week 3 assignment #2: Review the Teacher's Guide of NYS Bilingual Common Core Initiative

NYS Bilingual Common Core Initiative

Teacher’s Guide to Implement the Bilingual Common Core Progressions

teachers-guide-to-implement-the-bilingual-cc-progressions.pdf

Review the Teacher's Guide

Critical Response: Look into the Common Core Progression, how is the progression used to design instruction? 

    The main characteristics of the New Language Arts and  Home Language Arts Progressions are their functionality and flexibility as standards mentioned. The teachers can utilize progressions to develop literacy and language in academic settings within their content area simultaneously and have effective and efficient teachings. 

    But, no matter the New Language or Home Language Arts, as my understanding, requires the assessments applied in every stage in any form to help the teachers get a hint where the students are and where they should go. The teachers can take a reflection of how to modify their targeted instruction to conform to a variety of student levels.  All students will learn within the same content area, but the teacher would create different supports for the students to access the content and the academic language according to the result of the assessment. 

Reflection of Working Effectively with Bilingual Students

After reading Chapter 2 "Working Effectively with Bilingual Students"

As a classroom teacher who has bilingual students, what accommodations would you put in place to assist them?

What strategies would you use in Reading and Writing for struggling students? 

When having bilingual students in the class, first of all, I would like to encourage the rest of students to treat them as our mutual resources in class.  I will assist bilingual students to present their cultures via posts or relative treasure in designated time. Reaching out to their family or community, making connections with them can pour more diverse cultural experiences into class and demonstrate our respect. In the classroom, I will allow students have their pace to acquire knowledge and language with the patient. Seek assistance, e.g. tutors, specialists, or another skilled bilingual student with English proficiency. The decoration in the classroom can reflect my attitude as well, I will try to bring materials in other languages or flags. When it comes to complementing teaching, I would like to follow the principals below.

1.Explain the outcomes clearly, since I learned the backward design before I believe it's a good start for learners to think about why they should learn. The lesson plans bridge them to authentic experiences and make learners realize it's useful and reachable if they follow the guidance.

2.Allow students use L1 when they have no confidence in expression in English. Cognitive development shouldn't be suffocated by language if they are not ready, it's not the time to reap.  Input before output, what I can do are keeping support, providing more relevant or familiar materials to them, arranging flexible groping and other tutors.

3.Provide more chances for them to practice and give them positive feedback. Seize every any opportunity to demonstrate the task in details and repeat the fixed routine wordings. 

4.Observe them frequently to facilitate transitions.

5.Assign homework or provide the information of helpful website to have them preview or review the content.

For the students struggling with the reading, I would like to a traditional Taiwan way to assist them.

1.      Explain the new vocabulary. Try to use pictures, computer, and body language to clarify the meaning.and usage.

2.      Demonstrate useful sentence pattern from the lesson or reading. Replace different works until they understand the pattern. The teacher can apply this way to extend the quantity of vocabulary.

3.      Recite the content aloud and allow the students repeat after teacher without understanding.

4.      Let students circle the words which they knew and what they just learned. It can help the teacher assess how much the students catch.

5.      Reading by students and assist them when they need.

6.      Explain the plot of content with both languages or either one.

7.      Ask them some questions according to their language level and guide them to find the answer.

8.      Review the vocabulary and sentence pattern.

An experienced teacher usually will provide culturally related books to learners. The Level is just a little higher than students’ to give them some challenges and satisfaction. The book can be read repetitively and new vocabulary usually displays on the wall. Or allow students bring some authentic material from life, like flyers, school letter, or bill if they don’t mind. Through the processes, students can learn formal and informal genres which also motivate them to solve a real-life problem.

For the students struggling with writing 

Writing can happen in any form in my opinion, making learners realize it’s a way to communicate is my priority. I would encourage them to have dialogue journals. They could start in L1 and transfer to L2 gradually. They can record everything they learn from school or what they would like to share happening on weekend. This journal would serve as a connection book among students’, their family, teachers and even administrators. They can revise, draw or put any element they like to beautify it. On the other hand, I might team up with other teachers who is bilingual in student’s language. Enjoying reading the journal and exchange our ideas of instructional assistance everyday. If I can get the permit from the student, I would even display it in public and invite other students to join the adventure of progress. To the English speakers, it’s also authentic opportunity to demonstrate how to politely write feedback through post-it to the student. Experiencing this procedure, both sides of students benefit, hopefully, this approach can arise the multicultural awareness in class and bring them together!