While reading chapter 1 of Gibbons, I made a connection with my personal history. I took Spanish for four years in high school. The Spanish classes I took, I was able to compare to the ESL students Gibbon discusses. My Spanish teacher did a great job of scaffolding her Spanish lessons. She created a sturdy base, one that included vocabulary. Once the base was in place she began taking it apart. As students we were able to speak Spanish in several different contexts. These context Gibbons addresses them as culture context. We were able to address someone properly, order a meal, and write a formal letter. She did not only teach how to do these contexts, but she taught us the appropriate way to do them with in the Spanish culture.
While reading chapter 2 of Gibbons, I was able to connect many of her arguments of ESL students to students in my field placement. There are two boys that have moved here from Korea this year. There is also a student who moved here from Puetro Rico last year. The girl from Puerto Rico speaks strong English, but i notice she has many traits that Gibbons mentions teachers complaining about. She is often impolite and abrupt to students that she works with. I find that other students are frustrated with her and that she does not know any better. The two boys from Korea hardly ever speak in class. They mainly keep to themselves and talk only to each other. My CT does a good amount of group work. This I find they are participating in. However I feel my CT does not do group work to the best of its capabilities. Gibbons discusses a lot on a group work. My CT does nothing of this sort. Gibbons also discusses agreed-upon rules for group work. This I agree with. The students in my field placement created their classroom rules therefore I feel creating group work rules would allow work time to be more beneficial. I have also made note in chapter 2 the activities Gibbons mentions. These I would like to use in my future classroom.
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I took three years of Spanish in high school, and I agree with what you said about being able to relate to the ESL students in chapters 1 and 2 of the textbook. I was also fortunate enough to have a Spanish teacher who really connected to his students and taught the material in a innovative and very effective way. I learned how to speak and write in Spanish formally as well as informally. It was very interesting to me because I always felt that I was decent at communicating and understanding Spanish when spoken, but my junior year of high school I went on a school trip to Mexico and soon found myself feeling very lost and confused when hearing the language from a native Spanish speaker. It was a very eye opening experience for me because I had never before been the outsider in a language since I was always accustomed to hearing and speaking English.
ReplyDeleteThe classroom I am currently doing my field in doesn't have any ESL students. I have yet to experience working with an ESL student, and I look forward to my first encounter. I am confident that it will be very meaningful as well as very rewarding. I know I will get a lot out of it, and it will benefit me for my future as a teacher.