"Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things." This quote by Flora Louis embodies what my students have to do every day. They have to learn who they are in another language.
For refugee students, one of the most unsettling things about life can be getting used to a new school where everything is different from what used to be normal.
They need a place to decompress and learn in a low-stress environment. In my class, beginning level students have a chance to have topics explained in comprehensible language, and they get a chance to explore and play in this new language and new culture. My students speak many languages and come from myriad countries. Their educational backgrounds are as varied as the students themselves. Some know some English, some don't. Some have had a lot of school, and we have had some students come with very little schooling at all.
My Project
We use iPads to work on all four language domains (speaking, reading, writing and listening). They record language so teachers and students have a record of growth and we can track what they've learned. They make movies. They listen to presentations and give feedback. The IPads have been generously provided by the district; however storage was the responsibility of my department. And honestly, we have inadequate storage for our devices. We have 20 iPads, and they are shoved into a locked file cabinet. Sometimes the space is so tight with the chargers and surge protectors, the chargers disconnect from the iPads, and then students lose work as their device crashes because it has not been properly charged. It's also difficult for students to find the iPad they were working on because the devices sometimes get moved around between classes.
A storage cabinet for our class iPads would help us manage our materials better.
It would help students find their work quickly on iPads that are fully charged. It would just make such a difference for them to have a the right tool for the job. These students deserve the best tools as they start out on their journey to learn English.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. EVANS and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
