I am disappointed that I will not be able to fulfill my ICR through attendance at the live ESL classes I was helping with through the Washington Township adult learning program. However, I am able to tutor students over the phone instead. Today, I arranged textbook materials for students, prepped a short lesson that I would conduct over the phone, and called a small group of students to conduct a conference call style ESL class. The chapter we covered was about the American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. The students were more advanced than the class I was placed in before. Two students were in preparation to take the U.S. Citizenship exam.
When I connected with my site to see if there were virtual volunteer opportunities, I was worried about the students’ abilities to receive instruction without being face-to-face. The language barrier is sometimes very difficult to overcome. The nonverbal communication that is possible in-person is impossible to convey over the phone. Sometimes this nonverbal communication as well as the physical benefits of demonstration during teachings helps students overcome misunderstandings and obstacles. However, the students I worked with over the phone were higher level English speakers than the Level 1 and 2 students I worked with at the school. This made conducting the instruction over the phone more manageable. I still needed to speak slowly and repeat myself occasionally, but students understood the lesson most of the time. This demonstrates the progression of learning a language. In the beginning, it is very difficult, and many resources are needed to help learn. However, once some of the major obstacles are overcome, then it becomes easier to learn more of the language and less teaching tools are needed. I was very impressed by the progression the students had made during the lesson. I was impressed by the fact that just a few months ago the students were all in the Level 1 English class. In our lesson, we were able to focus more on conceptual learning than basic vocabulary work. In our discussion about the American flag, students were able to share history and background for the flags of their native countries. This helped me appreciate other cultures and understand how they too are constantly changing. We were able to discuss the pandemic and talk about how different family members were doing with the pandemic issue and how it was being handled in each of the student’s home country. Once again, this helped me understand how the world is connected, but that every culture is unique as well. This holds true for the way each country is handling the pandemic. It is unfortunate that something like COVID-19 is what connects countries across the globe, but it was engaging to have the discussion with students from across the globe about their perceptions and experiences throughout this current issue.
As I mentioned, I was nervous about helping over the phone. I was concerned that my teaching would not be effective over the phone or instruction via the phone would not be a sufficient way to deliver material to English language learners. However, through perseverance and problem-solving, I was able to develop a lesson plan that the students understood and engaged in. We enjoyed discussion about current events as well as practiced important material, which we did effectively in a virtual manner. Although I miss the opportunity of helping in the live Level 1 and 2 English class, I look forward to connecting with the students over the phone next week.