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.