Standard 9: Reflection and Continuous Growth

Standard #9:
Reflection and Continuous Growth
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who uses
evidence to continually evaluate his/her
practice, particularly the effects of his/her
choices and actions on others (students, families,
and other professionals in the learning
community), and adapts practice to meet the
needs of each learner.

The artifact shown below shows tips on how to Welcome ELL students into the classroom. This assignment accurately reflects Maine’s Common Core Teaching Standard #9. Standard 9 discusses the ability to reflect and grow through their teaching experience, as well as being aware of their effects on the students and their families; teachers must have the ability to adapt to each individual learner and consider their personal experiences. As described in the artifact, it is essential to communicate with students’ families to get to know them on a personal level and adapt teaching practices to the needs of all learners, especially when teaching ELL students.

Welcoming and Educating ELL students

  • Get to know your student and their family
    • Learning more about the students personal situation will allow you to understand the students needs and help them feel more comfortable in the classroom.
  • Communicate with the students family
    • When the family feels comfortable and welcomed by you, they will likely be open about concerns they have about their child.
    • Establishing a trust with the family will allow for home-school collaboration. This will allow you to stress your concerns as a teacher and how the parents can help out with the english learning process.
  • DIFFERENTIATE!!!! 
    • Form personalized lessons around the students needs and interests to help keep them interested.
  • Give the student one on one lessons as well as a lot of group work
    •  Students learn best by working with other students, modeling, and scaffolding.
  • Provide the student with another ELL student of their native language
    • This will be a great comfort to both students and they can learn together
  • Provide the student with a bilingual student mentor
    • This student can act as a translator in social situations, help the student learn english, and be a great comfort.
  • DO NOT ALLOW THE STUDENT TO BE RESTRICTED BY AN AID OR TRANSLATOR
    • Both of these resources can be useful, but students need to be allowed to have social and academic independence in order to learn.
  • Do not hover over students’ social interactions
    • Ensure that the student feels comfortable and welcomed, but allow them to have social independence.
  • Be an advocate and support for your student