Many of my students are English language learners. As they encounter academic content, they may gain the knowledge needed to succeed while they may lack the soft academic skills needed for long-term learning stamina. My brain has developed and grown (physically and metaphorically) through the experiences I have had, and the positive experiences I have had learning in the past have lodged in my long-term memory, for retrieval consciously or not. Of course, this is true for all, yet many in my own student body have experiences and memories of learning that may be much less positive. Not only may content be unfamiliar and language inaccessible, but the brain's landscape may be disinclined toward processing the school environment. The brain's amazing ability to change due to experiences makes the work and success that happens for English language learners one of the most rewarding experiences for educators in my district.
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteWhen we make that connection between what we are feeling and what are students are feeling we increase our capacity for empathy. Although I would say that the learning curve for the technology piece is not that soft. I am finding it pretty hard at times! But as we tell our students – take a breath and take it one step at a time. I bet your students would appreciate hearing about how even their teacher has own her own anxieties with learning new material! Your insightful awareness of the hurdles your students must overcome will serve you in good stead when you think about how to address Brain Target 1 – the emotional component. You can personally relate to the stress they are under.
Best regards,
Sharon Delgado