My action plan will discuss how to connect the early education environment to the home of children who are English Language Learners (ELL). It will also discuss how to help keep the parents connected with their children's educational environment. Finally, I will discuss how as educators in the early education field it is vital that we find ways through diverse curriculums and materials which will help children who are from multi-cultural and multi-ethnic stay connected, so that they will not fall behind in their education.
As I spoke with the professionals about this particular subject, they were both in agreement that although things are getting better in this area; there is still much work that needs to be done. We need more financial resources available and more assistants in the classrooms to help us to be able to spend quality time with the ELL students, without taking away from the other children in the class. We also need to help parents who struggle themselves with the English language to become more connected so that they are able to assist their children with their education. There are so many times that we have found that the language barriers in the home prohibits the assistant of help with homework for the students. We need to bridge that gap between the homes and the school environment so that we create and build a community for our students.
When I inquired which of the two topics were of greater concern (the children or the parents staying connected), I was told that they both of equal concern, and that you can't fixed one without fixing the other. We need to make sure that the students are able to learn the materials, but also have a strong parental involvement for the assistance needed at home with homework. So they are both vital to the success of the children and the families we serve.
I believe that after reviewing my notes from my interviews, that I have learned quite a bit from the teachers I interviewed and will seek their advice in the future as I prepare to work on my research paper.
Congratulations you're in.
ReplyDeleteSisie.
As I observed my host teacher in this preschool classroom, the first thing that I noticed was that the classroom was bright and colorful. The bulletin boards and pictures were both in English and Spanish. The room decor (rugs, desks/chairs, etc.), were both in English and Spanish. This host room teacher was also Hispanic.
ReplyDeleteAs I sat down to observe her class, the teacher and students sang a "good morning song" in both languages. They also recited the alphabet and numbers in both English and Spanish. I was quite impressed at how well the students did.
As I continued to observe the class as more and more students were being dropped off I noticed that the teacher spoke the native language to the parents as they arrived (i.e. English to English speakers and Spanish to those who spoke Spanish).
As I watch the student who are now doing an art project with crayons and color pencils, the teacher is sitting with them and is inquiring what colors the individual children are using. When they answer, she says the name of the color back to them in Spanish.
I inquiry if this is something that she teaches throughout all of the activities in her class, and she states that she does. She states that she believes that it is important for the students and their parents to feel like they are connected to her and the classroom environment.
I was really impressed with this teacher attitude towards making sure that her classroom promoted diversity.
The child that I observed and interacted with was a 5 year old little Hispanic boy. This little boy spoke Spanish which was the language spoken in the home, and English is what he spoke at the school. This little boy was very charming, and he was a little shy and apprehensive at first, but warmed up to me after he saw me observe in the classroom a few times, when I sat next to him, he was a little bit more comfortable with me being next to him.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that this environment connects to my Advocacy plan is because I am writing about how to Create and a Cohesive and diverse learning environment for all students. As I observed this classroom, I witnessed the teacher explaining the lessons and curriculums to all of the students, and once she finished, she placed the students in small groups with instructions as to what they need to do next. Afterwards, she took the one 5 year old boy and 3 other students who were ELL and placed them in a group and sat down next to them so that she could spend some extra time going over the lesson with them. She spent the remainder of the period (approximately 20 minutes) with this small ELL group.
Some insights and learning experiences that I gained from observing this classroom is that it is important to make sure that as an educator that the learning environment is warm and inviting for all of your students. I also learned that as educators you should always make sure that you spend the additional time needed for all of your students, especially your ELL students. Finally, I learned that you need to make sure that as the teacher you make the connection between the home and school environment.
Very important to make the connection between school and home. If you don't have a connection with the parents you will not have a connection with the child.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. It sounds like this teacher is making sure all of her students are getting the help that they need. I liked the way she spent the extra time with her ELL students, that shows how good of a teacher she really is. The connection between home and school is so important for the teacher and the student.
ReplyDeleteThe person I observed and interacted with during this module was a 3 year old little boy who was new to this childcare’s facility program. This little boy was Hispanic and as I observed him being brought into the classroom by his mom, she spoke to him in Spanish. I was told by my host room teacher (who was bi-lingual) that Spanish was the primary language spoken in the home, and that is how she communicates with his parents. This classroom has 12 students, 1 teacher plus 1 teacher’s assistant. The teacher is Hispanic and the assistant is African American. The teacher’s curriculum is taught in both English and Spanish.
ReplyDeleteA learning experience that I gained for my interactions with this classroom in this module and previous ones is that it is important to enjoy working with children. I feel in order to do your best for the children you work with you have to fun while doing it.
One of the insights that I have gained throughout these observations is that it is important to always make the families feel included and connected to their child’s environment away from the home. This helps parent’s get through their day with ease knowing that their children are in a safe and nurturing environment.
A second insight that I gained is that I am now seriously considering learning a second language. I believe that as our society becomes more and more diverse in its nature, in order for educators to do the best job that we can, learning multiple languages will be a big part of it!