Reflection 5.a.

Standard 5.a: ESL Research and History

The artifact I selected for this standard was developed as a supplemental reading and
summarizing activity for the class ESC 708, from the Spring of 2015. To develop the artifact I
read an article on the history of the bilingual education in the United States, addressing issues in
the field and describing laws and important events throughout the history. The artifact was a
great way for me to learn more about the bilingual education in the country as well as to
understand some of the issues and main events and laws regarding the topic, preparing me
according to the TESOL standard 5.a. ESL Research and History as it states Candidates are
familiar with the history of ESL teaching, including legal decisions and judicial mandates
that have had an impact on the development of the field of ESL. They understand the
impact of NCLB and other federal, state, and local laws and policies on the instruction and
achievement of ELLs.
This artifact helped me to understand the different laws that established and banned
bilingual education throughout the history in the U.S.. I learned that ESL teaching has not always
been the same and that there have been many difficulties to adjust the schools to accommodate
newcomers from different language backgrounds.
Even though developing this assignment was very helpful to develop my skills as a future
ESL teacher aware of the laws that guide the field, I feel that I still need to learn more about the
current ESL teaching legislation to be an active professional aware of all the matters revolving
ESL teaching.