Introduction to the Problem Assignment Instructions Overview In the Introduction to the Problem section of an educational report, you will introduce the reader to the problem of practice. A problem of
In the United States and its schools, culture, language, and ethnic diversity is increasing rapidly. The U.S. Bureau of the Census (2015) projected that 47 percent of the U.S. population will be composed of ethnic groups of color by 2050. In the period of 1991 and 1998, 7.6 million immigrants entered the United States.
The U.S. Bureau of the Census (2015) also estimated that more than one million immigrants will enter the United States every year for the predicted future. From my experience, a problem that I came across is how the established curriculum is not appropriate to use with the ELLs (English Language Learners). At most schools, there is no ENL (English as a New Language) curriculum. When I first started teaching, I had no idea what to where and what to start teaching. There were no guidelines or expectations. I searched high and low and could not locate a curriculum for my English Language Learners. Simple because it does not exist. It was so difficult because I did not have a roadmap for my students. I found myself aimlessly wandering around on the internet looking for worksheets. I believe that ELLs deserve the same rich, compelling, and challenging curriculum that other students receive. ELLs have developed age appropriate-concepts and understandings about the world, as they have experienced it. These students have the same cognitive needs for enriching and challenging and learning experiences that every student does.
Various levels of support in using English should be built into the curriculum to assist ELLs with these compelling and challenging curriculums. As a result of the rapidly growing number of ELLs, currently, there is a high demand for ENL teachers. In America, there is a shortage of educators who can support the need for English language learners (Petrie & Darragh, 2018). At the same time, most teachers who work with ELLs are often underprepared for the job (Song, 2016).
Unfortunately, state and federal policies and teacher preparation programs have not sufficiently prioritized training teachers for ELLs. Therefore, teachers are left unprepared in the classroom. Additionally, when it comes to new teachers, the National Council on Teacher Quality report from 2014 shows that only 24 percent of programs train general elementary teacher applicants in strategies to support ELLs or students not making progress in early reading (Taylor, 2016). When there was a study conducted back in 2016 regarding practices in teacher preparation programs in six states with large Spanish-speaking populations, these states reported a big difference in EL teacher training in the institutions (Taylor, 2016). Consequently, new teachers' preparation to support ELLs is not how it should be.
Reference:
Petrie, G. M., & Darragh, J. J. (2018). “This worry machine”: The impact of executive orders on ELL teachers. TESOL Journal, 9(3), 412-430.
Song, K. H. (2016). Systematic professional development training and its impact on teachers’ attitudes toward ELLs: SIOP and guided coaching. TESOL Journal, 7(4), 767-799.
Taylor, A. (2017). Expanding the frame: Building transnational alliances for racial and educational justice. Peabody Journal of Education, 92(3), 405-424.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2015). Projections of the size and composition of the U.S. population. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p25-1143.p df
