Vlog #1
Hi, my name is Cassie Haynes a little bit about me I was born in Lake Charles Louisiana, then lived in Pensilvania for a few years and then moved to Houston Texas and have been here since. My first language is English, my whole family speaks English. Growing up I did not learn another language until I hit high school. In high school I chose to take sign language as my second language because I found it interesting and fun and wanted to learn more about it. Although I loved learning the language I do wish I had taken Spanish because I think that would of helped me more in the future especially in my student teaching placement where I am at now because in Pasadena majority of the school does speak Spanish. My classroom is a gen ED PreK class but I have a hard time sometimes trying to communicate with the other bilingual classes.
I want to create a positive and inclusive classroom environment for all of my students. I want them to feel comfortable and welcomed in my class. I think second languages are best learned by lots of practice, communicating and using language in real life situations and adding cultural elements can help them learn. Meaningful interactions such as conversations with native speakers provides opportunities for good communication. "Sociocultural perspectives have been growing in popularity because they help teachers consider and address the linguistic and cultural diversity of their students, the languages and literacies their students use at home and in the community, and the languages and literacies needed for success in learning. (Wright, 2019, pg. 8) from chapter 3. Language is also influenced by social interactions and cultural factors. Communication, collaboration and meaningful interactions are all important. Students can engage in authentic language use and learn from each others experiences. As a teacher I can help English Language Learners develop their English skills by using strategies like visual aids, hands on activities and scaffolding incorporating opportunities for speaking, reading, listening and writing is important and offering individual support can help them learn. In my classroom I will make sure to have different cultural materials like books and videos to reflect diverse backgrounds, using a word wall with key terms and sight words and including pictures to help ELL students make connections between English words and their meanings. All of these things will help create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for ELL studnets to be successful.
Citations:
Wright, Wayne (2019). Foundations for teaching English Language Learners: Research, theory, policy, and practice. Caslon Publishing. Third edition.
Hi Cassie, I really enjoyed watching your video and getting to learn more about you, I like your teaching philosophy I do agree with creating that safe environment for your children. As an English learner myself it was nice having that warm safe space that my teacher created for us to open up and try to learn English feeling like I wasn’t getting made fun of, supporting your ELL learners through their journey and seeing them succeed and become that fluent English learner. Being that teacher that believes in and creating long lasting memories for them. I still have memories of my elementary teachers.
ReplyDeleteHi Jocelyne! Thanks for responding to my vlog. It is so important to support ELL learners through their journey and helping them succeed along the way. Im glad during your experience as an English Language learner you had a warm and safe place that your teacher created for you to help you succeed in learning English!
DeleteHi Cassie, it can be difficult to communicate with your EB students in a language that is foreign to you. I appreciate your dedication to providing a positive and equitable classroom, I believe that will make all your students feel they have a safe learning environment. Connecting content with students can be difficult but connecting real world situations does allow every student to have a relevance to the content. Great job with your quotes and citations, and connecting it to your teaching philosophy. I think you are doing a great job with having supports for your emergent bilingual students.
ReplyDeleteHi Alyssa! Thank you for responding to my post! It is difficult to communicate to students that speak a language I do not know. But yes! Connecting real world situations does allow students to connect to the content and help them learn. It is so important to provide a positive and supportive environment for all students.
DeleteHey Cassie, I love how open and raw you got when you mentioned that you wished you had taken Spanish and learned Spanish, but it is never too late to learn something new! And, I would like to add how awesome and cool it is that you know how to sign! I wanted to learn how to sign, but I always get confused, and I forget the signs easily because I am more of an auditory learner. You never know when that might come in handy for you! I love how you mentioned connecting cultures into the classroom is important because I 100 percent agree with you. I personally feel like when you as a teacher are more aware of your class being diverse and you include their cultures, their learning will exceed beyond measures. Your students are so lucky to have you and I am sure they appreciate what you do and continue to do for them!
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