Elaine Tavárez

EDDN 680
Spring 2023

Concluding Program Reflection

My journey through the TESOL Program has enriched my academic and professional
careers immensely. All semesters were filled with knowledge on educating English Language
Learners (ELLs), instructional strategies and supports, as well as proving us with an array of
valuable resources. I have learned that I can assist my students utilizing evidence-based
strategies, for example, using an inquiry approach to teaching, which is crucial when developing
and implementing culturally and linguistic responsive practices in the classroom. According to
Kuykendall (2022), this practice allows students to share their own stories and explore histories,
ideas and experiences that matter to them. I have also learned the importance of motivation, as it
is one the most important factors that influence student learning and self-confidence. Attitudes
towards formal learning have been shown to influence motivation, making lasting positive
connections, some examples are positive praise, reinforcers and encouraging positive self-
evaluation. This program has provided me with the necessary tools to educate and understand
ELLs in my classroom. Educating ourselves in the background experiences of our students is
also extremely important and this can help us answer the necessary questions pertaining to the
students, as well as help us create meaningful learning opportunities. Although, many factors can
influence the success of ELLs in school, according to Vogt, Echevarría, & Short (2017) there are
also diverse characteristics that may impact their success in the classroom. Knowledge of the
English language is a characteristic that entails exposure, familiarity and level of proficiency in
both written and spoken English. First language (L1) knowledge; oral proficiency and literacy
play a crucial part in the development of ELLs, as some immigrant students have very limited
formal schooling and tend to perform at below grade-level as they try to acquire the L2. This also
encompasses their educational background and sociocultural, emotional, and economic factors.
Other educational categories also influence this process of assimilation and academic
performance; special education placement, RTI services, migrant experiences and likelihood,
reclassification, and gifted and talented classification. 
Educators have always been challenged when trying to provide quality education for their
students, especially ELLs and MLs. According to Walqui "Defining quality education for
1
English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners in the U.S. starts with our being mindful of
three critical ideas: the role and purpose of education in a democracy, the need to transform the
current state of education for English Language Learners (ELLs) and Multilingual Learners
(MLs) to enable their full participation in our evolving society, and the importance of using solid
theory to drive that transformation in the education of ELLs and MLs" (2021, para 1). When
addressing education in a democracy, educators must realize that active participation in our
society provides the students with the skills and knowledge needed to adapt in an ever-changing
environment. Students should learn how to build on their strengths and potential when
building their future individual competencies and contributions. When transforming the
education of ELLs and MLs, students need to learn how to process language by hearing, reading
and interpreting a variety of complex multimodal texts. Students need to be able to understand
ideas, judge validity based on evidence and make appropriate inferences. Transformation will
also take place when educators and administrators reconsider the quality of the tasks presented to
students in the classroom. This program has allowed me to learn how to build on my own
strengths and potential, while teaching my students how to do the same in order to maximize
learning.
The education of ELLs and MLs is complex road that educators must learn to navigate
very carefully. We should ensure that prior to developing and implementing lessons and
classroom tasks, we have thoroughly identified what teaching our students entail; study their
background, familiarize ourselves with their culture, learn the levels of L1 proficiency and
literacy and prior exposure to the L2. There are many layers to ELLs and MLs and in order to
provide them with fair and effective learning opportunities we must familiarize ourselves with
what makes them the learners they already are and explore how we can get them to where they
need to be. In my future teaching practice, I will ensure that I am providing my students with
culturally responsive materials to which they can relate to, while building background
knowledge and making connections to new concepts and experiences. Provide my students with
meaningful opportunities for corrective feedback “Corrective feedback has been identified as one
feature that is believed to play a crucial role in helping learners to make connections between
form and meaning” (Lightbown and Spada, 2021, p. 167). 

2
 References

Kuykendall, M. (2022, May 26). Using Inquiry-Based Learning to Create a Culturally

Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. M. (2021). Second Language Learning in The Classroom. In How
Languages are Learned (pp. 153–198). essay, Oxford University Press. 

Vogt, M., Echevarría, J. J., & Short, D. J. (2017). Making Content Comprehensible for English
Learners: The SIOP Model (fifth ed.). Pearson.

Walqui, A. (2021, January 1). Quality Education for English Language  Learners/Multilingual

3
4