The one thing I am sure to share with first year teachers is that there may be some English Language Learners in the classroom. I like to take some extra time to talk about this with first year teachers because no one took the extra time to speak about it with me. I literally showed up to work one day and had children in the classroom who were learning English. This was overwhelming for me, and it resulted in me feeling down and guilty because I was not prepared to effectively teach them. I seriously felt awful about that. Even today I wonder why, in such a diverse nation, our new teachers are still ill-equipped to instruct multi-lingual learners. And that brings me to the first thing teachers should know: there are several phrases used to refer to these students.
- English as a Second Language (ESL): This literally means that English is the learner’s second language. However, it is not uncommon to find that learners from other countries arrive speaking two, three, four, even more than just one language – and English is being added to the few or several other languages they already know. With that understanding, some school districts are no longer using this terminology.
- English Language Learner (ELL): This one is pretty straight forward – and for someone who is truly learning the English language, this is an accurate phrase to use.
- Multi-Lingual Learner (ML or MLL): This phrase was coined in an effort to be more accurate when referring to English Language Learners. The intent is to acknowledge that some ELL’s speak a couple, a few, or several other languages and they are adding English to their linguistic repertoire.
There are other terms used to refer to students who are still learning the English language in various areas, such as English as an Additional Language (EAL) and Emergent Bilingual. However, no one should get lost in the terminology as all the phrases mean the same thing.
If you find yourself in a class teaching students who do not know much or any English, you may feel a bit overwhelmed but try to breathe. You can totally teach them; you’ll just have to implement a few strategies and practices to do so. Before sharing a list of strategies and supports, please be reminded that you still must teach the content of your course. Likely, the only reason mastering the content for the student is a challenge is because of the language barrier. The student can learn the content – you just need to make the language accessible. With that in mind, here are some practices and strategies you can consider implementing in your classroom:
- Speak slowly. When someone is learning a new language, especially when that person is in the beginning stages of learning a new language, speaking slowly is very helpful; it’s actually needed because normal paced speech can easily sound like gibberish to a new English Language Learner. Also, speaking slowly allows the learner time to mentally pair the words you speak with their definitions.
- Allow extended time. Remember, an ELL has to go through a very meticulous linguistic process of identifying, translating, interpreting, and then responding. That’s a lot to work through and it takes time. Please exercise some empathy and allot extended time on assignments.
- Give one-on-one instruction. If everyone in the class is receiving instruction through the English language, except for that one ELL, you have to protect some one-on-one instructional time for the ELL. During that one-on-one time, you teach that student the content he/she needs to learn for the day. Logistically, when I was in the classroom teaching ELL’s, I would do this at the start of class while all my other students were completing their warm-up. This would allow me 10-15 minutes of time to teach a mini lesson for the ELL. By the end of warm-up time, I was done with the one-on-one lesson, the ELL was prepared to work independently, and I was able to transition into providing instruction for my other students. This can logistically work the same way if you have several ELL’s in your classroom. When I was in this situation, I exercised the same routine, I just had a small group of ELL’s instead of a single ELL. This practice is one most teachers shy away from, but you would not dare let a whole class period go by and not provide direct instruction or your English speakers – because you know direct instruction is what’s needed or them to learn. Likewise, don’t deny your ELL’s direct instruction. They need it!
- Build foundational language knowledge daily. A beginning ELL does not have the same foundational linguistic knowledge of the English language as a native English speaker – if they have any prior knowledge at all. Because of this it is imperative to allow instructional time for the ELL to build and practice using essential vocabulary and grammar in speech and writing. No matter the age of the ELL, you may consider having him/her use some elementary resources to help build that foundation. When I was working in the general education classroom, some of my ELL’s did not know the alphabet – they were in the very beginning of their English language journey. I spent time singing the alphabet song and using pre-k and early elementary materials to help them learn to read, learn to write, and learn grammar. This is what I was doing in my English Language Arts (ELA) classroom. I didn’t spend the full class session doing this, just a little time everyday because it was needed.
- Boost vocabulary. Vocabulary development must be a part of daily learning. Especially academic vocabulary. Teachers can give weekly vocabulary and have students use flashcards or an online platform to help them learn their vocabulary words. Teachers may also consider having students complete vocabulary charts where they pair words with images and definitions.
- Allow translanguaging. Translanguaging is the process of using one’s native language to help interpret and communicate in a new language. Academically, translanguaging can look like the student writing his/her responses in a native language, then translating it into English. This practice is one you may want to encourage for beginning ELL’s because it allows them to use their understanding of of a fluent language to access and use another language. If you’re allowing time for this, you may want to have students record their responses side-by-side on stacked on top of each other. Doing so can support them in identifying connections between the languages.
- Modify assignments. How to modify assignments or even how much to modify assignments largely depends on where the ELL is in his/her English development journey. Generally speaking, however, the earlier they are in the journey, the more you should modify their assignments. Here are some modifications you can consider:
- Modified Passages: Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to summarize reading passages to a lower grade level. Again, to be clear, your pertinent content should be included in the modified passage. This is a strategy you may find helpful when the grade-level passage contains sentence structures that are too complex or the vocabulary is too advanced for the ELL’s right now. Remember, the goal is for the ELL to learn the content through accessible language.
- Multiple choice questions. Maybe instead of having the ELL demonstrate learning through an essay or written response, you provide multiple choice questions. Just be mindful of the sentence structure and vocabulary being used in the questions; you want to assure the ELL can comprehend the questions and the answer choices.
- Matching. For ELL’s who are in the early stages of their English language learning, they may be able to best demonstrate learning by matching words, definitions, and/or images.
- Fill in the Blank. This is great practice for ELL’s when writing is needed, but their language is still not developed enough for them to write a full paragraph independently. Teachers can provide a written response that has blank lines for ELL’s to fill in with the correct words. You may want to offer a word bank with this as well. Again, be mindful of the sentence structure and vocabulary, you want the ELL to comprehend what is written.
Perhaps you’re wondering about using a translating resource, such as Google Translate. This may be very beneficial for you, the teacher, to deliver information during your direct instruction time. You may find it beneficial for the student to complete assignments during their work time. However, teachers must use and allow use of such resources with intention and careful consideration. Personally, I discourage ELL’s from using an online language translator on every assignment. Why? If you allow your ELL’s to use an online language translator on every assignment, you will be contributing to delayed language development. So, use that Google Translate with caution. Alternatively, a word-to-word translation book is preferable. HOWEVER, some ELL’s may not be able to read well in their native language, and there may not be enough time in class for ELL’s to routinely use a translator book. With those things in mind, it is okay for ELL’s to use an online dictionary or Google Translate, occasionally.
If you find yourself in a class with multi-lingual learners who are still learning the English language, remember that you can effectively teach them the course content, you may just need to implement some of these strategies and practices.
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