certified and stayed on in public school. Last of the seven years, I worked with ESL students only with a wide range of levels and class size. I then worked on developing a curriculum for TENDER TOUCH based on the WIDA  standard.

What is your perception on ELLs in terms of their learning motivation and performance (especially in reading and writing)? What learning difficulties do ELLs usually encounter in schools? What is the role of family and community in helping ELLs’ learning?

ELL students struggle tremendously with motivation and performance in reading and writing especially. Teachers need to constantly give out external motivations and incentives as well as employ a variety of modalities. ELL students are always missing content vocabulary. Ie. even if they are strong math students, they are missing math language associated with the skills. Higher level learning is for sure more difficult for them.

Low socio economic culture families are generally not motivated to ensure that their children thrive. They are barely surviving day to day. Teachers need to send home school activities and have conferences to keep parents engaged. Whereas families that are ok financially; will do EVERYTHING possible to bring up their child’s level.

In your opinion, how do classroom teachers resolve ELLs’ learning difficulties? What strategies do you adopt? Are they effective or not? Do you participate in on-going professional training for teaching ELLs? What is your experience in terms of working students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds? How do you make sure that your teaching is culturally responsive? How do you go about reaching out to the family and the community?

My experience is that teachers do not do enough. I tell teachers that I work with to be creative as much as possible and to treat the ELL  student just as any struggling student. Dont just give over information! Explain the language. Provide supports such as visual aids, sensory integration. Dont just assume that they understood just because you said it!

The strategies I use are: PRE TEACHING - vocabulary and language

SCAFFOLDING:  1. First teach the concepts in a group

2. Try it out in pairs 3. Last- let the students try the work independently

This is the most effective but it does take time.

Any methods that help struggling students will also help ELL students. The content is not the problem, but more the method of getting there.

I do not participate in on going training at this time, however, I am a member of the TEFOL  to keep current with ELL methodology.

My experience with children from diverse backgrounds was a wonderful way to learn about all types of people and cultures and allowed me to build relationships with people from different heritages. I make sure that my teaching is culturally responsive by running my materials by other teachers and administrators in that particular culture.. I also make sure that my classroom aide is from the same culture as my students. Lastly, I make sure that my content is meaningful to their culture so the language doesn’t get lost on the way.

I use parent-teacher conferences, and newsletters in THEIR  language as well as any home-school correspondence.

If you have an ELL in your class whose culture you are not familiar with at all, how do you go about teaching the child?

I go to the library and on line to learn about their culture so I can engage and build a relationship with my students.