#4 – Mis ojos están abiertos (My eyes are opened)

            As I sit here and reflect on my blogging experience so far, I find it funny that I struggled at first to set proper Google alerts to get adequate pieces of information to blog about.  Now as I look at my overflowing inbox, I struggle to find time to read all of the information waiting for me.  I can’t bring myself to just delete a few without reading every headline, because I worry I might delete an interesting topic to reflect on.  This week I really hoped to find a topic completely new to me, and boy, I was not disappointed!

            In my very narrow experience of teaching students who are learning English as a second language, the focus is always on teaching them English (deep, huh?).  And that’s exactly what we do.  We emerge them in English only classes and gradually (at varying paces), they learn English, and slowly their need to be near other students who speak their primary language decreases, and we are glad for that.  But what if we have been completely wrong all this time?

            Colon (2019) speaks of the benefits of helping L2s retain and strengthen their home language.  ¿Qué es lo que dices?  Being multilingual affords students social, cognitive, and even health benefits.  In the long-term, come time for employment, multilingualism can have economic benefits.  Demand for workers who speak Spanish, Chinese and Arabic have nearly doubled in just five years from 2010 to 2015 (Colon, 2019).  This information has given me a totally new view of my L2s.  Typically, I view my L2 learners as behind or hindered by their home-language, and the sooner they don’t depend on it, the better.  In reality, many of these students should go on to take advantage of becoming multilingual. 

¡Mis ojos están abiertos!

            Several states like Utah and Delaware are setting the stage for dual language education (DLE).  They are recognizing the need for multilingual workers (Colon, 2019).  Many bilingual employees go on to make more many their peers in similar positions and have more opportunities for advancement.  So, why do we educate L2s in such a way that they learn English at the expense of their home-language?

            California has recognized the need for dual language (DL) programs as they have an extremely large population of L2s (Briceno, Munoz, & Rodriguez-Mojica, 2019).  In DL programs, it becomes necessary to find bilingual teachers which are nearly an “extinct species” due to the previous 20 years of pushing English only education.  Briceno et al. (2019) recognizes the issue as a vicious cycle where developing bilingual teachers is nearly impossible without bilingual education, so where do we start?  Experts believe that there are many Spanish speakers in the U.S. who could become bilingual teachers, so finding ways to get them there is our next greatest challenge in ending the vicious cycle. 

            My small school district in central Pennsylvania where I teach is FAR, FAR, FAR from being anything like California.  Our ESL program is weak in its current state without even comparing it to DL programs.  So, while I’m sure we won’t be focusing on hiring too many bilingual teachers anytime soon, I have seriously had my eyes opened on our approach and have permanently had my perspective altered for the better.   

References

Briceno, A., Munoz, E., & Rodriquez-Mojica, C. (2019, June 14). The Bilingual Teacher Shortage: A Vicious Cycle. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.languagemagazine.com/2019/06/14/the-bilingual-teacher-shortage-a-vicious-cycle/

Colon, I. (2019, June 27). Research Examines the Economic Benefits of Bilingualism. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.languagemagazine.com/2019/06/21/research-examines-the-economic-benefits-of-bilingualism/

#3 - Ready, Set, READ!

            This week I read an uplifting article about four preschools in Napa County, California giving English language learners a head-start in early literacy.  In the article, Courtney (2019) reports that the preschools are run by the Napa County Office of Education which offers free access to an early literacy app called Footsteps2Brilliance (F2B).  The main function of the app is an e-reader which is used by the teachers in the classrooms and the families at home.  Each preschool was recognized for reaching 1 million words read over the course of the school year!  The app helps level the playing field for English learners and other students from low-income families by giving them exposure to vocabulary and patterns of language that more affluent students are naturally exposed to.  The app can be used on most devices, including mobile devices, and includes eBooks, songs and learning games in both English and Spanish.  Sounds like an amazing program that makes my heart happy! 

           

            I wanted to learn more about F2B so I headed on over to their website.  Almost instinctually I checked the menu bar to see if they had a BLOG and was pleasantly surprised that they do!  I’m pretty sure I never would have done that before this class.  (I guess an old dog can learn new tricks!)  Before heading on over to the blog, I checked out the F2B page which highlights their use of research-based strategies for language learning combined with an approach that involves families.  Results are measurable and impressive!  A third-party study showed students who used the app for 1 month demonstrating a 7-month growth in vocabulary!  Way to go F2B!

             Finding myself excited to head on over to their BLOG J, I was even more excited to find the category tag on the side panel for “Early Learning Technology”.  I felt like I hit the Million Dollar Jackpot…Okay, maybe I’m going overboard, but I was pretty excited!  The first blog post I checked out was about the Summer Slide which is a concern for pretty much any grade level teacher of any subject!  F2B offers three approaches for using the app to turn the Summer Slide into the Summer Climb!  They have solutions for summer school, at-home reading challenges, and community-wide reading goals.  Personally, my third child (a boy) has been a slow-starter to early literacy and the summer slide is a personal concern of mine as a mother on top of a professional concern as a teacher.  My son loves the Epic! app which is also an e-reader for kids. 

           

            The second blog post I checked out was about the connection between reading and writing.  An updated version of F2B offers enhanced writing opportunities through Create-A-Book and My Journal features.  Not only do these activities foster early writing skills, they also help students develop word processing skills.  An interactive word bank supports emergent writers.  The updated version also offers dozens of new games, including ones developing early literacy skills in rhyming and classification.  Another win for F2B if you ask me!  Slide…or maybe climb…on over and have a look!

References

Calling all Writers! Version 7 Is Finally Here! (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2019, from https://www.footsteps2brilliance.com/version7/

Courtney, K. (2019, June 19). Napa County preschool program celebrates 1 million words read. Retrieved June 20, 2019, from https://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napa-county-preschool-program-celebrates-one-million-words-read/article_8d268840-05dc-5b2b-91f1-6987daf0370b.html

Transform the Summer Slide into the Summer Climb. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2019, from https://www.footsteps2brilliance.com/transform-the-summer-slide-into-the-summer-climb/

#2 - Do I have commitment issues?

            This week I got no less than one-googol (not Google) google alerts from FluentU.  (Get it?  One-googol google alerts!  Sorry, not sorry, for the math humor…)  Anyway, quite a few of the links were broken (not annoying at all) and many were to websites that write essays in English for you. (Wow…exactly what I want my students to find on the Internet!) The first one that actually got my attention was a blog post on the top 10 Language Learning Apps.  You won’t be surprised to find out that the #1 app listed on FluentU’s Blog was (drum roll please) FluentU! 

            The blog provided a nice list of mobile apps for learning another language.  According to Cook (2019), there are many apps out there, some good, some bad, and some in between.  She recommends choosing a program that is interactive and teaches you language in context (not just a bunch of flashcards).  It should be easy to use and figure out from the very start.  Of the top ones she listed, each have pros and cons which she reviews.  More importantly, it doesn’t really matter which app you choose from the list of good ones as long as you…ready for it…COMMIT to using the program consistently.

             Cook (2019) provides a comprehensive review of each program she recommends, including a YouTube video for each program.  All ten are IOS and Android friendly and being mobile seems to be key!  The couple of programs I recognized were Rosetta Stone and Duolingo.  Personally, I used Duolingo last summer to brush up on Spanish which I took several levels of in high school and college (all As if you must know).  I enjoyed using Duolingo, but didn’t use it past the first few weeks of summer due to a lack of COMMITMENT!  I’d like to give a few of the other apps a try which provide video and podcast lessons which may be more engaging for me.  I'd be interested to try a language I don't have any experience with.  

             In a related blog post by Baggio (2019), the author reviews the top 8 apps list for learning English.  FluentU is again at the top (no surprise), but Duolingo and Rosetta Stone are right there as well.  Duolingo is the only one of the 8 that is FREE.  Check out the list here. 

References

Baggio. (2019, April 15). Drumroll Please! The 8 Best Apps for Learning English Are... Retrieved from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/best-apps-for-learning-english/

Cook, E. (2019, June 13). The 10 Best Language Learning Apps for User-friendly Study. Retrieved from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/best-language-learning-apps-3/

#1 - Here we go BLOGGING...Here we GO!

Sorry I’m late to the party, but I did not choose very good keywords for my alerts earlier in the week, had to add some additional alerts, and then wait for some articles in my inbox.  I still think I need to fiddle with it some more as I still only received a few alerts. 

That being said, my first alert was about using NewsELA in the classroom and came from TESOL International Association.  It was written by Tara Arnsten, a teacher of ESOL with a master’s degree in Teaching-TESOL.  NewsELA uses current events as the basis for their articles which helps to keep the topics interesting and applicable.  Arntsen (2016) gives five reasons for recommending NewsELA.  She likes that it is EASY to access and FREE!  NewsELA has extensive topic CHOICES that are easy to search for in the app.  It can easily be DIFFERENTIATED by using 5 different levels, sometimes ranging from second to twelfth grades.  The articles and quizzes are both adjusted to the level accordingly.  NewsELA also has a wonderful SUPPORT system with videos and webinars for teachers.  AND…how perfect is this…NewsELA has its own BLOG!

Another cool article I’d like to share is from FluentU – English Language and Culture Blog. FluentU is an app that helps ELLs learn to speak English naturally.  The article recommends 10 Best Modern Sitcoms to Learn English.  Sitcoms have more realistic situations than textbooks and help to improve conversational skills by using everyday English.  Watching sitcoms can help ELLs improve listening skills, learn appropriate context for humor, and cultural references.  Sitcoms are easy to follow the plot if you watch regularly, use repetition of words, and make it easy to forget you are learning English!  Some of the recommendations include “The Big Bang Theory”, “How I Met your Mother”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, and “Friends”.  I think students will find it amazing when their homework is to watch TV! 

References

Alan. (2019, April 19). 10 Best Modern American Sitcoms to Learn English. Retrieved June 6, 2019, from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/learn-english-american-sitcoms/

Arntsen, T. (2016, August 16). | 5 Reasons to Use Newsela. Retrieved June 6, 2019, from http://blog.tesol.org/5-reasons-to-use-newsela/