The Importance of a Students' Story
A student’s story is the number one and most important factor when I begin the year of teaching in second grade. Even though they haven’t been on this earth for a very long time, 7-8 years, it’s the first thing I need to know so I can understand where the child has been and where I can take him/her as a teacher. Their story points out how I need to adapt my teaching style and delivery. Do they need tough love, do I need to invest additional time, do I need a softer approach, etc.? Parent conferences is where I get to hear their story, most parents automatically give their child’s story (and theirs as it aligns with their childs) so I can understand why they may behave in a certain way, why they struggle or why they’ve succeeded in the past.
Access
“In recent years, students increasingly communicate at school through their own wireless electronic devices such as cell phones, iPhones, and BlackBerrys.” (Kemerer & Sanson) I began to reflect about our online graduate class, how did our professors get to know us? The answer is using the tools of technology. We’ve had several chats and we’ve also had the ability to see each other on a video chat similar to the way we Skype or FaceTime on our cell phones. We’re no longer in the era where we simply chat and read each others text, we video chat now and it gives us the same face to face collaboration opportunities as if we were standing in front of each other. It actually may be a better conversation, as we’re able to chat with multiple people and research on our computer, if needed, at the same time.
Languages, Cultures & Instruction Modification
As a bilingual teacher, I speak English and Spanish and have taught in both. Most of my students speak either English or Spanish because I teach in the South Bay of San Diego County. One way we can ensure that we reach all students is to figure out if we speak a common language, if the child only speaks Spanish then I can communicate with him/her while immersing them into the English language simultaneously. Another strategy is to simplify assignments to meet their needs and possible language barrier. The Internet has an abundance of resources such as Google Translate, which I’ve used religiously with ESL students that are able to communicate in their own language. I’ve had students write their assignment in their native language and have them use Google translate to convert it to English. I tell them, that it’s double the work but it’ll pay off. Google Translate is not perfect but it starts and aids in the process of learning a new language. I believe we also have to show interest, whether it's online or in the traditional classroom. Whether it's the students story, their language or culture, students feel more comfortable when they see that we're interested in them and invest time getting to know them. “Simple actions such as pronouncing the students’ names correctly and showing interest in their cultures will go a long way in giving students a more pleasant learning experience.” (ESL Partyland, 2015)
References
ESL Partyland. (2015). Strategies for Teaching ESL Student - ESL Students in the
Classroom. Retrieved July 8, 2015 from: https://www.eslpartyland.com/teaching-
esl-student
Kemerer, F., & Sansom, P. (2013). California School Law Third Edition. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
A student’s story is the number one and most important factor when I begin the year of teaching in second grade. Even though they haven’t been on this earth for a very long time, 7-8 years, it’s the first thing I need to know so I can understand where the child has been and where I can take him/her as a teacher. Their story points out how I need to adapt my teaching style and delivery. Do they need tough love, do I need to invest additional time, do I need a softer approach, etc.? Parent conferences is where I get to hear their story, most parents automatically give their child’s story (and theirs as it aligns with their childs) so I can understand why they may behave in a certain way, why they struggle or why they’ve succeeded in the past.
Access
“In recent years, students increasingly communicate at school through their own wireless electronic devices such as cell phones, iPhones, and BlackBerrys.” (Kemerer & Sanson) I began to reflect about our online graduate class, how did our professors get to know us? The answer is using the tools of technology. We’ve had several chats and we’ve also had the ability to see each other on a video chat similar to the way we Skype or FaceTime on our cell phones. We’re no longer in the era where we simply chat and read each others text, we video chat now and it gives us the same face to face collaboration opportunities as if we were standing in front of each other. It actually may be a better conversation, as we’re able to chat with multiple people and research on our computer, if needed, at the same time.
Languages, Cultures & Instruction Modification
As a bilingual teacher, I speak English and Spanish and have taught in both. Most of my students speak either English or Spanish because I teach in the South Bay of San Diego County. One way we can ensure that we reach all students is to figure out if we speak a common language, if the child only speaks Spanish then I can communicate with him/her while immersing them into the English language simultaneously. Another strategy is to simplify assignments to meet their needs and possible language barrier. The Internet has an abundance of resources such as Google Translate, which I’ve used religiously with ESL students that are able to communicate in their own language. I’ve had students write their assignment in their native language and have them use Google translate to convert it to English. I tell them, that it’s double the work but it’ll pay off. Google Translate is not perfect but it starts and aids in the process of learning a new language. I believe we also have to show interest, whether it's online or in the traditional classroom. Whether it's the students story, their language or culture, students feel more comfortable when they see that we're interested in them and invest time getting to know them. “Simple actions such as pronouncing the students’ names correctly and showing interest in their cultures will go a long way in giving students a more pleasant learning experience.” (ESL Partyland, 2015)
References
ESL Partyland. (2015). Strategies for Teaching ESL Student - ESL Students in the
Classroom. Retrieved July 8, 2015 from: https://www.eslpartyland.com/teaching-
esl-student
Kemerer, F., & Sansom, P. (2013). California School Law Third Edition. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.