Teaching Grammar

As a language teacher the question of the value of teaching grammar has always been a subject of debate in my professional community. I have worked with teachers across the structure spectrum, from top-down, context-based proponents who ask “Why must we put a name on it?” to bottom-up, sentence diagramming gurus who will hold tight to a rule regardless. I must admit that I fall somewhere in the middle. The structure and syntax of language is, undoubtedly, fundamental in improving both written and spoken communications. As the National Council of Teachers of English suggests, we cannot improve our communications, making them more precise and effective, until we identifying and label the components that comprise our language. However, ultimately, the labels we place on these words and structures are much less important than the meaning the conveyed. It’s for this reason that I feel it is so important to teach not only prescriptive, but also descriptive grammar to language students. Students in today’s classrooms need to learn to communicate in both formal and informal registries and the best way to prepare them to do both is to focus on grammar in context.

This year in particular I have recognized, more than ever, a need to teach grammar in context. My students are often able to formulate a perfectly grammatically correct sentence without a clue as to its meaning. They can conjugate a verb in their sleep, but when asked to comprehend written text or choose appropriate vocabulary they are often stumped. I have tried, very intentionally, to change my instructional focus so that students not only understand the structures and formulas that I teach, but also can use the forms in meaningful contexts. I think that inductive presentational approaches tend to lend themselves more to meaningful grammar learning. When students see the language as part of a whole they are more likely to view it as relevant and useful.

Although I’m not yet an ESL teacher, I have also struggled to determine how important the “standard” structures of Spanish are when students are much more likely to encounter the “non-standard” forms of the language. In my Spanish AP class the native speakers joke that, in class, we use “my” Spanish. Although I always insist that it is not, in fact, “my” Spanish, but, instead, “academic” Spanish, I must admit that these comments force me to examine my perceptions of language standards. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve come across structures that are commonly taught as “standard,” but are rarely used. It begs the question, why teach a rule that is rarely kept in everyday communication? I would imagine that this internal struggle will continue when I begin teaching English to speakers of other languages. How do I best prepare students to communicate with their peers, their teachers and members of their community while simultaneously setting them up for success on college entrance exams and in the academic realm? I am truly hoping that a balanced approach is the best solution.

I also am certain that the context and purpose of the language instruction undertaken will determine the extent to which I incorporate traditional prescriptive grammar rules in my ESL classroom. A “newcomer” to the United States will need to first focus of Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills and, therefore, concentrate on learning survival phrases that may or may not meet the standards of prescriptive grammar. However, as a student moves into a less restrictive environment and begins to explore academic content in English, they will need to use Cognitive Academic Language Skills that fit the norms of prescriptive grammar. I hope that, with time and practice, I will learn assess a student’s background, learning style, preferences and needs and, then, “prescribe” the right techniques to meet those needs.

Multicultural Education

As technology advances, each day we move closer to interdependency and collaboration between the nations and cultures of the world. Students in our age are able to connect with their peers around the globe in ways unthinkable just a few decades ago. The amount of access available to students seeking information about the way others think and live is unprecedented and the need to understand other cultures has never been greater. Teachers, administrators and other stakeholders are challenged to prepare students for future success in our global economy. In addition, the students in today’s classrooms are more diverse than ever in our history. Students may come from different home and language backgrounds with diverse values and perspectives. These two factors influence, to varying degrees, an educator’s definition of multicultural education.

I think that many educators easily misinterpret multicultural education as simply presenting the products and perspectives of an ethnic or cultural group, as illustrated in Paul Gorki’s account of his experiences in elementary school at Taco Night. Education from this standpoint teaches students little about the viewpoints, values or diversity of another culture and, instead, focuses on the salient products and practices of the culture reinforcing stereotypes and ethnocentrism. Failure to recognize the range of thoughts, beliefs and behaviors that exists within a culture and the diversity that exists within our own classrooms only serves to reinforce the supremacy of our dominant culture. As a teacher of foreign language I find it particularly important to displace stereotypes and prejudices in the minds of my predominately white English-speaking students. I am always amazed at how fiercely students will fight to maintain their viewpoints and how uncomfortable they are with facts or opinions that contradict them. Giving students an opportunity to thoughtfully examine their opinions and even adjust them is a vital part of the process of developing a global citizen. This opportunity for “cognitive dissonance,” described by Gorski as a technique in multicultural teaching, provides an avenue for students to shift their paradigms and rethink their opinions. I personally believe that key to multicultural education are the explicit teaching of critical thinking skills and the presentation of curriculum that represents varied cultural perspectives.

A second factor in defining multicultural education is the diversity of our students. It is the responsibility of every teacher to help students learn in the way they do best. Many factors, such as language, values, beliefs or family dynamics can influence a student’s ability to learn in a given class. In addition, learning preferences may be based in cultural perspectives about education, learning and teacher-student relationships. Not acknowledging these differences is undoubtedly detrimental to students from such backgrounds. Every student has a right to equal opportunity for academic success. All students should be prepared through their education to productively participate in a pluralistic society. As a teacher my greatest challenge in regards to multicultural education has been to protect students from oppression and discrimination by those that are part of the dominant culture. In high school their already exist so much pressure to conform. So many of my students are afraid to express dissenting opinion or share their rich heritage for fear of being misunderstood.

Unfortunately, one drawback to multicultural education is that, although well intentioned, it can often serve to only highlight differences and support stereotyping instead of creating the unity it intended. I think it is important to emphasize both similarities and differences when implementing multicultural curriculum. Allowing students equal opportunity to learn using varied resources from multiple cultural perspectives is so important for today’s students. It is a difficult but vital task. I truly hope to improve year after year as I grow and learn to teach from this perspective.

Summer Reflections

As I think back over the past months, beginning graduate classes was a great decision for me as a teacher. When I finished my undergraduate degree and began teaching, I wasn't ready for what I have learned in my first few graduate courses. Although I had hoped to finish my Masters much sooner in my teaching career, I am now glad that the timing worked out as it did. Personally, I needed some time to learn, make mistakes and figure out who I am as a teacher. This experience, however, has been just the push I needed to challenge myself as a teacher and rethink my routines.

I have really enjoyed learning more about how learners acquire another language and then using that knowledge to establish sound teaching strategies for my classroom. I have learned so much that applies to my foreign language classroom, but, more importantly, I’ve become so aware of the struggles the ELLs in my school community face in the academic environment. I hope to share my knowledge with the teachers I work with to improve the ELL experience not only in my classroom, but in many rooms throughout our building.

There are many strategies that I will implement this fall in my Spanish classes that will benefit not only ELLs, but all of the different learners in my room. As a language teacher, I have always struggled in reading instruction. Two strategies that I anticipate using as soon as possible are the Cloze procedure for evaluating vocabulary knowledge and literacy levels and the use of Anticipation Guides and other metacognitive strategies for reading. These scaffolds will allow me to introduce many more authentic texts and more literature into the beginning levels of my classes. Another area that is often a struggle for me is oral language development. I really have trouble getting students to practice speaking and I think that Choral Readings may be the perfect tool to develop my students’ phonemic awareness and pronunciation. Although I have used readings and movie clips as a point of departure for writing before, I enjoyed creating the Writing Prompt and will use this method more in the future. I can also see myself using the SDAIE method to introduce cultural concepts and integrate outside content areas into my lesson planning.

Since I am not yet an ESL teacher, I don’t have a great deal of wisdom to impart to those that are beginning the ESL teaching journey. However, I would encourage any general education teacher to consider a Masters with an ESL concentration. After speaking with others how’ve completed other programs, I feel that I am learning so much more through this process than some of my colleagues learned in a traditional Curriculum and Instruction program. What I’ve loved about this journey, as I’ve mentioned before, is that the techniques and strategies I am learning don’t just fit the needs of ELLs in my classes. They are what all learners need: reflective and thoughtful planning, scaffolded instruction and presentation and practice that considers all learning styles. I am so looking forward to planning for the new school year and applying what I have learned to my classroom practice.

Literacy and ESL

It is always surprising to me how my personal and career growth has always come in spurts. Before beginning my masters program, I had hit a "dry spell" professionally in which I was pretty comfortable and confident about most everything I was doing in my classroom. I felt like a "veteran" teacher in a short five years. However, life has a way of reminding you that you still have much more to learn and, in a short span of time, I am beginning to discover a whole host of strategies that I need to implement in my teaching every day. One such practice that has been sorely lacking in my day to day lessons is the incorporation of meaningful literacy experiences in my classes.

Reading is the foundation for any student's academic future. Reading improves written and oral communication skills and expands vocabulary for all learners, but it is perhaps even more integral for an ELL student. ELL students will have ample opportunity to improve their interpersonal communication skills in school, but research shows that these students may not receive the high quality language input necessary to develop cognitive academic language at home or in school. These students need to be exposed to the rich language and vocabulary found in various types of literature to develop this important language set. In a recent professional development presentation I attended, the speaker, Dr. Maria Argüelles, spoke of this set of vocabulary, the words we use in academic pursuits, as the "gatekeeper" for future academic opportunities for ELL students. Without this particular knowledge set, many students cannot and will not achieve in school and be afforded opportunities in the future. Therefore, students' success greatly depends on our ability to provide them with meaningful literacy activities in our classes.

Although I am not yet an ESL teacher, I can imagine that one of the most difficult parts of integrating literature in my classroom will be selecting materials for my students to read. Some of the factors I will need to consider are the age and second language acquisition stage of the students for whom I am selecting the materials. Another important factor to be determined will be the background knowledge and prior experiences of the learners. I will be sure to scaffold the reading for the learner by providing pre- and post- reading activities that personalize the material and encourage the reader to connect the text to their own experiences. I will also check to see if the materials I am considering include graphic organizers, scaffolded vocabulary, comprehension questions or other reading supports. In addition to the reading strategy supports, I'll also look for material that lends itself to discussion, personal reflection and higher order questioning. I think the last important component when considering texts will be the vocabulary used, both social and academic. Ideally the materials I choose would help ELLs both develop their interpersonal communication and expand their academic vocabulary.

As I reflect of what I've learned about literacy and ELL, it leads me to a realization. What I have loved about my ELL classes so far is the fact that, even though the strategies I am learning are targeted at ELL students, everything I learn improves my teaching practice for all of the learners in my class. I am so glad to have rediscovered the importance of reading across the curriculum and I hope that this knowledge will permanently change the way I approach planning and teaching.

Teacher cartoons

I found these cute comics at http://www.glasbergen.com/education-cartoons/. A couple of them are all too true for my students.

Introductions

Hello everyone! I just wanted to begin by introducing myself and explaining what brought me to the decision to teach ELL. My name is Jessica and I have been teaching Spanish to adorably begrudging high school students for the past five years. I can honestly say that I LOVE what I do, so it is not a distaste for my students or subject area that led me to pursue ELL certification.

I love language teaching and all its methodology. The language classroom is by nature interactive and vibrant. You really cannot teach students to read, write, listen and speak in another language without sound teaching practice, so it forces you to think about what you're doing. Even though I felt completely overwhelmed as a first year teacher, I feel that each year I've become a better teacher than the year before.

So what would lead me to change gears when I love my job so much?

There are several of factors that contributed to my decision, but I think the main motivation I have is the need for ESL educators at the high school level. Students who come in as newcomers in high school have been overlooked for many years and their unique needs and challenges are just coming to the attention of educational policy makers and stakeholders. In my classroom I have seen the difference that ELL teachers have made in the lives of my heritage language learners. Many students in my class have stated that their ELL teacher was the best teacher they've ever had and that they will never forget all the work the teacher did to help them understand English. In a high school atmosphere of general apathy, hearing students talk about a teacher in this way peaked my interest. I know that all teachers make a difference in the lives of their students, whether the students realize it or not. I am not negating the importance of foreign language instruction, or any other content area for that matter, but I just feel drawn to do something even more challenging and, perhaps, rewarding.

Another reason ELL appeals to me is my interest in language, culture and travel. I was fortunate enough to study abroad in Spain during college and experience second language learning firsthand in the target culture. I know how difficult it can be and how much culture shock can affect students. I would love the opportunity to work with students from around the globe and learn from them as they learn from me. I hope to become a better language teacher, regardless of the position I end up in following this program. As my pastor often says "You're either green and growing or ripe and rotting." I hope to always be a "green" teacher.