Three Principles for
Engaging ELLs in
Instruction
Interaction
Critical Thinking
“Students benefit from using and
practicing English as a means of
expressing their ideas, opinions, and
answers.” (Echeverria, Short & Vogt,
2004)
Related strategies: think-pair-share,
jigsaw, and rank ordering.
Before providing opportunities for
interaction, students benefit from the
teaching of the vocabulary of
cooperation and team-building
strategies.
Research on second language
acquisition suggests that there are
ways to teach concepts and
processes that stimulate higher-order
thinking, while children are learning
English. Graphic organizers allow
teachers to visually represent key
concepts. Teacher think-alouds allow
students to follow the teacher’s
thought process and the language
used to express that process.
Comprehensibility
Teachers can make content more understandable to their students by using
and providing many nonverbal clues such as pictures, objects,
demonstrations, gestures, and intonation cues. As competency develops,
other strategies include building from language that is already understood.
Pair and small group work provide opportunities for peer tutoring and
modeling.
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Montgomery County Public Schools
Office of Organizational Development
2006/2007