Performance-Based Learning

As Einstein said, “The world we created today has problems which cannot be solved by thinking the way we thought when we created them” (Diaz-Rico 69).

The educational world we live in today consists of standards. Everything we do in the classroom must be to meet a specific standard and each lesson will be given an objective that relates to the standard you are meeting. Therefore, we have TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) standards which meet the PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards which specify the proficiency that English learners need in order to become fully fluent in English. The objectives for an optimal lesson for English learners fall into three categories: content, learning to learn, and language. California has also prepared ELD (English-Language Development) Standards to ensure that English learner develop proficiency in both the English language and the concepts and skills contained in the English-Language Arts (ELA) Content Standards. They are aligned with the California English Language Development Test (CELDT), both with categories of reading, writing, listening, and speaking (Diaz-Rico 70-73). 

A great reference for standards in California: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/

This gives you a great understanding of what is expected across all subject areas when teaching and creating objectives to meeet the standards  in a California classroom. 

To achieve learning, one must do the following:

1. Describe what students are expected to accomplish or perform.
2. Detail what kind of evidence will substantiate this performance.
3. Design learning activities that will accumulate the desired evidence. (Diaz-Rico 69)

We must also understand how to identify, assess, and place English learners in school, as well as reclassify or exit them when they are ready. Here is a brief summary of the process: when students enroll in school, if they are identified as needing ELD services, they are placed in a program. To identify English learners needing services, there are a variety of ways: home language survey, staff and faculty observation in multiple settings, interviews,  and referrals by teachers, administrators, parents, etc. An assessment is then given to determine placement and this placement instrument (for us it is the CELDT) travels with the student for a smooth transition from ELD services to mainstream instruction. To reclassify (exit) the student, it varies by district, the multiple criteria include standards-based performance, all skills tested/measured, evidence that student can participate in a general education classroom, CELDT score (speaking, comprehension, reading, writing), years spent in a SEI /bilingual program, and grades earned in ELD Level 3 classes (Diaz-Rico 86-88).

@joannhageman

“English Learner's are expected to be taught the same as those not learning a second language while learning English”. The English language learners in our class have such an amazing struggle on a daily basis in the classroom. They are required to achieve the same standards as a student who already has English as their primary language. They are struggling daily with understanding a foreign language, which they are then required to meet all of these additional subject standards. On top of that, they also have their own additional standards to be met for learning the English language. They are constantly having to work twice as hard and try to keep on pace with an already too fast pacing guide! It must be truly exhausting!

@awright281976

“The limitations of assessing students for redesignation are that tests play a key part in that. All too many times there is a lot of pressure to redesignate students as fluent English speakers and leads to failure ultimately”. As I was reading this comment I was reminded about my experiences the past two years in sixth grade. There was so much pressure being put on the student and the teacher (me) as to why this student has been here since Kindergarten or first grade and has not been reclassified. We had meetings with the parents, the student, administrators, EL coach, and lots of paperwork implementing plans to get this student reclassified! However, as I also experienced the students who were recently reclassified and no longer got the support, were getting lost in the mix and ultimately slipping lower and lower down the grading scale. Unfortunately, that failure ultimately occurs for a majority of these reclassified students because they were not ready!

Views of Teaching and Learning

“Culture, identity, and motivation are inextricably linked” (Diaz-Rico 66)

“Language teachers must be unafraid to be risk takers and innovators in their teaching and must actively apply teaching and learning strategies using a broad, interdisciplinary approach” (Diaz-Rico 35). We as educators must realize that we are teaching the “whole person”. This involves their beliefs, body, brain, emotions, and culture. Our personal philosophy shapes and underlies the classroom environment. An educators attitude will be reflected within his/her student on a daily basis.  Today, we see the classroom being run in a very behaviorist setting, however I would love to experience a cognitivist classroom. It would be so invigorating to see the students actively involved planning, organizing, problem solving, and truly becoming their own facilitator of education. Along with the cognitive learning, you need it to be affective (emotions) as well, the head and the heart. “Positive emotional factors such as self-esteem, motivation, and proactive attitudes help language acquisition to take place” (Diaz-Rico 51). The classroom environment has such an impact on the outcome of student learning. I have personally witnessed the impact that an educator with a negative attitude had on her students and I vowed to never allow my students such disappointment in my classroom. 

I found a paper that focused on the problem of students who are reluctant to speak in the English classroom and it suggested a range of techniques that can be used to address the problem. The main ideas were to: (1) reduce the level of task difficulty, (2) promote positive attitudes among students, and (3) to build a supportive learning environment. Within each of these three techniques were examples of how to incorporate into your daily teaching. 

“Encouraging Reluctant ESL/EFL Learners to Speak in the Classroom” 

by: Nguyen Minh Hue. 

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Hue-ReluctantSpeakers.html

@lindsyhughes

“Since we, as educators, are frequently on a time constraint to progress through the material I wanted to find some information about how to incorporate this active learning into my classroom. I found an article called Hands-on Activities. It describes this constructivist-based learning environment and talks about the benefits to ELs. Find the article at: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/13352”

I agree with much of what you said about our education today and the struggles we face. I also always try to find ways to incorporate the idea of “active learning” and following the constructivist view of teaching. Thank you for the website that you provided, it gave me some excellent ideas as well!

@joetapia

“Another interesting topic the chapter talks about is the humanistic perspective on learning. The attitude that a student has about himself and his environment has a big influence on learning. I feel that this is true because learning has to be staged in an environment that is inviting and safe for the pupil. We cannot expect our students to learn if they are not comfortable within their environment or feel threaten or incompetent. As teachers we can control most of these variables and enhance learning”. As I was reading your ideas of the humanistic perspective I found myself nodding my head in agreement. The students classroom environment is such an important variable on what they will achieve through their education. The more we hear this, tell others about this, and remind educators about its’ importance, the better our students experience will be!

Who Are English Learners and Their Teachers? and Critical Roles for Teachers

“After all, six billion people in the world are not native speakers of English” (Diaz-Rico 10). 

“It is also a fact that in EFL settings such as China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Thailand, studying English with instructors whose mother tongue is the same as that of the students is not only realistic, but it is also very successful because such teachers have unique characteristics” (Diaz-Rico 3). This is a very interesting statement, especially because many of the teachers I know are coming from a primary language of English, therefore this may explain why we are struggling with teaching English to students and making the significant growths that we hope for. There are definitely challenges for teachers of English learners. The first challenge is to teach English effectively, then to motivate them to achieve the highest possible level of proficiency, to gain a sensitive and complex understanding of the target culture, and respect the native language and the rights of its speakers (Diaz-Rico 15). I know from personal experience that this is an ongoing struggle for me in the classroom that includes more than 50% of my students being English learners. I was able to truly connect with this first chapter and found myself questioning much of my teaching techniques and qualities. The second chapter went a little deeper into the roles I play in educating English learners and the theorists that have contributed to understanding how to best educate English learners. We are language emissaries and mediators, agents of introduction to the target culture, and sources of professional knowledge for colleagues (Diaz-Rico 23). I will continue to show passion for teaching and a lifelong learning to become better each and everyday, while promoting all to have intercultural understandings and the wonderful, unique individuals that walk into my classroom everyday. 

“In the ten year period from school year 1995–96 until school year 2005–06, the percentage of children enrolled in prekindergarten through twelfth grade increased by 3.66%. In the same period, the percentage of children classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP) increased by 57.17% (NCELA, 2007a)” (http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/uploads/3/DLLs_in_the_Early_Years.pdf).



@jmrohrman
“I agree will Pennycook in that it would be naïve to think that there is no underlying reason why some seek out the English language. Looking at this in a beneficial way really makes one think. Think of how many languages would die out because of this change in languages. Is this fair to those native speakers? A language is not just a language. It is part of one’s traditions and cultures and who is to say that someone’s language is not as important as another’s language”. You bring up such an excellent point about valuing each other’s language. There is so much more to language than meets the eye as you talked about, which more people to need realize.

@alyssabarnard
“The text discusses the importance of allowing students to enhance their heritage language skills.   Our goal as teachers should be to create a positive environment that allows children to feel comfortable communicating in any language.  I believe when students are comfortable they become more receptive to learning and trying to speak a second language”. I treat my students the same way and always do my very best to create a comfortable environment in my classroom. I tell my students that we are a family for the next ten months, this is a safe place for each and every one of you, we take care of “our family” and “our home” together.