I really enjoyed the readings this week as they gave me more insights about last week’s readings, specifically about the BICS and CALP framework. Garcia et al’s reading reminds me that language isn’t just a way of communicating with others but also a way to express ourselves. Garcia also states that only focusing on reading and writing will not be able to help them learn how to use English in the context of the everyday world which is why social interaction and “teaching through conversation” is so important. It is through this point that I don’t agree with the BICS and CALP framework as it separates the two parts so completely and implies that BICS is less valuable than CALP, when BICS can be utilized to help students develop CALP.
This week’s readings also build on the activity that we did in class last week where we realized the importance of scaffolding and support for Emergent bilingual learners. These readings and videos gave us examples and methods we could utilize to help EBL students like having the assignments in both English and the home language, allowing the students to do assignments in the language they are comfortable in, having visual aides, etc. These methods also do not require the teacher to know the student’s home language or even be bilingual as shown in the videos. Although Ms. Charene Chapman-Santiago isn’t bilingual, she is still able to effectively teach EBL students by observing their body language and allowing the students to use their home languages in assignments. This helps her gauge what level they are at not only in English but also the home language. Although there should be more bilingual teachers or even teachers with ESL certifications, there currently aren’t a lot of those teachers (it's also impossible for the teacher to know all the languages used in a classroom if it's a diverse area) and the growing number of EBL students still need an education, so these methods can be very helpful.
It’s also interesting how the intention behind certain decisions can change the outcomes so drastically. Take testing for example. Standardized testing required by the state is having a negative effect on teachers and students because it puts impossible standards on teachers and students who are already under-resourced. Standardized testing also doesn’t have the scaffolding EBL students need to succeed. It puts pressure on teachers to teach students to take the test instead of actually learning things. However assessments itself can be helpful to gauge what level the students are at. Consistent assessments with the proper scaffolding can mitigate the chances of students staying on a certain track and helps teachers understand how to better help the students. I see this in my field placement where they are testing on their ipads to see what areas they are good at and what they need more work on. Some of these assessments do utilize AI which I’m curious whether schools are using these more often and if it’s actually beneficial.