Comparing ESOL Instructional Delivery in the U.S. and Belize

1. Comparing ESOL Instructional Delivery in the U.S. and Belize Belize Service Learning 2013 Children’s Literacy & Health Miami University Ambassadors for Children Morgan Roach & Allison Sillin Early Childhood Education & TELLS Certificate Advisor: Dr. Martha Castaneda Inquiry Question Findings Continued How are English Language Learners (ELLs) supported within classrooms in Belize in comparison to the United States? • (Kindergarten). Because Miss Peggy is all on her own and has limited resources, she believes in providing the students with lots of books and constantly reading with them. She told us that she technically only has one true ELL that she is currently working with who is Spanish speaking. When she works with him she focuses on his conversation skills and filling in sentences. Miss Peggy says that he has the key vocabulary down; he now need to work on speaking in sentences (P. Guill, 14 Mar. 2013). • Mr. Satchwell told us that in Belize there has been little research on ELLs. He told us about a school called the Gulisi Community Primary School that is a Intercultural Trilingual Program. Established in 2007 due to overcrowding of other elementary schools, Gulisi Primary plays an active role in the preservation and promotion of the Garifuna culture. Mr. Satchwell informed us that this was the only multilingual school he knew of in Belize. He also noted how some people don’t consider Kriol to be its own language and see it as broken English. This is similar to the debate in the U.S. with African Dialect as broken English or an actual dialect (D. Satchwell, 17 Mar. 2010). • Types of ELLs in Caye Caulker: • Kriol speakers- the majority of students at the Primary School; speak Kriol at home and English in the classroom. • Non-Kriol speakers- Spanish speaking students from the surrounding countries; speak Spanish at home, speak Kriol with friends at school, and English in the classroom. Context • We traveled with Miami University’s Ambassadors for Children organization along with fellow Education majors (20 students total), to Caye Caulker, a small, 5 mile long Island called Caye Caulker in Belize. Along with volunteering and observing in the classrooms at Ocean Academy and Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School, we conducted after school tutoring sessions. • Caye Caulker Island: • Located 1 mile West of the Belize Barrier Reef • Population ≈ 1,300 • The main culture is Mestizo (they founded the island), but the Maya, Creoles, Garifuna, and Mennonite are also represented • Modes of transportation: bike or golf cart • Tourism is the main industry • Ocean Academy High School: • Founded in 2008 by Heidi Curry and Joni Valencia • ≈ 50 students enrolled • Ranges from Form I-Form IV (9th-12th grade) • Courses include the standards such as Math, Science, and Language Arts, and Social Studies along with MANY more such as; Computer, Life Skills, Marine Biology, Biology, Spanish, Principles of Accounting and Business, and more • Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School: • Established over 50 years ago • Grown from 100 students to over 400 students in the past 15 years • Ranges from Infant I- Standard III (Kindergarten- 8th grade) Literature Review Findings Methods: Our research wouldn’t have been possible without the help of several important leaders within the education system of Caye Caulker Schools and the whole country of Belize: Miss Hilda- Ocean Academy’s Principal Miss Peg Guill- Reading Recovery Specialist at the Primary School Mr. Satchwell- on the Board of Trustees at the University of Belize; active member within the Belize education system These interviewees were very insightful and open during our interviews with them. They told us information about our capstone topic we would not be able to find through simple research on the Internet. Miss Hilda was born and raised in Caye Caulker. Along with being the Principal at OA, she is also the owner of two local businesses over the past twelve years. During the interview Miss Hilda told us that there has been an increase in ELLs in Belize over the years. People believe this because of the scores on the Math and English sections of the PSE test have been decreasing. They believe it is due to the language barrier. Miss Hilda also told us that at OA the teachers use some differentiation for the four ELLs at the school within the classroom. She believes that the students would not succeed without the teachers’ extra help (M. Hilda, 10 Mar. 2013). Miss Peggy is a retired reading recovery teacher from the U.S. and has a masters in reading. This is her fourth year at the school. Miss Peggy told us how there was no set ESL instruction or program implemented at the school. She sees all the students as ELLs in a way. This is because on Caye Caulker, all of the locals speak Kriol in their home. Therefore, most children do not learn English until they come to school at age five. On top of learning English within the classroom every day, Belize curriculum requires that students also learn Spanish starting in Infant I Introduction: In both the United States and Belize, the number of immigrants is rapidly growing. As a result, there is a significant increase of ELLs within the education system. Prior to visiting Belize, we were curious as to whether any of the U.S. English Learner Program Models were implemented in Belize. U.S. and Belize Census: (Foreign Born Population, 2010) & (2010 Population & Housing Census Launch Press, 2010) 40% in the US are foreign born compared to 15% in Belize. Most foreigners in Belize are from either Guatemala, El Salvador, or Honduras. The number of students in U.S. public schools that are ELLs is ≈ 10% of students. The number of ELLs within the education system of Belize is not identified. The U.S. English Learner Program Model Types: (English as a Second Language Programs, Aug. 2011) Mainstream (General Education) Structured English Immersion Sheltered Instruction (SIOP Model- Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Newcomer Program Early Exit Transitional Bilingual Program Late Exit Transitional Bilingual Program Maintenance Bilingual Program Dual Language Program Belize Models for Differentiation: While in Caye Caulker, the closest model that was similar to the U.S. was mainstream (general education). The differentiation that we observed in the classroom was the use of Kriol when enforcing discipline. Also, there were objects and materials that were labeled in both English and Spanish throughout the classroom. Conclusion • Similar to the U.S., the population of ELLs in the U.S. is rapidly increasing. • As of now, the U.S. has developed more models to support and differentiate for ESOL instructional delivery. Due to a limited amount of resources, Belize has not reached this status of support yet. • We found that our definition of ELLsin Caye Caulker is different than their classification. We classified Kriol speakers and Non-Kriol speakers– but teachers only recognized non-Kriol speakers. • This experience opened a new perspective of other cultures and their values for education.