RECENT INTERACTION WITH A LEARNER/GROUP

Recent Interaction with A Learner/Group

Recent Interaction with A Learner/Group

How The Incident Arose - What Happened?

A learner in my class who was a young lady of approximately 17 years of age, showed up late for the session and insisted on filling out a passport application rather than complete any class-work.



Who Else Was Involved?

There were 4 ESOL students and the rest of the class are English from a poor social class. The 4 ESOL students, who by now had suffered and endured enough disruption (as the English students were regularly disruptive) got into an argument that sparked a near riot in the classroom. So I guess you could say just about everybody was involved. This had been however, the worst teaching experience of my life.



What Options You Considered?

The incident was only drawn to a close when a support teacher walked by the classroom and asked what was happening. Modelled reading and writing programs serve to support students in learning new skills. This type of learning is a form of scaffolding, with careful staging making tasks achievable .

Rather than solely being recipients of information, it is important that students are given opportunities to use problem solving skills. This can take the form of collaborative or cooperative learning, giving the student responsibility for their part in the group's learning, and another opportunity for meaningful interaction and language use.

All of these issues come together to affect the learning environment that is so crucial to success within an English program for students who speak English as a second language. Arnold (2009) reminds us to be aware of the assumptions, practices and resources that dominate our classrooms and to be mindful that all presentations and activities are as inclusive as possible, and to examine the purposes behind each choice we make there. (Arnold 2009:1-24)



How Effective Were Your Actions?

It is helpful to make an effort to develop some level of understanding of the features of student's first or 'home' languages, as these "linguistic differences are associated with sociolinguistic and cultural differences" (Kubota 2009:9-35) and thus it will also ensure that the student feels both his/her first language and culture are valid and valuable, increasing their self esteem and sense of belongingness. This understanding can also assist the teacher to comprehend the way in which their students are processing new information, putting them in a position to make adjustments to the delivery of this information if necessary: "if they fail to learn, we will question our strategies rather than blame their weaknesses."

"Teachers who recognise and value the connection between language, culture and identity can influence how ESOL students are treated in school contexts" (Barkhuizen 2008:85-108). In fact, the strategies that teachers put in place to enhance the learning of students with English as a second language or dialect will stem directly from these values held. Some understandings about the processes of learning a second language or dialect will also be useful.

A teacher may be aware that "linguistic output does not necessarily ...