Teaching Diverse Learners: English as a Second Language

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Teaching Diverse Learners English as a Second
Language

• Dr. Peterson

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Commonly Used Acronyms

• ESL English as a Second Language (Studying
  English as a non-native speaker in a country
  where English is spoken.)
• ELL English Language Learners
• LEP Limited English Proficient
• ELT English Language Teaching (or sometimes
  Training)
• EFL English as a Foreign Language (Studying
  English in non-English-speaking countries)
• ESOL English to Speakers of Other Languages
• (Note ESL and EFL are often used
  interchangeably. This acronym is an attempt to
  make a generic term and then assign more limited
  meanings to ESL and EFL.)
• CALL Computer Assisted Language Learning

• L1 "Language 1" the student's native (primary
  or first acquired) language.
• L2 "Language 2" the language being learned or
  studied
• TEFL Teaching English as a Foreign Language
• TESL Teaching English as a Second Language
• TESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other
  Languages (It is also the name of an association,
  Teachers of English to Speakers of Other
  Languages, Inc.)
• TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language
• TOEIC Test of English for International
  Communication

http//iteslj.org/
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U.S. ESL Statistics

• 406 Languages spoken nationwide
• Number of English Language Learners (ELL) has
  nearly tripled since 1993
• From 2 million to 5.5 million today
• 1 in 5 live in a home where English is not the
  primary language
• 73 of urban schools have an immediate need for
  bilingual teachers
• In 2001, 4.6 million ELL students were enrolled
  in the nations public schools
• 10 of the total enrollment in grades PreK-12
• 79 spoke Spanish
• 15 used a language represented by less than 1
  of the ELL population

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State ESL Statistics

• PA has a total of 42,542 limited English
  proficient (LEP) students. (PDE, 2004-05 Stats)
• There are over 175 different languages spoken in
  PA.
• Spanish
• Vietnamese
• Russian
• Korean
• Arabic

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Local Statistics

• School Districts in the local area with ESL
  students (PDE, 2004-05 statistics)
• Pittsburgh City Schools 335
• Baldwin Whitehall 149
• North Allegheny 81
• Donegal 53
• Chartiers Valley 37
• Canon MacMillan 20
• Bethal Park 18
• Peters Township 13
• Belle Vernon 10

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Local Statistics

• IU 1 2004-05 Statistics (Fayette, Greene, and
  Washington County)
• 84 ESL students
• 13 Districts
• 17 Languages
• 12 Teachers
• Refer to display (IU statistics)

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Approaches to ESL

• Current research on school ESL advocates
  mainstreaming with regular withdrawal for ESL for
  children under the age of twelve (Piper, 1993).
• When possible, a short period of full-time ESL is
  recommended for older children to be followed by
  enrollment only in courses that require less
  reading and writing, such as mathematics and
  science if the child has a background in these
  subjects, and music, physical education,
  industrial arts and home economics.

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Curricular Implications

• A literature-based classroom is most effective,
  where students can be involved in a variety of
  books, listening to stories, talking, dictating,
  composing group language experience charts, and
  writing.

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Curricular Implications

• Two most common approaches for teaching ESL
• A Communicative Approach calls for learning
  activities that offer genuine communication.
• The Total Physical Approach is useful for
  beginning ESL learners, since students are not
  required to speak initially but to respond with
  physical movement to various commands.
• No one approach should be used exclusively since
  a combination of approaches is usually more
  effective.

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Activities to Facilitate ESL Learning

• Role playing
• Assign learners roles
• Life-like situations
• Emphasis on linguistic structures relevant to
  conversation
• Younger children can role-play situations on a
  playground.
• Older children can role-play situations in a
  store, on the street, emergency situation, etc.
• Simulations
• Like longer role-plays for more advanced learners
• Involves a problem and information needed for the
  solution
• Problem Solving
• Sharing information to solve a problem
• Less involved than a simulation
• Information Transfer
• Information in one form is translated into
  another form
• Example Information on a graph translated into a
  written paragraph.

• Interactive Tasks
• Involves two learners asking and answering
  questions in order to complete a joint task.
• Ask each other questions to find out the missing
  information.
• Games
• Younger children- use action games
• Computer reading skill games at the appropriate
  level use with two students together, oral
  interaction is increased.
• Singing
• Can be used for vocabulary building,
  comprehension practice (when done first without
  words or with some words missing, pronunciation
  practice, and for socio-personal reasons.
• Chants
• Useful for pronunciation and stress practice.
• Enrich vocabulary and can be used for dictation
  exercises
• Discussions and Comparisons
• Permit students to share interesting information
  about their homelands.
• Older students can make charts to compare aspects
  of their own culture with other cultures.

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• Simplify English and speak more slowly at first,
  but dont distort language or use incorrect
  English.
• Listening first is normal and acceptable, so
  dont insist on speech.
• Vary teaching approaches and activities to appeal
  to different learning and cognitive styles.

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• Comprehension is the aim of pronunciation for
  students. Accents are acceptable if a native
  speaker can understand the learner.
• If pronunciation errors impede understanding,
  plan 5-10 minute practice periods for students to
  learn to distinguish and then produce and
  practice the desired sound.
• Songs and chant can be used to reinforce
  pronunciation and correct stress.

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• Spiral, teach and re-teach later in greater
  depth.
• Authentic materials should be used at the
  appropriate level whenever possible signs,
  catalogues, school materials, toys, household
  objects, and written materials.
• Communication should be stressed over form.
• Dont correct communication errors if students
  are communicating successfully.
• Note a problem and give attention to it later.
• Allow students time to think about their
  questions and answers before responding.

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• Visuals should be used as much as possible
  pictures, objects, diagrams, flow charts, cards,
  and video extracts.
• Draw your own when others are not available.
• Picture dictionaries and their own picture
  collection are useful resources.
• Research the childs country and culture if you
  are not fully familiar with it.
• Research the language as well.
• Does the written form use the same alphabet and
  does it proceed from left to right?

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• Plan sessions carefully with learners and vary
  lessons between active and quiet learning.
• Computers can be used for 15 minute sessions if
  one is available.
• Art is also a highly effective strategy to employ
  in learning.
• Ask students to draw pictures of their life
  experiences and use these as a basis for
  conversation, labels, or writing.
• Interviewing others in school is another useful
  learning tool.
• Could be as simple as asking other students in
  the classroom, Whats your name? or Whats
  your favorite food?

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• Tape recorders can be used to record learners
  while they speak English at various times to show
  them their progress.
• Literature should abound in the classroom.
• Read aloud simple stories that can be understood
  with pictures and actions.
• Young non-readers usually begin to associate the
  written word with what they hear and eventually
  begin to read.
• Encourage parents to read to learners at home in
  their own language since this makes the
  transition to reading English easier.

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• Speaking practice should be encouraged as much as
  possible both in school and when students are
  away from the school.
• Repetitive choral readings, songs, and chants
  allow students to practice the rhythm and stress
  of the language in addition to teaching them more
  vocabulary.
• Total physical response activities where actions
  are performed and objects manipulated, give
  meaningful listening practice that is reinforced
  by the physical element.
• Listening stations where students can listen to
  stories and information about topics connected to
  classwork, are a valuable language-learning
  strategy.

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• Develop oral vocabulary first if children are not
  literate in their won language and use ESL
  materials to introduce letters and words
  gradually.
• An interactive reading approach that combines
  sight-whole word, directed, and shared reading,
  and phonics is most effective for learning
  English as a second language.
• Authentic writing opportunities should be used as
  much as possible
• e.g., notes home, letters asking for information
  students need, messages to other students, etc.

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ESL Teaching Learning Methods

• A variety of writing activities should be used to
  involve students in language.
• Model the writing process and use exemplars
  (models) to bring about writing improvement.
• Dialogue journals are highly effective for
  developing writing ability since students and
  teachers write to each other about
  student-initiated topics.
• Writing errors are not corrected, but teacher
  responses should model the correct form or
  spelling.

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Suggestions for Classroom Teachers

• Model acceptance and respect for ESL students.
• Introduce students to the class and ensure you
  know how to pronounce and spell their names.
• Class volunteers can take new students on a tour
  of the school and point out key areas.

• Assign classroom duties in your daily classroom
  routine.
• Contextualize learning to facilitate
  understanding.
• Alternate assignments should be made available to
  students.
• Allow students more time and use of a dictionary
  during test taking.

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Suggestions for Classroom Teachers

• Allow students to silently observe their peers in
  their daily routine.
• Encourage students to use a variety of resources.
• Encourage students to ask for clarification.
• Place students with learning partners or peer
  tutors who will serve as appropriate role and
  language models.

• Seat students at the side of the classroom beside
  a good student.
• Never pressure, but encourage students to speak.
• Encourage ESL students to reflect on the
  knowledge they already possess.
• Learn a few words or phrases in the students
  native language and teach these to the class.

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Suggestions for Classroom Teachers

• Maintain as much consistency as possible in your
  instructional language.
• Avoid jargon and/or slang expressions.
• Modify classroom language when content is new.
• Articulate what you are doing as you are doing
  it, when appropriate.

• Complement spoken English with items such as real
  objects, pictures, posters, charts, etc.
• Write on the board or overhead projector more
  than usual.
• Record difficult portions of lessons, list
  vocabulary words, and prepare notes.
• Focus on what students can do.

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References

• This presentation was prepared using
• Pennsylvania Department of Education website
• IU1 website
• and
• A Resource Guide for Educators of English Second
  Language Learners
• http//www.nald.ca/province/nb/tesl/guide5.htm
• http//www.nald.ca/province/nb/tesl/guide6.htm
• http//www.nald.ca/province/nb/tesl/guide7.htm

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ESL Activities

• The following site has excellent activities for
  ESL
• http//eslsite.com