What are your overall impression of this observation?
I was most impressed with how all of the ELLs, no matter their language ability, can still function appropriately in the classroom as far as centers, seat work, reading groups, and whole group goal. Each student has their own particular set of coping mechanisms at hand when they don’t quite get it.
What did you learn as a result of the fieldwork?
I learned that each student is different. I know this seems funny, but too often, teachers try to cover everything with one blanket. If I could take the time to spend that time with each student, I could keep those specific aspects of their lives in mind when I teach. It may not be possibly to do the full work up on each student, but taking bits and pieces from the process could be very beneficial. It would give me enough information to see exactly how to cover the needs of each student.
What is the value in case study research and analysis in terms of classroom practice?
As I mentioned before, doing case studies like this could change not only how you teach each student, but how you teach the entire class. By developing tools for each student, your approach becomes quite different when you plan lessons. Then, when the students are in front of you and know about them, you will know which tools to use with each student.
What is the value of ethnographic narrative?
Ethnographic narratives allow you understand your student’s point of reference to help you access their prior knowledge. By sitting down and having that conversation with my student, when I then have to teach numbers, I can go back to the picture she drew of her house and point out that her house number can be placed in order. This is just a small example of how much useful information you can gain, but the payoff is well worth the time.
How will this information assist future teachers (next year’s teachers) as well as yourself in the meeting the needs of this particular second language learner?
This will allow me to easily tap into her prior knowledge. By watching her interact with centers and in other settings, I am able to see what frustrates her and how she solves problems. That way, when I see her in those situations, I know when to help her and when to back off and let her figure it out on her own. This also helps me see her as an individual as opposed to stereotype. This will come in extremely handy for her teacher next year as it will allow her to get to her as an individual early on in the year. I think this is an important part of how I approach my students now. In casual conversation, I can be more guided and directive with the types of questions I ask in order to learn all of these details.
