I'm drawn to this image because it has so many words. All are important, hwo do you know what to focus on. For me and the research I am going to do, I think we need to focus on critical thinking. I like how the word is larger and more pronounced to show importance. After our readings and study lately, it is hauntingly clear that we can't keep up with the lightning speed of technology. What we can do, is teach our students to think. I have come across teachers that don't quite know how to get English learners to do critical thinking. So, they just don't do it. There is still a mentality that we only focus on Depth of Knowledge level 1 type questions, especially for English learners. I will admit that it is difficult at the Elementary level for students with low levels of English to show higher order thinking skills. However, they can and do have those capabilities. We need to spend more time to figure out how to teach those skills and practice them and not assume our ELL students have cognitive limitations instead of just language limitations. Thre are many many ways to teach critical thinking with ELs. We have to have comprehensible rigorous input in the content areas for students regardless of language proficiency. What I have seen lacking is the scoffolds in place to move ELs in their language AND content. In my experience, some teachers have trouble with students lacking skills in language and content and curriculum that is far above their students skill levels. I have learned extensively about how to do this. However, the kicker is to try to manage that within the confines of a online world for 8 year olds. I have ideas and I'm slowly working toward that. I need to intoduce flipgrid to my students. I also need to figure out how to use the collaboration and communication rubrics within the conines of Zoom and 1-13 children right there observing everything. I am very dedicated to figuring it out as that is a huge part of my research but more importantly I owe it to these children that need to learn. These are importnat skills, much more important than finding the key details in text. These are skills they will need and use in all aspects of their lives to be successful. I am going to work on oral academic language skills but the goal is to have the necessary language to discuss the concepts and content taught. With the appropriate scaffolds and technology, we can absolutely work on it, we have to.
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Laurie J. Gaynor
9/29/2020 04:59:05 pm
Oral language skills and fluency/prosody are so important to the ELL. I understand how difficult it is to have our ELL's produce oral language that shows their critical thinking. I wonder if by the time they get to 4th grade that some of the challenge is that they have "learned helplessness". A strategy that may have been effective with some teachers. They think that if they are silent, I will not continue to push and prod. Or maybe they just don't connect to the curriculum. I have noticed that I will get a lot more input if I can find something that they are passionate about. Such as when we designed a school that would be safe from active shooters. It is such a balancing act to maintain their innocence within the reality that many are dealing with daily. So I am doing my best to establish relationships that will support the sense of community and trust that will lead to showing their thinking. Only then will the scaffolds really become effective.
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Dustin Green
10/5/2020 10:28:27 am
Erica, I have spent a lot of time this year considering my English learners and how to properly accommodate and support them in an online classroom. I have been using a ton of Google Translate and including instructions/explanations in both English and Spanish. I often wonder if other teachers are doing this and how tough it must be for a lower level English Learner now. If I have a particular part of a lesson which includes a lot of lecturing in English, I begin to worry about those students falling behind. I think your research can benefit students and teachers everywhere, especially while we’re working in the online classroom.
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About the AuthorI teach 3rd grade in Napa Unified. Archives
December 2020
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