When teaching CLDE learners, it is important for them to feel that they are a valued member of the classroom community. Whenever I have students who speak other languages in my classroom, I have them share something from their culture. For example, one of my Spanish speaking students this year, read a book aloud to her classmates in Spanish and translated the book into English. She was so excited about the opportunity to show her Spanish speaking skills, that she went to the other third grade classrooms to share. I've also had a student bring in his notebook from China so the other students can see the difference in Chinese characters and English print. One of my Arabic students did the same and showed the class how to make certain Arabic letters. Whenever I teach students who speak other languages, I'm aware that visuals are a great way to help them understand vocabulary and other material. I use a lot of presentations that include pictures and graphic organizers to help them see what the word means.
An area where I need improvement is establishing communication with parents. The parents of these students often speak no English and it is always a challenge to get your message to them. I also feel like teachers have limited collaboration with ESOL teachers. With budget cuts, these teachers often service multiple schools and keep limited hours. I know I would benefit from a closer collaboration so I can learn more strategies to help these students in reading.
To address some of these weaknesses, I have to actively seek out help. It would be wonderful to find a program that will translate emails and newsletters to a particular language so parents can be informed about what's going on in the classroom. My district does provide some translated letters, but only for certain languages. Scheduling time to meet with the ESOL teacher on a regular basis, would help me better plan my reading instruction. CLDE learners can excel in the classroom with communication and collaboration.
I agree with you on collaboration time. It seems like there isn't enough time to sit down with resource and ESL teachers. Collaboration is key to helping these students. Your idea about a computer program that would translate would be great too. I know that our district has some letters in different languages, but to be able to write a personal note to parents and have it translated would be great.
ReplyDeleteIt is evident that you care deeply about the success of your ELL students. The language barrier makes it SO difficult to communicate with families. I really like how you incorporate different languages in print for students to actually SEE what written words look like from other languages. My students always love when we study Helen Keller and read Braille, so I know they would enjoy seeing other languages in print. This is a great idea that I plan on implementing in my classroom.
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