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Analysis of Case Study: Vignette 3.3 – Organizing a Classroom of Multiple English Language Learners
Read:
Vignette 3.3, pages 48-50
As you read, please pay attention to the description provided of who you are teaching in this classroom and begin to imagine the needs of this group and visualize the environment described. Take note of the number of students and their varied native languages/ethnicities as well as their free lunch status.
This is a classroom of Multiple English Language
Learners; analyze the arrangement with this in mind.
Write:
Respond to Pause & Consider Questions. Your submission must include the questions and you responses. Support your answers with the text and examples when appropriate
Organizing a Classroom of Multiple English Language Learners
In the vignette provided, the classroom described consists of twenty-two students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds (Vignette 3.3, 48). Specifically, the students hail from Mexico, Vietnam, Somalia, and Nepal and speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, and Nepali as their native languages respectively (Vignette 3.3, 48). Additionally, over three-quarters of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating lower socioeconomic status (Vignette 3.3, 48).
When visualizing the environment and needs of this classroom, several factors must be considered. First and foremost, the wide array of native languages and cultures represented necessitates instruction that is differentiated, inclusive, and culturally responsive (DeCapua & Marshall, 2015). Groupings and seating arrangements should aim to foster community and collaboration between English learners while allowing the teacher to easily monitor comprehension, participation, and provide one-on-one assistance as needed (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2017). Flexible groupings that mix English proficiency levels and home languages can encourage cross-cultural exchange and language modeling between peers (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2017).
Additionally, the classroom environment should value and prominently display student work, images, and resources in all represented home languages to foster a sense of belonging for English learners (DeCapua & Marshall, 2015). Visual, hands-on, and multimodal methods of instruction are ideal to accommodate various learning styles and ability levels while building background knowledge and vocabulary (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2017). Ongoing formative assessment is also crucial to evaluate student understanding and guide differentiated next steps for instruction (DeCapua & Marshall, 2015).
In response to the “Pause & Consider” questions:
When arranging groups or partners, I would mix English language proficiency levels and home languages to promote peer modeling, translation assistance, and cultural exchange between students. This can help foster community and language development.
I would display student work, images, and resources in all represented home languages to value diversity and help English learners feel a sense of belonging. Instructional methods would incorporate visuals, gestures, hands-on activities to engage various learning styles and build background knowledge. Formative assessment would guide next steps.
DeCapua, A., & Marshall, H. W. (2015). Reframing the conversation about students with limited or interrupted formal education: From achievement gap to cultural dissonance. NASSP Bulletin, 99(4), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636515620662
Dove, M. G., & Honigsfeld, A. (2017). Co-Teaching for English Learners: A Guide to Collaborative Planning, Instruction, Assessment, and Reflection. Corwin.
