Teaching English
Language Learners
You just found out that you will be getting a new student in
your class next week. You wonder how it
will change the balance in your class. You
wonder what kind of student they are.
Hopefully she will be
a nice quiet, studious one. Yeah, an
independent learner, one who does great work, and always raises their hand
before she gives a well thought out response.
Then Monday comes. This is so not
what you imagined.
She what? She doesn’t speak much English? Gulp…
So what are you supposed to do? How are you supposed to help
her? How are you supposed to teach her? What are you supposed to teach her? You
don’t even speak her language!
RELAX!!! Take a deep
breath. You can do this, this is what you
do. After all, you are a teacher.
There are many people and many wonderful resources available
so you can help this student not only learn English, but also to feel welcome in
the classroom and school community. You will be that person who guides them on
this journey as they learn a new language and culture.
Some things to keep
in mind:
Your new student is not only tackling a new language, but
new curriculum along with it; they will be doing double the work as they learn
in a new language.
They are likely feeling pretty isolated and intimidated each
time they enter the classroom.
Creating a supportive environment where the new student is
welcomed and valued will go a long way to ensure they feel comfortable in their
new school and community.
Tips and strategies:
After creating a welcoming environment for your new student,
here are a few suggestions that you can put into practice right away.
- Find out all you can about your ELL student – their families, where they are from, their interests, likes and dislikes. Find commonalities and start to build a relationship.
- Pair them up with a buddy who can help introduce them to the school, to the students and help to show them around and get them where they need to be.
- Teach them a few simple phrases. How to introduce themselves, how to ask for help etc. giving them a few simple phrases will give them a chance to interact in their new language.
- Labels, labels, and more labels. Label everything. Label things in both English and the students’ native language. Students will learn more quickly if they see the vocabulary repeated. In addition, provide lots of visuals for the students so that they may make connections.
- Picture dictionaries – As ELL students learn vocabulary, have them create their own dictionary to keep track of new information.
As
students learn English and take part in regular classroom happenings, there are
still many things to keep in mind when teaching ELLs.
- Even though the student may be able to have a conversation in English, they may still need lots of support with reading and writing. Differentiating will be key to help this student succeed.
- Show them that you value their native language. Let them use their native language in the classroom. Students are often better able think deeper and communicate their ideas in their native language. Provide opportunities for students to brainstorm their ideas and complete their work initially in their first language so they can feel confident in their abilities.
- Your assessment of the student may look different than those students who aren’t learning a second language. The expectations may be modified, you may also need to assess this student differently, allowing them show their understanding in different ways.
- Get them talking. Give ELL students many opportunities to get talking and keep talking. Learning from listening and speaking, how English is structured and spoken.
- Don’t over-correct students. Be aware of how much you are correcting your ELL student. Many errors will naturally occur. Over correcting the student will likely be counter- productive and may limit their development. Students will need a lot of practice before they are able to master a second language.
Have fun; make this a learning experience for your ELL
students, yourself and the other students in the class.
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