Weer 2 Readers Response

Organizing instruction for struggling readers in tutorial settings & Linguistically responsive teacher education: Preparing classroom teachers to teach English Language Learners

The number of ELL students are growing at such a rapid rate that seasoned, novice, and preservice teachers need to be prepared to teach these students skills so they can succeed in school. As a preservice teacher, knowledge of the ELL students I have in my class will provide the information needed to appropriately teach and provide instructional support for these students. But where do I start?

In the article "Linguistically responsive teacher education: Preparing classroom teachers to teach English Language Learners," the authors summarize six principles of second language learning and suggestions to help preservice teachers teach ELL students. Knowing these principles, preservice teachers have a foundation and knowledge to better serve these students to academically succeed. It would serve many preservice teachers well to know these principles before entering a class. Knowing what to expect from ELL students will guide preservice teachers in developing a plan with appropriate supports to ensure English proficiency.  The appropriate supports or scaffolding are clearly defined in the article. Many of the scaffolding methods are not new to preservice teachers. The article just clarifies which one to use and how to use it to help ELL students. For example, using visual tools such as a video, graphic organizer, or pictures, will reduce the amount of auditory information ELL students must process in order to make sense of the instructional information being given.

One important aspect that teachers and preservice teachers must always keep in mind is providing a safe and encouraging atmosphere for ELL students. It is hard enough for ELL students to be in a mainstream classroom without the added stress of being harassed because of their accents or error in speech and writing. Teachers must strive for a classroom that encourages cooperation and respect for all students.

The information provided in this article is very helpful to preservice teachers only if the appropriate exposure is provided. The article stresses that preservice teachers need to be prepared by observing and practicing these strategies before becoming mainstream teachers. Teacher education programs must provide prospective teachers with this foundation by training and exposing them to real classroom environments that allow them to envision and possibly practice what they have learned.

The article “Organizing instruction for struggling readers in tutorial settings,” the authors use a case study to provide the tutoring framework for a struggling reader. The article reveals the use of multiple assessments to develop an instructional plan that is organized with the particular needs of the student.

This framework guideline the planning, organization, and instructional monitoring used by the tutor to facilitate the student’s reading skills in a tutorial setting. The key steps to follow in this framework are to provide narrative texts and grade appropriate informational texts to accelerate and strengthen reading comprehension; allow the reader to realize the essential features of reading and writing to construct their own meaning of what they have read through reading discussions and writing lessons; use student selected narrative and informational texts for at home reading and familiar reading so students can experience fluent reading.

Both articles are very informative and provide strategies that will help preservice teachers adapt to the diverse student population they will encounter in their classrooms.