September 26, 2013
Bilingual Education Articles
Prior to observing at our collaborating schools, we were given articles to read and reflect upon based on the school we would be attending. Because I am going to be observing at La Esquela Fratney, I was given articles that discuss bilingual education.
Berta Rosa Berriz
"Raising Children's Cultural Voices"
One of the most interesting points in the article was the use of "sheltering" strategies to enhance the quality of autobiographical writing. "One sheltering language development strategy highlights students' prior knowledge in conversations held before writing". They were able to teach in a constructivist approach, and rely on using a variety of sentence structures, using details, using descriptive language, and using good basic mechanics. The student-generated lists are resources for the whole class as they compose. The words and ideas have been experienced orally, visually, dramatically, and in writing. This allows for reciprocity between students and teachers. Both players are participants in the learning process and vocabulary development.