Becky Marder

EDUC 6530
December 10, 2018
Paper 4: Teaching Philosophy

I. Introduction

Students who are learning a second language pose a unique challenge for teachers. These

children enter our classrooms and are expected to not only learn a new language, but also to learn

all of the content information of different subjects as taught through this entirely new language

(de Jong, 2011). I have learned so much this semester about the different ways teachers can help

multilingual learners be successful in the classroom. I have developed four key tenets of my

personal teaching philosophy based on research, class discussions, and a reflection of my own

practice.

My first personal tenet of ELL education is that I view multilingualism as a strength. It is

so important that teachers do not view multilingual students through a deficit perspective. In fact,

these students are at an advantage because there are many language skills that students can

transfer cross-linguistically (de Jong, 2011). My next tenet is to remove roadblocks and create

bridges. I want to provide supports to make it impossible for my students not to attend school. I

also want to make it as easy as possible for the families of my students to feel like they are a part

of the school community and involved in their student’s education. Many times, schools do not

consider all of the things that may serve as roadblocks to families attending meetings or events at

school (Maria Zapata, personal communication). As a teacher, I will strive to consider all of the

factors that might get in the way of my students’ success and do whatever is in my power to

combat them. My third tenet is that of multilingual education. This is directly related to the view

that multilingualism is a strength. Much of the current research shows how teachers can use

translanguaging, codeswitching, and bilingual education to aid in the success of their students
(de Jong, 2011). My last tenet is that my classroom will reflect culturally responsive pedagogy. I

want to make sure that I am affirming the identities of every child in my classroom and that all

my students have a voice. When students feel that they are supported in the classroom, they are

more likely to succeed academically and socio-emotionally (Townsend & Fu, 1998). I will use

culturally responsive literature and practices to raise awareness in my classroom about different

cultures and practices.

Multilingual students have many strengths that can be utilized and celebrated in the

classroom. Research has shown that multilingual students show advanced phonological

awareness and increased executive functioning and working memory skills because of their

status as learners of multiple languages (de Jong, 2011). These skills can contribute to several

different advantages for multilingual students, including increased attentional control (de Jong,

2011). Students from different cultures from our own also bring a special world view into the

classroom. They have experienced things that I, and likely some of my future students, have

never experienced and may never experience. Multilingual students can help monolingual

students learn about the diverse communities they live in (Jimenez, Smith, & Teague, 2009).

Additionally, EL students may bring in to the classroom a whole host of out of school literacies

(Skerrett, 2015). They may be experts in a genre of music or participate in the literacies a

religious organization may provide. Whatever it is, teachers can build on these resources in the

classroom and encourage students to practice literacy skills outside of the classroom (Skerrett,

2015).

II. Students and Their Communities

The most important thing we can do to understand our students and their communities is

to ask questions. It is the only way we can authentically gather information about our students
without making any assumptions. The biggest impact that a student’s community has on his or

education is through funds of knowledge. Funds of knowledge are “the ‘historically accumulated

and culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills essential for household or individual

functioning and well-being’” (DaSilva Iddings, 2009, p. 305). DaSilva Iddings (2009) states how

“by capitalizing on cultural resources, both teachers and students [are] able to continually

challenge the status quo, especially in terms of how the students [are] using literacy as a tool for

inquiry and thinking, and to reflect on their learning with new topics, activities, and questions”

(p. 305). Teachers can use funds of knowledge to incorporate the strengths that every student has

(Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez, 1992). Through funds of knowledge and other factors,

communities reflect the values of their culture. Teachers need to be knowledgeable about the

values in each of their student’s cultures so as to better understand the student in the classroom.

To do so, schools can create spaces within the school for families and parents to use, sometimes

called “welcome centers” (DaSilva Iddings, 2009). These welcome centers create a venue for

parents to participate in the school life (DaSilva Iddings, 2009). This is a good example

removing a roadblock and building a bridge, one of my key tenets for ELL education.

Lastly, multilingual students bring a varying set of language skills into the classroom.

Different students may bring different linguistic strengths into the classroom that add to the

diverse community. Teachers can capitalize on all of the linguistical strengths of students.

Students can present cognates in their language to the classroom to help other students better

remember new vocabulary words. Students can also work together with groups of students who

speak the same home language to translate texts (Goodwin & Jimenez, 2016). The protocol of

TRANSLATE as developed by Goodwin and Jimenez (2016) has students collaboratively

translate a small portion of a classroom text. This practice helps students develop metacognitive
reflection and identify transferable skills from their native language to their second language

(Goodwin & Jimenez, 2016).

III. Theoretical Understandings of How Students Learn English

It is important for teachers to understand the whole child, not just in terms of his or her

academic achievement. Different cultural practices can affect language use and development as

well as achievement at school in other subjects. Students from migratory backgrounds are likely

to have many stressors outside of school that we may not even know about and that may be

causing them to be unsuccessful at school. It is possible that students do not have a permanent

home or that their parents work long hours. Teachers cannot know and cannot help until we ask.

When newcomers who do not speak English enter the classroom, they may have a hard

time connecting to other students in the class due to a language barrier. This is likely to be the

cause of some anxiety for the child as he or she learns to navigate a new, strange world. On top

of this, there are multiple political variables that impact his or her life that he or she is likely

unaware of. The trend towards English-only education can leave children frustrated at their

inability to understand anything at their new school (de Jong, 2011). The push to assess children

constantly, usually only in English, can also lead to stress and anxiety for those who cannot yet

read or write in English (de Jong, 2011). There are so many factors that dictate how students

experience school which are outside their control.

Another one of these factors is the intervention students receive for English language

instruction. There are no nationwide regulations for how or when to provide services to English

language learners, so intervention can differ significantly across schools. It may involve pulling

children out of instruction time, or it may involve an EL teacher pushing in to a classroom to

provide supports (de Jong, 2011). Either way, it almost always results in students being isolated
from their peers. Isolating students from their peers does nothing to benefit their English

education. In fact, it can be extremely harmful (Valdes, 1998). Not only does it take away from

the multilingual students’ opportunities for authentic practice, but it also causes them to miss

important content instruction (Valdes, 1998).

IV. Curriculum

As mentioned above as one of my tenets to successful education for English Language

Learners, it is paramount that teachers engage in culturally responsive pedagogy. A culturally

responsive classroom values all members of the community and strives to respect, appreciate,

and especially celebrate all the different cultures students bring to the classroom. One way that

teachers can celebrate diversity is by adhering to the principles developed by de Jong (2011). In

her book, she outlines how teachers, schools, and districts need to make sure that they are

exhibiting educational equity, that teachers and schools alike affirm the identities of their

multilingual learners, that schools and districts allow for additive bi/multilingualism, and that

multilingual learners are integrated into the mainstream classroom (de Jong, 2011).

One way to integrate multilingual learners into the classroom is to employ a strategy

called translanguaging. Translanguaging is the “is the process of making meaning, shaping

experiences, gaining understanding and knowledge through the use of two languages” (Lewis,

Jones, & Baker, 2012, p. 655). It can be related to other “flexible language arrangements” such

as translating and code-switching (Lewis et al., 2012, p. 655). Teachers can utilize these different

language strategies to help children have a voice in their classroom. There are multiple

researchers who now agree that allowing students to use their native language in the classroom is

beneficial not only for developing their native language, but also for developing their non-native

language. Translanguaging, code-switching, and translating also have utility in socio-emotional

and psychological domains. Students who are allowed to use their first language in the classroom

feel affirmed and are more like to participate and engage in the classroom environment (De Jong,

2011).

Another important consideration when creating curriculum for English Language

Learners is that we should never water down or simplify the curriculum. Instead, we should

scaffold and modify the information to make it accessible to all students (de Oliveira, 2016). One

necessary step is to explicitly teach the academic vocabulary needed to understand the content

(de Oliveira, 2016). Academic language used in the classroom is very different from the social

language students learn from speaking with their peers. Therefore, teachers must break the code

of academic literacy and teach students exactly how to tackle informational text (de Oliveira,

2016). One more suggestion is to use text sets. In this method, all students are learning the same

material through reading. The difference is the text. Students who are learning English as a

second language will receive text with much simpler language. Again, this does not mean that

the information is simple, just that the language is simple.

One last thing to consider when developing curriculum for EL students is assessments.

All too many times, assessments are administered in only one language, the dominant language

of the culture (de Jong, 2011). For students who are non-native speakers of the dominant

language, assessments then do not measure what they are intended to measure. Instead of

measuring understanding of the content, they measure mastery of the dominant language.

Therefore, by assessing in only the child’s second language, we cannot get a full picture of the

child’s understanding.

V. Partnerships and Advocacy

 As a result of the all of the best practices laid out above, partnerships will develop

between communities, schools, and teachers. As a teacher, I plan to collaborate with colleagues,

families, and the community to provide the absolute best environment for my students. This

means collaborating with teachers and support staff across the building to make sure that my

students are getting all the support they need without being stigmatized or isolated from their

peers. It means collaborating with families to make sure there is an open line of communication

between school and home. Lastly, it means reaching out to the community and making myself a

visible member of it. This can be as simple as shopping at a grocery store within the community,

or it can entail more deliberate community outreach. Some possible ideas are family literacy

nights or hosting an event at the beginning of the year when families can come and meet me and

other school staff. All of these ideas need to be considered within the framework of reducing

roadblocks and creating bridges.

Part of these partnerships will undoubtedly involve translation of materials and

information. I strive to make sure that all of the information I send home gets translated into a

language that the families can access. I also want to use translation services to help encourage

parents to attend meetings and parent teacher conferences. I feel as though parents are much

more likely to attend events that they know they will understand. Over the course of this class, I

have learned a lot about how to properly interact with a translator and how to diminish the

boundaries of perceived power. To accomplish all of this, I can reach out to community

organizations and nonprofits to help get translators into the classroom.

VI. IV. Conclusion

As I have come to think more critically about my practice over the past couple of months,

I have developed so many important goals for my future instruction. I always want to make sure
that my students feel safe, loved, affirmed, and valued. I can do this by adhering not only to

research of best practices, but also by sticking to my personal key tenets for education of English

Language Learners. I will always strive to view my student’s multilingualism as a strength,

remove roadblocks and create bridges for families, advocate for multilingual education by

allowing translanguaging in my classroom, and utilize culturally responsive pedagogy. If I keep

these pillars in mind, I can hopefully create a classroom environment that encourages success for

all my students.
 References

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