<< Chapter < Page | Chapter >> Page > |
6. Assessment of ELLs (Although 82% of the teacher-respondents indicated that some ways of assessing abilities and academic performance may be inappropriate for ELL students. They were uncertain as to whether ELLs should be tested in English or their L1.) The teachers in ESL and in bilingual education tend to express the importance of testing in the language the student has been taught. A finding of the Aldine ISD report (Kujawa et al., 2003) was that there is a relationship between language of instruction and achievement.
7. ELLs and collaborative instructional approaches (Some teachers felt that with appropriate instructional approaches, tools, and resources that ELLs would require an equal amount of time for teaching as non-ELLs, but others disagreed. There is a need for professional development to provide such instructional approaches for teachers.) Our findings in a recent study have indicated that sustained and focused professional development on ESL strategies has a relationship to the amount of the strategies used (Lara-Alecio, Irby,&Mathes, 2006) This study is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C 20202, under contract No R305P030032. .
8. ELLs and classroom resources and time on instructional tasks (66% of the teachers believed that ELL students take up more of their time than non-ELL students.) The ELLA study (Lara-Alecio, Irby,&Mathes, 2006) has determined that the more time on oral English acquisition, the better the students develop English as an oral language at kindergarten level.
9. Interactions between ELL and non-ELL students in the classroom (46% of the teachers indicated that ELL students in their buildings are not, or would not, be viewed as problems by other teachers or building administrators; however, 30% did believe that the ELL students are viewed less favorably by building administrators and their fellow teachers, with 24% indicating they were uncertain of the school’s perceptions related to ELL students.) Two-way dual language programs best promote interactions between ELLs and non-ELLs in the classroom.
10. Teacher beliefs about ELLs’ parents (Most teachers, 76%, did not believe that ELL students’ parents, who do not speak English after having been in America for a long time, are incapable of ever mastering English (11% did believe that, and 12% were uncertain). A majority (58%) believed that continuing to speak their L1 and not English was an indication that parents wanted to preserve their L1, 62% of the teachers believed parents of ELL students were less involved in the schools than parents of regular students.) Teachers who work in a school that promotes strong parent involvement have good attitudes toward parents and tend to welcome them in their schools and classrooms. Leadership on the campus drives this attitude.
11. School climate for ELLs (Teachers believed that there were good relations between ELLs and non-ELLs and that the school and district were supportive of the students.)
12. Teacher attitudes toward ELLs (Teachers were quite confident in their ability to conduct their classes in ways that help students understand the material, teach their assigned content areas, teach learning strategies to help students master the material, and themselves master what is expected of them. Teachers were moderately confident in their ability to adapt their instruction so that ELL students could understand the material and help ELLs succeed in their classes, and teachers believed themselves prepared to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Additionally, teachers believed themselves significantly less able to teach ELL students than to teach students in general.)
Notification Switch
Would you like to follow the 'Immigration in the united states and spain: considerations for educational leaders' conversation and receive update notifications?