Teaching English Language Learners

Perhaps a student has just moved into your area from another country and does not speak English. Or perhaps you are teaching in an area where English is not the first language of most of the residents. Either way, you may have a non-English speaker in your classroom. How can you reach out to this student and keep him or her on track with the rest of the class? Judy Haynes and Debbie Zacarian give some helpful ideas in their book Teaching English Language Learners Across the Content Areas.

To function in the classroom, English language learners (ELLs) need to be able to communicate in speaking and listening along with reading and writing. In teaching ELLs, the first thing a teacher should consider is the language level the student has and then help the student to move to the next level. The first stage of learning a language is starting; the students need pictures, gestures, and buddies to help learn basic vocabulary. They will listen more than anything else. In the emerging stage, the student can speak in phrases, write short sentences, and be a part of class activities. The teacher should use many graphic organizers and charts to help this student. In the developing stage, ELLs communicate more by writing, understand more complex directions, and begin communicating socially with classmates. Expanding learners are more fluent and can begin skimming written material and filling out graphic organizers, although writing will still be difficult. The bridging learners will be able to perform close to the level of their classmates with help from the teacher. For these steps to occur, the students must be comfortable in the classroom, perform meaningful tasks, and be required to work just beyond current ability level.

When ELLs “learn” a language, they study the actual language and its rules. When they “acquire” a language, they pick it up socially. These processes can occur at the same time. Therefore, the teacher should engage the ELL in activities that are relevant not only educationally but socially. A student’s understanding of the goals of the lesson is vital to learning, so the teacher should always have these posted visibly in words that everyone can understand. Adding the specific activities and content can also help the ELL. Finally, teachers should fully explain required vocabulary and pair ELLs with native speakers to use new language.

In effectively reaching the ELL, a teacher can plan backward when creating lesson plans, starting with the goal and assessment, and then deciding how to reach the goal. ELLs typically struggle with vocabulary in reading, unfamiliar cultural concepts, English sentence structure, math concepts different from their home countries’, “hands-on” science, and American history and social studies. By connecting the current content to the students’ own knowledge, the teacher can aid the ELL. Detailed lesson plans including supplementary materials, field trips at the beginning of a unit, open-ended questions, and graphic organizers are all helpful tools for the teacher. Assessment should match the language level of the ELL, so tests and quizzes may need to be shortened, rewritten with simpler terms, or given orally. The ELL should be given multiple opportunities to practice new vocabulary. Specific strategies such as think-alouds, small groups, and much practice assist the ELL.

These practices will require more time on the teacher’s part, so if possible, a teacher’s aide can assist in these steps. But seeing the ELL progress into speaking fluently and learning with classmates is gratifying and makes the extra work worth it.

References

Haynes, J., & Zacarian, D. (2010). Teaching English language learners across the content areas. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

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