Coaching Cycle Pt. 2

        Before we began our coaching cycle, the cooperating teacher and I sat down and discussed what he wanted to improve in his instruction. Although he is very knowledgeable in his subject area (English), he mentioned that he is struggling with teaching English to ELL and special education students. While completing my first observation for this teacher, I made sure to not only observe the lesson itself, but also how the students reacted to the lesson well. I tried to think of ways to accommodate and reach these students without having to rewrite the lesson. 

Although I have not had the opportunity to teach English to high school students, I do have experience of teaching ELL students an English based subject, United States history from the 1800s to 2008. I believe that my experience was a little more difficult because I had to consider that not only do my students not have the academic vocabulary to comprehend the lessons, but they also did not have the background knowledge as well. Considering my experience, I began to reflect on methods that I had used in my classroom when teaching ELL students. 

Before I began to suggest instructional strategies and methods, I first asked questions to discern what the teacher had tried previously, so that I did not suggest something that had not worked in the past. As I read over his responses, I began to try and put myself in the student’s shoes. I thought about, “if I did not understand or speak a particular language that I was learning in just yet, what would help me better understand the lesson or its context better?”  This question helped me to focus my thinking and build ESL learning resources for this teacher. I found that most of these resources can be used for special education students as well. 

One resource that I found the most interesting in my search was the use of ChatGPT. The AI tool is multi-functional and according to Sabrina Ortiz of ZDnet.com, can be used as an language assistance tool for non-English speaking students (Ortiz, 2023). “One of the lesser known features of ChatGPT is its ability to translate over 20 languages well” (Ortiz, 2023). Obviously, this can be used to help teachers translate readings, questions, or just general directions when in the classroom. The possibilities are endless!


References:

Ortiz, S. (2023, September 1). 4 ways teachers can use CHATGPT in their classrooms, according to openai. ZDNET. https://www.zdnet.com/article/four-ways-teachers-can-use-chatgpt-in-their-classrooms-according-to-openai/ 


Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 27, 2023 at 11:40 AM

    I think you were very wise in discussing with your cooperating teacher what strategies he had tried in the past. There's no reason to backtrack and try things again that he has already determined not to have worked for him. This definitely helps save time. I also like that you put yourself in the student's shoes to try to better service their needs and not just what would be easiest for you.

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