REFLECTION

As I complete my course on Bilingual Methods, I reflect on what I have learned and how I plan to implement those lessons into my teaching. 

First, I was impacted by the lesson on the social and cultural aspects of what CLD students bring to the classroom.  It is important to remember their assets (multilingualism, experiences and schooling in another country, and familiarity with multiple cultures and ethnicities), and to educate other teachers about them.  The ideal school would have this climate throughout.

Language acquisition is important to CLD students who are adjusting to the English language.  The Prism Model (Collier, 1987, 1989a, 1992; Collier & Thomas, 1989, 2007; Thomas Collier, 1997) helps educators understand the complexities of accommodations that are necessary to help our students become successful.  The dimensions of the prism are: L1 & L2 Academic Development, L1 & L2 Language Development, and L1 & l2 Cognitive Development. 

Sociocultural challenges that CLD students face include adjustment to the new country, adapting to a new education system, and coping with cultural nuances of their new school.  It is important for teachers to understated the psychosocial challenges of the CLD students.  Krashen (1981, 1982) developed the input hypothesis and the affective filter hypothesis.  By understanding these theories and applying them to teaching CLD students, they can become more successful learners.  From the first hypothesis, comprehensible input is the important take-away.  Students must be able to understand in order to learn.  They cannot simply pick up a new language by listening to it; they must be making a connection of comprehension.  Teachers can help by acting out concepts, providing visuals, speaking more slowly and articulating, etc.  The second hypothesis, the affective filter, relates to the variables such as anxiety, self-confidence, and motivation.  With an atmosphere that is comfortable, in which the students feel appreciated and are not afraid to ask questions and interact, they will thrive.

The theories and methods mentioned above are important for teachers to remember as they implement the national standards for teachers of CLD students.  The directors of the National Teachers of English Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) have written the standards most often followed, and are those that I will use in my class.  They break the standards down into five areas: language, culture, planning, assessment and professionalism. These standards differ from those used for other contents because they acknowledge the role of language in the learning process of CLD students.

To be the best teacher I can be for my CLD students, I will not only keep these standards present at all times, but I will regularly practice self-assessment measures to make sure I am doing my best, always improving, and keeping up with the most current ideologies and methods recommended.  For example, if I am assigning a new list of vocabulary to the students, I will examine the effectiveness of my lessons and assignments.  I can look at the way I introduce vocabulary.  If I hand the students a list and ask them to fill in the definitions using a dictionary, that is far less effective than using the vocabulary in context and then engaging the students to interact while using the vocabulary.  Presenting vocabulary in a more comprehensible and interactive manner will be one of my goals.  Consequently, if the curriculum requires me to follow a textbook, I will spend time planning by considering how CLD students can contribute. If we are discussing architecture, I will make a point to as the students from other countries about their most famous buildings. I will also make sure that whatever the new information I am beginning to introduce has a proper context for all students.  For example, some students may not know much about an American holiday, so I must give basic background knowledge before proceeding.  I will also find ways to connect whatever we are learning in order to reflect all of my student’s experiences and cultures.

Something new that I learned from this course is how to use T-charts to self-assess the different facets of the standards.  This is something I will regularly do, because it is an excellent way to ensure that I continue to implement and improve at utilizing the best concepts, principles, theories and research to create the ideal learning environment for all of my students. 

                                          
Collier, V. P., & Thomas, W. P. (n.d.). International Handbook of English Language Teaching (Vol. 15). US: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-46301-8_24