Ten Tips for Working with English Language Learners

1. Be aware that social competency in English may be reached in as little as three years, but academic competency may take five to seven years. A student may speak and interact nearly at grade level, but her reading, writing and cognitive skills may lag behind. This does not mean she is lazy or stupid; she is going through the necessary stages of language development, much of which is interior and unseen. ELLs may seem to understand something one day and forget it the next, but over time they will construct a more and more complex working knowledge of English.

2. Base lessons on content areas and themes rather than skills and drills. Plan lessons so that opportunities will arise to practice new skills in connection with learning, discussing and discovering new information. It is easier to understand and use new language meaningfully in context. Provide a language-rich environment with lots of books and language-use opportunities.

3. Use social interaction to motivate and engage students. If students need to interact with others in order to reach a goal or get information, they will get more experience using English. It’s important for ELLs to interact with native speakers and their peers.

4. Use a variety of approaches and activities to meet the varied and changing needs of ELLs. Whole class, small group, paired and individual activities all offer different ways to participate and learn. Include activities that incorporate listening, speaking, visual, kinesthetic, and other styles of learning so that the students’ cognitive development will not lag while they are learning English.

5. Provide an encouraging and accepting environment in which students feel safe to try something new and risk making a mistake. Focus on what students are trying to say rather than the perfection of how they say it. Instead of correcting errors, notice what’s needed and go over it in a subsequent lesson. Include various cultural backgrounds and languages in the environment and in the lessons so all students will develop an appreciation of other cultures and will experience acceptance of their own culture.

6. Get feedback from students to determine if they understand the lesson. Repeat, rephrase, think aloud, explain, question, demonstrate and gesture to clarify what you are saying. Interact so that students are identifying and sharing what they’ve learned, and are not solely dependent on you.

7. Encourage your ELLs to maintain their first language. Cognitive development and

literacy in the student’s first language carries over into acquisition of English. Help the child become aware of parallels between their first language and English. Language is so closely tied to cognitive development that interruption of native language development can result in interrupted cognitive development. Maintenance of the first language also builds a sense of identity and keeps the child rooted in the family and community.

8. Connect new lessons to students’ background and prior knowledge. This is the foundation from which students can construct understanding of new information if you help them stretch. Students progress best in steps, not leaps.

9. Know your students; become familiar with their cultures, meet their families, get an understanding of how they look at school, education and life. Learn about their past experiences, previous schooling (if any) and their level of literacy in their first language. Invite a variety of people from the community to talk to the students and contribute to the class.

10. Encourage self-expression and reflection so students not only communicate about themselves, but get an opportunity to consider how they’re learning and what they’re learning and incorporate it into their knowledge base.

TIPS FORTIPS FOR WORKING WITHWORKING WITH

ENGLISHENGLISH LANGUAGELANGUAGE LEARNERSLEARNERS

Speak simply and clearly.

Don’t speak louder….speak

slower!

Understand that new ESOL students may not speak much at

first – a “silent period.” However, they are taking in

their new surroundings and

new language.

Value their unique culture as an asset to

your classroom.

Respect the struggle inherent in learning a

new language.

Learn to pronounce their name correctly.

Allow ESOL students to use their home language to clarify

their understanding.

Reinforce oral directions by

modeling what to do.

Do not insist that students make eye contact with you. This is considered

rude in many cultures.

Use visual clues when giving directions.

Realize that although ESOL students may appear to be fairly

proficient in English during social

interactions, studies have shown it takes 5-7 years (or more)

to develop academic language and still

need special support! limbs. They can still play and compete in sports; they just need slightly different clothing. Girls who “cover up” generally are told by their religion not to touch boys. If they have to do sit-ups, for example, have another girl hold their ankles.

Some boys must wear a turban and leave their beards to grow. These boys can play and compete, too; they don’t have to discard their culture to do so.

Art Don’t make students draw people. Some religions don’t allow representations of people. Give another possibility, such as geometric designs.

ESOL students can be a rich source of enrichment for the classroom. Your attitude is key!

“Help! My student can’t speak English!”

Don’t panic! Here are some helpful hints

. . .

All subjects It is very important to make all students feel welcome in your classroom. One way to do this is to display a world map with pushpins and labels marking where each student is from. Students from other countries often love to see that their country is marked. Find out about the student. Ask about his or her culture and traditions. The holidays are an especially good time to do this, but it’s never too soon to start. For example, did you know that Colombians celebrate Valentine’s Day on September 21?

When a student is first immersed in another language and culture, he or she often goes through a silent period known as “preproduction.” Don’t force a student to speak. When the student is ready, he or she will begin to speak. Encourage the student to participate in extracurricular activities. English language learners have artistic, musical, and sports skills, just as native speakers do. Greater involvement in the school community can speed the student’s English acquisition. Resist the urge to correct all language mistakes of English language learners. For example, if Ana tells you, “Miss, the thing don’t work,” and points to the pencil sharpener, don’t correct her grammar mistakes. Just say, “Oh, the pencil sharpener doesn’t work” and then resolve the situation. In some cultures, boys and girls are not allowed to work together. Be sensitive to this and make sure that students who are uncomfortable together do not have to work in close proximity. Even though a student may sound fluent in English, do not

assume that the student’s writing will be at grade level. It takes from five to seven years for academic language to develop for those who come here with an academic background in their own countries. For those who have had interrupted schooling, it can take seven to ten years! If you generally use a lecture style, and your student doesn’t respond, try another – maybe interpersonal or even physical/kinesthetic. The student may not be used to our classroom conventions but still can learn. If you think a student might belong in the gifted and talented program but wonder if the student’s English deficiencies might be a problem, refer the student to the proper counselor anyway. Students have the right to equal access, regardless of language proficiency. English language learners tend not to be identified as GT, but many do fit in the program. Language problems can mask a need for special education. Refer students if you think that special ed might be useful. English language learners have historically been overidentified as developmentally delayed, but you don’t want to miss

the students who genuinely need the program.

Math and science A student may lack fluency in English but still have talent in math and science. Be sure to consider English language learners for higher-level math and science courses, including Advanced Placement courses.PE and extracurricular sports Some girls must wear headscarves, long sleeves, and long pants or a long skirt. Their religion does not allow them to uncover their heads or

Today’s classroom is a place where people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and cultures frequently converge for the purpose of learning. This learning environment is influenced by what

students bring with them to school and by the quality of instruction that educators provide. In order for instruction to be effective, teachers

need to know and understand their students. Instructors need to use these understandings when they are building a classroom community of

respect, support, and expectations. This pamphlet is designed for teachers who wish to adapt strategies and practices that will empower

English language learners.

Develop a Positive Learning Environment encourage ELLs to use their L1; provide opportunities for them to study

their L1 recruit people who can tutor ELLs in their L1 provide books written in various languages display pictures, objects of various cultures, multilingual signs encourage ELLs to write contributions in their L1 for the school newspaper encourage parents of ELLs to help in the classroom, library, playground,

and in clubs invite ELLs to use their L1 during assemblies, prize giving and other official

functions invite people from ethnic minority communities to act as resource people

and to speak to students in formal and informal settings reward ELLs attempts to communicate in English

Provide Students with Comprehensible Input use visuals, realia, manipulatives, and other concrete materials use gestures, facial expressions, and body language contextualize ideas in relevant, real-life ways tap into and accesses students’ prior knowledge modify instruction as needed using strategies such as scaffolding,

expansion, demonstration, modeling encourage participation and interaction focus on meaning making maintain a low-anxiety level monitor ELLs’ comprehension through interactive means such as checking

for comprehension and clarification, utilizing questioning strategies, having students paraphrase, define, and model; verify that all students comprehend before moving on

modify your speech:- repeat, rephrase, and/or paraphrase key concepts, and directions- speak clearly/slower, enunciate- use shorter, less complex sentences for ELLs at earlier stages

- use longer pauses- use fewer pronouns- use intonation, volume, and pauses to aid in meaning- use idioms and slang minimally; explain when necessary

Help Students to Develop English Language Proficiency encourage ELLs to join in group songs, chants, and poetry reading

encourage ELLs to participate in role playing activities expand student responses through modeling and expanded conversations pair ELLs with a native speaker if they need help implement listening activities to assist ELLs in developing the sounds of

English encourage ELLs to communicate in English using familiar vocabulary and

structures provide opportunities for students to use English with varied audiences

and for a variety of purposes allow wait time after asking questions practice sensitive error correction, focusing on errors of meaning rather

than form; allow for flow of uninterrupted student thought

Tips for Working with English Language Learners (ELLs)

"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you'll never cease to grow" (Anthony J. D'Angelo).written and illustrated by:Danitza RadichevichEDCI 519February 2, 2005

References

Walter, Teresa (1996). Amazing English! How-To Handbook: New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.

Regis University, Quotes for Teachers: http://www.theeducatorsnetwork.com/quotes/5.php

Tips for Working with English Language Learners (ELL)

Be aware of correcting the grammar and/or pronunciation errors of an ELL in

front of the class as this will likely have a negative impact on the student’s

confidence. Furthermore, despite opinions to the contrary, such embarrassment

will not motivate the student to study harder or learn more quickly. To the

contrary, the student will probably withdrawal emotionally from the classroom

and become even less responsive to the classroom exercises.

Allow ELL’s to speak to one another in their L1. This is a way for them to

collaborate on any particular topic they might not fully understand. Furthermore

this is a way for an ELL who is not completely comfortable in the classroom to

have a “comfort zone”. Of course there is a difference between collaboration and

disrupting the class, and a good teacher will recognize this difference even if

he/she is not conversant in the language being spoken (i.e. Is progress being made

on the task at hand).

Do not address an ELL in his or her L1. While you may be fostering a connection

with the Spanish-speakers in the classroom, a feeling of favoritism may develop

in the mind of a students whose first language is Mongolian or Swahili.

Be sure that the cultures of all your students are represented in the form of

classroom decorations, sensitivity in the class content, and making them aware of

the uniqueness of one another.

Helpful Hints for Mainstream Teachers Who Teach ESL StudentsBy Greer Peden

1.) Note – When an ESL student first enters your classroom they many times bring with them a raised Affective Filter. Make adjustments in your classroom to make them feel welcome and comfortable while trying to learn English.

2.) Do not automatically assume that the ESL child is dumb has no education. Often times they are bringing background education with them in their L1. You must figure out how much they know in their L1 and help them transfer this knowledge over to their L2.

3.) Some ESL students may come from war torn countries and may be very fearful of their new surrounding, or they may be malnourished which might make them appear lazy or tired.

4.) Be patient! Your ESL students bring with them a different culture and if you think they are acting out you first need to assess whether it is just a cultural difference.

5.) Do not assume that your ESL students are familiar with American customs and cultures. You may need to explain different things to them, such as Halloween, so that they do not feel left out when an American holiday or custom takes place.

6.) When an ESL student come into class without their homework or appears very tired, remember that many ESL students are language brokering (translating for their families) at home and this can be very exhausting and demanding for them.

7.) Your ESL students bring a very different pronunciation to your classroom. You must remember this when you are assessing their speech. Often times they are trying to say the right word but it does not come out right due to pronunciation differences.

8.) It takes 2-5 years to acquire a social language (BICS) and a minimum of 7-10 years to acquire an academic language (CALP). Do not assume that since a child has developed “playground” speech that they have the academic English language mastered.

9.) Remember there is a silent period for all ESL learners when they are acquiring English. Do not force them to speak until you know they are ready.

10.)Do not assume that your ESL students are able to be helped with their homework. Often times the parents know less English than the student therefore they are not able to help. This can put your ESL learners at a disadvantage if you expect that they are getting help at home.

2.09.05EDCI 519

Casson Hersh

Tips for Working With English Language Learners

The following tips are recommendations based on personal experience working with East Asian (Japanese and Korean) students in an English language-learning environment. These tips may or may not be applicable to learners from other cultures and it is recommended that these tips be reviewed by someone with experience working with learners from whichever culture/cultures you find yourself in the position of teaching.

1. Korean and Japanese students in particular come from a culture where learning is a process that moves from teacher to student. Do not expect students to take much (if any) initiative in developing language skills on their own. With this in mind, it is important that not only you as the instructor, but them as students be fully aware of the expectations you have (and more importantly, why you have them) as far as asking questions and taking responsibility for their own learning.

2. It is important that you understand that in these cultures (Japanese in particular) the burden of communication is on the speaker rather than the listener. If no one in your class stops you to verify their understanding, it is vital that you do not assume that this means that all (if anything) was understood. In order to verify

understanding it is important to do so through a system of questioning the students and perceiving from their answers as to whether a lesson was understood.

3. Understand that students from these cultures can endure excruciatingly long periods of silence. It is important to remain calm and to not fret, or worse, try to fill the silences with extraneous speaking. Trying to ‘talk’ your way out of a silent moment will only stress the students and create more discomfort and disconnect.

4. Don’t expect learning to happen overnight. Language learning is a completely long and arduous process. Especially if the students spend most of their time around and with others from their own culture. Extreme patience is required and expectations should be minimal in order to reduce stress to both the learners and yourself as a teacher.

5. It is very important to take a true personal interest in the culture from which the student is coming. If you do not show that you are making any effort to understand their own culture (through questioning supplemented by your own research and reading) they will feel as if you find their culture inferior and that by teaching your language your goal is to prove that your culture is ‘better’ and more worthy than theirs. Basically let them know that there are many things intrinsically valuable about their own culture and that the goal of teaching/learning a language is to facilitate communication and understanding between cultures.

6. Don’t push anyone to act like any other student. Try and involve all the students as much as they comfortably are willing, but don’t single out any one student because they are either very good, or very poor at the target language. Especially in these East Asian cultures (and Japanese more so than Korean) the idea of individualism is abhorrent and just plain rude. Yes, some students will take more initiative than others and will be more outspoken than others, but this should never be used as an example for other more introverted students. Everyone has their own method, pace and motivation for learning your language and these should all be respected across the board for their own intrinsic value.

7. Avoid over-correction and detailed criticism. Often the nuances of a detailed criticism are lost and will only serve to alienate and/or humiliate the student. Naturally some error correction is helpful and to a degree expected (you are after all the teacher) but to constantly harp on someone’s/everyone’s mistakes will only cause resentment and an unwillingness to take chances.

8. Have fun. Make jokes. Become friendly with your students. Often times (particularly with teaching adults) the process of learning another language is about adding dimensions to their social life, a means to escape from the day to day of their existence within their own culture. A way to expand their world. It is easy and creates a much more comfortable environment when the teacher is able to have personal relationships with the students.

9. With the idea of joking in mind, also understand that these East Asian cultures have very little idea about what sarcasm is and how it should be processed. Often times sarcastic remarks are brushed aside, but too many can come across as cultural snobbery and simply alienate and confuse the student.

10. Don’t be afraid to talk about controversial topics but be sure that when a controversial topic is discussed that people who are not comfortable about such a topic not be pushed to give their opinion. Make sure that you as mediator of the discussion are always aware, understanding and empathetic to whatever point of view the student has. Controversial topics can often engage students in a way that mundane topics such as the weather could never engage them, and it also allows them the opportunity to express themselves in ways that their own language never could (due to cultural restrains on speaking openly and being an individual). These discussions however can sometimes go overboard, and it is extremely important for you yourself to remain engaged and focused at all times in order to keep things from getting out of hand.

11. Teaching your native language is in itself not a difficult matter. After all, this is something you have done and worked at nearly every day of your entire life. Explaining grammatical nuances can be difficult, but extremely interesting if you take the student’s perspective and try to understand the why of things yourself (there are of course times when it can be counter-productive to try and analyze some particulars of the way we use our target language). With this in mind, the two absolutely most important traits to have and work on as a language instructor are patience and engagement. These two traits for a language instructor cannot be overstated.

12. Speak slowly. S-p-e-a-k s-l-o-w-l-y. Enunciate every syllable and use the most basic vocabulary you can. This will more than anything help the students follow you in your lessons and give them a greater sense of confidence that they are in fact progressing in the language. It doesn’t help them at all for you to use an extensive vocabulary. It is better for you to speak simply and coherently and for them to understand 60% than it is for you to speak as you would to another native speaker and for them to understand 10%. As their own understanding and command of the language improves, you can allow yourself to speak more naturally, but until students are at a certain level (and you’ll know when they are at that point) just keep it simple. This does not imply that you should coddle them, or speak to them in ‘baby-speak’. Just simplify. You can do this intelligently, maturely and engagingly without making the students feel as if you are talking down to them or otherwise treating them as inferiors. It just shows that you have enough empathy to understand that they have a limited vocabulary and more importantly, give them real examples about how language is simply a tool of communication, not a science and not something black and white as is mathematics.

strategies that students use in their native language are easily transferable to English. Provide books, periodicals, and textbooks in native languages whenever possible. This will also aid in their comprehension of topics when they read about them in English.

TIP #7: Don’t Be Fooled by Good ConversationalistsChildren can be proficient in conversational English within about a year or so. However, English literacy and academic language take much longer to learn. Younger children learn pronunciation easily and may sound like native English speakers, but don’t let this fool you. They have a lot of ground to recover so be sure to provide ELL support long after they sound like they don’t need it.

TIP #8: Learn About Your Students’ Home CultureThere may be specific cultural reasons for your ELL’s classroom behavior. The more you learn about the culture, the more sensitive you will be to issues that may lead to misunderstandings. TIP #9: Use Hands-on ActivitiesConcrete experiences are excellent for language-learning. One example is a science lab in which the students manipulate objects and interact with English speakers in a concrete communication task.

TIP #10: Set High GoalsELLs have a lot of challenges to overcome in learning English and will be on a different timeline than native English speakers. However they ARE capable of performing as well or better than other students if they are give the right support. Set your expectations high for your ELL students and let them that you believe in their potential for success.

10 TIPS FOR WORKING WITH ENGLISH LANGUAGE

LEARNERS

Christina ViscomiEDCI 519

2/8/05TIP #1: Provide Native Language Support.Before they can learn any English, English Language Learner (ELL) students have to know what’s going on in the classroom. If they look lost, try to provide native language support, either through other students or a paraprofessional. This won’t inhibit their English language learning, it will actually help them understand English better if they first have some idea of what’s happening around them.

TIP #2: Use Non-Verbal CommunicationGestures, pictures, props and dramatizations can all facilitate communication where words alone may not be enough. Use your facial expressions, draw, or act it out as you verbally explain. These non-verbal cues make English meaningful for ELLs.

TIP #3: Don’t Worry if They’re Not TalkingVery early ELLs may go through a “silent period” when they first arrive in their new all-English environment. You shouldn’t try to force verbalization at this stage. As long as you are conscientious about making your lesson content comprehensible through Tips #1 and #2,

rest assured your ELLs are actively processing and learning, although silently. TIP #4: Be Patient Students acquire English at different rates according to learning style, educational background, and cultural adjustment. Newly arrived students have to learn the culture as well as English, and students with little or no former schooling may have much more learn about being in a classroom. Create a safe learning environment; let student progress at their own rates.

TIP #5: Don’t Correct Errors in SpeechThe best way to improve students’ speech is to model clear, proper English rather than correcting all their errors. Constantly correcting your students will only embarrass them and discourage them from trying. Place the emphasis on communication and be tolerant of errors, and in time the student will self-correct.

TIP #6: Use Content They Can Relate ToChoose stories with characters that represent the students’ home culture. Building on background knowledge makes lessons more accessible to ELL students.

TIP #6: Encourage Reading in Native LanguageIf you students are literate in their first language, this is a bonus for their English-language literacy. Comprehension