A Four Part Learning Journal Reflection

¶ … families who speak languages other than English in the home. My own family is bilingual, and I am from a multicultural city in which people from many different backgrounds live in the same neighborhood. Therefore, I have had positive experiences with teachers being used to multicultural and multilingual students.

My view is that multilingualism is a core strength that should be nurtured, and it breaks my heart when parents do not use their mother tongue at home out of fear that their child will not grow up with strong English language skills. I have tried to tell parents that research shows that bilingual students learn faster, particularly regarding verbal skills, and also develop the social skills that will help them later in life (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2015).

Although I have not worked professionally with students who have special needs, on an informal level I have worked closely with children who have physical and developmental disabilities. Several of my cousins have disabled children, and we have always made accommodations when necessary and I am well prepared to make similar accommodations in my classroom because I believe wholeheartedly in the principle of inclusiveness. Unit 2 Journal There are many different approaches to literacy development in ELLs, as the stories of Tiffany and Alicia show.

Obviously, native English speakers sometimes have an advantage when encountering the challenges of literacy development. I believe that ELLs have advantages in the long run. As an early childhood professional, I intend to support multilingual literacy in ELLs by offering the opportunity for the students to improve in their native tongue(s) as well as English. Research continually shows that "children can learn two native languages as easily as they can learn one," ("Bilingual children have a two-tracked mind," 2013).

Unit 3 Journal The text supports a wide range of activities and methods for teaching ELLs and native English speakers, including storytime strategies. It may be important to set a structured reading or storytime schedule because "when routines are established, children begin to learn about objects and vocabulary associated with certain activities," ("Helping Young Children to Develop Emergent Literacy Skills," n.d.). Another strategy that may be helpful is context-based learning activities including dramas and role playing during storytime or even using outdoor encounters to enage the students.

Using alternative methods, including the use of music, visual art, or the body, can particularly help students with special needs who react more positively to nonverbal literacy development. Unit 4 Journal As I mentioned in an early journal, I have become adept at adapting an area to create an inclusive and supportive environment. In addition to physical or structural changes, I believe that the social changes to the atmosphere will help create a supportive environment.

As Robertson (n.d.) points out, ELLs benefit from "language rich environments" that has multiple types of material available from digital media to poster boards. Likewise, children with special needs will enjoy interacting with a diversity of materials. No two children are alike, so what works for one will not necessarily work for another. Diversity in the classroom is a key to inclusivity.

When a large number of students speak the same first language, such as Spanish, then it can be fun for the students to use some Spanish in the classroom to create a bilingual education experience. Without.