strategies for teaching english language learners

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A Research Work in Educ105- Principles of Teaching II

DIFFERENT TEACHING STRATEGIES IN ENGLISH

Submitted by:

Rhincel John O. De Veas

BSED-III

Submitted to:

Mr. Estelito J. Punongbayan

August 16, 2011


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Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

A veteran teacher helps you understand current research and put theory into practice.

By Andrea J. Spillett

Read Andrea's Weekly Blog

When training teachers, I emphasize ways to put theory into practice by using ELD and SDAIE

strategies on a daily basis. You can learn about these proven methods each week on my blog,

Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners.

The activities and lessons can be used to support all learners, but I've found them to be

especially effective for teaching English language learners. Feel free to post your comments and

questions on the blog. I look forward to helping you find effective ways to meet your students'

needs.

If you're like most teachers, your classes have increasingly become more linguistically

diverse. If you're looking for ways to meet the needs of students who struggle with or are just

learning English, I am here to help! For the last eight years, I have had the fortunate

opportunity to work with many students who are English language learners. It's been an

exceptionally challenging and rewarding experience and I am thrilled to be able to share with

you some of the best practices that I've used in my classroom.

My background includes three years solely focused on English Language Development

(ELD). I have also taught the CLAD (Cross-Language and Academic Development) course at

California State University, Fullerton and worked with veteran teachers to help them integrate

ELD and SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English) strategies.

ELD & The Natural Approach

ELD is an acronym for English Language Development. ELD is the systematic use of

instructional strategies designed to promote the acquisition of English by students whose

primary language is not English. According to Dr. Stephen Krashen, an expert in the study of

second language acquisition and the co-author of The Natural Approach, the best way to learn

a second language is through total immersion. ELD strategies support this learning method,

enabling students to acquire English language in a manner similar to the way they learnedtheir native language, naturally and through regular interaction with others who already know

the language.

In the natural process of language acquisition, students first develop basic

communication skills in English. The focus is on fluency and learning to speak English in a social

context with native speakers, which is why heterogeneous cooperative grouping is so important

to the Natural Approach. According to Krashen, this method allows for effortless acquisition.


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Rather than getting caught up in grammar and the mechanics of language, non-native speakers

learn by interacting with English-only models. This approach is most successful when there are

two conditions:

1. Comprehensible input is provided, which means messages are made understandableand meaningful to the learner via a variety of techniques.

2. There is a low-affective filter, which means students are made to feel comfortable andthere is little pressure to learn "it all" right now.

Here are some ways you can create a classroom environment that supports natural acquisition:

y Use visuals that reinforce spoken or written words.y Employ gestures for added emphasisy Adjust your speech: Speak slowly; enunciate; use longer natural pauses; repeat words or

phrases; include shorter sentences, fewer pronouns, and simpler syntax.

y Exaggerate intonations at times.y Stress high-frequency vocabulary words.y Use fewer idioms and clarify the meaning of words or phrases in context.y Stress participatory learning.y Maintain a low anxiety level and be enthusiastic.

With these conditions in place, students can't help but learn the language!

How ELD Is Taught

ELD consists of five proficiency levels: Beginning, early intermediate, intermediate, early

advanced and advanced. The four domains of ELD are: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing.Students need to be instructed at their proficiency level for the different domains. It is crucial to

understand that students progress through the levels of proficiency at different rates. Research

has shown that it takes four to seven years to master advanced levels of fluency.

ELD focuses on four skill areas:

1. Function: Functions are the purposes of communication. This includes socialconversations, jokes, and inquiry.

2. Form: This refers to the structure of the English language such as grammar, sentencestructure, and syntax. These are used as building blocks.

3. Fluency: Fluency is the ease in speaking the language. English language learners needample amount of time just practicing speaking English in order to become fluent.

4. Vocabulary: The development of a wide and varied vocabulary is essential. Researchshows that English language learners should be taught key vocabulary, or brick words,

prior to a lesson in order to assist them in their language development. For example,

whatever concept you are teaching, it is recommended that you include vocabulary

words that will make the content more comprehensible to the learner. A key ELD


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strategy is to provide comprehensible input for the English language learner by the use

of visuals, realia, and gestures.

Effective Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

By: Karen Pellino

Students with English as a second language (ESL) constitute a significant percentage of

the population of our nation's schools. This population continues to increase more rapidly than

that of native English speaking students (Shore, 2001). The language minority population has a

high drop out rate. These students are also among the lowest ranking in academic achievement

and expectations. They represent an at-risk population faced with a wide range of challenges

(Thompson, 2000).

This presents a unique challenge for teachers as we strive to help these students achieve in

learning the English language and the academic material specified in our content area learning

standards. Every teacher who teaches subject matter in English to ESL students is not only a

teacher of the content area but is a teacher of English as well. As educators, we must

continually reflect on our teaching and update our practice to address the needs of this

population, placing a strong emphasis on the human side of teaching. We must continually

focus on these students and find effective ways to arrange their learning to help them achieve.

This tutorial is a summary and critical analysis of four recent journal articles on the above

subject. The articles focus on the challenges ESL students face and how they translate into

challenges for teachers. Following the summary of articles, strategies that teachers can use tohelp overcome these challenges will be discussed.

Learning English and Learning America: Immigrants in the Center of A Storm

(Olsen, 2000)

This article considers the challenges faced by language minority children at school as

they experience what is referred to as "language shock," a struggle to learn the English

language and be accepted in a society that is not always accepting and not always willing to

embrace diversity. These students are in a strange land trying to maintain a sense of identity

related to their native culture and also become American. What a heavy burden for a youngperson!

Social and political issues surrounding immigration and diversity in our nation

complicate the seemingly basic task of learning English. The role of schools in the

Americanization of immigrant students is formally identified as making them fluent English

speakers.


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Hence, our schools label and serve these students based on their ability or inability to

speak English. However, ESL students encounter many obstacles in their efforts to become

proficient in the English language. They often come to realize that in order to be fully accepted,

they must abandon their native language, surrendering an aspect of their identity. They are

caused to feel they must either speak English or nothing at all. Thus, they become caught in a

painful power struggle over the use of English and their native language.

As educators we need to realize that education occurs in the context of a social climate.

The relationships between students and accompanying range of social behaviors have a major

impact on how well ESL students learn English and how well all students learn overall. Children

cannot achieve in an unwelcoming, hostile environment. Many children are made fun of when

they try to speak English and also when they speak their native language; so they end up silent

and withdraw from participation. This further interferes with their learning and achievement.

The English that ESL students are taught is academic English. They often lack the ability

to interact in social settings with English speaking peers because they are in separate

classrooms and often have limited opportunity to interact academically or socially. They often

have great difficulty learning the "slang" and social English because they have no one to learn it

from. These children come to prefer English out of necessity, often abandoning their native

languages to fit in. They end up without comfort in either language and may end up losing the

ability to communicate with family members and friends in their native land.

The author of this article concludes that our ESL students will remain torn between two

worlds until society truly embraces diversity and the notion that biculturalism and bilingualism

are assets. What is needed in the education of ESL children is the development of English and

maintenance of their native language.

Barriers toMeaningful Instruction for English Learners (Meyer, 2000)

This article focuses on effective ways teachers can help ESL students overcome barriers

to meaningful instruction. Teachers can use strategies based on social interactionist theory,

such as that of Vygotsky, to create classroom conditions that foster learning by modeling,

scaffolding and helping students to construct understanding, with the eventual goal of

becoming independent thinkers and problem solvers. The author identifies four loads as

barriers to meaningful instruction: cognitive load, culture load, language load and learning load;

and she states teachers must be skilled at lowering these barriers and sparking student interest

and curiosity by developing a creative, wise and passionate curriculum.

Cognitive load refers to the number of new concepts embedded in a lesson. It is critical

that we consistently assess prior knowledge of all students, ESL students particularly, and look

to identify the concepts and skills the students do and do not possess. We must then fill in any

conceptual gaps by trying to relate new concepts to life experiences of ESL students. Thus, it

becomes more critical to get to know and understand these students.


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'Culture load' refers to the way language and culture are related and the amount of

cultural knowledge required to comprehend meaning or participate in an activity. Meanings of

words are determined by the uses of words within linguistic and cultural settings, never the

same in any two cultures. English learners need to learn the words in English as well as the

cultural background that gives the words their English meaning. They need to learn words in

context to understand the meaning. Additionally, the information conveyed in our textbooksand lessons is culturally embedded. Some texts or topics can actually be culturally offensive.

Culture load also refers to how teachers expect interaction to occur in a classroom. This would

include when to speak, when to stay silent, when to raise hands and when to write. These

expectations vary from one culture to the next. English learners are often expected to

determine the classroom behavioral norms independently.

The author offers several strategies to help teachers lighten the culture load for

students. Teachers should treat English learners with respect, not judgment, and try to build

personal relationships with students, their families and communities. Teachers can use

information gained through these relationships to develop lessons and activities that help

students understand the American culture while still respecting the culture of the student. By

demonstrating respect for students, teachers allow a door of trust to open that can serve to

further deepen a nurturing teacher-student relationship.

The next barrier, the 'language load,' refers to the number of unfamiliar words

encountered as an English learner reads a text or listens to teacher or peer academic talk.

Teachers can lighten this load by rewriting or explaining text material. Complex sentences can

be broken down into comprehensible parts. Academic vocabulary can be presented at the start

of a lesson and highlighted. Several different texts can be available covering the same content

but at different reading ability levels. Additionally, teachers should model both academic and

social language and scaffold its appropriate use to help the learner acquire it, use it effectivelyand move to more sophisticated levels of speaking and writing.

The 'learning load' represents what teachers expect students to do with English in the

learning activities. An example offered by the author is brainstorming, an activity that is oral

and fast-paced, with few visual examples and minimal clarification in the initial stages. An

English learner would have difficulty following such an activity, let alone participating. Thus,

teachers must carefully consider the learning load of all activities involving English learners,

making adaptations and offering supports accordingly. One such strategy is the language bath.

This strategy involves the teacher doing the initial talking about a new topic and students

listening before any brainstorming or other activity is assigned. This strategy is also effective

with English speaking students. It prepares students to participate by helping to familiarize

them with vocabulary and develop their thoughts on a topic.

The last concept discussed is what the author calls the "yearning goad," which is

intrinsic motivation, a drive to know and learn more. This needs to be cultivated by teaching,

whenever possible, through topics of high student interest. Teachers should also endeavor to

broaden student interests by sharing their passions with students. Critical selection and


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creative implementation of curriculum are also important. By lightening even one or two of

these loads and arranging meaningful learning for students, teachers can motivate students

and facilitate learning of both the English language and content. This can help ESL students

avoid being misinterpreted as unmotivated or resistant to learning.

More Effective Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

Turning Frustration into Success for English Language Learners (Brice & Roseberry-McKibbin,

1999)

This article addresses the topic of English language learners with language-learning

disabilities. These students are faced with the additional challenge of having an underlying

language learning system that is inadequate for learning any language. It is noted that student

progress is greater when a speech language pathologist and classroom teacher collaborate tocoordinate regular classroom learning with small group learning. Progress is also greater when

strategies are consistently employed in the classroom on a daily basis as opposed to once or

twice a week in a pull-out program.

The authors offer a number of strategies to help classroom teachers enhance the

success of ESL students with language learning disabilities. Teachers should check for

understanding of expectations, instructions and relevant vocabulary before students begin a

task. Students with similar backgrounds can be seated near each other so they can help each

other with instructions and understanding. Advance organizers should be utilized to help

students know what is going to occur, repeating as necessary. Teachers should employ good

questioning techniques by asking a question, allowing ample wait time and then calling onsomeone. This should cause students to pay attention; and it will also give them a chance to

develop an answer before being called on. Teachers should check for understanding of content

with questions that are higher than knowledge level. They should speak slowly; avoid using

slang and idiomatic speech; use multi-sensory instruction, hands-on activities and frequent

modeling; relate information, as much as possible, to students' prior knowledge; and scaffold

instruction.

Using Standards to Integrate Academic Language into ESL Fluency (Beckett & Haley, 2000)

This article speaks to curriculum alignment for ESL instruction. ESL standards can have asignificant impact on ESL student achievement by integrating academic language into the ESL

curriculum. This student population needs to focus on goals of academic competence, focusing

on areas such as literacy, vocabulary, critical thinking, social skills and learning strategies. The

ESL standards provide structure and guidance that can help to increase student academic

success. By linking the ESL standards to state academic standards, we can ensure that ESL

students will receive high quality instruction in English language and content areas.


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The TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) standards were

developed to provide teachers with scope and sequence of the language skills that ESL students

need for success in our nation's classrooms. The standards are:

1) to use English to communicate in social settings,

2) to use English to achieve academically in all content areas, and

3) to use English in socially and culturally appropriate ways.

Several strategies are offered by the authors to develop competency in social use of

English. They suggest the use of seating Arrangements (such as round tables, quads or pairs) to

encourage social interaction. Teachers can also try to structure opportunities for students to

use English outside of the classroom. Cooperative learning encourages the use of language in a

social manner. Positive social interaction can help students perceive the classroom as a

comfortable and friendly place, where they will feel safe using their new language skills and

where they may find intrinsic motivation for communicating in English.

To enhance academic achievement, teachers can: create a language-rich classroom;

provide students with advance organizers; label everything in the classroom to build vocabulary

and help students make connections to their native language; and have different media

available for student use (books, magazines, newspapers, audio-tapes, video tapes, computer

software) to address different learning styles and also help build connections. To help students

to use English in appropriate ways, teachers should teach what language is appropriate in what

setting so students can determine when to speak and in what way (for example, formal speech

or slang). Teachers should also recognize diversity and sameness in their classrooms,

incorporate multicultural literature into the curriculum, and invite parents/family members toshare their cultures and talents with the class. Students need to develop an understanding of

and appreciation for others considering the diversity of society.

Analysis/Plans for Application to Teaching

While I will not be a certified ESL teacher when I begin my teaching career, I plan to

pursue certification in this area. Regardless of whether I am in a regular classroom, special

education classroom, ESL classroom or a bilingual classroom, the information contained in

these articles will be of great value to me considering the diverse cultural population our

schools serve. There will undoubtedly be children who are English language learners in my

classes or in activities that I am involved in. I will encounter them when I perform the various

duties teachers are assigned to (bus duty, lunch duty etc.). Additionally, the strategies

recommended in these four articles seem to be effective strategies to use with all students, not

just ESL students.

As time consuming as it may be, learning about the students, their cultures and their

communities may be among the most important and productive developmental activities I can


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undertake as a teacher. This can provide a wealth of information about students and their

worlds. While I am sure there would be many differences between their cultures and mine, I

expect there would be some similarities as well. Attending or participating in community events

or visiting families would very likely be a sensitizing experience for me. I would personally find

out how it feels to be the "different" person. I think that this would help to deepen my respect

for the students and their cultures. It would also send a message to students that I amcommitted to helping them and interested in them as people.

Relationships with families are critical. I suspect lack of parental involvement may often

be misinterpreted as lack of caring. Non-English speaking parents may feel they have no way to

communicate with teachers. They are in a new world too and are experiencing all of the things

that their children are experiencing in addition to having the added responsibilities of work and

caring for their families. Additional effort needs to be made to reach these parents and open

the lines of communication. I would invite them to participate in meaningful activities in school,

ask them to be class volunteers, and make a special effort to recognize the accomplishments of

their children. I would make an extra effort to explain the expectations of both parents and

students in our schools, especially if they are newcomers (Boothe, 2000). I would enlist the help

of a translator when possible, if language is a barrier.

Written communications sent home should be translated into their native language,

whenever possible. There are resources available on the internet that provide translations at no

cost. Alta Vista (http://Babel.altavista.com/tr?) offers free translations of text in the following

languages: Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and

Russian. Research-it (www.itools.com/research-it) offers free translation of web pages into

Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese and Chinese. Once my class web site is

developed, I will also be able to use it to further communication with parents. Just because they

are non-English speaking does not mean they do not have access to computers. Depending onsocio-economic status, they may have computers at home. If not, they have access at local

libraries or other community agencies. Contacts made in the community, foreign language

instructors and other staff members in our schools could also help with translation. I would try

to arrange partnerships between bi-lingual families and non-English speaking families,

depending on their languages and encourage parents and family members who do not speak

English to learn English by informing them of resources available in the community.

I believe that cultivating caring, engaged relationships with students and their families

will help my students to feel connected to their school and, hopefully, enhance their feelings

about school and their self-esteem. I would like to be remembered as a teacher that cared, one

that made a difference in their lives. By learning about students, their cultures, and their

communities I will be better able to identify what resources the students bring to the learning

experience. I will also be better able to draw on prior knowledge, experiences and strengths to

help build new knowledge and build connections for students (Lucas, 2000).

There are so many factors that influence the lives and learning of ESL students:

immigration history, language use, socio-economic status, educational history and leisure


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activities. There are so many questions to find out answers to. What kind of responsibilities do

they have at home? Are they considered adults or children? Are they recent immigrants? Were

they born here? Where else have they lived? What is their schooling history? By finding out

more about my students, I can personalize their experience at school and in my classroom to a

greater extent.

Because of the great difficulties and challenges faced by ESL students, I plan to develop

and incorporate activities into my lessons to encourage an appreciation for diversity among

students. I will find ways to celebrate diversity of all students to: enrich learning; foster peer

relationships; create respect for differences; create an understanding of other cultures; and

instill a sense of belonging or membership (Shore, 2001). I intend to approach each student

(ESL, regular education or special needs) as an individual, taking into consideration personality

characteristics (shy or outgoing for example), learning style, educational experience, special

talents and interests, social and familial situation.

I plan to use cooperative learning as a means to promote interaction among students.

This will allow students time for social interaction and enable them to develop confidence in

their language skills (Boothe, 2000). Through participation in cooperative learning they will

have a chance to speak and listen. Verbal activities promote collaboration among students.

Verbal interaction is fundamental to learning both language and content. ESL students need the

opportunity to use language in interaction with both peers and teachers who are competent in

the language and serve as models (Egbert & Simich-Dudgeon, 2001). Cooperative learning will

afford the opportunity to develop relationships with their peers; and their peers will, hopefully,

begin to value the ESL students for who they are as opposed to just "kids who don't speak

English." I plan to utilize some sensitizing activities in class as well, regardless of whether I have

ESL or inclusion class or a regular education class. I feel that these are profound exeriences that

give those involved a taste of humanity and a taste of humility, both of which can help us gain abetter understanding of ourselves and the diverse people we live, work and learn with

(Rudnick, 1995).

I plan to develop scaffolding activities and accommodations that will help my students

to: organize their thoughts, develop study skills, organize their schedules, consistently follow

classroom procedures, and track their progress throughout the school year (Boothe, 2000). By

assigning classroom jobs or responsibilities to ESL or special needs students I will involve them

in the class and help them to feel as if they belong and have value. I will encourage them to

share any personal experiences with the class that they feel comfortable sharing and to also

maintain a personal journal about themselves and their experiences (written in English or their

native language).

Through all of the articles I have read, I think it was quite clear that ESL students should

be encouraged to maintain their native language. The benefits of a maintenance program as

opposed to a transition program seem to be paramount. It is so critical for children to have a

strong sense of self in order to achieve. Their native language is part of their "self." They need

confidence to develop friendships, problem solve, and master skills in language and content


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areas. They should not be ashamed of who they are or their origins. They need their native

language in order to maintain valuable relationships with family members and friends who do

not speak English.

The role that a teacher plays in the lives of students and the teacher's potential to

improve the quality of life for students cannot be underestimated. Elementary school teachershave a major effect on how children will view school, possibly for the next twelve years of their

lives. This effect can be compounded when students do not speak English. In order to foster

acceptance, self-confidence, learning, and achievement, teachers of ESL students need to make

the classroom a haven for children, create meaningful learning situations for their students, and

never give up on them (Thompson, 2000).

References

By: Karen Pellino

y Beckett, E., and Haley, P. 2000. Using standards to integrate academic language into ESLfluency. The Clearing House, 74, 2, 102-104. Accessed through WilsonWeb on-line

database on June 10, 2001.

y Boothe, D. 2000. Looking beyond the ESL label. Principal Leadership, 1, 4, 30-35.Accessed through WilsonWeb on-line database on June 4, 2001.

y Brice, A. and Roseberry-Mckibbin, C. 1999. Turning frustration into success for Englishlanguage learners. Educational Leadership, 56, 7, 53-55. Accessed through WilsonWeb

on-line database on June 10, 2001.

y Egbert, J and Simich-Dudgeon, C. 2001. Providing support for non-native learners ofEnglish in the social studies classroom. The Social Studies, 92, 1, 22-25. Accessed

through Wilson Web on-line database on June 4, 2001.y Lucas, T. 2000. Facilitating the transitions of secondary English language learners:

Priorities for principals. NASSP Bulletin, 84, 619, 2-16. Accessed through WilsonWeb on-

line database on June 10, 2001.

y Meyer, L. 2000. Barriers to meaningful instruction for English learners. Theory intoPractice, 39, 4, 228-236. Accessed through WilsonWeb on-line database on June 10,

2001.

y Olsen, L. 2000. Learning English and learning America: Immigrants in the center of astorm. Theory into Practice, 39, 4, 196-202. Accessed through WilsonWeb on-line

database on June 4, 2001.

y Research-it, www.itools.com/research-ity Rudnick, B. 1995. Bridging the chasm between your English and ESL students. Teaching

PreK 8, 26, 48-49. Accessed through WilsonWeb on-line database on June 4, 2001.

y Shore, K. 2001. Success for ESL students. Instructor, 110, 6, 30-32. Accessed throughWilsonWeb on-line database on June 4, 2001.

y Thompson, G. 2000. The real deal on bilingual education: Former language-minoritystudents discuss effective and ineffective instructional practices. Educational Horizons,

78, 2, 80-92. Accessed through WilsonWeb on-line database on June 10, 2001.

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