Chapter 2

Teachers influence the daily lives of students in their classrooms. They can create a climate of warmth, acceptance, and high achievement for English learners, supporting the home language while fostering the growth in English (Diaz- Rico, 22). This statement at the beginning of chapter two is a strong statement that I believe represents our jobs as teachers. We influence students lives daily in our classroom.  We teach students in a safe environment where they feel accepted.  As teachers we don't only do this for English learners we do this for all students.
In Chapter two we are introduced to critical pedagogy.  Pedagogy is "the process through which student learn to critically appropriate knowledge existing outside their immediate experience in order to broaden their understanding of themselves, the world, and the possibilities for transforming the taken for granted assumptions about the way we live" (Diaz-Rico, 29). Using pedagogy as a method is helpful for teachers.  Teachers learn about their students by observing their living conditions, their homes, and their families.  They talk with the families to learn about students.  As teachers we have to learn about our students culture, past experiences, and families to help them in the classroom.

(i)                   Diaz-Rico, Lynne T. Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners. 2^nd Edition. C. Pearson Education Inc.: Boston 2008. Page 22 and 29