For my interview, I interviewed Mrs. Smith. I have known her for many years and it was great to get to learn more about her everyday schedule and routine inside of her classroom.
Mrs. Smith talked about how in her routine that she does many different things. In the younger grades, she does a pull out system, where she pulls students out of their classrooms into hers to work with them on a more intimate level. On the other hand, the older students that she works with, she has more of a co-teaching style. Wright states, “cooperative learning appeals to language teachers because it offers rich opportunities for students to engage in meaningful communication and obtain comprehensible input as they interact to complete academic tasks” (Wright, 2015, p. 63). Mrs. Smith talked about how she thinks this style of teaching is beneficial because they are able to learn many different things at once.
Mrs. Smith also talked a lot about her opinions on high stakes testing. She believes that this is not beneficial to the student if they are at a beginning level. Wright states, “how educators must be aware of the heavy testing burden placed on ELLs and the impact test results can have on students’ and teachers’ lives” (Wright, 2015, p. 119). She feels that students’ can’t be properly assessed based on a year of growth if they are being tested at the same level as a general education student. She feels that since these students are not on the same level, they should not be tested on the same level, which I completely agree with!
Wright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caston, Second Edition.
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