English Language Learners and Education

Our visits to Global Neighborhood, the Refugee Parent's Panel, Jack Anderson at Kennewick Public Schools, Mea Moore at the Professional Educator Standards Board, Jacob's Well, the Salish Language Workshop and our discussions in Teaching in America and Language and Culture have shown that English language learning plays a substantial role in the American education system.

In order to understand the lessons every student needs to understand and speak English properly. Not only in terms of academic success is language important, but also in terms of social integration. The students might feel lonely or unaccepted in an environment where they neither know the language nor the culture. They could automatically exclude themselves from social interaction and feel unhappy.

Furthermore, for parents who have difficulties with the new language it becomes hard to follow their children, to support them, to understand the education system. Since the children learn English much faster than their parents, they become the family leaders and this only one part of the cultural change the family has to experience. All in all, language is a major factor regarding culture, integration and learning.

Disability and Education

For the first time, I had an insight to the education of disabled persons. That means I had no preknowledge concerning this issue and cannot compare it to my home country.

It is great that my first experience was positive: other than I assumed, being disabled does not automatically mean to be disadvantaged. As we explored in our visits to Domino Preschool and the Assistive Technology Workshops, there are so many supportive methods for educating disabled students.

The Domino Preschool offers autistic students a special class and individual attention. It supports and assists the children by playful and creative learning. For students with other disabilities there is a variety of Assistive Technology enabling them to be successful in school. Students can be assisted by computers (special software and special technical equipment), high-tech wheelchairs, iPads, or simple tools to see, sit, or write. These means help disabled students to join regular classes.

In Germany disabled students do not attend regular schools. That is why I have never had the opportunity to learn more about disabilities and education in my country. I only know that we have a school for blinds in Marburg. Even though, my education preparing me to become a teacher does not include any kind of teaching disabled students. If I would ever teach disabled children, I had to find schooling to learn corresponding pedagogy and teaching methods.

Socio-Economic Status and Education

Our visits to Holmes Elementary, Riverfront Farms, Global Neighborhood and the Refugee Parents Panel made me realize how strong the effect of the socio-economic status on education is. In the US education is almost dependent from your socio-economic status.

Living in poverty influences students´ success, at least it decreases their education opportunities and their energy to learn. Coming hungry to school, the students cannot focus on being successful at school. Some students have problems at home in their families. Their parents might be divorced; some might have parents with alcohol or even drug addictions. The concern about socio-economic status is a though demand for children.

Otherwise, school like the Holmes Elementary or communities like the Riverfront Farms, the Global Neighborhood, or the Refugee Parents Panel provide these children and also their families with socio-economic challenges a safe home. Different from their own homes, here people care about them, students feel loved, accepted, and useful. Being part of communities gives them hope for their futures and ideally the necessary encouragement leading to success.

Discovering this truth of the US society made me believe in the American Nightmare which seemed unrealistic and far when I was in Germany. There is almost nothing comparable about Germans´ socio-economic status and education with this American challenge. Every family with economic problems is supported by the government and people do not need to be concerned about financing their daily needs and especially not about their education. Education is for free in Germany. The social status may affect to which school a student goes. For students coming from upper class families it is easier to attend an elite school than for students having a lower social status. However, generally every student´s success depends on his effort and grades at school and not on his socio-economic status.

As an educator, I have to be supportive and encouraging to my students with various socio-economic statuses. I have to know them, their families and their backgrounds in order to understand their feelings and thoughts since these influence their learning attitudes and I have to find methods to make my students feel comfortable in my class.

Factors in Students Learning

1. What do you think are the major factors that assist students with learning? Feel free to mention any factors that are present in the classroom, the school community itself, or outside of school as you write your answer.

• motivation: belief in success by teacher, parents and student himself
• best motivation= success
• teacher-student relationship: respect to both sides
• understanding teachers, teachers loving to teach, showing individual interest, giving feedback, giving students the feeling that their work is honored, objective assessment
• encouraging students to ask for help
• helpful class mates

• helpful learning material (additional material recommended by the teacher)
• clear tasks and definitions of the expectations/ goals/ sense of tasks
• variation of methods (New Media, group work)
• including student`s interests, preferences and opinions
• manageable tasks and homework (expenditure of time?!)
• excursions for learning outside the classroom

• parents` support
• having role models in family or close friends or teachers who give you encouraging advice concerning your studies, career, and future

2. What do you think are the major barriers that get in the way of student learning? Again, feel free to mention any factors that are present in the classroom, the school community itself, or outside of school as you write your answer.

• absence of the aspects above
• no sympathy for school/ no connection to the teacher / no friends
• no interest in subjects
• bad grades
• boring lessons, bored teacher, routine lessons/ methods
• overload of tasks/ homework
• teachers embarrassing students
• competition among students
• negative learning atmosphere

3. What do you think an effective classroom looks like? What makes a classroom experience worthwhile and valuable?

An effective classroom should include / provide:

• joy, respect, interest, motivation, sympathy, knowledge, competence, altogether a positive atmosphere
• learning progress, learning for life
• volunteer participation of the students: no force to speak up, no confrontation with fears
• being aware of the sense and aim of the work
• participants respecting and trusting each other
• help instead of punishment
• openness for development and change