Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Breaking the Language Barrier
In my field experience classroom, there are several students that are very new to country and speak little to no english. It has been such a learning experience finding ways to communicate with these students to not only help them learn and become adjusted to their new environment, but also to feel safe and accepted. One thing that I have learned is that a smile and a high-five are universal, and go along way with building connections. It is sometime challenging when I am placed in a one-on-one situation with an ELL student to tell if I am successfully helping them hone their math and reading skills. When there is evident signs of progress and understanding, it is an even more rewarding experience to see how these students have overcome their obstacles.
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Mikk,
ReplyDeleteGreat to see you a learning a ton from your classroom experience! In my own classroom I have also had the chance to experience students who speak only one language. I agree that smiles and high-fives go a long way to build connections with these students to show that you care about them. I too think it is such a rewarding experience as you had stated, “When there is evident signs of progress and understanding, it is an even more rewarding experience to see how these students have overcome their obstacles.” Looking forward to hearing more from your experience!
Mikk, I have also had similar experiences to you! It can be a difficult task trying to communicate with someone who speaks a different language than you do. I agree that smiles and high fives go a long way in showing the students that they are doing the correct thing. We are lucky to have a couple of students that are pretty fluent in both English and Somalian which is a big help when we are not understanding each other. Good luck during your last week of field experience!
ReplyDeleteI think that at this age it is important to build connections through more than one avenue no matter how many languages they speak. We have students in my class that already speak two or three languages and it is still a great way to bridge the gap between student and teacher. I definitely am looking forward to seeing more of your posts
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