Reflection of ELL Case Study Project


Zissel Levitz is a yummy, delicious, smart, 7-year old boy who is motivated to achieve success in school and performs well. He has lots of friends and loves talking and sharing his experiences with whoever is willing to listen. Zissel is an ELL as his first language is Yiddish. When speaking to his friends he alternates between English and Yiddish, depending on the audience. He is a social boy and gets along with everyone he meets in school, on the bus, or in the neighborhood. He has a lot of personality, and may need reminders to keep quiet when a teacher or adult is speaking. He enjoys sharing and retelling stories that happened to him or that he heard, and will always find someone with whom to share his thoughts.
This Case Study, was a great experience that I gained tremendously from. As we have been learning about so many methods and ideas, it was fulfilling to put it all into practice, and actually work with a struggling student in a personal way. The experience allowed me to see what an ELL can be struggling with, and determine how to appropriately implement a plan that will improve his skills. 
Throughout the few weeks working with Zissel, I recorded his progress, and determined necessary adaptations to my lesson according to his progress. The experience was quite rewarding, as he showed significant improvement in his writing skills through the time that I have worked with him. It was also beneficial to work as a team with a successful teacher and gain her thoughts and insights on how to proceed further after each session. My cooperating teacher was pleasant to work with and always offered great advice throughout my fieldwork. I have gained so much from working with Zissel. I noticed how some children, because of their strong support system from their parents, teachers and friends, can be so motivated to achieve and succeed. All he wanted, was to be able to complete the same assignments that his peers were doing, without feeling like a failure. He was so determined to write full, descriptive journal entries, although it was definitely difficult and challenging for him. Following his teacher's advice, I began instruction with writing narratives, as that was what he would benefit from daily. Zissel now approaches Journal Time, as a relaxed time to express his thoughts that he loves to share.
This experience proved to me that every ELL can succeed in the classroom, just like any other child. All it takes for an ELL to reach high, is the right support and interventions from his school, teachers, and parents. We have a major responsibility as teachers to ensure that our students are given the best instruction possible.


Comments

  1. Faigy HerzogNovember 27, 2018 at 1:36 PM

    Great work, Chavi! Your ELL study is professional and it seems like you learned a lot from your experience. It's so true that every ELL can succeed in the classroom with the right support and interventions! Yes, it's our responsibility!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah ShulmanNovember 28, 2018 at 6:02 PM

    thank you chavi, you gave us a complete view of what your observation looks like. its great to see what you learned.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chani Raitzik's blogNovember 28, 2018 at 7:06 PM

    Chava, what a great experience to work with a child and see improvement!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousNovember 29, 2018 at 10:01 PM

    Chava, seems like you gained a lot over the course of your observation! I also found my experience to be extremely rewarding and gained tremendously from it! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gitty AdlerNovember 30, 2018 at 1:32 AM

    Nice reflection, Chavi! I also found this case study to be an eye-opening experience. When you work closely with a child, you can really track progress. What a rewarding feeling!

    ReplyDelete

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