Laura Gillett

Foundations & Methods of English Language / Literacy Development & Content Instruction
Week 8: Let’s Apply - Personal Reflection

As a small town girl from the Midwest, I grew up with very little cultural and language diversity. Upon moving to
California a few years ago, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of educational experiences, but I was excited
for change. Though these past few years teaching in a very diverse district have been challenging, they have
also been eye-opening, and so, so rewarding. Many of the assignments and content throughout this course
have just solidified my knowledge of English learners and help me hone my teaching practices to be more
inclusive. One of my biggest takeaways has been the realization that strategies for English learners have to be
embedded in all parts of teaching and cultural inclusivity doesn’t come from teaching a unit on different
cultures; it is so much deeper. As my special education students are young, and most are nonverbal, my
students’ families play a huge role in my day-to-day planning and teaching and their cultures play a big part in
our collaboration. I am humbled every day working with such a diverse group of students and families.

As I move forward in my teaching, I am now thinking more carefully about how to embed strategies for my
English learners. As I have explored the content, it is clear that many strategies are useful in both special
education and for English learners. During this course, I worked very hard to create lessons that were practical
for use in my classroom with my current students. I have taught variations of both my writing and reading
lessons already. I find myself reflecting more about my English learners before, during, and after a lesson to
make sure that I am reaching them at their level and scaffolding their learning.

The school literacy profile and infograph really helped me reframe my thinking around some of the resources
available to me at my school site and begin to notice and use these resources to better support my students. I
was also able to learn more about the resources available to English learners in my district and take a deeper
look at the processes for English learners as they grow and move up. Knowing about assessment and
placement can help me have more meaningful discussions with my students’ families.

Through the reading and writing lesson plans, I also started to see assessment a little differently and started to
think about how I typically assess in my classroom. I found that creating rubrics and breaking down
assessments really allowed me to hone in on language skills for my students.

Overall, I think I was able to build upon my knowledge of best practices for English learners throughout this
course. The lessons plan creation allowed me to put the knowledge I gained into practice. I also constructed
my knowledge through collaboration with my classmates. It is interesting to hear the point of view of so many
different educators.