One of the articles that I found this week was "How to Determine if Assistive Technology is Right for Your ELL Students," from Concordia University. The first section of the article was an overview of the importance of ensuring that ELs have appropriate reading material available. The article then went on to discuss how assistive technology can help both the student and the teacher. In reality, most teachers are not able to sit with an EL, one-on-one, at many points (if any) throughout the day. Most classrooms have 20-30 other students in the classroom and it is impossible for the ELs, or other students, to receive constant attention. This is where assistive technology can come in and be a huge asset to the teacher. The student is able to learn at his/her own pace and level, rather than sitting in a classroom with all language above his/her head.
I really appreciate that this article gives suggestions for how to evaluate what assistive technology can help the student. It suggests to investigate the student's background- find out what the student knows in his/her first language. For example, I have had a student with significant gaps in education due to interrupted schooling. This student would benefit from different assistance than a student coming from a prestigious school which has available technology and English as one of the main classes. Another suggestion is to reach out to other people who know the student to gather as much information as possible and to get others' opinions. For example, the school counselor, psychologist, ESL teacher, parents, and siblings will all have information that can help determine, as a team, which technology will be best for the student.
Often times, ELs are grouped together in classes, assuming that they all have the same needs. This article points out that, with ELs, there is no "one size fits all" solution when it comes to assistive technology.
(http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/how-to-determine-if-assistive-technology-is-right-for-your-ell-students/).
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ReplyDeleteGreat article! Teachers need to meet the needs of all students. Students learn differently so it is our responsibility to ensure we provide them with the proper tools in order to do so. And even then, something that works one year may not work the next. It is a continuous learning curve for the students as well as the teachers.
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