This narrative discusses Standard Number 2 of the English to Speakers of Other

Languages Online M.A.T. program standards. Overall, this standard discusses the M.A.T.’s
expectations of understanding the content knowledge that will be taught to the students and
exemplifying its proper application. Candidates of this program are expected to understand their
discipline, connect it to their students in ways where they can think critically and problem solve,
understand how to work with their colleagues and interact with the students’ parents, as well as
plan in a setting that is relevant to the learner and that supports their learning.

In Standard Number 2, the first bullet point discusses the importance of the candidate’s
understanding of what they are teaching to their learners. It’s important to have a very thorough
knowledge of the discipline that the candidate teaches and it is also very important that the
candidate acquires the tools necessary to enlighten their students with such knowledge. As a
teacher candidate, I feel very confident in the content that I have for my students and am
successful in transferring this information to my students. However, as a young teacher, I know I
still have a lot to learn as a teacher as “a growing understanding of teaching begins to emerge
largely as a result of learning through experience,” and furthermore “a new appreciation of one’s
skills and abilities compels some to move beyond the simple delivery of information” (Loughran,
Mulhall, & Berry, 2012). I must always remember that I should ensure my students can
understand their information in meaningful ways and such a thing will be adapted throughout
time as well.

The second bullet point of Standard Number 2 highlights the candidate’s understanding
of how to engage students to think critically, to be creative and to learn how to collaborate with
their peers to solve problems and learn about issues both at the local and global levels. Not only
does teaching EL learners mean teaching them the language, but it also means engrossing them
with important issues that arise and giving them the opportunity to discuss such issues in the
English language. In ensuring that I enlighten my students with such information, I believe it’s
important to expose students to multiple literacies in the classroom. This “begins with the
multiplicity of cultural identities that are expressed through literacies” (Sheridan-Thomas, 2007).
In the theory of constructivism, “constructivists suggest that students construct knowledge by
actively making connections between prop knowledge/experience and new information” and
“being aware of and connecting to students’ multiple literacies can provide one pathway to such
engagement” (Sheridan-Thomas, 2007). An artifact selected for this standard was the student
retell of a story that they read in class using a program called Read Live Naturally. Students read
stories that exposed them to differing types of literature. Some students, when retelling a story,
connect what they read in the story to what they know and expand on their knowledge and
experiences while also sharing them. Students are able to construct more complex schemas on
issues that they learn about in the classroom and through their stories. As Lara Handsfield cites
in the book Literacy Theory as Practice, Connecting Theory and Instruction in K-12
Classrooms, “readers construct interpretations of a text’s meaning using both analysis of the
print and their hypotheses about the text based on experiences and cultural understandings”
(2016).
 The third bulleted point in Standard Number 2 discusses the importance of the candidate
of the M.A.T. program working with their colleagues and with students’ families. Such
collaboration enables a two-way street to communication. It also discusses the use of different
literacies in the ELL educational experience and using technology in order to communicate, plan,
and teach students. In my classroom, I ensure to use technology to enhance student learning and
encourage students feel comfortable with technological mediums as resources to access other
information. An artifact that I have to show for this is the website Edmodo. It is a website that
allows teachers to collaborate both with students and their parents. Within Edmodo, students are
able to access difference files that the teacher shares with them, can take quizzes, can message
the teacher, etc. I can also share files and documents with other teachers and can have them join
groups of mine. My mentor teacher and I used Edmodo to collaborate both with each other and
the students, sharing information that we deem to be interesting and helpful as well as sharing
and creating assignments and quizzes.

In order to ensure connections and communication with the parents of the students, I
would try to part-take in meetings that were set up at apartment complexes around the Lakeside
High School community to reach out to ELL parents. Many ELLs are Spanish speaking so it is
important to ensure that translators are available for these meetings if needed. However, these
meetings are planned in order to connect Lakeside teachers and faculty with their ELL
community. The meetings involve getting parents logged in to the school’s newsletter and
showing them how to use Edmodo to communicate with the teacher and to see their children’s
progress. In the article “Do’s and Don’t’s of Effective Communication With Parents” by the
Teaching Tolerance website, we learn that at these meetings, there are always important things to
remember such as “acknowledg[ing] parents and the perceived power differential between
parents and teachers” as these are “culturally and linguistically diverse populations” (2008).

The fourth bullet point of Standard Number 2 discusses the M.A.T. candidate having a
plan in the classroom that allows for an environment that is both linguistically and culturally
welcoming as well as relevant. Such an environment must allow for appropriate student learning
and teaching differentiation practices should be put in place in order to meet the standards and
objectives put in place to teach this content area to students. As a teacher candidate I feel that
this is one of the most important bullets to this standard as creating a welcoming environment is
a must for students. Yet, such a learning environment should not only be welcoming, it should be
one that accepts a student’s culture too and their level of language proficiency. In order for
students to be successful in the classroom they must feel that they are supported by their teachers
and that their teachers are there to support them in every way that they can. The students are a
priority in the classroom and it is the teacher’s responsibility to nourish them properly with
enriching information to add to their knowledge. We must also be linguistically responsive
teachers. We must “focus on SLA principles, including the distinction between conversational
and academic language proficiency; comprehensible input; social interaction for authentic
communicative purpose; transfer from L1 to L2; and [must understand] how anxiety about L2
can interfere with learning” (Lucas et al., 2008).
E-Mail Artifact of ELL Community Meeting:

Good Afternoon,

As you all know, in coordination with _______, I am planning some events that involve
going into the community to visit parents (especially Spanish speaking) in the areas where
they live. You are receiving this email because you indicated to me that you are interested
in participating in some capacity. I apologize that for the short notice but we are trying
to have these Meet and Greet times before parent teacher conferences if possible. As of
right now, these events will take place Tuesday, February 18th 6-7pm, Thursday
February 20th 6-7pm, and Sunday 23rd, 1-2pm.
It is possible that the time and location of the second event might change tomorrow but I
will keep you posted.

I am advertising the time as "drop-in" and I am planning to set us up the following

"stations": meet the principal, learn and sign up for parent teacher conferences (as time
allows), tutor.com info and demonstration, help with downloading and using infinite campus
app and help with School Cafe applications. At the end of the hour perhaps Dr. Stoddard
can share a few words with the group.

I am open to suggestions; please share any thoughts you might have to make these times
profitable! Also, for planning sake, please let me know which days you can attend as soon
as possible. If I have forgotten someone that you know is interested in participating,
please let me know. I will contact you all with more details soon.

Best regards,

_______________
Parent Liaison/Enlace (Contacto) de Padres
___________@dekalbschoolsga.org
Lakeside High School
 References

Handsfield, L. J. (2016). Literacy theory as practice: Connecting theory and instruction in K-

12 classrooms. Teachers College Press, New York, NY.

Loughran, J., Mulhall, P., & Berry, A. (2012). Understanding and developing science teachers’

pedagogical content knowledge. Brill & Sense.

Lucas, T., Villegas, A. M., & Freedson-Gonzalez, M. F. (2008). Linguistically responsive

teacher education: Preparing teachers to teach English language learners. Journal of

Teacher Education.

Sheridan-Thomas, H. K. (2007). Making sense of multiple literacies: Exploring pre-service

content area teachers’ understandings and applications. Reading Research & Instruction,

46(2), 121–150.

Teaching Tolerance. (2008). Do’s and don’ts of effective communication with parents. Retrieved

from

https://gastate.view.usg.edu/content/enforced2/2023402ur_ccsullivan_05/Teaching%20T

olerancee%20Parent%20Communication%20and%20Community%20Engagement%20R

ecommendations.pdf?_&d2lSessionVal=yudqDvjJLoYPDWjIPWDtrBTXZ.