Tips for working with English language learners
So how can classroom
teachers accommodate ESL students in their classrooms? What are some
tips that all teachers can utilize to facilitate their LEP students’
learning of English? What follows is a variety of strategies that all
teachers in all classes can employ successfully with ELLs.
Speak clearly and in standard English.
Teachers need to model academic English with clear pronunciation and diction. Teachers should also refrain from using slang
Position yourself so that the ESL student can see your face when you are speaking.
Language
learners rely on both verbal and nonverbal cues. Therefore, beginning
ELLs will want to watch your mouth when you speak since they are not
only hearing the pronunciation but they are also watching the words as
you form them with your lips. Also, speaking while facing away from the
class can muffle your voice, for example if you are speaking toward the
chalk board or wall. Additionally, novice ESL students rely not only on
being able to see your mouth when you are speaking but also on watching
your face for other nonverbal cues to meaning.
Assign a "buddy" to your ESL student.
These
buddies should be strong students who will help the ELL become inducted
into the class and into the school. Initially, seat the ESL student
next to the buddy so that the buddy can guide the student and answer
questions at any point in the class in as unobtrusive a manner as
possible.
Learn and use the student’s name.
Foreign names can be a
challenge for teachers, but it is important to practice their
pronunciation. Students tend to say their names quickly; ask them to
repeat their name slowly, and tell them you want to learn how to say
their name correctly. If you have not received any written information
from the administration in the form of student files, ask the student to
write his or her name for you. At the elementary school level, do not
give the student an English name to make it easier for you or the rest
of the class to remember or to pronounce.
For middle school and high school students, ask the student what he or she would like to be called.
At
the middle school and high school levels, some ESL students
intentionally change their names to English names because they want to
blend in with their American classmates. Honor their choices.
Be as visual as possible.
It
is good to say something in clear, concise English; it is even better
to have a picture or visual to use while you are speaking that
reinforces what you are saying. For example, if you are teaching a
science unit on the water cycle, have as many pictures to visualize each
part of the cycle as possible.
Comprehension precedes production.
Beginning
ESL students understand more than they are able to produce orally. Look
for other ways for students to demonstrate comprehension. If you are
teaching the science concept of the water cycle, have the student put
visuals in the correct sequence of the water cycle to demonstrate
comprehension of the topic. Ability to verbalize will follow. Also, do
not simply ask students "Do you understand?" to check for comprehension.
They will almost always say "yes" to avoid embarrassment. Rather, ask
students to demonstrate (if they are preverbal) or to repeat what they
understood you to say.
If students can say it, they can write it.
In
native language development, the normal progression of skills is first
to say something and then to be able to read and write what one can say.
Therefore, abundant oral practice needs to be made available to
students in order to afford them the first steps of creating with
language. The converse of this phenomenon is also true; if students are
not able to produce an idea orally, they will probably not be able to
write it. A corollary to this axiom is that students will usually write
at the level at which they speak. Although there will be some students
who will read and write at a higher level than their speaking ability,
this tends not to be the norm. This notion becomes clearer when we think
of the ability of our native-English-speaking students. It is usually
true that our best writers and readers are those who have the highest
level of spoken language.
Speaking louder does not aid in comprehension.
Unless
the student is hearing impaired, speaking louder does not aid in
comprehension. Also, speaking in an exaggerated, slow fashion only
embarrasses the ELL student and does not facilitate comprehension.
Create certain predictable routines in your class.
For
example, at the elementary school level, start each day with taking
attendance, reading the lunch options out loud, and making
announcements. If your cafeteria has dedicated lunch days, such as hot
dogs on Mondays and hamburgers on Tuesdays, you may wish to have
pictures of the meals for your novice ESL students. An example of a
routine at the middle and high school levels would be to have homework
assignments written in the same corner of the chalkboard each day. If
assignments are listed on the Internet, a reminder on the chalkboard
that you point to each day will help the ESL students incorporate this
into their daily habits.
Learn as much as you can about the countries represented in your class.
As
often as possible, honor the diversity in your classroom. You can do
this through reading assignments about a particular culture that the
entire class reads, class discussions about cultural practices, or
assignments where the students can speak or write about their heritages.
Also, learning about the cultures represented in your classroom may
explain some resistant behavior or behavioral problems. For example, in
some countries, students are taught in single-sex classrooms by teachers
of the same sex, so some boys have never had female teachers and some
girls have never had male teachers.
Keep a student’s linguistic ability in mind when selecting reading assignments.
Learning
to read is a major key to any student’s success. Research says that to
remain academically competitive, a student should be able to read at
grade level by the end of the second grade. Imagine, then, the
challenges for LEP students who arrive in the United States in middle or
high school. Those challenges are compounded if the students cannot
read in their native language. The teacher must plan for differentiated
instruction. For example, teachers can help beginning language learners
read for key points or underline topic sentences. You can also provide
students with essential core vocabulary words for the lesson. The number
of words should be manageable so that the student does not become
overwhelmed.
A smile is international.
A smile from the teacher is worth far more than the time and energy it takes. Smiles help to assuage fears and doubts.
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