K-W-L ChartIt is important to first establish your own beliefs and prior knowledge before you are able to confront them. I realize now how little I really know and how much more I need and want to learn. This is an important step in challenging and continuing to challenge what I know about teaching English Language Learners. I am particularly interested in Literacy skills and standardized testing as that is a key component to my job as a secondary English teacher. I also want to expand on the methods and modes of teaching ESL so that i can use differentiated instruction based on the individual needs of learners. I think this will be a key artifact to return to at the end of the course as I continuously add to the what I have learned section. This chart can be utilized as a physical representation of how much I have benefited from this course as well as a quick collection of all of the resources I have gathered that will inform my teaching practice. Exploring Theories: "Should I Correct my Students' Mistakes?"This task allowed me to explore a topic I have always been concerned with: corrective feedback. I was able to explore multiple, and polarized sides to the same argument. I found myself, after reflection, agreeing with Coelho that it is about the method and quality of feedback not only for ELLs but for all learners. How many times have I corrected a student's grammar before commenting on the message of their work? It is important to realize that language acquisition is a process and you must meet students where they are at and be selective about the mistakes that you choose to correct. Forming bonds with your students and understanding their mistakes is an important step to knowing how to respond and how best they will take to your feedback. This is an important document to return to as I continue to build on my theoretical understanding of corrective feedback and how best to support my ELLs and all my students with the ideas presented within them. Capacity Building Series: ELL Voices in the ClassroomIt is easy to get lost in theoretical concepts to the point where an educator forgets that you must take from them important information that will inform your practice and impact real lives within your classroom. I chose to analyze the "ELL Voices in the Classroom" document from the Capacity Building Series. My biggest gripe with this document is that it seeks to give educators the resources and practical approaches to supporting ELL voices within the classroom, without actually including their voices within this document. Were any ELL students and/or parents part of the creation of this resource? I think this analysis is important because many teachers will think they are applying these theories to support ELLs without actually listening to them. Students must be involved in their learning process and have a say in what they learn and how they learn it (incorporating L1 languages for example instead of being discouraged from using it). I found many of the practical approaches and activities helpful (if done well) and that is why I want to save this artifact as it reminds me of the importance of criticality alongside action. Theories mean nothing if they are not applied appropriately and meaningfully to benefit ELLs.
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