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Teaching ESL Students in the Mainstreamed Classroom
By Cynthia
L. Wallace
With
more and more children immigrating to the United States,
chances of having an ESL student mainstreamed into your
classroom are likely. Now the question is what to do? As a
general education teacher, you may be feeling overwhelmed
and dismayed. However, this article was written with you in
mind. After reading this article, you should have the
following:
o
Information regarding second language learning acquisition
o
Practical suggestions on how to communicate with your ESL
student from the very first day
o
Making
preparations to include ESL students in the classroom
o
Helpful
teaching strategies for ESL students
Information Regarding Second Language Learning Acquisition
It is
important to know some basic fundamentals of second language
acquisition before ESL students come into the general
education classroom. This section will give a brief overview
as well as correcting some common myths of second language
acquisition.
There
are basically four stages when acquiring a second language.
By being aware of children’s developmental stages in second
language acquisition, teachers should be able to adjust
their expectations, while providing opportunities that allow
for student growth and development. The four stages are as
follows:
1.
Preproduction; children are beginning to take in and
understand the new language; however, they are not able to
reproduce it.
2.
Early
Production; children are beginning to understand portions of
what is being said, and comprehension is beginning to
develop; one-to-two word utterances may be made at this
time.
3.
Speech
emergence; children are increasing their sentences, as well
as continued comprehension is taking place.
4.
Fluency
on an intermediate level; children’s comprehension is very
good and speech reflects more complexity (ability to
analyze, examine, justify, and explain)
Teachers need to remember that there really is no such thing
as an "ideal" language. We all have our ideas of such
"perfection," but those ideals are subject to regional,
cultural, and other influences. The English language has
many variations, idioms, dialects, and other factors that
influence the individual of what the "ideal" speech may
consist of.
The
three most common myths that I will briefly discuss are as
follows:
o
children
learn second languages quickly and easily,
o
the more
time students spend in a second language context, the
quicker they learn the language, and
o
all
children learn a second language in the same way
Teachers need to remember that at the very least, learning a
second language is as difficult for children as it is for
adults. Children do not have the same type of memory
techniques and other learning strategies that adults may
have. It may take as long as six years before a child
understands instructional language in the classroom,
although it may take a shorter time for a child to
understand casual or conversational language. However, if
children from another culture have strong literacy skills,
then teachers can teach literacy through content instruction
or in the students’ first language. Research has indicated
that ESL learners will progress in concepts as well as in
second language acquisition.
Just
as there are different cultures and customs, so there are
different speech and language patterns. The way children
learn their first language is also a factor. The more
technologically advanced the culture, the more likely
children are taught through language. Children from lower
socioeconomic levels, different cultures, or where
technology is not a factor, usually learn through nonverbal
means such as observation or practice. The author of the
article believes that due to the impact of technology on a
culture, children will be taught through language rather
than by observing somebody at work, or as an apprentice.
Effective instruction for children from culturally diverse
backgrounds requires a variety of instructional activities,
as well as teacher sensitivity to the child’s home culture
and its behavioral patterns. Recognize that ESL learners use
a different cultural-based experience pool that is very
different from most Anglo-American teachers experience
pools. Teachers will find it helpful to provide students
with background experiences, vocabulary, or knowledge before
beginning lessons where cultural-based learning pools may
differ. Adapting materials or assessments for student
comprehension should be made if language capacity is not
where it should be in order for ESL students to be
successful.
Teachers should strive not to base their expectations on
negative national, cultural, language or any other
stereotypical differences, as they can be very damaging to
ESL learners’ self-esteem. By applying general principles of
good teaching to all students with activities that stimulate
curiosity, interest, and enthusiasm for learning will go a
long way in helping ESL students acquire cognitive academic
skills as well as basic interpersonal language skills.
Suggestions on How to Communicate with ESL Students from the
Beginning
The
first thing to keep in mind when communicating with the ESL
student in your general education classroom from the very
first day is to make your communication comprehensible.
Some
ways to provide comprehensible input include the use of
drawings, gestures, actions, emotions, voice variety,
sketches, and pictures. By adding other types of visual and
kinesthetic support will give more meaning to your words.
When
necessary, repeat your actions using the same simple
structures and actions. Remember to simplify your message
and keep the ESL student’s attention focused. However, do
not insist on maintaining or making eye contact as you
speak. This is considered rude in many cultures. When
speaking, use a slow-to-normal pace, using simple sentence
structures and high-frequency words. Limit the use of
pronouns, as they are too vague for the ESL student.
Ask
simple yes and no questions or break down more complex
questions instead of asking open-ended ones. Use visual cues
when asking questions and accept one-word responses or
gestures such as pointing or nodding. Remember to be
patient, even if it means repeating the message. Make sure
that your face, body demeanor and posture reflect your
patience. Don’t jump in too quickly or provide words if ESL
students are struggling in their attempts to communicate.
Encourage the ESL student to respond by allowing extra time
or to draw or act out their answers. Model correct
pronunciations, but avoid the tendency to over correct. This
can cause much embarrassment for the ESL student.
Allow
the student to use a bilingual dictionary for words that
cannot be acted out. Write down messages as well as speak
them so that ESL students may have visual input as well as
auditory input. You might want to make a list of the phrases
that you want your ESL student to learn and to understand,
then find someone who is bilingual in the ESL student’s
language so that they can work on those phrases.
Making
Preparations to Include ESL Students in the Classroom
One
of the ways that teachers can make preparations in
anticipation of ESL students joining the classroom is to
have pre-established routines, effective room arrangements
that encourages student participation and acceptance, and by
providing a safe environment to assure student success.
Routines provide structure and a sense of belonging;
effective room arrangements provide needed opportunities for
peer interactions, while safe classroom environments support
the acceptance of differences and taking risks. An example
of an effective room arrangement includes the grouping of
student desks that encourages group or peer interactions.
Another example might be to place student materials such as
pencils, markers, and scissors near the students. Having
common materials within student reach helps to eliminate
distractions and confusion as well as cutting down on
traffic problems. Smiling often is also encouraged, as it
provides ESL students with needed reassurances and security.
A smile means basically the same thing in all languages.
Joining professional organizations dedicated to the
Bilingual/ESL student, developing good relationships with
Bilingual/ESL instructors, and starting or joining a support
group of general education classroom teachers are excellent
ways to learn more about ESL students, their needs, the
latest research, and the most effective teaching strategies.
By being prepared and knowing where to go to for support a
good teacher can become an even better one.
Helpful
Teaching Strategies for ESL Students
One
of the most important things to consider when teaching
students, including ESL learners, is to be sensitive to and
work with students’ individual learning styles. It also
might be helpful to research other cultures and their
teaching techniques, as the ESL student may not be used to
our teaching strategies. By learning about different
cultures, you also help to break down barriers by teaching
that we all come from different places.
Many
educators use tape recorders for listening centers in their
classrooms. Why not encourage ESL students to record words,
phrases, or sentences and then play them back? Or have other
students record vocabulary or phrases for the ESL student to
practice.
Any
story or poem that is repetitive or has predictable patterns
is good to use when reading to students. To encourage
interest and cultural understanding, find poems or stories
in the child’s native language and have them translated.
When teaching reading, teach learning strategies such as
looking at the headings, pictures, bold-faced print,
skimming the text, and making predictions. Demonstrate these
reading strategies by reading a selected text and thinking
out loud.
Index
cards make perfect teaching tools as they can be used to
make flash cards, concentration games, matching games, word
order practice, pair work, information-gap activities, and
sequencing games. Keep lists of words on the board or in a
student-made dictionary or file, so students will have
visual cues to refer to when needed. ESL students can also
keep picture journals while the rest of the kids are writing
in their journals.
There
are many lesson plans and ideas for ESL learners on the
Internet. Web sites can provide needed information on
ESL/Bilingual teaching strategies, the latest research, and
materials that work best for ESL learners. Some of the sites
that I found to be the most helpful include:
o
www.member.aol.com/Lingoteach/index2.html
o
www.englishtown.com/master/teachers/guide/
o
www.handsonenglish.com/
o
www.teacher.scholastic.com/professional/specialneeds/lepstudents.htm
o
www.ncbe.gwu.edu/classroom/index.htm
o
www.esllessons.com/
o
www.everythingesl.net
o
www.tesol.edu
(professional organization)
Compile a collection of ESL teaching strategies, lesson
ideas, and other areas of interest. Then organize the
information to where you can reach it when needed. I keep a
notebook that is organized by topics, such as: lesson plans,
classroom management techniques, and effective ESL teaching
strategies. You can further organize the lesson plan ideas
and lessons into several levels or categories such as:
beginner, intermediate, and advanced. When planning lessons
to include ESL learners, ask yourself these following
questions:
o
Is the
lesson "visible"? (so that ESL learners can learn meaning or
concept through visual objects)
o
Do I
have any props or other kinds of objects to help make
vocabulary more concrete?
o
Am I
allowing for student pairing/sharing?
o
Am I
assessing knowledge in more ways than verbal/written
response?
Also
during lesson or theme planning, be sure to integrate the
use of technology. By using computers in the classroom,
opportunities will be available to ESL learners to preview
lessons, review previous lessons, and email other classes
when researching their regional areas, or doing other kinds
of research. Children need to be able to learn how to use
the tools and build skills by playing games that a computer
provides. The use of computers helps to hold ESL students
accountable while providing skills necessary to be
successful in the classroom.
Summary
There
are basically four stages of second language acquisition.
Many common myths and fallacies surrounding ESL learning may
interfere with the teacher’s ability to be supportive and
accepting of culturally linguistically differences. By being
aware of students’ developmental stages and knowing some of
the falsehoods that exist, teachers are able to provide ESL
learners more effective teaching strategies that are based
on reliable research rather than false expectations and
assumptions.
From
the very first day that an ESL learner is mainstreamed into
the classroom, a teacher can provide comprehensible
communication. This equips the student in feeling welcomed
and accepted in the classroom. Forms of comprehensible
communication that a teacher can provide include the use of
drawings, sketches, gestures, and actions.
There
are many ways that a teacher can prepare to help ESL
students adjust to the classroom. Some practical ways
include the use of pre-established routines, effective room
arrangements, and a warm, welcoming environment. Having a
support system and knowledge of where to go for additional
resources also helps the teacher prepare for the ESL
student.
Using
computer technology, getting to know a child’s culture and
background, and compiling a personal resource of ESL lesson
plans are just a few of the teaching strategies a teacher
can utilize when working with the ESL student. By being
aware of students’ individual learning styles, teachers help
ESL students learn academic and cognitive skills while
learning functional language.
Teaching ESL students in the mainstreamed classroom can be
challenging, and perhaps overwhelming. By being sensitive to
children’s cultural and language differences, teachers can
be effective, supportive and encouraging. After all, these
children contribute a great richness of diversity and
cultural heritage to the overall classroom learning
environment.
It is
hoped that this article has provided some valuable research,
ideas, helpful hints, and effective teaching strategies that
teachers can use when an ESL student joins their classroom.
There is a wealth of knowledge available for teachers of LEP
or ESL learners. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look
and who to ask for help.
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