My students need a comfy carpet to sit on in the classroom, where they can gather with each other to read, write, and develop social language through conversation.
I teach English language learners that vary in grade level from kindergarten to grade five. My students come from all around the globe and speak a variety of languages. Despite being in a new environment where everyone speaks a language (English) they don't yet understand, my students are motivated to learn. Every day they work hard in school to develop their social and academic English through reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities. They all learn in different ways and are developing at different rates, but they are working toward a common goal - a goal to become English proficient.
My Project
The #1 thing that ESL students need in order to be successful learners, is what's known as a low affective filter. An affective filter is basically emotional and motivational factors that affect reception and processing, ultimately affecting learning. A high affective filter would mean that negative factors like anxiety, nervousness, or boredom, inhibit or block learning. A low affective filter would mean that positive things like comfort or self confidence, make learning easier - there's nothing getting in the way, there is no barrier up.
One way that we lower the affective filter for English language learners is by creating a comfortable and welcoming classroom environment.
In order to do this, my students and I have informal conversation time together on the floor where we develop social language by talking about weekend activities, special interests, or favorite things. Not only does this develop social English, but it makes the affective filter lower for students. They feel comfortable and special in my classroom, which sets them up to be successful English learners!
Having a carpet will further create a sense of warmth and coziness in the classroom. It will give us a defined space to gather together to converse, read, and write. This carpet specifically promotes multicultural learning, by showing children holding hands around the globe. I couldn't think of a more perfect carpet for our ESL room!
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