Multiliteracies are what we should focus on when trying to identify what is truly important in the students' world and their own reading and writing development. According to Cummins we must focus on all of the aspects of the students' life inside and outside the classroom. Developing multilingual literacies through student significance is the key. The material used must be authentic to them. According to Eggbert, a student must see a need or use of the material in order for it to be authentic. In other words the material becomes relevant to them and to their learning.
I think blogging can be a learning tool for ELL students. In the high-tech world we live in today, addressing students through technology by blogging helps student place a significance on the learning. They are bringing what they know of outside the world and using it also inside the classroom. Thus, breaking the narrow focus that language is only learning within the classroom with no outside intervention.
I was a little nervous about making a mistake when making my own blog. I actually thought the initial set up was easy, but I am still curious to see how I can develop a bilingual teacher blog for bilingual teachers. I know I would have loved to have asked someone outside of my school questions when I first started teaching.
2 comments:
Hi Adrienne,
Great job on your first post! I'm glad you found the setting up of the blog to be easy (even doing it on your own!).
I love your idea of turning your blog into a resource for bilingual teachers. Just to have a blog of daily or weekly reflections from a bilingual teacher would be wonderful! So much confusion out there over what bilingual education is. A blog like yours could allow the public to peak inside and realize that bilingual education isn't "trapping kids in Spanish all day" as many opponents of bilingual charge. I could also see you sharing on your blog student products in both Spanish and English, with your and your students reflective comments on them. I think it could be very powerfull!
-Dr. Wright
I agree in that with the idea that bilingual teachers should use blogging into their curriculum and with each other to keep each other up to date with teaching strategies, success, and pitfalls. I think getting children to post may be difficult at first, but eventually will take off after they make it their own.
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