Believe it or not there are "SUCCESS" stories and far less horrow stories. I myself was one of those doubting Thomas's. Who would have thought that I would be an advocator of OPD? Now if someone talks about going to class I ask, "Can you find a course online?"
Don't want to take my word for it? How about those that have participated....this has got to be convincing!!!
When I began this class, I was expecting to learn something. However, much to my surprise I have learned far more than I have expected. This was my first class set-up in this manner. I truly enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and session summaries. I believe we learn far more from the people who do our job everyday. Also, it was great getting everyone’s perspectives on the topics with us all having certification in different subject areas. I think the two most important concepts I got from the course are that we should not force ELL students to speak or to put them in situations where they are not comfortable. That they go through different stages and when they feel comfortable they will participate when ready. This goes along with making the learning environment inviting and warm for them and all of your students. The other concept in which I didn't know about is how the ELL student may "fool us." I think that learning about BICS was my favorite week. It was a real eye opener. After taking this course, I feel that I would be able to help and teach an ELL student better if I would get one in my class. Also, I def. would take another course about ELL teaching and learning. Thank you so much (EVERYONE) for making this such a great experience.
And another.....
Teaching math in high school, I always thought all students understood numbers. This class opened my eyes from an ELLs perspective. Plus, I came across one of my own students pretending to be tough, when all along he was ELL, and I find out the last 9 weeks of the year. It's made a huge difference in his attitude, and also in his learning of Algebra.
And Another....
Goodness! I have learned a lot from this course from the content but also from everyone else. Sometimes I think we learn the best from each other and we get a good feel for what works and what doesn't. However, two ideas that I definitely feel are important are that we as educators should assess ESL children according to what they can do. All children are different and have different abilities. Not all ESL children will progress at the same pace. As long as we know that they are progressing, that is all that we can ask. Another important idea that I will implement is the use of higher level questioning. BICS develops much faster and teachers can easily be fooled into thinking that children know more English than they really do, so we must ask the "right" questions and check for understanding and application of knowledge.
One Final Success Story....
This class has been a wealth of information. Thank you!! I have not had the opportunity yet to have an ELL student in my room. After taking this course I feel now that I could do more for and ELL student. I am amazed at the support that is available online. I think that checking for comprehension is so important and can be easily overlooked. The tips and techniques information last week was great! This course has reminded me how important visuals are. Having a student talk about and see pictures can be very helpful in finding out what the student knows. I think another idea I will take from this course is assessing the student on what he/she knows not what they don't know. I have learned a lot not only from the information I provided, but also from the discussions I have read. Thank you!
So you, see Virginia, there are SUCCESS STORIES in Online Professional Development.....
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