A question that I have been considering lately is the role of education-- are teachers supposed to help students pass a test and cover required material, or are we supposed to create life-long learners who are proficient in multiple literacies? This question applies to nonnative as well as native speakers. I enjoyed the discussion in this chapter about allowing ELLs to read a particle work n their native language and later transfer their discussion of it to English. At first I was hesitant about this idea, assuming that allowing them to access the book in their native language would be a way of dumbing down the text and making class easier for them. But if our goal as educators is to develop critical thinking skills and real world application tools, it should not matter what medium or language the material is read in; the fact that they are reading and thinking about the material should be enough. So while we should encourage our ELL students to branch out and attempt to read things in English that will challenge them, it is important to allow them to continue to learn in their native language until their proficiency in the English language is enough to express their thoughts with.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Ch. 8
I have taken a couple ESl classes at Olivet, and it seems that most of the information I learned in those classes was reflected in this chapter. There are so many theories regarding teaching ELLs, and many of them are contradictory. One point that I feel may have been somewhat overlooked in this chapter, but is assumed to be understood, is that no language is better than any other. This concept seems to be the focal point of most of Olivet's ESL classes. While many people are quick to claim that English is the best language because of its international usage, the fact is that all languages follow precise structures and have unique rules, and no language can be said to be more precise, rule-bound, or grammatical than another. We as teachers must make sure that all of our students understand this concept; it will help to remove much of the ingrained prejudice and misplaced pride in English speakers and will be encourage ELLs to not be ashamed of their native language.
A question that I have been considering lately is the role of education-- are teachers supposed to help students pass a test and cover required material, or are we supposed to create life-long learners who are proficient in multiple literacies? This question applies to nonnative as well as native speakers. I enjoyed the discussion in this chapter about allowing ELLs to read a particle work n their native language and later transfer their discussion of it to English. At first I was hesitant about this idea, assuming that allowing them to access the book in their native language would be a way of dumbing down the text and making class easier for them. But if our goal as educators is to develop critical thinking skills and real world application tools, it should not matter what medium or language the material is read in; the fact that they are reading and thinking about the material should be enough. So while we should encourage our ELL students to branch out and attempt to read things in English that will challenge them, it is important to allow them to continue to learn in their native language until their proficiency in the English language is enough to express their thoughts with.
A question that I have been considering lately is the role of education-- are teachers supposed to help students pass a test and cover required material, or are we supposed to create life-long learners who are proficient in multiple literacies? This question applies to nonnative as well as native speakers. I enjoyed the discussion in this chapter about allowing ELLs to read a particle work n their native language and later transfer their discussion of it to English. At first I was hesitant about this idea, assuming that allowing them to access the book in their native language would be a way of dumbing down the text and making class easier for them. But if our goal as educators is to develop critical thinking skills and real world application tools, it should not matter what medium or language the material is read in; the fact that they are reading and thinking about the material should be enough. So while we should encourage our ELL students to branch out and attempt to read things in English that will challenge them, it is important to allow them to continue to learn in their native language until their proficiency in the English language is enough to express their thoughts with.
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Great questions: what is our purpose in education?? Everything else you do will stem from your answer to this question...Keep thinking!
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