Elementary Education

EDU 2150
Ashleigh J Jones
July 31, 2015

INTRODUCTION
The concentration of my research project was to have English-language learner (ELL)
students become more comfortable being vocal in the English language; even if it is brokenEnglish. I want to show them that some effort can really go a long way, and no one will be
making fun of them for mispronouncing words, because they are at least trying. This includes
having these students speak more with their peers, instructor(s), and in general.
I completed my research at Oquirrh Elementary, in Miss Lieningers sixth grade class.
For my study, I created a lesson plan to encourage ELL students to talk more. I personally
appreciated this project, because it meant a lot to the students and myself. As soon as I entered
my classroom, I noticed many ELL students kept to themselves, vocally, mentally, and
emotionally. I had a desire to change that, because a classroom should be community-based with
everyone contributing to the conversation. Leingingers class had this kind of environment, but a
few ELL students did not feel the need to contribute in their classroom discussions.
The only personal experience I have with English-language learners is in the classroom. I
have certainly had a limited experience with ELLs, however I am glad to be broadening these
involvements. In a way, I can somewhat relate to English-language learners. I say this because I
tried to learn Spanish in high school, and it was almost the death of me. I do not want other
students to feel the way I did, because it is not necessary.
BACKGROUD FOR THE STUDY
America went through extraordinary growth in the quantity of English-language learners
over the first decade of the 21st century, intensifying the necessity to provide special language
instruction. And from the 97-98 school year to the 08-09 school year, the amount of English-

language learners enrolled in public schools increased from 3.5 million to 5.3 million (or 51%).
("English-Language Learners").
Many states also have to accommodate provisions for English-language learners in the
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The most current form of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act. With representation of that law, school districts are required to break out and
report the standardized-test scores of ELLs. ("No Child Left Behind")

Being informed of the history of English-language learners can show respect, and can
help to educate others about our diverse country. As stated in our textbook, Monolingualism has
been a major stumbling block for the many teachers whose classes include students learning

43 states and the district of

Columbia had laws providing for
bilingual education & English-asa-second-language (ESL)
instruction.

199
9

200No Child Left

1 Behind Act

The Bilingual
Education Act was
allowed to expire. It
was reauthorized in a
modified form in NCLB,
2001.

200
2

English. (Multicultural Teaching, Tiedt, pg. 329) After experiencing this class, along with many
others, I have decided that I want to minor in Spanish. I want to be a bilingual educator, and
make an effort to efficiently communicate with my students. And if a student approaches me
with a language that I do not know, I am fully prepared to put in effort to learn and communicate
with them.
A report on President Obamas agenda for improving Hispanic education released in
April 2011 included the following statement about the education of English-learners: While
there are certain practices that have been shown to benefit ELs, more research and evaluation are

needed on the types of language-instruction programs that are most effective for Englishlearners (White House, 2011). Though I do agree with our Presidents statement, I believe that
my research project showed that diverse students need diverse methods. We do need to do more
research, but we need to keep in mind that one method does not work for everyone; considering
that we are America, home of the diverse melting pot (or tossed salad if you prefer).
My service learning/research project goes hand-in-hand with the previous quotes
mentioned. I asked my ELL teacher if she had seen a growth in ELLs recently, in her classroom,
and she most definitely did. She has had to alter many of her teaching methods, and put in a lot
of extra work. And as a bilingual teacher, she said she personally feels that learning another
language has absolutely paid off. She uses both languages on a daily basis. She is the kind of
teacher I look up to, and thrive to be.
The following research really benefitted my project, because it prepared me for
controversy, bilingualism, and change. This research reconfirmed what I know about the
multicultural communities, and motivated me to further educate myself about these cultures. In
these multicultural communities, we require moderation, acceptance, and genuine effort.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH CONTEXT
As stated in my introduction paragraph, I completed my research at Oquirrh Elementary;
which is located at 7165 South 3285 West, in West Jordan, Utah. I gathered all my data in Miss
Liengingers sixth grade class, which was a very community-based environment. It was always
buzzing with peers conversing about thought-provoking concepts. And occasionally, a parent
would enter without hesitation. Everyone was welcome in this content but busy classroom.

The data I collected depended on how many times an ELL student vocalized their
opinion/thought/idea/etc. I collected this by writing down tally marks of the amount certain
students talked to the class. I did this twice; I would do the lesson plan one day, wait a week, and
then do it again to compare before and after data. I figured that if the ELL students did this
repetitively, they may become more comfortable contributing to class discussions.
The lesson plan wasnt really a lesson plan, but more of a class discussion. After
mentoring some students for a while, I found some topics of interest to them. And that is when I
went in and led a class discussion. I mainly focused on five students; three were ELLS and the
other 2 had a learning disability. Though after reviewing my research, these five students seem to
have become much more vocal with me as their instructor, and each other.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
My general approach to my research was a classroom experiment. This fit well with my
service learning project because it allowed me to maintain hands-on classroom experience. It was
realistic and showed me that bilingualism in the classroom can be extremely beneficial. Just
being able to observe a unique and diverse classroom like Lieningers can leave a long impact.
The data I collected included numbers, tallies, observations, and field notes. After
reviewing all of the data I collected, I feel that my lesson plan was mostly a success. ELL
students seemed to become more vocal and comfortable in the classroom with their peers and
teacher. I feel that I could have improved this project by including additional vocalizing between
peers.

DISCUSSION/IMPLICATIONS
As a future educator, I find this evidence very useful; especially if I have a very diverse
classroom. I could see this research being an implication for future teachers that do not desire to
have a multilingual classroom. From this study, I have learned that though a student may not
vocalize their opinion in the classroom, does not mean they do not have an opinion. Sometimes
you have to dig that information out of them. You have to put in some serious efforts to really
communicate with these students.
I personally feel that my research benefits the students social skills, the future educators
of our diverse country, and current teachers who may not fully understand how to get students to
become more outgoing. If I were to expand this into a larger effort, I would make an after school
program with ELLs. And it would include activities that help them to further understand and
learn the English language.
These results make me curious about the parents of ELL students. How do they act with
their kids when they arent as social as other kids? Do the students learn to not be as vocal from
their parental figures? Is it how their family works? What are the ultimate motivations for these
students not being as talkative as their peers? Though I am also fully aware that some students
just are introverts, and some are uncomfortable because they do not comprehend the events
going on in class.
I plan to continue my education with ELLs, by showing that I will put in as much effort
as necessary to communicate. And to show them that, just because the classroom is loud and
opinionated, does not mean you have to be. I plan to continue showing these ELLs that there are
people out there willing to help them learn.

CONCLUSION
In summary, my research has shown me many things, and helped me to experience an
insightful ELL classroom events. I have learned many things about myself, such as wanting to
minor in Spanish. And although ELL students may be shy, they require understanding and
empathy. For that matter, they require all three Es.
This service learning action research project has been much work and stress, but it has
definitely paid off! English-Language Learners deserve the same opportunities, respect, and
involvement as any other students. My research certainly reconfirmed that.

References
English-Language Learners. (2011, June 16). Retrieved July 28, 2015, from
http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/english-language-learners/
No Child Left Behind. (n.d.). Retrieved July 28, 2015, from
http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml
Tiedt, P., & Tiedt, I. (2010). Multicultural teaching: A handbook of activities, information, and
resources (8th ed., p. 405). Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

APPENDICES