I have been going into the classroom now for awhile now and it is such a pleasure being able to work with the kids and see how they learn. I observe the classroom, help out the kids and engage in "teacher like" conversations with them to see if they are understanding the lesson. The children really respect my presence and like having me in the classroom.
My classroom is one of the most racially diverse rooms that I have ever seen. There are about three white students, six black students, eight hispanic students, an asian student and a couple students that are a mix of cultures. When I looked on Infoworks it said that my school consisted of 23 percent White, 19 percent African American, 55 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Asian, and 1 percent Native American. Their information kind of matches up with what I have observed except there seems to be less White students and more African American.
All of the students can speak English and I know that many can also speak a different language just by their accents. On Infoworks it states that 25 percent of their students are bilingual yet there is no ESL program in their school. I have noticed that when I ask a question to a student that speaks more then one language they seem to have a harder time understanding it and answering it. I have to repeat myself a few times and be patient. I think it is very hard for the students who speak more then one language because sometimes they can't find the right words to say and usually get confused. I have seen the kids struggle especially when their teacher gives them directions in class and on assignments.
There was one quiz they had to do that had them circle an object relating to its placement. For example, which picture shows the bee on the left side of the flower or which picture shows the teddy bear on the table? This is hard for the kids in general because they do not know their left from right yet or do not have a developed sense of direction and placement. It makes things ten times harder when you do not understand the language that is being thrown at you. Simple words like left, right, on, over, up, down, under, beside, etc. etc. are not easy words for students speaking another language. This example shows how testing students this way is not always the best idea and does not give a chance to students who are struggling with the language.
I think the whole idea of having a diverse classroom is a great idea because everyone can learn from each other and understand each other more. These students in my classroom are going to be better off in society because there used to being around people who are different from them. It is amazing how well they all work together and how the students love to help one another.
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Hi Emily,
ReplyDeleteI think its wonderful that your enjoying tutoring! I was surprised at how diverse your school is. I think its wonderful that your school is so diverse. Its completly different from the school that im tutoring in. According to info works the school that im tutoring only seven percent of the students are white, which makes the school a segragated school rather than a diverse school. Do you know if your students are learning english as a second language or are they just fluent in both languages? If they are learning enlglish as a second language I dont understnad why the school doesnt have an esl program. I think that Goldenberg would defenitly disagree with how the school is teaching students who are leanring english as a second language. If these students are struggling they should be getting extra help. I think its great that students of different cultures are able to interact socially, but I think Goldenberg would disagree that the students would be able to help eachother. To some extent the children may help eachother, but according to Goldenberg, students who are english speakers tend to just rush the work and just give students the answers rahter then expalin it to them. I do agree though that these students will be better off in society becuase they had the chance to experience being around people who are different from them.
Emily, I think its great that your school is so diverse, I think that is very important for the students to see and get comfortable with diversity at a young age. I think it is interesting that with 25% of your school being Hispanic, that there is no ESL program. It must be so hard for those students to try to keep up with everyone else while learning in a second language. Does the classroom teacher give them extra help, or rephrase the questions in spanish to help them understand? Is there someone else in the classroom helping these students out? It doesn't seem fair that these children don't have equal opportunities to learn, and it may cause them to fall behind. According to Goldenberg's article the students should be learning first in their native language and then in their first and second languages simultaneously. This way they can learn the information in the most familiar way, and that information will be easier to learn in english. This is especially important for students who are learning how to read, just like the students you are tutoring now. Maybe you should suggest that the principal read Goldenberg's article, they may push harder to create an ESL program.
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