Point Pleasant Borough Middle School, Essay Example

Abstract

My experiences at Point Pleasant Borough Middle School and High School have improved my learning potential and my exposure to students with language barriers. Language proficiency is essential for all students, but this requires patience and the appropriate strategies to ensure that students maximize their learning potential with a new language. This experience has also been effective for students because they are learning a language that they are unfamiliar with and are obtaining knowledge regarding many different subjects. This process is essential for ESL students because they must learn how to effectively communicate in a new language in a new country. My experience taught me that teaching students of foreign descent is highly rewarding and contributes to my growth as a student and as a future teacher.

Summary of Experience

At the middle school, I worked with three students from Mexico, including two males and one female. Two of the children were brother and sister and arrived in the United States eight months prior. For all three children, this is their first experience with studying English, and they have no prior background with the language. At the high school, I worked with a student Mexico, one from Puerto Rico, and one student from Turkey, the latter of whom had a prior background in English. I learned that ESL high school students require more assistance because they have a higher number of subjects to learn.

For the middle school students, their performance was based on a pass/fail method, but their subjects included math, language arts, history, and science. The high school students also had to learn the same subjects. The skill level of these students varied, with some at the beginner stage and others at the intermediate level.  In this capacity, the use of models known as Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), developed by Cummins, improve language acquisition and delivery for students in ESL classrooms (Bilash, 2009).  These tools are useful in verbal and non-verbal language, as well as a means of supporting academic communication for ESL students (Bilash, 2009).

With this experience, my role was to assist the teacher in different ways. In the middle school environment, I provide them with instructions and served as their primary teacher. Furthermore, I spoke to them in their native language in order to make the students more comfortable in this environment. By adapting my skillset, I was able to work with these students more effectively and was also able to understand some of the cultural differences and barriers that exist for these students, which is an important component of the ESL experience (Reiss). This opportunity provided me with a means of developing and understanding the impact of cultural identity as a key component of the students’ learning curve (Reiss).

The use of cognitive strategies was instrumental in the teaching process and provided a means of associating the home language with the new language, English (Reiss). This is an important means of developing an association between the two languages that impacts students’ learning potential (Reiss). As a teacher, I must effectively learn how to convey the important topics covered in a given subject through the use of strategies that will have a positive impact on ESL students. Students should be provided with a learning environment that supports their growth and development in different ways so that they are able to learn English without extreme difficulty (Reiss). Due to the nature of different cultures, it is likely that some students will not respond favorably to different teaching styles or approaches because they are not what they were accustomed to in their home environments; therefore, it is important to identify methods of easing students into new strategies with which they will feel more comfortable (Reiss).

The use of cognitive strategies in the ESL classroom also provides a greater sense of accomplishment for students and promotes their overall growth and development as new language learners (Reiss). In this context, new language learners must be able to adapt effectively to new strategies and to be successful in recognizing their growth and improvement (Reiss). These adaptations will provide them with the self-confidence that is necessary to effectively adapt to change and to be successful in supporting their gradual learning curve over time and across subject areas (Reiss). Although the transition is difficult, ESL students must be prepared to manage the work that they are given in the classroom and to be able to adapt to their new language on a gradual basis (Reiss). When appropriate, this process will enable students to be more enthusiastic regarding their studies and to recognize the value of developing new approaches that will be successful in their long-term education as English language learners that goes beyond the high school years (Reiss).

Reflections on the Experience

Overall, my experience was very positive and I learned a lot. The students appeared to be highly motivated in their studies, and in particular, the older students sought to take charge of their learning by showing greater enthusiasm and support for their studies. This was an important distinction for this group because they clearly appeared to be excited about learning a new language and felt that they could get past the early difficulties in order to move forward effectively. Although the work was difficult and very new, the students appeared to be prepared to work hard in order to accomplish the desired learning objectives in a timely manner.

With this experience, I found that the teacher was excellent and was a wonderful resource with a wealth of knowledge and information at her fingertips. However, these students will not be with the same teacher all the time. Therefore, other teachers must also be prepared to work with these students and to adapt their curricula to accommodate this population. It is important to identify these challenges and to take the steps that are necessary to support student learning objectives effectively. Unfortunately, it does not appear that in this particular situation, other teachers are not putting in the extra time and effort that is required to effectively manage these students and their needs through specialized instruction, lesson plans, and examinations. This does not appear to be happening and therefore, compromises students’ overall growth potential in this area. In this instance, the ESL teacher had to provide guidance to other teachers in order to improve student learning potential at the desired level.

Perhaps the most important part of this experience was the challenges that it provided, as I learned much about how to communicate with ESL students on a different level than the norm. This was an important step towards the discovery of new techniques that supported their academic growth potential and their ability transition not only to a new language, but also to a new type of classroom environment that was unfamiliar. This process is ongoing and requires the full support and encouragement from all faculty so that students are able to acquire the knowledge and skills that are necessary to communicate in the new language. This process not only requires ESL teaching expertise, but also the ability to modify lesson plans, homework assignments, and exams accordingly so that students are more comfortable during the transition phase of this process.

Since language acquisition is an ongoing process, it requires a high degree of patience and understanding so that there are sufficient opportunities for student growth and maturity in these roles and in the ability to acquire new language skills in an environment that embraces change. ESL is a difficult concept; therefore, it must be approached with great sensitivity and support from the teaching staff at all times.

References

Bilash, O. (2009). BICS/CALP: Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills vs. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. Retrieved from http://www.educ.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.Bilash/best%20of%20bilash/bics%20calp.html

Reiss, J. (2006). 102 Content Strategies for English Language Learners: Teaching for Academic Success in Grades 3-12. Prentice Hall.