As I have mentioned in my previous post, Bennett has a large group of ELL students, so most of my experience has been working with incorporating assignments to reach said, group. While I was teaching upper-level agricultural mechanics to juniors and seniors, the shop content was less challenging to come up with ways for students to understand content; however, the classroom part of the mechanics class was a different story. I would try my hardest to implement several visual aids, like Venn diagrams. Visual aids are a necessity for English language learning students because they provide a reference that the students might not understand in a written or verbal form and they give students a visual representation to refer to throughout the lesson (Stancampiano, 2019). For my students, I would utilize the ‘I do-we do-you do’ strategy by creating a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting 6011 and 7018 welding electrodes on the board. First, I would brainstorm with a red marker - students would use a red pen - what ideas they had for similarities and differences between the two, usually this would be about two or three for each part of the diagram. Then, I would have them come up with three similarities and three differences to fill into each part on their paper. Feedback comes as I rove around the classroom having individual conversations with each student as they fill out their own paper. Next, we would go through it together, adding the new content into the Venn diagram in blue marker - students adding to theirs in blue pen. Differentiating using colors help students further visually and can help them recall information more efficiently (Purdy, 2013). It also helps me, as their teacher, see what they came up with separately from the entire group. Once we have discussed the differences and similarities on paper, we head to the shop and apply our knowledge with hands-on activities. The assessment for this portion of the class is to weld a dimensional project, specifying the use of the two different electrodes - 6011 and 7018 - at the assigned joints. Furthermore, as I explained the assessment, I would have a visual representation of the project that I had built, so my ELL students could see a demonstration of my expectations. Once students have completed their assessment project, I would grade it against a rubric. Feedback is essential and must be specific, immediate, related to the learning objective, considerably presented, and involve the learner. With that being said, I would rotate through students around the shop to make sure they are understanding the instructions and to critique their welding technique based on the specified process. Overall, I cannot stress enough how important it is that ELL students have a visual aid to assist them in understanding your expectations for each individual. Students aim to please their teacher and it is a stressor for them when they are unsure of your expectations.
References:
Purdy, K. (2013, May 14). How color-coded notes make you a more efficient thinker. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://www.fastcompany.com/3009605/how-color-coded-notes-make-you-a-more-efficient-thinker
Stancampiano, J. (2019, April 03). The benefits of visual facilitation in the classroom. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://trainingindustry.com/articles/content-development/the-benefits-of-visual-facilitation-in-the-classroom
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