Meghan Lee INED7781/W01 Dr. Leena Her Summer 2014

Learning Objectives Activity 2

1. Identify issues that are affecting the ELL population at my school and explore the ways that their Hispanic cultural identity influences their learning.

The ELL students at my school are compelled to take high-stakes standardized tests

earlier than ever before. Their funds of knowledge are often quite different than that of

the native English-speaking students from the dominant cultural group. My school

receives funding by being a Title I school that serves student populations from lower

socioeconomic status households. My school’s ELL students’ identities are strongly

rooted in Latino cultural practices. I can see clearly now that the school needs to be more

heavily involved in the local Latino community rather than simply engage with families

during our specified Family Nights and other school events.

2. Analyze sociopolitical frames of references that are related to our Hispanic ELL population.

The population at my school comprises mostly students from Latino families that are

plagued by socioeconomic hardships, educational disparities, and ELL challenges. Their

families go through a long adjustment period as they settle into a new country.

Undocumented students and families face even greater challenges during their education

and adjustment process. I am more aware of my role as an ally to these students and their

families in ensuring they have equal learning opportunities. Fortunately, my school

district is also willing to invest more funding in providing enriched learning experiences

for our Title I students such as giving the school iPads for every classroom.

3. Critically respond to the sociopolitical biases in the teaching and learning of ELL

students.

Meghan Lee INED7781/W01 Dr. Leena Her Summer 2014

Through course study, I feel that I much more equipped to critically respond to

sociopolitical biases in the teaching and learning of ELL students. My prior experience

teaching internationally removed sociopolitical biases that I held; however, I lacked the

in-depth knowledge needed to combat biases of others. Now I can direct others to

resources and articles on culturally sustaining pedagogy rather than simply provide only

my own anecdotal experiences in teaching ELL students.

4. Establish a proposal for greater community & family engagement ideas for our ELL students through successful ideas research, resources, and case studies

examined in this course.

I feel that I can confidently suggest ideas for greater community and family engagement

ideas for ELL students at my school. The many wonderful ideas in our course readings

are easily applied to my school’s ELL student population. One idea that I see myself

recommending this school year is the literacy home journals that are exchanged between

the teachers, the students, and their families. I would also like to propose some ideas for

culturally sustaining events at the school for the community and families. Our school

does not engage with the local Latino community enough. When we do, it is always on

our terms, and hosted at the school. Perhaps I will suggest outdoor recreation activities

that the families and students could enjoy with members from our staff. Soccer is popular

in the Latino culture, and would offer a fun way for families to teach the staff.

5. Improve my understanding of the local, state, and federal ESL educational

policies in the USA.

The Legislation Wiki was helpful in exploring the various ESL educational policies;

however, I do not feel that I have fully grasped all of the policies that affect ELL

students. The semester went by rapidly. I hope that I will be able to take some time prior

Meghan Lee INED7781/W01 Dr. Leena Her Summer 2014 to the new school year to review all of the items in our class’s Legislation Wiki.

Fortunately, I do feel that I have gained a better understanding of federal and state ESL

educational policies through the research I did for my final paper on ESOL education

models around the world and how they compare to what is being utilized in most of the

country.

6. Apply appropriate terminology to current ELL teaching practices and explore theories and strategies available for ESOL education to improve my teaching practices & coaching advice.

I have learned a significant amount of the appropriate terminology for current ELL

teaching practices. Through my course readings and lengthy research for my final paper,

I was able to explore various theories and strategies that are being utilized around the

world for ESOL education. I am confident that this course and my final paper have

helped me improve my teaching practices and will be beneficial for coaching advice for

instructional technology purposes, also.

7. Cultivate ideas for professional developments & advocacy for school faculty that combines the best strategies for teaching ELL students and improves technology

integration practices.

I have recently participated in the ISTE Conference for Instructional Technology, and

will be sharing highlights of what I’ve learned with colleagues. I would like to combine

professional developments for teaching ELL students with what I have learned at the

ISTE conference and from this course and my Online Learning course. A few teachers

have expressed interest in “flipping” their classrooms at least partially this school year. I

feel confident that I will be able to address their concerns about using a “flipped” model

with ELL students, and offer solutions through advocacy and thinking “outside the box.”