The root causes of this problem are societal, as some ESL students feel a sense of embarrassment or self-consciousness when speaking English and do not want to be made fun of or laughed at. There are also pedagogical root causes as others are unfamiliar with the vocabulary and “code switch” because they feel that speaking/learning English is just too hard. They may be tired or frustrated that day and just give up and resort to the language they are most comfortable with, while others revert to their mother tongue because of an attitudinal root cause. This can be because the student is in a power struggle with the teacher and is trying to keep the teacher from knowing what they are saying.
The implications stemming from these problems/current situations is that not speaking English prevents the social integration of the student and therefore the student's comfort level in the classroom. The student may feel isolated and this will have a definite negative effect on the student's progress and motivation. Their learning and reading will be delayed and will snowball into the student making less and less of an effort to use English until it eventually leads to the reverting back into the full use of their first language.
To promote the use of English only in the classroom, teachers should encourage students to use English and ONLY English only in the classrooms.
This can be done in a number of ways:
Strategies/Recommendations:
-establish clear and set rules for speaking English in the classroom
-penalize students for speaking a language other than English (for eg. by having them sing an English song, can be done standing or sitting at their desk)
-move closer when asking a question, such as “what did you say?”
-speak slowly/loudly/clearly/pronounce all letters/syllables in a word clearly, use pauses (eg. ice-cream = i, ss, pause k, reea, mmm)
-simplify vocabulary/sentence structure
-put up a word wall with pictures with frequently used words/phrases
-record the lesson so that ESL students can listen to the lesson more than once and become familiar with vocabulary specific to certain subjects
-as you speak, write down key words on the board (chalkboard/smartboard) so that ESL students will be able to associate the word visually and phonetically
-plan activities where ESL students are placed in small groups of two or three with English-speaking students so that they will be more likely to participate
-read aloud stories and ask the ESL student to summarize what was read
-use pictures, charts and timelines to make the material more “ESL friendly”
-keep a vocabulary/glossary book for each subject for the student
-begin with easier sentences and activities to allow ESL students to experience early successes to help build confidence
-set short term language goals that are attainable (eg. one week)
-simplify vocabulary and recycle new words through repetition
-give clear, explicit instructions, combine instructions with numbers and words they are familiar with so that they can follow the logical sequence of instructions
-allow sufficient response time (Be Patient!)
-make frequent use of a variety of concrete and visual supports (eg. graphic organizers)
--adapt programs to enable students to be successful. (Differentiated learning) This may include modifications to some of the curriculum expectations and/or accommodations which might include the use of bilingual dictionaries or extra time for completing tests. Feeling of success will motivate students to strive for a higher levels of learning
-use many non-verbal cues (such as facial expressions, miming with hands/feet/body)
-seat them near classmates who will provide support and language modeling
-provide positive feedback for their efforts
-brainstorm with the class ways in which all students can make the classroom a welcoming place for the ESL student
-demonstrate/model ways that all students in the class can be helpful to the ESL students
Fun Ways Of Engaging ESL Students:
-use music (play same song in English and song of first language of ESL student, many English songs are translated into other languages)
- use toys, math manipulatives, pictures, charts, flashcards, key visuals, posters, and banners.
-demonstrate procedures and provide related hands-on activities.
-have them make story maps using drawings as well as sentences to break down a story into small chunks/easier to comprehend
- provide key visuals to support themes, and to help bring language to life
(e.g., from magazines, newspapers, posters, flyers, the Internet)
- give ESL students classroom jobs to perform, to assist with socialization and orientation (e.g., distributing classroom materials, monitoring attendance, going on errands)
- find out what the student’s interests are and use this information to create related assignments to engage them and to encourage the use of English.
- encourage participation in extracurricular activities as increased opportunities for language acquisition
- allow students to demonstrate their understanding of a concept in alternative ways (e.g. demonstration, drama, pictures)
-use real objects to teach vocabulary (e.g. articles of clothing, leaves and acorns, fruits and vegetables)
-learn and use words and phrases from the student’s first language to clarify instructions and key concepts
-design lessons and activities and choose resources that take into account students’ background knowledge and experiences (eg. use different cultural versions of same stories such as North American version of Cinderella and Egyptian Cinderella.
-encourage students to share information about their own first language and culture and experience immigrating to a new country to raise awareness for all (could be done through using a program such as “Bit Strips” so students can make their own comic
**On a final note, classrooms need to feel comfortable and safe in order for any student to learn, especially an ESL student. This can only be achieved through the patience, empathy and support of not only the teacher but their fellow students as well.
Prepared for you by Susan.
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