Using the maker movement to forge a middle-school collaboration to support English language learners

摘要

We—a middle school teacher at the Global Village Project, a middle school for recently arrived refugee girls, and a college assistant professor at Georgia State University—have established a collaboration to use the maker movement to bring science, technology, and engineering experiences to middle school students who are English language learners (ELLs), as well as elementary education undergraduates who have a concentration in English as a second language (ESOL). This collaboration allows our students to learn about each other and themselves in an environment where both sets of students are equal partners. Our students also learn about the maker movement, which can be leveraged to provide middle schoolers with access to science, technology, and engineering outside of school. As part of the collaboration, both sets of students have an opportunity to share activities with kindergarten and first-grade children. The emphasis on kindergarten and first-grade activities helps both sets of students. The college students gain experience planning and doing science with early elementary students, whereas students from the Global Village Project (see Resources), many of whom come from cultures where older siblings take care of younger siblings, have the opportunity to use academic English with younger students. This increases their comfort level with the language and creates a school-culture connection.