I support the concept of diversity during learning, and the readings have confirmed my existing understanding that ESL students play a very important role in promoting learning. In the third reading, the author discusses the role of ESL students in promoting learning. According to the author, ESL students present a lot of opportunities from where teachers can develop an understanding of the various needs of students that they can address in order to enrich different communities. For instance, ESL students have unique experiences and skills that can enhance their thinking. Therefore, this discussion explained how learning English as a second language presents an opportunity to promote learning. ESL students are able to accommodate different views as well as improve their creativity because they can express themselves in more than one language (“What ESL students may bring to the learning context” 24).
ESL students face a number of challenges because the existing systems of education address their needs as a group rather than individuals. The first reading has confirmed my existing understanding of the challenges that ESL students face by discussing the issue of ESL students having special needs (“ESL students: Some factors influencing their school experiences and learning outcomes” 9). According to the author, most of the teachers ignore or fail to acknowledge the fact that ESL may have special needs, just like any other learner. An ESL student struggling to learn English may suffer from lack of support or even stigmatization. This confirms my existing understanding that ESL students do not get adequate support because the education system does not cater for most of their needs.
The articles offered great insights on the issue of ESL mainstreaming, but I disagree with a number one issue because of various reasons. I disagree with the idea that ESL students are likely to become flexible in their thinking and develop increased problem-solving abilities. I do not think that identity determines the development of skills in individuals. Any student, regardless of his or her identity, can develop problem solving skills by learning. This is regardless of the number of languages that he or she may acquire.
It was very interesting to have the authors of the various readings use examples to supplement their ideas. This is because it helped me move forward in my understanding. ESL mainstreaming is a relatively new concept in the field of education and requires a lot of research to understand some of the ESL mainstreaming issues. The three articles provide an overview of some of the ESL mainstreaming issues. The articles improved my understanding of ESL mainstreaming because the authors did a commendable job identifying main issues and supporting them with practical examples. For instance, the second reading discusses the issue of identity and how it brings tensions among ESL students using the example of the Fulani community from Africa (“ESL students: Changing and re-shaping identities (identities under construction)” 16). This example reinforced my understanding of the issue of identity crisis and how it may affect ESL students because it is a real world example.
Despite the fact that the articles improved my understanding of ESL mainstreaming, they raised a number of questions regarding the topic of discussion. The main question relates to the issue of lack of support. What are teachers doing to ensure that ESL students overcome their challenges? These articles raised this question because they discussed the challenges as well as opportunities related to ESL students. The other question related to the role of ESL students to improve their learning. What is the role of ESL students in improving learning? Since ESL students lack the support, they should consider finding ways to improve learning. Lastly, what role do families play to ensure that ESL students succeed? This question came up because of the fact that families play a very critical role in ensuring that their children overcome the identity barrier.
Works Cited
Bronwyn Custance. ESL students: Some factors influencing their school experiences and learning outcomes. Sydney: Government of South Australia, Department for Education and Child Development, 2012.
Bronwyn Custance. ESL students: Changing and re-shaping identities (identities under construction). Sydney: Government of South Australia, Department for Education and Child Development, 2012.
Bronwyn Custance. What ESL students may bring to the learning context. Sydney: Government of South Australia, Department for Education and Child Development, 2012.
