Reflection

Each learner in the classroom comes from varying communities with varying cultures that shapes their experiences both in and out of the classroom. An inclusive learning environment provides a culture of mutual respect that allows students to meet the high standards set before them in ways that are not culturally exclusive and accessible. In my personal life I strive to achieve cultural competence. In the classroom, this helps me provide learning experiences that are culturally relevant and allow each student to express themselves in ways that are fair, effective, and comfortable.  

During the internship I had the opportunity to lead a lesson on potential and kinetic energy at an after school program that was primarily made up of English language learners. During the lesson there were a few observations. Some of the learners relied heavily on friends to translate the instructions. I think in the future, it may be more useful to explain slower and maybe focus more on those students who are seeking help to make sure they are understanding as well. Another observation is that some learners could correctly repeat potential and kinetic, but did not demonstrate them properly until after they had been prompted several times during the session. This is useful because it showed that gestures may be more useful than repetition of just the words at assessing understanding. The final observation is that some of the learners who had greater command of English were more verbal and often dominated the conversation. It may be helpful to avoid calling on those learners or asking them to allow someone else to answer.

Evidence

ESL Potential and Kinetic Energy