Instructing English learners comes in many forms throughout the United States. Some school districts are bursting at the seams with students who speak other languages, while others may have one or two students per school. This can make finding the right teaching model challenging. However, one thing that does not change, regardless of the situation, is that we are all in this together. Each teacher plays a critical and unique role in the lives of students. Teachers have different areas of expertise and our certifications may often be as unique as us. The fantastic thing about this is that it takes all of us to have a successful school.
So, what about ESL? You might be thinking, "I'm not ESL certified. I teach math. I teach science. I have a curriculum to cover and I don't have time to worry about one student in my class." Working in school divisions where the EL population is less than 1% of the total school population, these are concerns and beliefs I have heard expressed often. These teachers are right. They are not ESL teachers, and yes, they do have a curriculum to teach. However, this thinking needs to be adjusted. Not every teacher is an ESL teacher. However, I would argue, along with countless others in field, that all teachers are language teachers. Yes, math teachers are language teachers, too. In classrooms throughout the United States, which do not have bilingual programs, English is the medium of instruction. Math is taught using the English language. Science is taught in English. American history is taught in English. We all use English to teach and to learn content. As experts in our fields, we may not think about how the content area we teach influences the language we use, but it does. Next time you are preparing for a lesson, I encourage you to consider the word choices and sentence structures used in your lesson materials and in your own speech. Consider the language your students need to comprehend and use to master the subject matter. In the end, all students, native and nonnative English speakers alike, need explicit instruction in academic language. Seek help from your ELL specialist, and most most importantly, seek to view yourself as a language teacher in your content area.
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When we add English language learners (ELLs) in the the mix of our already diverse classrooms, unique challenges arise. Our laws make it very clear that utilizing the sink or swim method for educating ELLs is not only ineffective, but it is also a violation of our students' civil rights. NCLB requires states to have established English Language Development (ELD) standards to meet the linguistic and academic needs of ELLs. Virginia, along with 37 other U.S. educational agencies, has joined the WIDA Consortium to meet this requirement.
In an effort of gather up resources to help mainstream educators develop linguistically appropriate lessons, I came across this article from a 2008 publication of the National Staff Development Council. You can read the article here. This article does a fantastic job of using tables to display pertinent information on how to make our questions linguistically appropriate and accessible for the ELLs in our classroom while keeping those questions as the appropriate cognitive level. Students at the pre-production or early production levels can still evaluate or synthesize information; we just have to know the right questions to ask. |
Ms. ProffittMs. Proffitt is the ESL teacher/coach for BVPS. ArchivesCategories |