Kendra Asher Immigrant Student Questionnaire

1) Describe why your family came to the United States. From the answer to this question, I will be able to understand why my student came to the U.S. This is important to know because it will aid my understanding of my students and their behavior. Perhaps they are fleeing a conflict or looking for a job. Regardless, these factors have impacts on the children and their learning. For example, if a student is leaving a country as a result of persecution and have lost their family, I can better understand if they are quiet and have little desire to be active in the classroom. Knowledge of the students migration is crucial for me to be the best teacher I can be for them. Children are not empty boxes; they have life experiences and conflicts that fill their box. They then are faced with a new country and unloading their box to understand what is going on. If I am aware of their reasoning for migration into the U.S., as their teacher, I can do my part to be sympathetic and understanding. Even if students have not immigrated into the U.S. it is still important to know a little about their lives previously to being in my classroom so that we can form a bond with them, where they know I care about them. This is also true for immigrants. There are two classifications for immigration: push and pull factors according to Patricia Hatch. Pull factors are factors that motivate or entice one to move to another country. These motivators are more prevalent in the twenty first century than in past times (Hatch, p 7). For example, the student may be leaving their country for jobs and a better standard of living (Hatch, p 4). They leave because wage disparities and buying power in their homelands as compared to those levels in the U.S. provide strong motivations for many who seek to come here for employment (Hatch, p 4). It can be concluded from this, that students who utilized this motivation might have parents that are working long hours and not available to help them with homework. Push factors include motivators such as religions persecution, political oppression and economic hardships (Hatch, p 7). If a student is fleeing religious persecution, discussing religion in class may be uncomfortable and students may also be sensitive to American holidays. If I am aware of their religious motivations, I can educate myself about their religion and know how to address any social conflicts they are having. The more knowledgeable I can be about my student and their past, the better teacher I can be. I can utilize this information to adjust my teaching strategy and to foster care for the students well being.

2) To the best of your abilities, describe a human/cultural value, or global issue. Provide alternative perspectives possible. What is your reaction? I ask this question because it addresses key ideas of my interpretation of global education. I advocate Roland Cases Substantive and Perceptual Dimensions. The spatial dimension is the knowledge about the people outside our community and country and the global issues and events that are interconnected to us. This dimension focuses on universal and cultural values and practices, global interconnections, present worldwide concerns and conditions, origins and past patterns of worldwide affairs, and alternative future directions of worldwide affairs. The spatial dimension gives the students the information to understand the complexity and depth of our world (Case, p 319-20). Through the answering of the human/cultural value or global issue, I can gather how much they know about the world around them. Even if they are not immigrants, it is crucial to a global classroom to know how much the students know. I can then use this information to shape the classroom to fit where the students are and where I want them to be by the end of the year. In terms of the spatial dimensions, I desire that they be knowledgeable world citizens. Immigrants in the classroom can receive less potential seclusion if students in the classroom have been exposed to the interconnectedness of the globe. When students provide an alternative perspective and give their reaction, I can address their understanding and experience with the perceptual dimension. The perceptual dimension is formula for the creation of the global citizen and the desired way to view the world. This is not telling one what the world should look like, but how to look through the binoculars. The ideal attributes are open mindedness, anticipation of complexity, and resistance to stereotyping, inclinations to empathize, and non-chauvinism. These apply as a manner to look at the things around us, but are also valuable and desirable attributes for anyone (Case, p 320-24). Through the answering of the question, I can be aware of the students allocation of these attributes. I can determine to the best of their answers, if they are open to other cultures. Open mindedness is important to a global classroom. Open minded individual will be more accepting and open to immigrants, making their transition to the U.S. culture more obtainable and smooth.

3) What do you consider success to involve? a. Individualism b. Group assistance c. Both d. Other__________________ I can gather from this question how students define success. According to Carola and Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, children have different definitions of success based on their nationality. They found that white Americans tend to define success with individualism, Mexican Americans then Mexican immigrants, and finally Mexicans with group assistance as the definition. In summary of the Suarez-Orozco study, youths in Mexico and Mexican immigrants displayed much higher concerns with achievement then either white Americans or second generation Mexican Americans (Suarez-Orozco, p 181). Although I will not assign definitions of success based off of nationalities or races, from these groups provided by the Suarez-Orozco I have found varying definitions of the term. I can then use the attributes associated with success to be informed of my students success. This is important to know because I can then adjust how I interact with the student and tailor class interactions. If they believe that success is defined by individualism, I will use less scaffolding unless necessary. Through this information I can also determine how I can help them be successful. I have no desire to impede their definition if it would hinder their learning. However, it can be advantageous to be exposed to different perspectives. Thus, showing students different manners in which they can be successful is beneficial. For example, if a white American child is struggling and they have seen that other have been successful with group assistance, then they may be more open to asking for help. Furthermore, if an immigrant child cannot find someone to help them, then if they have been exposed to individualism, they may find another way to succeed. Students definition of success impacts their learning. It has an impact because if a student defines success through hard work, then if they are working hard, they have been successful. On the other hand, it one believes it is defined by passing the grade, then I will be informed and can support their decision. Even though I may not agree with their definition, I will support it but will try to push them to be the best they can be. Students with this definition may not push themselves to get a 100%, but if they are happy and performing at their full potential, I will be supportive. The characteristics assigned to success have a large impact on the motivation and work style of students. From this question, I can gather how my students define success and as a result adjust my class accordingly.

4) How do you want to learn English? How do want the classroom to be setup? Do you in vision being with native English speakers? Everyone learns differently and thus prefers a different learning environment. Through this question, I can evaluate how an ESL student views their education setup. Some students would like to learn while in a mainstream English-speaking classroom. Others may prefer to be in only ESL classes. Through this information, I can adjust my classroom to meet the students desires. Students learn better when they are in a situation designed to their likening. Some believe that students that are in ESL should be only in ESL classrooms with other ESL students. Others argue that students learning English should be allowed to be in English native speaking or mainstream classes. There are positives and negatives to both. For example, a positive of mainstream classes is that students can learn from their peers, but on the negative side, the students may be lost in regards to the material when teachers are not ESL instructors. Guadalupe Valdes followed two girls and their ESL experiences. Elisa was ambitious and wanted to be placed in mainstream classes after a few years of ESL. But the school denied her admission (Valdes, p 12). This is something I disagree with. Elisa wanted to be in the mainstream classes and she is one of the best judges of her abilities. I advocate admitting students to where they will learn the most. This is why I want to know how students desire their education to be. I can then get them into the classes they want to be in. Lillian was the other student followed and she did not have the same amount of motivation as Elisa. This combined with the poor teaching environment, and her family troubles led her to learn little and become disinterested in school (Valdes, p 10-2). Also in Valdes research she found many downfalls in the ESL learning of the Elisa and Lillian. For example, ESL teachers had received little training (Valdes, p 7). Thus, they were not trained to teach the students and their English acquisition was harmed. Another downfalls include students not being allowed to translate from English to their native language to new students, working only from workbooks, little interaction with peers, and too many students in a classroom (Valdes, p 7). These all led to an ESL environment where students had little improvement and success. With Valdess observations in mind and the affect it had on students learning, I ask this question so that I can prevent the denial into mainstream classes as Elisa was and to also prevent the disinterest of Lillian. I also want to make the best learning environment were students are allowed to talk to each other and learning is more than from work books. I will also use visuals, model tasks, and celebrate success as described by MaryAnn Cunningham Florez and Miriam Burt (p 5-6).

5) What is your native or first language? Are you literate in this language? I ask this question because All young children come to school equipped with a foundation in knowledge and learning from home. Development and learning begin in the first language, and it is this language that children begin to construct their knowledge and form meaningful communicative relationships. Successful early childhood programs acknowledge and build upon this prior knowledge (TESOL, p. 1). Knowing the native or first language of the students enabled me to be able to utilize this to teach them English. For example, I can say or write the word in English and their native language. This allows the child to make the correlation between their native language and English. Whenever we learn another language, we use our native or first as the base to build upon. I ask if they are literate in this language because this can give me evidence if they are able to write or read. These tasks can easily be used to teach English. Students can be shown a term in both languages, but if they are not able to read, the tasks of English acquisition is more challenging. Without the knowledge of word and sentence structure, the medium of communication is limited to spoken word and images. It is beneficial for students to be literate as TESOL reiterates, Research on second language development has shown that literacy in a second language is supported by literacy in the native language (TESOL, p. 1). Although they may not be literate in English, their literacy in a language gets them a step ahead in learning English. With the answer to this question, I can tailor the students learning to their language experience and abilities. This question also lets me access the diversity of languages in my classroom. If I find that an English speaker is fluent in a language of an immigrant than I can use the fluent student to help the immigrant child learn. I can also use the diversity to facilitate acceptance and nonchauvinism (Case, p.323). I believe that learning in a diverse environment of languages in beneficial to all students. It exposes children to diversity and teaches them that we may be different, but we are also the same. Children are also exposed to other cultures and values, which also further their perceptual and substantive learning (Case, p. 318). Furthermore, EL students cultural knowledge and language abilities are important resources in enabling academic engagements; ELL students will engage academically to the extent that instruction affirms their identities and enables them to invest their identities in learning (Taylor, p. 288). Students need to know that their identities are advantageous to their learning and not hinderers. They need to be informed that the school and their teachers support their cultural identities and that they should be proud of them. The more I am informed about their culture and identities, the more I can support these identities in the students education.

6) Please answer the following to the best of your knowledge a. What languages do your parents know? (Name the language spoken in the home if different) b. Do your parents want you to learn English and why? c. List people in your household who speak English. It is important for many reasons to know the first language of the parents or guardians. First, I need to know how to communicate with the parents. If I learn that they do not speak English, then I can then seek alternate ways to contact them. I can look for volunteers in the community that would be willing to translate, seek out technologies that can translate English into their language, and try to utilize the student to be a translator. If the parents are willing, I can direct them to English classes for themselves. It is valuable information to know when it is important to be in contact with the parents. Additionally, most students who stated on the home survey instrument that they came from homes where a language other than English was spoken were generally placed in the ESL sequence, Valdes stated regarding a survey she implemented on ESL students (Valdes, p. 6). This adds further importance to knowing the language of the parents as it might explain why students are in ESL classes. When the student provides information about listing those in the home that speak English, they are providing me information on catalyst I can use to communicate with parents if they do not speak English. Those proficient in English can also aid the children in learning it as well. If the child has exposure to English in the home, even if not ones native language, it is exposure that aids their devolvement of English understanding. Comprehension of the family languages is important because of the unique roles family members can play as partners in childrens multiliteracies development (Taylor, p. 289). The languages spoken in the home affect the childs learning and can allow students to create multilingual bonds with their families. In Lisa K. Taylor article she examined a child Zohreh and her family. She and her family were able to bond over a multilingual book written for school. Moreover, the experiences of Zohreh and her family powerfully illustrates the potential for dual language initiatives to allow both for students home multiliteracies and cultural practices to be reconfigured in complex ways (Taylor, p. 282). Connecting with ones family through their languages is a mechanism to form deep bonds and learn languages on a personal level. The more informed I am about how the child is exposed to language at home; the better I can design the language exposure in the classroom. I can determine the best mechanisms for the student and perhaps use this on others. There is also importance in knowing if the parent wants the students to learn English and why. The parents view of acquiring English can affect the students learning. If a parent is not supportive, the student must be highly motivated and value the information in order to succeed. On the other hand, if the parents are supportive, then they will likely encourage and support the acquisition. Valdes interviewed immigrant students, one being Elisa. Elisas mother Magda came to the U.S before her daughters and began to learn English. She was able to become relatively fluent in six years. She valued the ability to speak English and knew it was necessary for her daughter to succeed in America. Thus, she was determined that her daughters would learn to speak the language well and that they would not have heavy Spanish accents (Valdes, p. 6). In contrast, Lillian was also an immigrant child but her mother had different views on education and English. Lillians mother Sonia knew little to no English and believed that sending her children to school and learning English would enable them to find good spouses. The childrens

education would enable them to find educated spouses who would supply a good income (Valdes, p. 10). It can be concluded that Sonias lack of English and encouragement only for spouses affected Lillians success in school, for she did not do well. Through knowledge of the value and desire parents have on their childrens English learning; I can adjust my teaching and understanding of the students performance and desires.

7) What do you like to do in your free time after school and on the weekend? What are your hobbies? This question is asked because it allows me to evaluate the Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills of the student. BICS is the casual and spoken language. When students answer the question they are using terms they would use in their everyday conversations with peers. Children often discuss what they like to do with others, which means that the language that will be used to answer this question is not challenging and a good way to determine the level of casual speech the student had obtained in their second language of English. Sometimes school officials us e the level of BICS to determine the level of English acquisition of the child. Unfortunately this is not a good measure of academic language, which is crucial to succeeding in the school (this will be addressed in next question.) Oral or social language proficiency, which can be achieved within 2-3 years, should not be equated with academics proficiency or literacy in a language, TESOL claims (p. 2). This form of communication and understanding is not complex and thus takes less time to learn. BICS allows students to communicate but does not mean that they can understand the complex ideas and abstract themes of academia. Understanding the spoken word of teachers is the first step of participating in the life and work of schools (Valdes, p. 14). What I learn from this question is the social level of communication of the student. This allows me to be aware of the understanding the student will have when I talk to them. I can then adjust my speech to fit the need of the student. I can also take to sum BICS level to come to a conclusion on what complexity I can talk in class. This is important to evaluate because I want to balance pushing children to learn by scaffolding but not leaving some children out by being too complex or simple. This is a struggle that is faced in many arenas of teaching. I can also gather from this question the interest of the student and utilize this to make conversation with them. The free time activity can give my accesses into the students personal life without getting to personal where they would become uncomfortable. The activity they describe can allow me to talk to them without the stress on them of grading. It allows a more casual conversation.

8) What have you learned in science that you found interesting? Be as specific as possible about an idea or concept. Describing an idea or concept about science allows me access into the students level of Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. CALP measures ones understanding of subject area content and this includes the ability to talk, write, and read with this language (Haynes, p. 1). This type of language is necessary for students to succeed in school. If the student is not aware or understands the complex ideas of core subjects, they will struggle in schools. Obtaining a successful level of CALP takes time. Repeated exposure to the language and the subject material is necessary. According to an article by TESOL, full academic proficiency in a second language, which is more literary dependent and can take 5-7 years to develop (p. 4). The time frame of proficiency poses a problem for immigrant students. When they are brought into ESL classes, they tend to not be exposed to the complex academic content and instead remain in ESL. Without the exposure, the acquisition may take longer. Also, the time of devolvement makes it difficult for students to move out of ESL classes: Therefore, accountability systems that hold teachers and schools responsible for the English literary, development of ESOL learners in an unrealistic time frame may, in the long run, hinder the students chances for academic success (TESOL p.2). Thus, students should be allowed to take their time and not rushed. Often though, students level of proficiency is determined by their BICS and not CALP. This creates a problem because without the understanding of complex subject ideas and concepts, students are not destined for success. Instead they struggle in mainstream classes. Further more students must be able to comprehend the language of textbooks from which they are expected to learn (Valdes, p. 14). CALP also incorporates the school activities of analysis, classifying, and evaluating (Haynes, p. 1). These abilities are crucial to succeeding in school and need to be developed before students are enrolled in mainstream classes. Depending on the degree of depth and the use of scientific terminology, I can determine the CALP level of the student. This information allows me to know to what degree I need to explain concepts and how much scaffolding I need. For example, I could put key terms on the wall and their definitions. Terms such as photosynthesis are complex and difficult to understand even when English is the first language of the student. It is important for me to know where they stand as it is my job as their teacher to progress their learning. I can take their CALP level and adjust my teaching to their abilities. I can also determine what ideas my students find interesting in science and use these to create enthusiasm for science.

9) What are your academic goals? As a teacher, I need to know the goals of my students in order for me to help them obtain these goals. But I also need to keep in mind the goals that society wants of the student. Society and administrators want students to learn English but also want them to remain in ESL. In ESL classes, students can receive more one on one attention, and if they were in a mainstream classroom, the teacher would have to explain key concepts possibly to ESL students. Some see this as a hassle, so students remain in ESL only classes. This was apparent in the study done by Valdes. She looked at a school where ESL was kept separate from native speakers. This led to a conflict when Elisa wanted to go into mainstream classes, but the school would not allow it because she had not finished the text materials in her beginning ESL class...she could not be places in the transition-to-mainstream core or even advanced ESL (Valdes, p. 9). Her goal was to be in mainstream, but the school only saw her as ESL. The only reason she was moved into a mainstream math class was because there was an influx of immigrants (Valdes, p. 8) As a teacher, I need to know the students goals so that I can help them obtain them and also work with administrators to find a way to make both happy. Valdes tried as well to get Elisa into mainstream, but was unable to. Being a teacher is more than transmitting information to students. It is also about growing students and helping them succeed. It helps me know how I can push them to obtain these goals. I am their teacher, but I also care about the student. I want them to exceed their goals and know that I care about their succeed. I do not want students to be discouraged from their goals so I will try my hardest to help them meet them. Anyone we care for, we want them to be happy and by helping my students meet their goals, I can help them be happy.

10) What prior education and experiences have you had? Please describe to the best of your abilities. This gives me a starting point to know where I need to begin teaching. I need to know the experiences my students have had in a school setting. The more I know about the student, the better teacher I can be and I can then adjust the classroom to fit the students. Children come with experiences and these shapes how they interact with schooling. Schooling and learning builds upon itself, and thus it is important to know the education the student has had. These experiences will shape the interactions the student has with the school. They will act according to how they have learned to behave from their previous time spent in schools. Thus, their actions can be justified and explained by their schooling. It is also important to know their prior experiences to know what the students capabilities include. These capabilities involve reading and writing skills for example. It is crucial to know if students can read or write, for these are mechanism for second language acquisition. Guadalupe Valdes interviewed immigrant ESL students, Lillian and Elisa. She asked about their prior schooling. Valdes was informed that Lillian brought with her important reading and writing abilities, (Valdes, p. 6). Lillian had attended fifth grade in her native Mexico and commented, however, that she had not been a very good student in Mexico and that she did not like her last teacher (Valdes, p. 6). Lillians reading and writing abilities made it easier for her to learn English, but her acknowledgment that she was not a very good student held true in her American education. She would usually daydream at her seat, copied work from the students around her, and colored pictures with very little interest (Valdes, p. 9). If a student informed me that they were not a very good student, than I would not justify their immigration as the culprit. The given information would allow me to help them learn the social capital needed to succeed in schools if they are not informed. The information they provide me, allows me access into their attitudes towards schooling as well. The more informed I am about their past education, the enhanced teacher I can be for them. The knowledge also allows me to know the strengths and weaknesses of the students, which I can then use to direct my teaching to meet my students and their needs.

I would give students this question a few weeks into the school year. I would wait a few weeks to ask because I want to build trust with the student so that they would be more willing to open up to me and share personal facts. To implement this questionnaire, I would first allow the student to complete the questions to the best of their abilities. I would give them time in class and also allow them to take it home as well. I would answer questions regarding understanding, but none others. This would also let me measure the students level of BICS and CALP. If they had difficulty-answering questions such as the one pertaining to global issues, I can estimate their CALP. When students are allowed to take the questionnaire home, I am giving them access to answer questions regarding their family if they do not know them already. It also gives children the opportunity to ask their parents about their belief in the childs learning of English. The following day I would then meet with students individually to go over the questionnaire. If they did not understand a question, the one on one allows them to ask me about them. This time gives me the opportunity to gather further information on personality and ask them to elaborate verbally on some. Verbal English is typically easier for students, so if they were struggling this would be how I have them answer the questions.

Self Assessment 10/10 points Questions Questions generate information that will be helpful in developing curriculum and supporting academic learning Questions generate information that will be helpful in developing classroom community, a sense of comfort, and a personal relationship with the student Question is clearly phrasedstudents and parents are likely to understand it At least half of the questions are closedended There are open and closed questions At least two ELL questions are included (one on BICS, one on CALP) Questions are logically connected with at least one reading from the course; some questions are connected to more than one reading Rationale Questions are annotated with a rationale that identifies and explains the importance of the information sought; that is, you explain what lies behind the question, and how that information will help you teach the student better Questions include a research-based rationale, with citations provided Conclusion Questionnaire includes a paragraph on administration of the survey Questionnaire is organized according to the directions given Your writing is concise and clear You use proper grammar and spelling throughout Total: ___/25 NOTES: Total: ___/25

Instructor Assessment ___/10 points

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