Bilingual Programs

Our district has had a maintenance bilingual program since I was in elementary school in the mid-1970's.  TESOL has been a component of that bilingual program for those students who were found to be LEP/ELL.  But now, our new superintendent and our new bilingual program director are changing the program to be completely TESOL.  However, based on the recent memo given to us, the number of students in our bilingual program are being referred to as ELL students.  Many of our current bilingual students are in the bilingual program because their parents want them to maintain their native language.

Rumor has it that the parents in the district were the ones who reported irregularities with our program.  Recently the state came to interview bilingual program teachers about the district bilingual program at my school.  I found it interesting that instead of interviewing the 10 teachers designated as bilingual teachers, our district offered up three teachers.  Who are they?  One is a veteran teacher of the program.  The second one is a second year teacher who is not in the bilingual program.  The third is a first year teacher who is a bilingual teacher.  I am a bit distressed that our maintenance program is being dismantled and the district is sending out the message that maintaining a native language is not important.

Inquiry Process Reflection

A few notes about the Inquiry Process Project.

1.  How did the I-search work for you?

The process of choosing a question to research was actually a pleasant one since I was able to focus on what interested me.  Researching articles did not seem like the chore it used to on projects that I had no say in choosing.  The time spent on the project went by rather quickly since I was reading what interested me.  Aside from focusing on the topic of my research, I got to thinking that I really understood the thinking behind allowing students to choose their own topics.  As a matter of fact, during ISTEP testing last week, I had a group of students I don't normally have and couldn't do my usual lessons.  I asked them to compile a list of topics they would like to learn about and we would study them.  No tests.  No notes unless they wanted.  It would be learning just for learning's sake.  They chose the topics of sign language and (surprise to me) following directions.  We had a great couple of days.

2.  What was different or similar to other projects you have done?

The process of searching for resources and the mechanics of writing the paper were similar to other projects I've done before.  What was the biggest difference was the very beginning process of choosing a topic.  I don't think I've ever had such freedom in choosing a topic for study before.

3.  What are you going to do with the “results” that you found?

I am debating with sharing the results of my project with others in the district mainly because it questions decisions made by our superintendent.  Also, I feel that what I did with this project is really just scratching the surface.  There is more information out there I'm sure.  I hardly think I exhausted all resources out there.  I will use what I have learned from my project to help guide the students I take to the computer lab for Fast ForWord, but will now view their results in the lab with a more critical eye since it seems that not all of the students assigned the program really need it.

4.  Is this leading you to another question?

Actually, although not a reading/literacy question, I do wonder about how financial decisions are made and who are the powers that be that decide on these programs.  I wonder about the process of researching programs for possible use in a district.  It wasn't difficult to find the resources I did find for my project that seemed to cast some doubt on the efficacy of the program for all students.  I also wonder now if there are other computer-base programs out there that would better fit the needs of the students in our district or if the use of Fast ForWord could be tailored to better suit the needs of the students who truly need it.  I wonder if the number of licenses could be decreased to save money, and if that money could be used for other programs for students who don't need Fast ForWord.

Miller Article - Literacy Beliefs

I don't think my literacy beliefs have changed drastically this semester.  If anything, with each class I learn more and more about reading and literacy.  What I learn usually strengthens beliefs I have held for several years now.  Back when I first started teaching, I hadn't given thought to what my literacy beliefs were.  Over time, they came to be very much along the lines of Millers.  However, I'm not sure what she means by the "gradual release of responsibility instructional model" from the fourth bullet in her list on page 17.  To me it sounds like scaffolding.  If that is what Miller means, then I agree with that point, too.

I have to admit that I sometimes find my beliefs and practices battle with each other.  This was happening less and less throughout my teaching career, but seemed to come back this year.  When I began the year teaching Read 180, I found it conflicted with my belief (like that of Miller's) that "Learning is maximized when the lessons I design are purposeful, interactive, and engaging, with real world applications."  Read 180, while not scripted, is very structured and allowed very little room for me to design any lesson.  The reading selections were interesting, but hard for me to tie to real world applications unless I was lucky enough to have the reading selections match real world happenings.  Now that I'm teaching math, I find a little more freedom with lesson planning even if the lessons are not literature lessons.

With only about a month to go, I think I'll get a notebook ready for the upcoming school year and go through Miller's suggested reflections.  As I stated, I don't think my beliefs have changed much over the years.  That makes me wonder if I might be getting stagnant in my thinking or getting complacent.  I  don't want that to happen because in the end, it's the students who will lose out.