I think that two major issues in teaching ESL students are the teacher’s attitude and the teacher’s knowledge. I know that teachers have to wear many hats. English teachers have a lot to teach: reading skills, many forms of writing, Voice, persuasion, multiple literacies, and of course life-lessons in open-mindedness, self-expression, respect, etc. We try to teach technological skills and research skills. Teachers create lessons and ways of assessment. We talk to students and parents about a multitude of issues.
Learning how to better facilitate learning for ESL students may seem like just another portion added to our load. But the point of being a teacher is to have a lasting effect on the growth of our students… of ALL our students. We take courses on how to better help our students to learn; this should include strategies on how to specifically help ESL students. I know that I need to learn more about this. I also know that I am limited by my lack of knowledge. I only have a smattering of Spanish and French from high school and college courses. It would be wonderful for ESL students to be able to write in their own language in order to focus on content, Voice, organization, etcetera as Alsup and Bush describe in “But Will it Work with Real Students?”: Scenarios for Teaching English Language Arts. I would love for students to be able to do this as well as working on adding English into their spoken and written work (they will need to have mastered English as a second language eventually in order to succeed here). However, I cannot do this because I would not be able to read their work or understand their discussion in class. So, I am limited by my lack of knowledge. I think that teachers should work on adding to their range of languages or that a teacher who is fluent in a different language should be working closely with or be in class with the non-fluent teacher. This may not be practical, but I’m not sure what else to do to help teachers to better aid ESL students in class.
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I couldn’t agree with you more. I definitely think that teacher attitude can be the greatest factor in the success (or failure) of an ESL student. I also agree that teacher attitudes are greatly affected by our knowledge, or lack thereof. I think teachers naturally want to help people, so I think it is very frustrating when we can’t do this. At least, I know that this is true for me. I want to see all my students succeed, so it is frustrating and disheartening when I can’t help one of them. I want to learn more languages…I am certain it will make me a better teacher. I also like your idea about receiving support from a fluent speaker, but, yes, I’m not sure it is very practical. It would be nice, though. I think the most important thing is for teachers remain patient and nurturing. I can’t imagine trying to take classes in a completely foreign language…I have a hard enough time keeping up when the content is delivered in English! It is possible, though, so I think we just have to keep a positive attitude. We have an ESL program at my school, and the ESL teachers do not always speak all the languages that their students speak. They are usually quite successful. I once asked the lead ESL teacher how he manages to get through so many different language barriers, and he said with patience and a good sense of humor. Laughter and love…works every time!
You are raising a good point, it would be wonderful if ESL students could write in their own language. If an ESL student had a strong first language both oral and written; their writing traits would become more developed.
I know that this is not possible in my school district. We are mainly focused on ESL students performing in English. Due to all of the standardized tests that now dictate our student’s learning, we all work feverishly to help them learn English in all areas.
Dear ILRLO:
Great blog in so many ways. I teach ELLs and can say that we need more teachers like you with an open mind. I really do believe students need to be caught up in their own language to have the foundation necessary to achieve higher learning. You are so perceptive to sense that. Are you sure you have never taught ELLs?? Justs kidding here.
I have found that the trick with ELLs (my mentor teacher taught me this, she is fantastic) is differentiating levels of learning and separating classes by levels. That way, you can modify your lessons for each level. This ensures better student mastery of the all important standards as well. It also allows all children to focus, they are less distracted, and less prone to think of ways to behave badly!
Two other suggestions for you. The tricky thing for native English speaking teachers is cultural references or background knowledge. Watch out for this, make sure your ELLs know what is going on when you refer to something outside of the lesson or the reading. The second thing that used to trip me up is when the majority of the students speak a language that excludes other children, the minority, in the class.
Hope this helps,
Tragalibro