Interview Project 1

CT 820
Kassidy Boyer
27 October 2014
Cho
Interview Project
For the past two years I have held the assumption that by the time my students reach third
grade, English language learners are typically fluent and understand what is taking place in class
reasonably well. Although I knew it was important to include strategies in my teaching that were
effective for ELLs, it was not until this year, when I began to take this course, that I started to
observe and understand these learners in a more meaningful way. I began to see struggles that
were previously hidden along with language and cultural barriers that I failed to recognize.
Because of these underlying assumptions, my perspective of these students was not accurate, and
in some cases, I have categorized different types of English learners within my classroom. This
interview helped me realize the importance of knowing each student individually. I have good
relationships with my students and I consider myself to know them reasonably well, but I have
not always been asking students the right questions to uncover and understand them as complex
learners. These interviews reiterated the importance of knowing each student on an individual
basis, and shed light onto the unrealistic assumptions I was projecting on some of the English
language learners in my classroom.
I chose two students from my classroom as participants. Students from my classroom
were selected so that I could better understand these students' backgrounds and more thoroughly
meet their needs. There are several English learners in my classroom, but I intentionally chose
these two students because one of them is a high achiever academically and the other is a low

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achiever academically. I was interested to learn more about their backgrounds and experiences
learning English to see if there was any connection to their academic achievement.
First, I obtained parental consent for the students to participate. I conducted one thirtyminute interview with each student. The interview took place at a table separate from other
students inside of the classroom. Other students were engaged in different activities at the time,
and the presence of other people in the classroom did not appear to alter the participants'
responses. I have established a relationship of trust with each student; both students have been
comfortable sharing about their lives with me outside of the interview and showed no
reservations in opening up to me during the course of the interview.
Summary of Findings
Sofia is in third grade and is nine years old. She was born in the United States. Her
parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. Her mother speaks Spanish and some
English, and her brother and sister-in-law, who also reside in the home, speak both English and
Spanish. Miguel is in third grade and is eight years old. He was also born in the United States.
He thinks that his parents are from Mexico. His parents both speak Spanish and his father speaks
very limited English. In order to communicate with his family more easily, I use a translator at
parent teacher conferences or when calling home. Both students display positive social behavior.
They get along well with other classmates and work cooperatively in groups. They have been in
school and spoken English for long enough that they are comfortable, even excited, to participate
in group work.
One finding that surprised me about the students is that they both prefer to speak English.
Sofia speaks English at home to her brother and sister-in-law. She speaks Spanish to her father,
because he does not know much English, and a mix of Spanish and English to her mother. When

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speaking two languages at home, she said, "When I can't say a word in Spanish, I say it in
English. When I can't say it in English, I say it in Spanish." Between the two languages, she
prefers to speak English.
Miguel reported he speaks mostly English at home, which surprised me, because neither
of his parents speak English. He speaks English to his sisters and Spanish with his father and
mother. He said, "I talk more with my sisters, cause my parents are working." He told me he
liked speaking English more than Spanish, because he knew more words in English. "I don't like
Spanish as much, cause I don't know much words...I forget lots of things in Spanish." Sofia
reported that she too, forgets words in Spanish. Her parents teach her how to say what she is
trying to say. Her mother helps her translate her ideas in English to Spanish. Miguel did not
report anyone helping him when he does not know a phrase in Spanish. He said, "I want
someone to teach me in Spanish words I don't know. I want to read in Spanish." He reported that
his mom wants to teach him how to read in Spanish as well.
Miguel's home responsibilities include taking out the trash, sweeping, and cleaning the
bathroom. Although family seems to be an important unit in the home, it does not seem to extend
the community, because family does not live close by. Miguel's family seems to rely on
neighbors and people they are close with inside of the community to help out the family when
necessary. For example, at Miguel's parent teacher conferences, two girls came along with his
family, who I thought were his sisters. In the interview, he explained that they in fact were not his
sisters, but were friends who came along to help translate in the event of an absence of a
translator. Miguel plays with friends in his neighborhood frequently. These friends speak
English, which enables him to interact with more English speakers at home.

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In contrast, Sofia spends more time at home with her family. She does not play with kids
in her neighborhood, because she does not know them well enough. Some of Sofia's
responsibilities at home are to help make dinner, clean her room and the house, and help with her
nephew. Sofia tells me stories each week about her nephew that lives with her and how she is
actively involved in helping take care of him. She even completes tasks such as feeding him,
burping him, and watching and playing with him in the living room while the adults are watching
T.V. At parent teacher conferences, Sofia and her mother brought in her niece that they were
taking care of that evening. For her, family extends into the community. She has family that lives
close by and they often call on each other to help on a weekly basis. For example, Sofia went to
an early Halloween party dressed up as Frankenstein's bride. Since her mother could not draw
the stitches on Sofia's face correctly, they called over Sofia's aunt to draw on the stitches.
Along with differences in family dynamics, there are differences between the academic
and language environments of each home as well. Sofia has a love for reading and reads every
night. When she was at a garage sale once, a woman there gave her a huge bag of books that she
still reads. Her mother has bought her chapter books and a former teacher has also given her
books. There are many books at home for her to read. Thus, she has a positive disposition toward
reading and she excels above the students in my classroom, whether an English learner or not.
She has a strong community around her that speaks both English and Spanish, and receives help
from multiple people when she has questions about homework.
Miguel has a different experience with reading at home. Every night, he reads books that
I send home for 20-30 minutes. He does not have other books at home to read. His mother helps
him out with his homework, but she does not speak or read English. It is hard for them to help

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him with reading. If it is a math assignment, his sister will check over his work to make sure it is
correct. Reading is the hardest subject for Miguel in school; he is reading at a first grade level.
When asked what it was like to speak Spanish at home and English at school, both said
that it was easy. They did say that sometimes they think in both English and Spanish and that it is
confusing. It can be hard for them to say in English what they are thinking in Spanish and visa
versa. I can see this from my own observations in class. If I ask them a question, they will
sometimes take longer to think, and then say, "I don't know how to say it." This is a common
behavior for several of the ELLs in my classroom.
One way they both mentioned that they enjoy learning is working in groups and with
partners. They reported that it is easier to learn that way. I recently changed my reading
instruction from whole group based to small group based, where students work together to
complete learning tasks on their own in groups. Both students have responded positively to this
change and state they enjoy reading more this way.
Reaction/Analysis
These interviews drove home the point that Echevarria and Short make in their article,
"We do English language learners a disservice if we think of them as one-dimensional on the
basis of their limited English proficiency. ELLs have diverse backgrounds, languages, and
education profiles" (2004, p. 1). Miguel and Sofia are two completely different individuals with
different learning styles, cognitive abilities, backgrounds, etc. Before taking this class, I was
aware that all students are different and have different learning needs, but this interview
addressed the unfair assumptions I had made about several ELLs in my classroom this year and
in years past.

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I assumed these students preferred to speak Spanish over English and that Spanish was
the language they were most comfortable using. This is an incorrect assumption. Both students
prefer speaking English over Spanish and expressed that they do not know Spanish as well,
especially not as much Spanish vocabulary than English vocabulary. Sofia's family helps her fill
in the blanks by providing the Spanish phrases she cannot express. When I asked Miguel what
happened when he does not know a word in Spanish at home, he replied, "Nothing." I am not
sure if he completely understood what I was asking, or if his family does not fill in the phrases he
is missing in Spanish to continue to teach him. An interesting discovery is that when he is trying
to say a word in Spanish that he knows in English, Miguels parents are not able to give him the
correct word because they do not know English. Contrast this with Sophia, whose mother helps
her translate words from English to Spanish. Miguel did, however, express an interest in learning
more Spanish and eventually learning how to read in Spanish.
Miguel's English language acquisition is less than Sofia's. Sofia has a richer English
environment at home than Miguel. More people in her household speak English than in Miguel's.
Sofia's mother speaks English, but neither of Miguel's parents speaks English. She also has many
books at home to read and reads every night for fun. Miguel does not have many books at home
that he can read besides the books that I send home with him. His parents are committed to
having him read the homework books I send home every evening, but they do not speak English,
and thus cannot help him thoroughly with words he misses or help him understand the story. It is
evident that his parents care about his education and want him to succeed, but they may not have
the resources at home to help him. The different type of language environments these students
have at home may play a role in the academic disparity between the two individuals in reading
and in English language acquisition.

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Studies have shown that Latino families often have an, "extended network of support
noting that Latino families often engage in collaborative literacy activities in public spaces, such
as the kitchen or the living room, and involve parents, siblings, cousins, and extended family
members (as cited in Heneda, 2006, p. 338). This is evident in the lives of the participants.
Miguel does homework with his mother and his sister checks over the work as well. Sofia has the
support of three English-speaking adults at home and of extended family members that she sees
frequently on weekends. Her cousin is teaching her how to write in cursive, because it is a skill
her mother never learned. Although education is important to both families, Sofia's family has a
greater network of support in engaging in literacy activities than Miguel's family does. "Thus, the
availability of a support network and of opportunities to engage in a variety of literacy practices
with others seem critically important in enabling young L2 learners to become literate" (Haneda,
2006, p. 339). There is evidence that these two backgrounds have played a significant role in the
language acquisition of these students. Sofia has a greater network of support and a richer
language environment at home. Her language acquisition is above that of her ELL peers. Miguel
has a lesser network of support, especially when it comes to people in the household possessing
skills in English. His language acquisition is lower than his ELL peers and his reading is below
grade level. This is not the only factor causing Miguel to be below his peers, but is one of
significance in understanding his learning needs.
Another incorrect assumption I made was that these students were speaking more Spanish
at home than English. Both students reported that is not the case. Sofia and Miguel speak English
to their siblings and it is their preferred mode of communication. A previous diagnostic language
test given by school personnel proved that he knows more academic vocabulary in English than
in Spanish. English is the language these students are learning in, reading in, writing in, and

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communicating in for eight hours a day. Without receiving that sort of instruction in Spanish, it is
no wonder that he understands academic language better in English than Spanish. These students
spend more time of the day conversing in English than Spanish, after hearing their responses
about their preference for English, I can see how they would not feel as comfortable speaking
Spanish.
Although Miguel does not receive as much support in speaking English and possibly
maintaining Spanish at home, his home still has valuable funds of knowledge that can be used
for learning inside the classroom. "Researchers often focus on knowledge and cultural practices
that families may lack rather than appreciate the extensive knowledge and practices to be found
in working class, minoritized, and immigrant communities" (Amanti, 2005, p.133). It is
acceptable to evaluate Miguel's home life and identify factors that contribute to his current state
of language acquisition in order to understand him as a learner, but the focus should not be on
what his home lacks. What is more beneficial is to search for the funds of knowledge inside his
home that can be incorporated into pedagogy to make learning meaningful and authentic for him
and other English learners with similar culture. In order to more fully understand the funds of
knowledge in Miguel's home, I would need to conduct more in depth interviews, pinpointing
more specific events and activities within his home.
Although some students do not have an opportunity to engage in various literacy
activities at home, teachers can work to provide a classroom environment that offers rich literacy
experiences in a variety of contexts. An effective way to promote language development across
the curriculum is through content-based instruction. When planning instruction, "the content
teachers should include language development objectives along with content objectives" (DiazRico, 2008, pg. 134). Both objectives should be made explicit to students so that they can focus

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on learning both. Providing a language objective requires teachers to pinpoint the specific
language skills necessary to participate in understanding and displaying content knowledge.
They will teach the language objective more explicitly through their lesson, further benefiting
ELLs.
There are many effective strategies for engaging ELLs in meaningful learning activities.
One effective way to think about the complexity of reading for students, and how to design
instruction, is by thinking of the roles students are taking when they read. "When a fluent reader
reads, they take on four "reader roles" simultaneously: code breaker, text participant, text user,
and text analyst" (Gibbons, 2009, p. 85). Reader as code breaker entails students understanding
sound-letter correspondence. Students need to learn these skills in a meaningful context. Reader
as text participant is how students connect their background knowledge and experiences with the
text. They create meaning as they read. Reader as text user describes how students' cultural
experiences with text shape how text is used. Students build upon that knowledge in school.
Students who have used text in a way similar to how schools use them tend to be more successful
(Gibbons, 2009). Finally, reader as text analyst is how "readers read critically" (Gibbons, 2009,
p. 87). This includes an understanding of how a text is designed, identifying the author's purpose,
etc (Gibbons, 2009). When designing reading instruction, teachers should keep these roles in
mind and develop activities that support growth in each of these areas. Doing so provides
meaningful interaction with the text for English language learners and further promotes English
language acquisition.
Conclusion
One of the most important themes in my findings is students' backgrounds and
experiences play a huge role in their development as learners and English speakers. No two

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students are alike and it is important for teachers to take the time to intentionally get to know
their students. I always thought that I did an above average job at building student relationships.
Through this project, however, I realize I have much more to learn about my students. Some of
what I thought I knew were inaccurate assumptions. Even if a teacher believes that they are not
developing stereotypes, one needs to be sure examine the knowledge they are building about
their students. I ask my students questions about their lives daily, but I do not always ask the type
of questions that will help me understand them as learners. Although it is important to take an
interest in students' everyday lives, it is equally important to ask students questions that give
insight to how they learn best.
I would like to continue this interview project in an informal way with all of the English
learners in my classroom. I will better understand how to meet their educational needs, and it lets
them know that I have a vested interest in their lives, their culture, and their success. As I learn
more about my students, I begin to understand their different funds of knowledge and can slowly
begin to build them into the curriculum.
The presence of a support network and the chance to participate in multiple literacy
activities increases language acquisition. Sofia has these opportunities, and has a strong support
network at home to help her with English. She is proficient in language use and has high
achievement in reading. Miguel's support network is smaller when it comes to supporting him in
English and he does not have as many opportunities to take part in various literacy activities. His
English language acquisition is lower than other ELLs in third grade and he is a struggling
reader. This is not the only reason for the difference in language acquisition of the two students,
but it does play a factor.

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Teachers need to be equipped to provide a rich language environment to support these
students who do not have opportunities for this type of environment at home. One way to support
ELA is through content-based instruction. The SIOP model is a fantastic lesson template to use
for content-based instruction. It focuses on employing specific strategies in each phase of the
lesson that are effective ways for ELLs to learn. Some effective components for this model of
instruction are building background knowledge in a way that connects to students' prior
knowledge and past experience and "providing frequent opportunities for interaction and
discussion" (Bilingual, 2002, p. 1).
Building background knowledge that connects to students' past experiences is especially
important for ELLs. Many ELLs do not have the background knowledge necessary to engage in
the proposed learning objectives. In order to connect background knowledge to prior experience,
teachers must know their learners. If they do not know their learners, they will not be able to
achieve this task. Some effective strategies for mapping out this knowledge are having a content
word wall and creating a concept definition map (Bilingual, 2002).
Providing opportunities for student interaction is an integral part of effective instruction,
especially for ELLs. "Small-group learning provides English learners with a rich discourse
environment and multiple opportunities for face-to-face interaction" (Diaz-Rico, 2008, pg. 365).
It can help ease the anxiety of ELLs, because it an informal environment where their language
does not have to be accurate and precise. This frees them up to focus on the content being
learned (Diaz-Rico, 2008). "Learning is more effective when students have an opportunity to
participate fully - discussing ideas and information" (Bilingual, 2002, p. 6). Cooperative learning
affords this opportunity.

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Teachers of ELLs should take time to get to know their students in a way that has
learning implications. Taking the time to do this could be the difference between a students
success and failure in a teacher's classroom. Along with a solid understanding of their learners,
teachers should have instructional strategies under their belt that are effective for ELLs. With
these two components, English learners will have increased success in classrooms. I learned my
lesson from this interview project. I will be very careful before placing any assumptions on
students, and I will dive deeper into understanding students by asking intentional questions that
lead to knowledge about how these students learn best.

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References
Amanti, C. (2005). Beyond a beads and feathers approach. In Gonzalez, Moll, and Amanti
(Eds.) Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities and
classrooms (pp.131-141). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bilingual and Compensatory Education Resource Team, Dearborn Public Schools (2002). Key
Components of SIOP Model. In Echevarria, Short, and Vogt. Making Content
Comprehensible for English Language Learners. Michigan.
Diaz-Rico, L. T. (2008). Strategies for Teaching English Learners (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson
Echevarria, J., & Short, D. (2004). Teacher Skills to Support English Language Learners.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Gibbons (2009). Building Bridges to Text: Supporting Academic Reading
Haneda, M. (2006) Becoming Literate in a Second Language: Connecting Home, Community,
and School Literacy Practices. Theory Into Practice, 45:4, 337 345.

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Appendix: List of questions
1. Where were you born?
2. Who is in your family?
3. Who lives at home with you?
4. Where were your parents born?
5. When did they come to the United States?
6. What are your parent's jobs?
7. What relatives live close by?
8. What language to do speak at home?
9. What types of materials are available to read in your house?
10. What do you like about school? Why?
11. What do you not like about school? Why?
12. What is hardest/easier part of school? Why?
13. What is it like to speak English at school and Spanish at home?
14. What is it like to speak Spanish at home and English at school?
15. What do you want to be when you grow up? What will you have to do to get there?
16. What things do you do at home that relate to school?
17. What do you like to do at home?
18. What important places do you go to when you're not at school?
19. What are your responsibilities at home? Why do you have these?
20. Who helps you with homework?
21. Does your family celebrate special days? How does your family celebrate them?
22. What kinds of activities that we do in class do you like/dislike?

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23. How do you feel about working in groups? What has been good/bad about your experience?
24. When did you start learning English?
25. How do you learn best?
26. When you read in English, do you think in English or Spanish?
27. What do you like/dislike about reading?