“Freire (1973) believed that one of the main tasks of adult education was to increase people’s belief in themselves,” (Diaz-Rico, p. 23). While I agree with Freire that people should be taught and encouraged to believe in themselves, I disagree on one point. Students of all ages can be taught to believe in themselves. My students, 4th-6th graders struggle with self-confidence and learned helplessness. This applies to my EL students and my non-EL students. All of my special education students benefit from being taught that they can achieve something and can change their own lives. Additionally, what Freire called the “banking model” is where public education is today. While we make an effort to differentiate instruction and identify individual needs, the basis for what students should learn is mandated by the state or federal government. A standardized test determines if our students have learned something, have grown in the past year. This model refuses to consider the student as an individual and ignores the fact that they have different backgrounds, cultures, and family situations.
When looking at the research done by Bourdieu, I realized how much teachers have the power to promote a positive environment for students learning English. There doesn’t need to be a separation of lessons. We can incorporate the English Learners into all lessons by differentiating instruction. I found an interesting video on Reading Rockets, displaying a teacher who is working hard to support all students. Find the video at: http://bcove.me/9ck4nck4
Response to peers:
“It saddens me to think that the EL students in my classroom may not feel equitable to the other students, I will be keeping a closer eye on their behaviors and how others treat them,” says Michelle Greco. When reading Michelle’s post about this chapter I was struck by a similar feeling. My English learners may be struggling with a sense of inferiority that is caused by something that I am doing. It is not my intent to make them feel powerless. My Spanish is horrible, but I have begun making an effort to converse with my ELs in their home language. Not only do they like that I’m taking an interest, but they are able to teach me something. Freire was the one that talked about building up the English Learners and empowering them. Our students couldn’t ask for more than to be empowered, respected, and valued. “Personally I think this is the most successful theory because it incorporates the students everyday life into the lesson and helps the student retain the language,” says Amanda Wright. Caring about our students’ lives is a very important part of what we do. If we go everyday and teach but have no meaningful interactions, we are doing something wrong.
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