Re: How much L1 to use--observation from principal (long)

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It is a tough one. I personally use L1 for newcomers but try
not to use it much more than that unless it's for directions,
emergencies of course, or if the student asks a question that
obviously needs to be answered in Spanish (clarification of an
assignment, for instance).
I have a Chinese speaking student this year and we have no
translator. Yes she's learning English quicker than my
Spanish speaking students, but she is also 100% immersed in
English, whereas my Spanish speaking students are only English
for 7 hours a day, then they go back to their Spanish world
for the rest of their day.
Since your supervisor is suggesting less Spanish, I'd do it if
I were you.

On 10/09/09, esl teacher wrote:
> I have a 14 year old student from Guatemala. She is brand
> new to the USA and speaks no English. She was in 5th grade
> last year in Guatemala but due to her age the school placed
> her in 7th grade here. Her academic skills are very weak.
> She is literate in Spanish but things just don't connect.
> She does learn, but slowly and only with more than a
> regular amount of repetition. Her native language is
> Spanish, not an indigenous language. I do a one on one pull-
> out with her.
>
> My principal observed me today and told me that I'm using
> too much Spanish with her and she'd learn English faster if
> I didn't speak English. (He has no ESL background although
> he is fluent in Spanish himself.) My feeling is that she
> won't get it if I only use English. I feel that she will
> learn slower if I only use English. Obviously if I didn't
> speak Spanish then I'd have to only use English and she
> would still learn fine.
>
> I'm looking for opinions on how much L1 to use. My
> observation overall was fine and I get along well with my
> principal so I'm not worried about that. But the L1 issue
> with Spanish-speaking newcomers has always been a tough
> issue for me. I don't like to see a student struggling when
> I could explain it quickly in Spanish. But then does that
> create an over-reliance on Spanish?
 

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