Analyzing Journal and Discussion 3

¶ … McKeon (2007) debunk the myths regarding literacy and offer the actualities relative to them. One of the realities is that of teaching English language learners (ELLS) not only English literacy, but also content area knowledge. I am in agreement with this perspective as ELLS make up the fastest increasing populace in schools within the United States. Therefore, it makes sense that a lack of doing so will only hamper their academic development. In the contemporary, teachers are constantly facing an educational context that is largely challenging.

For this reason, ESL and bilingual teachers as well as supervisors are often tentative whether they are applying a program that satisfies all necessary standards. A good instance is the myth that ELLS necessitate a firm grasp in L1 in order for them to be advanced to L2. However, as pointed out by Samway and McKeon (2007), this is not always the case as an English-medium literacy instruction that is properly designed and effectively executed can result in high levels of literacy in English.

These are understanding and actualities that are necessitated by teachers and educators to assist ELLs to be successful in their academics. Especially in this realm that follows the No Child Left Behind Act, these actualities prove to be significant and noteworthy. In chapter three, DeJong (2011), points out two distinctive views of bilingualism. The first one is the holistic view in which a person's linguistic gamut is considered as being incorporated and interrelated in its entirety.

The other view is the fractional view of bilingualism where every language is considered and treated as a separate system. Personally, I am inclined to go with the latter as I consider a bilingual to be a person with the ability to have inherent control of two or more languages. Another aspect properly and rightfully so pointed out by the author is that of language dominance (DeJong, 2011).

It makes sense to test a bilingual child in the language that he or she is dominant, for instance, the native language such as Portuguese over English. In addition, this assessment is one that is fairer compared to tests in the weaker language. The higher the scores in the respective language indicate dominance in that particular language (DeJong, 2011).

In addition, I am in complete agreement with DeJong (2011) in the sense that for multilingualism to be given proper backing, it is imperative for educators to have an understanding of the manner in which multilingual development takes place in the school setting and at the home setting. Response to New York Times Article Bilingualism has a constructive impact on the brain. For starters, it enables the brain to have better cognitive functions, which is of assistance in the execution of control tasks.

In addition, it aids the brain in multitasking (Dreifus, 2011). Bilinguals are smarter to a greater extent as studies indicate that this cognitive superiority goes on up until old age. Secondly, in my own definition, I consider a bilingual to be a person with the ability to have inherent control of two or more languages. Individual Teaching Speech I apply a lot of BICS and CALP in my own classroom as I consider them to be a significant factor.

Students need to have an understanding as to what it implies to surpass simply the basic colloquial skills and so as to attain success at school, it is imperative to make use of the CALP. In addition, these two are relative to all the students, making them all the more effective (Lillywhite, 2011). There are ways in which teachers can assist students whose language proficiency may encumber their total understanding in the classroom. One of these ways is for the teachers to make use of contextual supports.

This is taking into consideration the manner in which these students use their language,.