Case Study

Running head: CASE STUDY-HORGAN

Student’s Name

Florida International University

School of Education

TSL3080

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Video 1: Getting Acquainted

1. New York and Florida are states with a large population of students whose first

language is not English. According to Sara Vogel, in New York, these students

were often forced to speak English or remain silent. What language practices did

you experience when you were in school in Florida (or elsewhere). What practices

have you seen in your previous field experiences?

As a child growing up in the rich and culturally diverse city of Miami, as well as

living in an area where there is a dense population of bilinguals, I always had teachers

that spoke fluent Spanish. These teachers created an inclusive environment for students

whose first language was not English. From translating, to sometimes even giving

assignments in Spanish for those who were more comfortable with it, learning English in

Miami is still a difficult task, but not an impossible one. There are some who even say,

Spanish is a necessary language when living here!

In my experience as an educator in Miami, the displays of inclusion in the classroom

involve specific targeting methods for approaching the students who need the most help

with language acquisition. As for myself, I do my best to communicate with my Spanish

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speakers in Spanish to make sure they feel comfortable when speaking up in my class,

and then translating their responses to the class in need be.

2. Puerto Rican and other activists in New York in the 1960s and 1970s, with some

degree of success, advocated for bilingual education. Which groups advocated for

English language learners in Florida in the 1980s, resulting in the 1990 Florida

Consent Decree? What did the Consent Decree accomplish?

The groups in Florida that advocated for English language learners in Florida are

as follows; The Haitian Educators Association, ASPIRA of Florida, Spanish American

League against discrimination, The Haitian Refugee Center, just to name a few. The

efforts of these groups resulted in the movement of the Consent Decree, which

guaranteed English language learners an equitable education in the state of Florida

without being discriminated upon. The decree also mandates that schools send out

surveys at the beginning of the school year to determine which language is spoken in the

household. It also gives teachers the opportunities needed to gain crucial knowledge in

educating English language learners, as well as how to create the equitable standards as

described in the decree.

3. Define “translanguaging”. What is your opinion of this practice?

Translanguaging is the practice of allowing students to use their first language in the

classroom, as well as bringing the students assets of becoming bilingual to light. This is a

crucial piece to the puzzle of education a diverse classroom, where you have 10 different

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nationalities sitting in one class period. Ensuring that the student have a place to be

themselves outside of the home is extremely important in guaranteeing success in school.

4. How can translanguaging practices create scaffolding structures for the language

development of multilingual students?

Translanguaging breaks things down in the classroom even further. By allowing

students to do things such as explain and translate, writing first drafts in their first

language, as well as incorporating the language in the classroom, the students are able to

have that space to perfect both of their languages.

Video 2: Being an Advocate for Bilingual Students

1. How does Ms. Conte use students’ backgrounds as resources in their

learning? Give two additional ideas to implement.

Ms. Conte asks students about their backgrounds and shows a genuine interest in

where the kids roots stem. Her use of coloring where their senses are is interesting for

young kids, and since I teach 16 to 17 year olds I’d probably go with a more

conversational approach to learning about the students culture and backgrounds.

2. How does reading books featuring multicultural/multilingual characters create a

culture of inclusion? Have you participated in this practice in the classroom, as a

student, a teacher, or an observer? Describe your experience.

Reading books with characters that mirror these young boys and girls makes them

feel seen and represented. Often times in American schools, the books being read are

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about Americans. Students need to see things that they can personally relate to and

learn about new cultures at the same time. This is wat inclusion is: representation in

the media and in the schoolhouse. Growing up in Miami, I read books from every

culture. The story of La Bamba, Langston Hughes poetry Maya Angelou. All of these

writings made us Hialeah kids feel seen and represented.

3. How can English speakers profit from exposure to bilingual books?

I’m not sure if profit is the right word: American students can benefit from

incorporating new cultures, and to break down the barriers of preconceived notions

about cultures outside of Americans. America is a very individualistic country, while

other countries tend to be more collectivistic. The sooner these students learn about

other cultures and work to expand their perception, the better they will be when they

are released into college, and the real world that follows. Americans tend to believe

that this is the greatest country without looking at the other countries that may appeal

to their own developing beliefs.

4. Conte, being monolingual, was uncomfortable about her students speaking in

languages she didn’t understand. She felt that she would lose control of the

classroom. What did she find out? What are your thoughts about not controlling

everything that goes on in the classroom?

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Before answering this question, I’d like to touch on a seasonal topic. Being

uncomfortable in a classroom where English is not the first language for the students, but

it is for the teacher, and the teacher is uncomfortable with the fact that they are speaking

another language in her room paints a clear picture of white-privileged implicit bias.

Imagine how these students feel being in a whole other country where their language is

not the norm. She does not get to feel uncomfortable in that classroom. Her job is to

develop the students skills in their first AND second languages, not to feel like she won’t

have control of the classroom because the kids are speaking a language she doesn’t

understand.

Ms. Conte was able to learn that she is not just there to teach them English, she is

there to teach them to be bilingual.

Classroom management stems from communication and clear expectation setting; but

moreover, it is built upon respect. As educators, we should be able to quiet a room in 10

seconds. How? By developing strong relationships with our students that are based in

respect. Students learn from teachers they like and respect. There is no control in the

classroom without respect being on the table first. Obviously, we are not omnipresent and

we can’t control every little thing that goes on in our classroom; but we can focus on

developing meaningful teacher-student relationships that will foster their learning.

Video 3: Bilingual Superpowers

1. What are benefits of graphic novels?

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The benefits of graphic novels for emergent bilinguals are vast; but first and

foremost, there is a quote that everyone knows; a picture is worth a thousand words.

Students are able to tell what is going on, and make connections between what is

being depicted by the characters, and the words that are flashed on the page. While

thinking abiut what’s happening on the oage in the first language, they’re also

looking at how to say what’s happening in English. It’s like exciting flash cards!

2. Describe the process Ms. Ballantyne-Berry uses with her graphic novel assignment.

Ms. Ballantyne-Berry uses translanguaging in her graphic novel assignment. By

encouraging the students to express themselves in their first languages and is able to

implement and scaffold translangiaging into her teaching process.

3. How does Ms. Ballantyne-Berry use students’ language repertoire as a resource?

Ms. Ballantyne-Berry uses students language repertoire as a resource by allowing

students to draft, and sometimes include and express themselves in their first

language, Mandarin. By doing this, she has developed a relationship of trust with her

students, so they know they don’t have to feel shy about who they are in school.

Video 4: Knowing your Students

1. Chapman-Santiago reads a quote from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a

Mockingbird. How does this quote apply to a teacher’s work?

The idea of not truly knowing someone until you’ve crawled in their skin is an

integral apart of teaching, especially in diverse schools. Before the lens of teacher, we

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are human first made up of our own biases and cultural learnings. With that

understanding, we need to expand our lens as teachers to understand what students

may be facing both at home, and at school.

2. What might you learn by carefully watching the cues students send through body

language and facial expressions? Describe an example from when you were a

student, or when you taught or observed a class.

Facial expressions and body language are derived from the home. By

understanding a students social cues, we can also see how they’ve developed socially.

In the United States, eye contact with teachers and parents as a child is a sign of

respect-similarly, no eye contact is a cue that means blatant disrespect. Curing my

year as an interventionist, I had a Haitian student who was particularly talkative.

Everytime I would pull him out to talk to him, he looked at the floor and as a Cuban-

American myself, this was unacceptable. Until I learned that in Haitian culture, when

someone, specifically children, are being reprimanded, you show your respect by

looking down rather than making eye contact. Once I learned this, my whole

perspective on discussion with my students changed. I had to shift my lens to

accommodate this new information and act accordingly with my students to not only

show my respect for them and their culture, but to build trust with them.

3. What information can a teacher gain by encouraging students to use their home

language?

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The knowledge a teacher can gain by encouraging students to use their home

language is special. By allowing students the space to be themselves while also

scaffolding in methods of teaching them their new language, the teacher benefits

from being able to get to know the students on a cultural level, building a system of

feedback with the student, and processing new information received by the student in

way they couldn’t have imagined.

4. What are some practical ways to incorporate home language as a scaffold?

Some practical ways to incorporate home language as a scaffold is building a space

for students to further develop their home language, as well and acquire their new

one. In these spaces, teachers give students the freedom to choose whether they’d like

to write or draft assignments in their home language, or to try drafting in English. By

doing this, the student will be able to start to build a goal—one day I’ll be able to

write my draft in English if I practice now. By pushing students out of their comfort

zones and providing a sense of freedom and choice, the student feels more in control

of their education.

Video 5: The Benefits of Bilingual Education

1. What does Sara Vogel mean when she states in her introduction to the video that

teachers can “push for more” in promoting their students’ learning?

When Sara Vogel states that teachers can “push for more” she is talking about the

impact that teachers have in the say of the education of their school. While in Florida,

there is not a specific bilingual education program, there are opportunities for

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teachers to speak up about the needs of their students. While of course we all know

the struggle of the underpaid teacher with no voice, if teachers move forward to push

for that change that needs to be seen, even if it takes years, it can be accomplished.

2. Aponte says that reading the book My name is Jorge on Both Sides of the River has

changed her students’ lives. Describe what you think is the impact of the book on

students.

“My name is Jorge on both sides of the river” has a huge impact on students who

are recent immigrants. It showcases poems and stories in both English and Spanish

that give the students a chance to be seen and represented in their classroom. It gives

them the space to be comfortable as they are, and not just trying to forcefully

Americanize.

3. What is the goal of bilingual education programs? How does a bilingual program

impact English speakers?

The goal of bilingual education programs is to foster the students home language

as well as the acquisition of a brand new one. Through these bilingual programs,

students aren’t forced into a bubble of American kids speaking a language they aren’t

comfortable speaking yet. Instead, the teachers are able to fully meet the students

where they are at in regard to language acquisition.