This is a video I made of me sharing my ideas and reasons why students should learn a foreign language in elementary school.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Bilingualism Among Students: Yes or No?
There are several controversies surrounding the possibility of teaching a foreign language to students in the United States during the primary years. The question is if that would truly be in the students' best interest. Some may argue that students should only have to learn English since it is the "internationally common" language. While it is true that students from many countries around the world are taught English from early on, studies show there would be many positive benefits for students in the United States if they learned a foreign language starting in elementary school too.
The benefits of learning a foreign language early on vary. Studies show that it helps with language acquisition in the child's first language; rules of grammar and syntax are better understood. By knowing a second language it is also easier to pick up a third or fourth language. And since the United States is becoming more and more diverse each day, knowing another language can be extremely helpful. Appreciation of other cultures and diversity among students can increase, possibly diminishing racism among students. Since there is an increasing amount of world issues, countries are going to need to work together to solve these problems and knowing other languages would make the communication process a lot easier. Trade is also flourishing among countries and communicating with traders involves speaking different languages. By teaching only English it makes it seem as though the United States is stuck in their ways, wanting to simplify things, and trying to combine all the cultures that live in this country into one ideal "American" culture. Learning a new language during early childhood is a more ideal time than the high school years. Research has shown that when a child is developing cognitively they are more able to absorb a language.
The benefits of learning a foreign language early on vary. Studies show that it helps with language acquisition in the child's first language; rules of grammar and syntax are better understood. By knowing a second language it is also easier to pick up a third or fourth language. And since the United States is becoming more and more diverse each day, knowing another language can be extremely helpful. Appreciation of other cultures and diversity among students can increase, possibly diminishing racism among students. Since there is an increasing amount of world issues, countries are going to need to work together to solve these problems and knowing other languages would make the communication process a lot easier. Trade is also flourishing among countries and communicating with traders involves speaking different languages. By teaching only English it makes it seem as though the United States is stuck in their ways, wanting to simplify things, and trying to combine all the cultures that live in this country into one ideal "American" culture. Learning a new language during early childhood is a more ideal time than the high school years. Research has shown that when a child is developing cognitively they are more able to absorb a language.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
How and Why should one Teach?
Why do we teach?
Some may feel called to and others may feel it is their duty. Some may want make up for a teacher who wasn't very great and some may want to make a difference in a child's life as one of their teachers did for them. Whatever the reason, those who enter the field of education are hoping to prepare their students in important life skills, both in relationships and in preparation for a future career. They have taken classes, observed, and researched all in hopes of becoming a teacher that makes a difference in the lives of their students.
What is the difference between school "work" and student "learning?"
School work is meant to be used to practice what they learned in class. It is given after a lesson or during the lesson to ensure that the students are understanding what they were taught during class. Teachers can use this to check for understanding and then may assign work to be brought home which will help keep the material they learned fresh in their mind several hours after learning it.
Student learning in contrast is what takes place during the actual lesson and while doing school and homework. It is a cognitive process stimulated by inquiry, observation, trial and error, explanations with examples, demonstrations, etc. There really isn't a limit of ways in promoting student learning, especially since each student learns through different approaches and strategies. However, the teacher takes a backseat in this process and let's the students learn for themselves. They learn by themselves or from other students instead of being lectured to by a teacher although the teacher can give suggestions, topics or guidelines.
What makes for good teaching?
For a teacher to be effective, they need to be open, patient, creative, passionate, flexible, knowledgeable, personable, and good at managing time. Teaching takes an extremely large amount of time, effort, and energy. For these reasons, teachers need to be able to change their plan or lesson at a moments notice, provide creative activities that vary, but still promotes learning, checks for understanding, and gives an adequate representation of the material learned. They should also be comfortable in the material they are teaching and understanding that each student learns differently, works at different paces, and comes from different backgrounds and cultures. Teachers should love what they do and care about their students as individuals as well as students. Each class is only so long and the teacher needs to be able to get through the material in time and provide activities that go along with the lesson. They should also provide appropriate discipline to avoid conflicts and disruptions in class.
Some may feel called to and others may feel it is their duty. Some may want make up for a teacher who wasn't very great and some may want to make a difference in a child's life as one of their teachers did for them. Whatever the reason, those who enter the field of education are hoping to prepare their students in important life skills, both in relationships and in preparation for a future career. They have taken classes, observed, and researched all in hopes of becoming a teacher that makes a difference in the lives of their students.
What is the difference between school "work" and student "learning?"
School work is meant to be used to practice what they learned in class. It is given after a lesson or during the lesson to ensure that the students are understanding what they were taught during class. Teachers can use this to check for understanding and then may assign work to be brought home which will help keep the material they learned fresh in their mind several hours after learning it.
Student learning in contrast is what takes place during the actual lesson and while doing school and homework. It is a cognitive process stimulated by inquiry, observation, trial and error, explanations with examples, demonstrations, etc. There really isn't a limit of ways in promoting student learning, especially since each student learns through different approaches and strategies. However, the teacher takes a backseat in this process and let's the students learn for themselves. They learn by themselves or from other students instead of being lectured to by a teacher although the teacher can give suggestions, topics or guidelines.
What makes for good teaching?
For a teacher to be effective, they need to be open, patient, creative, passionate, flexible, knowledgeable, personable, and good at managing time. Teaching takes an extremely large amount of time, effort, and energy. For these reasons, teachers need to be able to change their plan or lesson at a moments notice, provide creative activities that vary, but still promotes learning, checks for understanding, and gives an adequate representation of the material learned. They should also be comfortable in the material they are teaching and understanding that each student learns differently, works at different paces, and comes from different backgrounds and cultures. Teachers should love what they do and care about their students as individuals as well as students. Each class is only so long and the teacher needs to be able to get through the material in time and provide activities that go along with the lesson. They should also provide appropriate discipline to avoid conflicts and disruptions in class.
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