Outstanding Teaching Practice
Outstanding Teaching Practice
Outstanding Teaching Practice
conducted and gave their own voice to how the small-school learning environment
has helped their language learning and rapport with their teachers.
On the day of the convocation, in which all participating Brooklyn schools presented
their projects, I had two English Language Learners who had volunteered to
introduce and explain the research prior to presenting. The audience consisted of
approximately 150 to 200 students, and my group was the only group of English
language learners. I held a lump in my throat as I waited for my students to present,
just a bit concerned that the audience might laugh at their accents and their limited
English. That fear, however, quickly dissolved as I heard them speak. The audience
was quiet and respectful, and my students rolled through it. I was so proud of their
efforts on the project, and especially on their willingness to present to a large
audience of students, teachers, librarians, and library officials, despite their stilldeveloping language skills.
It was an experience that will not soon be forgotten, and one that will carry over to
the rest of their high school experience, paving the road to understanding the
inquiry and research process that prepares students for college-level work, and
certainly one that has boosted their confidence in using the English language for
communicating at a higher level within a professional and scholarly community.
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