Esl423 8 reflection journal - Essay Example

Running head: FINAL REFLECTION Final Reflection Diana Tipton Grand Canyon ESL 423 February (day here), 2009 This essay sums up all of my personal reaction to the lessons presented on this course. This also includes my plans for my future career in relation to ESL 423. A reflection on this week’s lessons was also included.Conclusions: ESL423 Through this course, I have become fully aware of the techniques available in addressing the needs of American classrooms with its changing demography, as well as the historical and political events that lead to the development of each technique.

This is important for me as a future educator in that the former prepares us for the challenges that lay ahead in the actual working environment while the latter gives us confidence that as teaching techniques evolve with the help of ideas from experts, it has become better adapted to the rapidly changing environment of our classrooms. Inputs from the first module were about the legal, historical and educational foundations of the Structured English Immersion (SEI). America has always been a multicultural nation that it is surprising to learn how relatively new the SEI concept is.

This only tells us that there is still so much room for development which educators need to be constantly updated about. It’s good to know that we can always turn to academic internet sources maintained by experts for the needed information, including models and the latest findings in language research. Books (including e-books) and websites dedicated to helping teachers in the profession also abound. For example, there are books that give methods on making basic math easier for kids. With my knowledge from ESL 423, I can slightly modify such methods so that academic English is reinforced while content learning is unaffected, if not improved.

Teachers can also make use of multimedia such as PowerPoint presentations and video clips to improve learning (qtd. in Stansbury, 2008). Really, with a little creativity, there are so many resources a teacher could use in this age of information. This makes the job easier and enjoyable for us that I’ve become highly motivated to further develop my skills in ESL instruction in a multilingual/multicultural classroom.This course, no doubt, has enhanced my professional abilities by introducing the standards that teachers are required to follow to ensure quality instructions.

I believe this helps teachers greatly to gauge students as well as their own efforts. My students’ failure is also my own failure and with the standards as my guide, I can properly address which areas need improvement, both on my students’ and my part.Also valuable were the SIOP components we learned. I take it as a complete guide to teaching effective ESL, from lesson planning to lesson delivery. Although one may be more important than the other, teachers should still try to give equal attention to all components.

All of these, however, are just theories and there can be no greater way of appreciating them than by doing the actual work. Thus far, the closest thing to application of what we learned is through the observation of how these theories work in our Practicum Experience. For now, I am just looking forward to applying these theories firsthand, in my future courses perhaps.As for this week’s module, the inputs merely underscore the socio-cultural and linguistic diversity among students. As such, different students may have varying degrees and style of support they get from their parents.

The school’s partnership is therefore necessary in bridging itself with the students’ homes. Several myths about English learning were also dispelled, which I find very informative. The valuable lessons from this course should never be forgotten as it addressed the language barrier problem in our country which, when ignored, will ultimately undermine the entire educational system. After all, no amount of knowledge in subjects like Math or Science can be imparted in the absence of language.

This gives us, future educators, the serious task of giving the foundation for the English language to American students and shaping their young minds. More than faithfully following standards and studying models, I believe a teacher should primarily have commitment to his profession.ReferencesStansbury, Meris. (2008, March 26). Analysis: How multimedia can improve learning. Retrieved February 16, 2009, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods/pdf/fl08_how_multimedia_improve.pdf