Hello! My name is Giovanni Israel Nino, and I am an EC-6 Generalist major at the University of Houston. I am bilingual, as I grew up speaking both English and Spanish. Both of my parents immigrated from Mexico, and one of them is bilingual, while the other speaks mostly only Spanish. Because of this, the first language that I learned was Spanish, which is why I started my schooling in ESL classes. During this time I was practicing and developing my English language skills mostly at home seeing as Spanish was the language spoken most at home. An experience that I had where I had the opportunity to enhance my Spanish language skills was when I was taking AP Spanish Language. The reason that this class allowed me to do so was because in that class we had to write essays, read articles answer questions, and practice formal conversation. As a result, my Spanish developed into me being able to think more academically in a language that I had previously not been able to. Overall, the experience that I had in my schooling is what formed my teaching philosophy when it comes to teaching ELL students.
Further, my teaching philosophy when it comes to teaching ELL students is that we should take into account the assets that they come with when planning our instruction as educators. A way I will do this is by giving students access to the “privileged way of knowing and doing” (Wright, 2019, pg. 20). What is meant by this is that I will provide the student with the necessary resources needed so that they can develop their English language skills in all subjects. One of the main ways that I will do so is through the usage of word walls. This is something that I have seen done within my student teaching placement, and I see how it helps students to solidify the concepts that they are learning. It is also something that I saw when I was in elementary school which I found to help solidify the concepts I was being taught about. Another way that I will help ELL students develop their English language skills is through the use of sentence stems. This is a strategy that I see being done in all subjects and used for even non-ELL students. Using this instructional strategy will help language development as students will aided in the formation of more complete thoughts when talking about different topics. This strategy was one that my teachers used in elementary school which also resulted in me becoming confident in my English language skills. As such, these are some of the practices that I will implement as a future teacher to help my ELL students.
Work Cited
Wright, Wayne (2019). Foundations for Teaching English Language LearnersL Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Caslon Publishing. Third edition.
Hi, Giovanni. It still amazes me how there are people like me who were placed in ESL classrooms during their elementary days. It’s funny because my siblings and I always translated for my parents, especially during doctor visits. I appreciate you sharing the excellent strategies you would use for your future students to support them in their English language learning journey. I especially like the word wall and how you put it into words on how the students can “solidify their own word banks in their minds,” which perfectly expresses your own learning through your placement. Giovanni, you will be a great advocate and teacher for your future ELL students.
Hi Mayra! Yes, it amazes me too when I hear of other people that were placed in ESL classes during their ESL years. Even within my own family, some of them were placed in English-only classes. This resulted in some being fluent in both languages while others only know English. Moreover, I am glad that you are in agreement with the strategies that I choose to support my future ELL students.
Hello Giovanni! Your story is amazing and inspiring in the sense that you practiced English at home but also furthered your knowledge in Spanish by taking an AP course. I also really like your philosophy I think this goes along with knowing your students in the sense of understanding and being aware of their assets. Word walls are my favorite practice when it comes to language and vocabulary growth. I believe that it can work for upper grades too! It is amazing how it solidifies what is being taught and also makes it more organized. I also use sentence stems regularly for my ELL and non-ELL students. I have seen how much of a difference it makes in how they write and speak. It was so interesting reading about your experience and beliefs. Keep up the great work!
Hi Kaitlyn, I agree with your statement about how word walls solidify student learning and makes their thinking more organized. This is something that I see being true in my placement classroom seeing as students have a reference of the important content words being taught in an accessible manner. As a result, student’s in my placement classroom better remember the definitions and words that we use in all subjects while developing the English language skills of all students.
Hi Giovanni, I really liked your video because you talked about your experience with being an ELL student. It was interesting to hear how things were for you in elementary being that most of your family spoke Spanish. Me not being an ELL student I don't know what it feels like growing up bilingual. I'm glad to see you took your studies up a step further by continuing to learn Spanish. Your idea of having a word wall for the ELL students is so important! I will implement that in my classroom if I have ELL students.
Hi, Giovanni. It still amazes me how there are people like me who were placed in ESL classrooms during their elementary days. It’s funny because my siblings and I always translated for my parents, especially during doctor visits. I appreciate you sharing the excellent strategies you would use for your future students to support them in their English language learning journey. I especially like the word wall and how you put it into words on how the students can “solidify their own word banks in their minds,” which perfectly expresses your own learning through your placement. Giovanni, you will be a great advocate and teacher for your future ELL students.
ReplyDeleteHi Mayra! Yes, it amazes me too when I hear of other people that were placed in ESL classes during their ESL years. Even within my own family, some of them were placed in English-only classes. This resulted in some being fluent in both languages while others only know English. Moreover, I am glad that you are in agreement with the strategies that I choose to support my future ELL students.
DeleteHello Giovanni! Your story is amazing and inspiring in the sense that you practiced English at home but also furthered your knowledge in Spanish by taking an AP course. I also really like your philosophy I think this goes along with knowing your students in the sense of understanding and being aware of their assets. Word walls are my favorite practice when it comes to language and vocabulary growth. I believe that it can work for upper grades too! It is amazing how it solidifies what is being taught and also makes it more organized. I also use sentence stems regularly for my ELL and non-ELL students. I have seen how much of a difference it makes in how they write and speak. It was so interesting reading about your experience and beliefs. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Kaitlyn, I agree with your statement about how word walls solidify student learning and makes their thinking more organized. This is something that I see being true in my placement classroom seeing as students have a reference of the important content words being taught in an accessible manner. As a result, student’s in my placement classroom better remember the definitions and words that we use in all subjects while developing the English language skills of all students.
DeleteHi Giovanni, I really liked your video because you talked about your experience with being an ELL student. It was interesting to hear how things were for you in elementary being that most of your family spoke Spanish. Me not being an ELL student I don't know what it feels like growing up bilingual. I'm glad to see you took your studies up a step further by continuing to learn Spanish. Your idea of having a word wall for the ELL students is so important! I will implement that in my classroom if I have ELL students.
ReplyDelete