Gina Flores
ELL240: Linguistically & Culturally Diverse Learners (ACV1417A)
Instructor: Ashley Simpson
Classroom Scenario Analysis
May 26, 2014
Many students were transitioning from a classroom with Spanish instruction into my classroom with instruction provided in English. I had students ranging from monolingual English speakers to students who had just recently moved to the U.S. from a Spanish-speaking country. The range of language proficiency levels crossed the entire spectrum. Having minimal experience with this range of diverse students and needs, I began reading, researching, and implementing new instructional ideas into my classroom. With each challenge I encountered, I gained new information about my students and their parents. I also began learning more about my own methods of instruction, and I learned a great deal each year about new challenges and successes. Educators, like scaffolds used in the process of constructing a building, are crucial, albeit temporary supports that assist students as they develop knowledge, strategies, and skills. With construction and educational scaffolds, levels of support move from outwardly visible or external to abstract or internal. That is, the support that is originally provided by external supports are replaced by the internal structural supports of the building. In educational settings, teachers as external scaffolds enable students to accomplish tasks with assistance which they eventually will do independently. After students have sufficiently internalized the knowledge and strategies, these become part of students' schemas and accessible to use in future learning. In other words, scaffolds are temporary supports, provided by more capable individuals that permit learners to participate in complex processes before they are able to do so unassisted (Peregoy & Boyle, 1997).
Mr. O’Malley initial reaction may be, "What do I do?" he may be wondering how to handle the tasks of helping these students learn...