Connie+Toone+Final+Paper

(Tim Conrad, July 22) Fine reflection, Connie, as you consider how the TESOL goals/standards and other research can guide your teaching. You know how to take ownership of your own teaching while receiving the insights from the approaches we've been studying as helpful input about the unique needs of English language learners.

Connie Toone MENG 6410 Final Paper **Implementing the TESOL Standards into My Teaching **  Through the classes I have been taking for the ESL Endorsement, a vision is evolving in my mind of what my ideal classroom needs to look and sound like. I have always felt like I facilitated a kid friendly, learning rich environment for my students. Core test results have generally been positive and most negative math attitudes have faded with a word or two of encouragement at appropriate times. Yet, I think I can do more, I think my shyest students come close to slipping through the cracks some days. ESL students often fit into this group. They hesitate to speak out or ask questions. They are so busy listening and translating that if they do speak they miss out on other important things.  As a teacher I am very interested in using strategies that will help my ESL students use English to achieve academically. This is goal #2 in the TESOL Standards. Linguists and educators working together (Krashen & Terrel, 1983) have discovered effective ways to support students in their acquisition of new languages and content knowledge. It is my job to sift through the research and find the right approaches and materials that add to the language and contribute to my students’ abilities to acquire and produce it.  The classroom environment is also important in supporting language acquisition. Students need to be more than plants sitting in their seats waiting to be watered or for the sun to shine on them. Swain (1993) proposes that a classroom where children work together to solve problems and produce projects supports their language development in several ways. It gives them authentic reasons to communicate and support in refining their language production. ELLs then realize that they have to do more than just listen to and observe native speakers. This realization leads them to work on forming words and sentences to communicate (Herrell & Jordan, 2004). My lesson plans need to include activities that require communication and verbal interaction every day. I expect the activities will be beneficial for all of my students not just those designated as ELLs.  Specific strategies that I have collected to help students use English to interact in the classroom are: Think, Pair, Share discussions, Mind streaming, and Vocabulary in a Minute learning activities. These activities will help build background knowledge, allow the students to work in pairs or small groups and give me the time to move around the room so I can guide and monitor the practice. The same activities could be used for reviewing math vocabulary and practicing academic language.  A common math core has been adopted by most of the states in the nation. The focus is on instructional tasks that will build on students’ mathematical thinking. Rather than tell them everything they need to know to solve a problem, teachers are to lead discussions in fruitful directions using student contributions and ideas to further the objective of a lesson. I think this type of teaching will go hand in hand with the TESOL Goal 2: Standard 2 that states, “Students will use English to obtain, process, construct, and provide subject matter information in spoken and written form.” First it will be necessary to choose appropriate real world tasks that engage the students. Then I will plan ahead, anticipating the situations and solutions that they will most likely come up with. Finally I should be able to monitor students as they work; selecting approaches and individuals to share solutions in a way that will be purposeful and help them connect the mathematics. Working in small groups on math tasks I think my ELLs will blossom and have the opportunity to have the conversations that will develop their English skills as well as their math reasoning.  The use of research proven strategies to support my students’ learning will be a big help in my classroom. I hope that this addition and allowing students to explore and discover multiple ways to solve problems and demonstrate their understanding will develop confidence and reduce anxiety for all learners.