Teaching English Language Learners: It's not all fun, games and flashcards.
In this article from Edutopia, author Carly Berwick describes her encounters with English Language Learners (ELLs) as a Saturday afternoon volunteer at an ESL tutoring session in Jersey City, NJ. Despite Berwick's many years of classroom experience as an English teacher, she admits that teaching English as a second language to students with varying levels of preparedness is complex and stressful (Berwick, 2018). The students she teaches are mostly Syrian. She describes the students as eager to learn, but faced with many challenges including skipping grade levels, unstable incomes, and inconsistent educations. This is the new face of American education. One in every ten U.S. students is now an ELL, and it is the fastest growing population of students in the nation (Berwick, 2018). Speaking slowly, using visuals, games, and flashcards are the obvious tactics to those who never taught ELLs before. Other solutions for educating this diverse group of students must be explored, and proper training and education on the teacher's part is essential.
Setting the Bar High
Expectations for ELLs must be high, and it is important to include these students in all aspects of school culture from their very first day of school. Julia Kessler, principal of San Francisco International High School says that every teacher is, "a teacher of language" (Berwick, 2018). She believes that when a student is struggling, it is important for teachers to still give assignments that keep them challenged. Meeting students halfway, getting them talking, and incorporating technology into ESL lessons are all suggestions for encouraging students to participate in their new language and culture. In order to get students involved in the L2 learning process, teachers should get students talking and using technology in their classrooms through the use of topics geared toward students' interests.
Berwick, C. (2018). Teaching english language learners: A complex endeavor. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-english-language-learners-complex-endeavor
Setting the Bar High
Expectations for ELLs must be high, and it is important to include these students in all aspects of school culture from their very first day of school. Julia Kessler, principal of San Francisco International High School says that every teacher is, "a teacher of language" (Berwick, 2018). She believes that when a student is struggling, it is important for teachers to still give assignments that keep them challenged. Meeting students halfway, getting them talking, and incorporating technology into ESL lessons are all suggestions for encouraging students to participate in their new language and culture. In order to get students involved in the L2 learning process, teachers should get students talking and using technology in their classrooms through the use of topics geared toward students' interests.
Berwick, C. (2018). Teaching english language learners: A complex endeavor. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-english-language-learners-complex-endeavor
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