Having English learners (ELs) in your classroom can be a test of your abilities to differentiate and multi-task. Unless you鈥檝e been a language- learner firsthand, it鈥檚 difficult to understand how much support your ELs need beyond language instruction. Here is a list of things to consider and prepare for when you鈥檙e teaching a class that includes ELs.
Give English Learners Visual Instructions
We give verbal instructions in the classroom all the time. We do it without thinking, and our students who speak fluent English follow the instructions without thinking. But for ELs, those verbal instructions can be a major hurdle. But fear not 鈥� there is a simple solution! Add a gesture, a visual and/or a demonstration to your verbal instructions. ELs search for clues to help them understand what is going on, so a simple point of the finger or mime of the task can be all they need to catch on. (For multi-step instructions, prepare a visual version!)
Walk English Learners Through Technical Skills
More than ever, technology is a cornerstone of our classrooms. In many ways, this is great for ELs. English learning resources are plentiful online and translation apps are better than they have ever been. But don鈥檛 expect your ELs to be as prepared for technical tasks as the rest of your students. Depending on their backgrounds, they may lack some basic skills or only know them based on terminology in their first languages. Be prepared to review some skills you might not normally teach, like how to get on the internet and how to send something to the printer. And remember, you will need to demonstrate or teach visually.
Establish School Norms with English Learners
The teacher-student relationship is not the same everywhere in the world. Everything from how to address teachers to making eye contact could be different in your student鈥檚 home culture. So it would be unfair to project your cultural expectations on an EL who is unaware of and unaccustomed to them. Teach those expectations explicitly and allow your ELs time to adjust to the new classroom culture. Rome wasn鈥檛 built in a day, so a student from Rome won鈥檛 adjust in a day! (I鈥檓 just having fun with words here. This issue is actually much more common with non-Western ELs.)
Give English Learners Extra Time to Ask Questions
鈥淒o you understand?鈥�
鈥渊别蝉.鈥�
鈥淒o you have any questions?鈥�
鈥淣辞.鈥�
These are the responses I get all day, every day from my ELs. There are two reasons for this, and neither reason is that they actually have no questions.
- In some cultures, it鈥檚 drilled into students to always answer a teacher in the affirmative.
- It鈥檚 embarrassing for any student to say they don鈥檛 understand something that everyone else does, and ELs are already sensitive to 鈥渂eing different.鈥�
Take ELs aside once everyone else has started working so they have a little more privacy. Instead of asking yes or no questions, ask them to show you what you just explained or to explain it back to you in their own words. This will give you a clear assessment of how much they understand.
Use Numbers to Give English Learners Clear Feedback
A few things get lost in translation and niceties can be one of them. When you鈥檙e giving constructive feedback, the way you 鈥渇luff鈥� your words is likely to be lost on an EL. Speak directly and without wordiness. Instead of using terms like 鈥渁rea for improvement鈥� or 鈥渞oom for growth,鈥� express this feedback as concretely as possible. I find it helpful to use numbers, the international language. For example, 鈥淥n this skill, you are at an 80%. To get to a 100%, here is what we need to do.鈥� Using numbers leaves less room for misinterpretation and more room for development!
By making just a little extra effort, you can improve an English learner鈥檚 experience of school quite a bit. Always be sensitive to the fact that they face a lot of challenges as they navigate their way through a foreign culture and community. Do your best to help them conquer as many of those challenges as they can!
番茄视频 provides several ways for you to learn the skills you need to teach English language learners. Explore our M.Ed. in Teaching English Learners and Certificate in Teaching English Learners.
