English Language Learners in the Classroom
Helpful Hints for the Busy Teacher
If you have an English language learner in your class, I would like to give you
some ideas about how to best cope with having this special student in your
class, and about what I can do to help you and the student.
Informally introduce the student to the class.
You don't have to make the student stand up and talk in front of the
class. In fact, with limited English skills, this would probably be terrifying
for the student. But it is difficult for English language learners to make new
friends here, so if you simply mention the student's name and where the
student is from to your class, and ask them to please just say hello or
perhaps look for the student in the lunch room and ask him or her to sit at
their table, it will go a long way toward helping the English language learner
form bonds here at GHS.
Understand the student's challenges.
Just imagine that you moved to some far away country like, say,
Thailand. A few weeks after you move there you have to go to school and
learn all your subjects-- math, science, literature, art, history-- in a foreign
language. All that on top of the fact that you have to get used to whole
different culture: different food, different music, different customs,
different houses, different friends, etc. Now you have an idea of what the
English language learners go through. For some coming to this country was
not their choice, but even for those who chose to come here, the task of
acclimating themselves is no easier.
Difficulty speaking - Even English language learners whose knowledge
of English grammar is great may have a hard time actually speaking at first.
Not only is it hard for them to spontaneously put their thoughts into the
grammar and vocabulary of English, but many are also embarrassed about
their accent and afraid that others will laugh at the sound of their speech
and their mistakes. In the safe environment of the ESL classroom, I will be
trying to give the students as much time to practice speaking English as
possible, but in their mainstream classrooms, it may help the students to sit
back and listen for a week or two, if they choose to, in order to absorb the
sounds of the language before having to produce it. On the other hand,
some of the foreign exchange students may be ready to try out their
speaking skills right away. If your student wants to speak, please don't
hesitate to encourage him or her, but try not to force it in the beginning if
the student seems shy.
Difficulty asking questions - Many English language learners come
from cultures where it is not acceptable to ask questions, make eye contact
with the teacher, or even admit that they didn't understand something.
Sometimes, too, they are embarrassed because of their accent or worried
that they will say the question incorrectly and be laughed at or thought to
be stupid by their classmates. It is quite possible for a student to not
understand a word you've said all period, nor much of what you have written
on the board, and smile and shake their head 'yes' when you ask them, "Do
you understand?" I will be working with the students in class on how and
when to appropriately ask questions in their classes.
Difficulty understanding others' speech - Some of our English
language learners have studied English for up to eight years, while some have
just started to learn the language, but it is always difficult, no matter how
well you know the grammar of a language, to understand native speakers at
the fast pace they speak. It will take your student some time to be able to
understand everything you say. Writing key points on the board, or
repeating them more slowly will help not only your English language learners,
but it won't hurt the American students either. Videos can be very difficult
for ESL students to follow, so please modify your expectations and
evaluations for the student based on information in videos.
Difficulty reading - It will probably take your English language learner
a lot longer to complete a reading assignment than it would the average
American student. The kind of grammar and phrases and specialized
vocabulary used in most textbooks are not the English that these students
have studied before. If you give a long reading assignment (more than a
page or so) to your class, it would help your English language learner if you
could identify the key sections, vocabulary or phrases that he or she should
particularly focus on. I will also be working with the students on this
survival skill. If you are a literature teacher and your English language
learner is assigned a work of fiction to read, allowing the student to use
Cliff's or Barron's booknotes to help clarify the basic plot and ideas for
them would be very helpful, too. I can provide these notes to the students.
Difficulty writing - Even English language learners who have studied
English a lot have some difficulty putting their thoughts into the words and
grammar of English on paper. I can help them in ESL class to fulfill writing
assignments for your class when necessary. Some English language learners
may require a little extra time to work on a writing assignment, if that would
be agreeable to you as their mainstream teacher. If the student has an
assignment coming up, please let me know how I can help.
Let the student give.
So often English language learners need our attention and
understanding, and may feel as if they are having to take a lot of help.
Please keep in mind that our English language learners are vast resources of
information on cultures and systems that we would not otherwise have
access to, and they are often very happy and willing to talk about their home
countries. If your class is studying the metric system, cooking, a foreign
author's writing, or a historical event that took place in the student's
country or a neighboring country, don't hesitate to ask the student to share
his or her knowledge with the class.
Find a buddy in your class for your English language learner.
After the first week or two of school, it will, I'm sure, be clear to you
whether your English language learner could use a friend in class to "show
him or her the ropes." It will also be clear, no doubt, who that friend might
be. In the past year I've heard very positive comments from teachers here
at GCHS who have done this. So if you think it would be appropriate in the
situation, please consider asking another student to be a buddy for the
English language learner in your class.
Keep an eye on the student in work groups.
Sometimes English language learners are reluctant to participate in
groups because they don't know the other students and are afraid of being
different. Sometimes the American students don't involve the English
language learner in the group process since his or her English isn't perfect.
These mindsets sometimes have to be broken down by a nudge from the
teacher to insure that all the students in a group are working together.
Suggesting a specific role that the English language learner could play in the
group, such as getting a particular piece of information, or being the artist
on a poster project, can help with this problem. Also, if the student has a
buddy in the class, putting the two in the same group can help the student
integrate into the group better.
Consider making accommodations to tests and assignments if necessary.
For some English language learners, some kinds of tests and
assignments are particularly difficult because of the added unfamiliarity of
vocabulary, slower reading rate or a lower level of reading comprehension,
unfamiliarity with our kinds of test forms such as scantron, true/false and
matching, and difficulty with writing essay answers. For these reasons, I
often help students with their tests for their mainstream classes. In the
past, teachers have put tests in my mailbox whenever it was convenient for
them. I bring the test to my classroom and clarify directions, go over the
questions with the student to make sure they understand each one, and, if an
essay answer is required, help them write coherent answers. I then either
give the test back to the teacher or put it in their mailbox. We work on
tests and mainstream homework on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so if you give
me a test for the student, I'll return it later that day or as soon as the
student has finished it. If you feel comfortable with this system, please put
any tests for the student in my mailbox. If not, please write me a little note
letting me know.
Depending on the student's ability level and the tasks required by the
test, it is sometimes helpful to give a student a longer amount of time to
complete a test, a shorter vocabulary list, a chance to use notes or a book to
complete the test, or a study session with you outside of class at a time
convenient for you before the test. These students generally are hard
workers and they spend a lot of time wading through an awful lot of
material, all of which is in a foreign language to them, so any help you can
give them with this very great task will be very much appreciated by them
and will surely result in the student's learning more from you.
Use me as a resource.
If you are having any problems at all with your English language
learner, or if you can see that the student is having a problem, whether it be
social or academic, and would like me to help him or her, please use me as a
resource. I am here at GCHS to help you, the mainstream teacher, as well as
the students, and I have experienced all the same challenges with these
students as you may experience and have already developed many strategies
to cope with them.