Because now English Language Learners make-up a large population of a schools enrollment,(projections show that by 2015, one in three American students will be an English Language learner) teachers are looking for ways to help engage them in authentic ways. Rodriquez says that "technology may hold the attention of what she calls today's multistory students." Technology is great for this area because an English-language teacher is going to have students from all different levels and the computer provides one-on-one practice as needed. It is really differentiation if used correctly because teachers can use it to gear instruction to individual students.
The article gave an excellent example of how to incorporate project-based technology for English Language Learners. Third and fifth graders researched the lives and work of nearby strawberry-field laborers. They came up with a research question in English, translated them into Spanish to conduct interviews with the workers, and then translated the responses into English. They wrote poetry about the workers, created graphs based on the data they collected, conducted online research, wrote letters to strawberry growers and government agencies requesting additional information and then gave a community presentation based on their findings. This project immersed literacy activities in something that is culturally relevant to students' lives.
This article also talks about the benefits of using technology to record students reading or speaking to monitor progress. You can have students record themselves and play it back in order to hear themselves and become aware of their own speech. You could also send the audio file for parents to hear. This would be great to use to show progress!
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Tania- Having technology in an ESOL classroom seems to be ideal. I like the idea of using technology as a way to better facilitate differentiation. As a future educator, I often wonder if my school district will have funding for technology. I think this article is very interesting, and offers valuable and authentic tasks and activities to engage learners. I am hopeful that I will be able to offer such experiences to my students.
ReplyDeleteI love this project-based method of instruction. It also values a bi-lingual approach. Can you think of other similar projects that could be done in this region?
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