Language Development Methods for Secondary and Middle Schools - Essay Example

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT METHODS FOR SECONDARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS Topics Included Covered in this report Analysis & Comparison of programs or services provided to ELs. (2pgs) 2. Discussion of current approaches: (2pg) 3. Analytical Review of Public Literature (2 pgs) 4. Discussion of courses or programs offered by the school (1pg) 4.1. Interviews on EL programs (2pgs) 5. Course reflection (1 – page) LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT METHODS FOR SECONDARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS The change in demographics of the country, and the simultaneous rise in number of non English speaking students, has fuelled the need to implement programs that offer English language coaching and guidance to such students. Various programs and services are offered to teach English as a secondary language in schools across the country. This section describes analyses and compares the various courses, programs; services offered by ------------- elementary school in California where a large number of students enrolled are Spanish – speaking English learners. It presents a comparative study of about the effectiveness of the programs and services offered, key strategies implemented, significant organizational features, as well offers an insight into the challenges faced during the process. As a teacher / educator / student teacher, at the ____________ school, California; I had the opportunity to visit and observe the various programs and services offered by the school to an Elementary class and students of eight grade SDAIE class, which requires and implements both, special education as well as education in English as a second language. With most of the children identified as developmentally handicapped, and coming from non English speaking backgrounds, I was delighted to know that a majority of them responded well to the customary greetings “Good Morning, Teacher”. I observed that students of the Eight grade, displayed an impressive understanding of the language and had excellent expressive and receptive skills in the English language. Their oral and written abilities were more or less similar to those of their English speaking counterparts with the same form of disabilities. I remember a particular incident – of my interaction with one of the Spanish students called ------------------, who was a first generation American, who spoke fluent Spanish at home, lived in a predominantly Spanish speaking community of California, but interacted in manageable / fluent (choose as appropriate) English with his English babysitter / housemaid (choose as appropriate). ----xyz--------, age ----, another such student spoke fluent Spanish as his/her mother tongue, and learnt English at age 6, displayed adequate reading and writing skills in the secondary language. From these observations, I can safely conclude that the degree of proficiency and expertise in the second language i.e., English, was found to be similar to that of their primary language i.e., Spanish, especially when the secondary language was needed for day to day interactions with close friends or in everyday life such as in restaurants, cabs, or schools. The S.D.A.I.E. or the Specifically Designed Academic Instruction in English program was used in the school where I taught. The strategies followed by this method of imparting training in English language included; a strong emphasis on learning English as an Academic language so as to encourage students to learn it effectively and not just acquire basic English speaking skills. It emphasized on active learning, which engages students in activities that demonstrates their knowledge in the language. Assessing or tapping prior knowledge about the language forms an inevitable part of the learning structure since it helps the teachers to learn / understand what the students already know and emphasize this knowledge to build it further. Collaborative problem solving skills, co-operative and other groupings requires the teachers to implement various instructional activities whereby heterogeneous students are encouraged to learn and work productively. It emphasizes on cultural affiliations / multicultural perspectives wherein students from various cultural backgrounds are encouraged to share their perspectives and thereby increase and improve their limited knowledge in the process. Activities like demonstration and modeling forms the crucial component of instructional learning in SDAIE. Graphic organizers – with pictures rather than words, are used to acquaint the students about the new words and less emphasis is placed on learning new vocabulary through dictionaries. Students are encouraged to cultivate expressive writing skills after exposing them to, fully integrated visual, listening, speaking, reading, and writing instructional activities. Questioning techniques are implemented to assess the students’ knowledge and learning skills1. According to a research report presented by the National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth2, “Instructions that provides substantial coverage in the key components of reading – identified by the National Reading Panel (NHD, 2000) as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension – has clear benefits for the language minority students. For instance, teaching or exposing the students to certain phonemes / combination of phonemes in English which do not exist in Spanish, would help in improving their English reading and writing skills. Moreover, the skills displayed by the students depend largely on the quality of instructions received by them, i.e., the quality of content, various methods used by the teachers, implementation of appropriate monitoring methods, and preparation of the teachers themselves. The teachers should display an art of delivering quality education coupled with innovative instructive methods which would ensure effective professional development of the students. They should be provided an appropriate environment where they are encouraged to speak coherently with their peers. This could be done by making activities like reading and writing more appealing to the children such as activities involving writing about the people, places or objects they are familiar with3. Usage of advanced technological tools as effective teaching aides should be promoted to generate interest and liking in learning the language. Computerized testing methods also help in assessing accurately the second language proficiency of such students, for instance CAT (Computer Adaptive Testing). CAT helps in assessing not only the level of proficiency in English but also calculates the responsive time taken to answer a particular question and could be used as an additional tool for evaluating the examinee4. According to various studies and researchers, some of the most sought after and essential characteristics of an efficient bilingual educational program include supportive school wide curriculum, school leadership, customized learning environment, articulation and co-ordination between and within schools, use of native language and culture, balanced curriculum, systematic student assessment programs, staff development as well as home and parent involvement. Some of the other most effective approaches to English learning as a secondary language could also be used as shown in the following chart: MODEL / PROGRAM GOAL/S SKILL ASSESSMENT 1. ESL pull out Providing individualized support to students in the areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing Design and deliver content area instruction in a form which is more accessible than the mainstream Use additional materials, bilingual aides, adapted texts to help students acquire competent knowledge about the content as well as language Students will learn and acquire better reading, writing, listening and speaking skills through personal attention and support Students will be able to grasp the knowledge intended to impart and learn faster and more efficiently 2. Transitional Bilingual Education Provide content area support in the native language while teaching English Impart knowledge in English in other subjects such as music, art, and other similar subjects Students will retain their interest in learning the language Students get to interact with other speakers of English as their primary language and learn casually through interaction with their peers Each of the program / model discussed above has certain unique / peculiar characteristics and it is usually difficult to identify one particular model since all the models have various useful features that are significant for students from diverse cultural backgrounds. Any program adopted or implemented by a school should be flexible to accommodate timely changes so as to make learning a better and fruitful experience. Pull out programs are used for either gifted children or for children with special education needs. It is one of the most popular programs used in U.S. schools and has been considered as a popular instructional delivery model for ELL (Van Loenen, Haley,2004)5. According to another research carried out by the Saginaw Public Schools, Michigan Department of Evaluation Services, (1992), on a group of first graders, to evaluate their reading skills, the pullout reading recovery program displayed positive results. A majority of the research work carried out on bilingual education programs focus largely on the relationship of languages of instruction and bilingual student performance in academic subjects and the specific instructional practices applied by teachers. Studies reveal that the bilingual education programs are the most effective tools for attaining academic success and students receiving bilingual education are often seen to outperform their mainstream counterparts (August, Hakuta, 1997)6. According to studies, Spanish or the students’ first language is not an impediment in developing and attaining academic excellence. It was also observed that students enrolled in bilingual programs not only developed efficient English language skills but also excelled in developing improved relationships with other students. Hakuta (2000)7, on the basis of data collected from four district schools, observed that the students acquired oral proficiency in three to five years while it took almost seven years to achieve Academic proficiency in English. Interviews on EL programs Interview with teachers: 1. How do you promote or intend to promote tolerance and diversity in classrooms? 2. How do you propose to incorporate technology in your method of instruction? 3. Describe your typical homework assignment 4. What is your typical instructional style? What aides do you use / avoid while teaching? 5. Do you design your lessons to suit the varying abilities and needs of the students? 6. what aides do you think are most suitable for working with children with special education needs? 7. What is the goal of your instruction or teaching method? What do you aim to achieve? 8. What resources do you rely on while teaching? Do you think textbooks are inevitable in classroom teaching? Why and why not? 9. How do you encourage developing of thinking skills in the classroom? 10. How do you assess student learning? Interview with Administrators: 1. As a school administrator what is your perception of top priority at such schools? 2. What is your leadership style? How do you incorporate your teaching goals with the learning outcomes of the students? 3. What is your perception of a good assessment? What qualities do you seek in a teacher? 4. What do you expect to be included in a quality lesson plan? 5. Do you actively involve yourself in staff development activities? 6. When and how do you recognize the need to implement a new advisory program in a school? 7. What measures would you / have you take/n to create a healthy, and nurturing learning environment in your school? 8. How do you deal with parents who are upset about their child’s performance? 9. How do you resolve problems related to students who fail to perform well? 10. What steps would you take to ensure that the teachers implement all the recommendations while teaching? Learning Outcomes I gained a better understanding and insight into the various theoretical aspects of teaching English as a secondary language to students from diverse cultural background. I was also able to develop familiarity with the language learning needs of the students as well as the basic practical approaches and techniques involved in teaching and learning English as a secondary language, knowledge required to develop a basic lesson plan and deliver lessons to a class of elementary students, the ability to test theoretical knowledge against practical experience, and an increased awareness of professional issues in the field of imparting knowledge. Other key areas that I learned about are listed below: An improved understanding of the nature of learning English as a secondary language Understand the differences in learning abilities and needs of students from various cultural background and develop a plan suitable for each of them Ability and significance of building effective relationships with the students to encourage better class participation and to improve learning outcomes Manage individuals, and groups effectively Plan and manage teaching methods effectively and carry out student assessment in the most efficient manner and maintain student records for future assessments Identify the need to involve parents and families in certain activities to encourage better learning process at home as well Understand the need of continual professional development as a means of achieving excellence in the field. Bibliography 1. SDAIE Teaching Strategies, viewed: 24th Oct, 2008 from: 2. August, D., Shahahan, T., (2006). Developing Literacy in Second – Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language – Minority Children and Youth, viewed: 24th Oct, 2008, from: 3. Eric Digest: Fostering Second Language Development in Young Children, viewed: 24th Oct, 2008, from: 4. Eric Digest: Considerations in Developing and Using Computer – Adaptive Tests to Assess Second Language Proficiency, viewed: 24th Oct, 2008, from: 5. Van, L. R., Haley, P.K., (1994). Consultation and Collaboration: English as a Second Language regular classroom teachers working together. U.S. , DC: Languages and Linguistics. 6. August, D., Hakuta, K., (1997). Improving Schooling for Language – Minority Children: A Research Agenda, Washington DC, National Academy Press. 7. Hakuta, K., Butler, Y.G., Witt, D., (2000). How Long does it take English Learners to Attain Proficiency? CA: The University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute. Observation Chart: Sample Group Details: No. of Students: ________________ Age Group: ____________________ Primary Language: ______________ Grade/ Age Group Reading Writing Speaking Listening Example H M L S H – High M – Medium L – Low S - Satisfactory Read More