"The powerful attraction of social media in classrooms can help students connect who they are in and out of school among peers and with their teachers."
This reminds me of Stephen Krashen's idea that anxiety is the student's arch enemy and how we need to create an environment where students feel comfortable and relaxed. Students are very comfortable with social media and constantly posting on it. This will create a space where they are less anxious about writing and expressing themselves.
Probably for her, college seemed unattainable, like getting a Ph.D. But she was so happy, and I realized how important it is to show them what's out there in a very real way. I felt like I opened up that opportunity for her. That felt good.
I used to work at my elementary school and students were always shocked to hear I went to that school and attended college. They would always reply with, "Really? You went to college and came here?" They couldn't believe college was possible for students of our community. At the moment I was only coaching the soccer team for the school. It was then that I realized the disconnect my community had with college and decided to pursue a second degree in education. I wanted to make sure I was able to reach more youth and expose them to the many possibilities they had with education.
Yes, I definitely encourage teachers to do home visits. It's very eye opening, like Elizabeth's story. And families are often very honored to have the teacher visit. In their culture, education is very important. Plus, the kids really look forward to it, too. It's a big deal.
About 7 years ago the elementary school I was working at had a program called Embajadores de La Lectura(Reading Ambassadors), where teachers would go to students' homes and read with the family. The entire family would participate in activities and the teacher would stay for dinner with that family. I thought it was a great way to get to know the students and their families and also to get the family involved in the education of the students. When teachers did not speak the same language as the families then another staff member who did would accompany that teacher. Students enjoyed when their teachers visited. It was really something they looked forward to.
teachers is that they can create a similar environment by turning the classroom into a sort of house party where people feel comfortable and relaxed.
When I worked in elementary school, I tried to make majority of the activities a game for the students. This really relaxed them and because in their minds they were playing a game and not learning, they really loosened up and were not afraid to participate.
Adult learners, both inside and outside the classroom, need this silent period, too. Teachers shouldn't be afraid when their students don't participate in debates in class – perhaps they are simply acquiring the language. Moreover, putting pressure on the learner to speak before they are ready will result in anxiety.
Just because students are being quiet and not responding vocally does not mean they are not thinking and making sense of everything around them. I remember when I transition to general ed from bilingual ed, I was super quiet. A lot of times I was observing and listening to sentence structure and pronunciation. It was also very nerve wreaking when the teacher would call on me and expect an answer right away in front of the entire class. There was a period where I remember translating in my head from one language to the other and know it almost seems automatic.