Bigelow+&+Ranney+Response

Summarize your thoughts following the discussion of Bigelow & Ranney, particularly on how the article relates to our final project. Leave a comment on the other groups' responses:

group 1
Our group talked a lot about content-based learning with a second language. It was really easy for all of us to relate to this idea because we are all Spanish majors. We have had to talk content classes in Spanish such as literature and poetry classes. We discussed how they were beneficial to us and also how they were very difficult for us as well. Content is harder to understand and fully grasp when it's taught in a language that is not your native language. However, what's the balance between classes being all in the L1 or L2? We were discussing how this pertains to our final project as well. The project is teaching content in English (the L2). We want to make sure that the students are understanding the content and the English at the same time. We also talked about whether it is better to have bilingual classrooms or full immersion classrooms based on the text. Although we felt that bilingual classrooms take away the stress that we feel students go through in a full immersion class, it is very hard to get a state to allow for bilingual classrooms.

I personally have always felt in my upper level SL classes that seem to be more content based, that I am neglecting the language learning, but the truth is that it is implicit and I am advancing my L2 ability. However, it also depends on what your goal is in learning a language.

group 2
Our group talked about the different methods of teaching grammar. While it is very important to understand grammar, it is even more important to know how to teach it in a meaningful way. You can know all the rules of English grammar, but if you cannot teach it to your students, then the knowledge is useless. We also talked about the difficulties involved in content based instruction and how it is easy to forget to teach the grammar when you are working on a poetry lesson, for example.

We also discussed the practicality of the two paths that teachers can take on the way to arrive at the lesson's objectives. It is easy for us now to do lesson plans the way that we hope that they will go, but when we actually execute the lesson will it turn out that way or will some of the material be hard for some to understand? Doing lesson plans this way is a content based starting point. After you begin to get to know your classroom better and the level of the students in your classroom, linguistic based lesson plans will begin to get easier and easier because you are addressing actual student grammar needs as well as teaching them content. Using content based lesson plans is just hit or miss on whether or not your students need the grammar material you present in your content lesson.

Another aspect we talked about in relation to this article was what we think we should be prepared to do after taking teaching courses. One thing that we all agreed was important was the awareness we gain as a result of classes like Grammar. Although a lot of good teaching methods can only be truly learned through experience, knowing potential trouble areas and also having the resources to find good way to address them is crucial for being a prepared teacher. Learning from the experiences of others can give us a much better starting point and the more knowledge we have about how to break down a topic, such as the grammar behind the English language, the more equipped we will be to teach our students properly, and have less anxiety entering the classroom environment.

Through this article, we also learned how apply much of this to our lesson plans. We agreed that content-based lesson plans are essential - as long as there is some form of "hands on" interaction. We talked about how students learn most when they don't think they are learning (if that makes sense). So, content is definitely necessary because the students are going to have to learn, but if you can disguise the way that the content is being taught- instead of explicitly teaching content- it is most likely that students will react positively and will be much more interactive with the lesson plan. Since teaching ESL is mainly content, we've constantly been challenged to think of ways to get around explicit content and disguise or mix it in with areas of study that are interesting to the students. An easy example of this is by using a favorite children's book to teach basic grammar. While the children are enjoying their favorite book, they are also learning many different verb tenses as well as many other aspects of grammar. By finding ways to quietly incorporate content into lesson plans, this hopefully will be a much less intimidating way for students to learn new materials.

group 3
__Important terms:__
 * KAL**- Knowledge About Language
 * CBI**- Content Based Instruction

The reading talked about their masters training program which seems to model what we have here at MSU. (Go out into the field and get some experience!)

ONE GRAMMAR (CONTENT- 346), ONE THEORY (361), ONE METHODS (307), ONE FIELD (494), AND OTHER RES LIKE LINGUISTICS and a few others. __Which Path?__

Path 1: Lingustic needs --> Choose content to give language meaningful context -> Arrive at lesson's language objectives

Path 2: Content Materials -> Analyze content for challenging language--> Arrive at lesson's language objectives We thought that this probably depends on one's job and what the actual role as the teacher is. High school students probably need more content thant first graders. There will also be differences if one is teaching a Biology course with mostly native speakers, but some ESL students in Michigan Public Schools or if one is teaching all ESL students at a night school in Russia.

We came to the conclusion that teaching ELL students is something that can't be formulated. Without some sort of flexibility the teacher is going to lose his/her students. Each situation and classroom will give different results and it is up to us as ELL teachers to help and be effective toward as many students as possible.

Note: It's important to be conscientious of BOTH language and content. Balance and flexibility are key roles!

ELL Teacher's Experience:

The article mentioned how students felt about their learning of a second language helped or hindered their ability to learn English grammar and teach it. We all agreed that when we learned a second language it was not content based until the very high levels, except one of us had gone to a bilingual school where the classroom was taught in both English and Spanish. Our schools here traditionally teach second languages focusing on grammar, students have to create verb grids and learn grammar rules. We thought this may not help us teach ELL classes but it did help us learn general grammar terms. Learning a second language also helps someone view language more critically and think about the format. By learning a language with a different structure than English, one can see the differences and be able to teach them. Also being a language learner can create empathy, where the teacher understands more the frustrations and difficulty with learning the language.

The reality of pursuing an endorsement in ESL is that CBI is likely going to be the bulk of our role. Often people feel that with ELLs we need to stop the content and focus solely on the language objective, but the truth us incorporating it into the regular instruction is a much better situtation for learners and instructors. Note: I would add that CBI is probably going to be the most frequently encountered form of instruction. In my LLT307, we learned how the focus has shifted to content-based instruction, which I have observed in my placement for TE494 as well. I rarely have observed or learned about forms of straightforward English instruction, everything has been centered around content with considerations for English learners integrated into the lesson.