This semester, I am observing in a second grade classroom. The teacher in the classroom has great classroom management skills and is a fun and creative teacher. She always knows how to help struggling students and differentiates her lessons to fit the needs of all of her learners. She has been a teacher for seventeen years now, and this is the first time that she has a student in her class who is an ESL speaker. The ESL student in this class is from Saudi Arabia and speaks Arabic. We discovered the other day that he can speak limited English but he can read English fluently. He can decode words, retell a story, and answer comprehension questions. During all other subjects, he is basically a space cadet. His ESL teacher believes that he speaks English fluently and understands what you say to him when you give him directions.
When you are put in a situation like this, where you have a student who seems to not understand any directions given to him in English, but, it is believed, really speaks and understands English, what do you do? So to my fellow future teachers, I ask your advice. How do you make a student comfortable enough to speak his/her second language in your classroom? What would you do if you had an English language learner (ELL) or English as a Second Language (ESL) student in your classroom? How would you help them? Is there a good way to find out if the ESL teacher is correct? Is this young man really able to speak English? How can we solve the mystery? I await your suggestions.
As a former ESL student, I think I may have some suggestions that may help the ESL student in the class you're observing at. English is taught in many other countries in elementary school, so he probably does understand English, or at least limited English. He might not be confident in speaking English yet. For example, we know and understand other languages, but we are not too comfortable in speaking it. I think he should be encouraged to write things in his own language and have him translate it to English first. I would also have different pictures of nouns and verbs all over the classroom with labels underneath them so he would know what the English word for those different things are. In giving directions, I would do a lot of modeling what I want the students to do and not just simply say what they need to do. I would also have an idiom of the week. It would be used to show high frequency sayings that to both ESL students, as well as, the other students in the class. It would help students use figurative language in their writing and their everyday conversations after I explain the sayings and apply it in my lessons. I would also have the student share a concept from their culture and explain to the class, but only if the student is willing to. The ESL student would share a word or phrase and translate it for the class, while the class tries to come up something similar in American culture. In regards to finding out if he knows English, the ESL teacher should test him by showing him pictures of animals, people, places, and so on, and have three words for him to choose from to correctly label each picture. The ESL teacher should then ask him if he could say the word he picked if it happens to be correct. The teacher could go from easy to more difficult pictures by varying the pictures she or he chooses to have the student label. In doing this, the teacher could roughly figure out how much English the ESL student knows.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very tough situation for both student and teacher. I agree with some of Amelia’s suggestions, first and foremost the teachers need to figure out what literary and verbal level the student is currently on. Once the student has been tested and it is determined that the student knows some English words and the student can follow simple directions then the teachers can put a plan into action. Amelia suggested using pictures for the student to identify objects in the classroom, I agree with this concept. The teacher should create two sets of matching cards which has pictures of the basic necessities of a classroom such as a math book, pencil, tissues, restroom and many more. On the back of each card it should have the word spelled out in English. After the teacher has created both sets of cards she should keep one for herself and give one to the ESL student. The teacher and ESL student can both use these cards for communication purposes. An example of these cards being used in the everyday classroom is when the teacher asks her students to take out their math book, as she is telling her students these specific directions, she would be holding up the card which has the picture of the math book on it. Eventually through this basic communication, the student would be engaged and he would also be learning the English language. I also agreed with Amelia’s suggestion with having the student share something about his culture with his peers. The ESL student probably already feels very out of place, the teacher should set up something with his ESL teacher so that he can share something about his old home. The teacher should also reach out to the parents of the ESL student and suggest that he bring in pictures of his friends from Saudi Arabia which would therefore create a connection between him and all of his peers. This situation is touch, there is no easy answer, all the teacher can do is try to keep the child engaged, create modifications within all of her lesson plans and constantly communicate with the ESL students other teachers to make sure that there is a consistent form of intervention taking place.
ReplyDeleteIf the student feels uncomfortable, the first logical step is to establish an environment where he can be comfortable. Next, would be to raise the level of comfort to one where the student is comfortable speaking even limited English. This requires patience and encouragement largely from the teacher. The teacher can set up situation for the student to answer questions or explain work; the teacher would help the student work through his responses by supplying words the student may struggle with. The teacher can have the class as a whole gradually learn some of the Arabic words the student frequently needs substituting to enhance their learning experience. As for the other classes, the teachers could have printed instructions for all assignments that the student could read aloud for the class as practice; these instructions would also obviously allow the student to keep up with the classwork. If more examples are provided and reinforced for the student to practice speaking English aloud (without fear of ridicule), the student will gradually gain more proficiency with the English language.
ReplyDeleteHaving any sort of visualization is definitely the best method to help ESL students with the English language. I agree with Amelia's suggestion--maybe the teacher can label the classroom for him as a starting point. I think of it like a Spanish classroom to most of us primary-English speakers... the classroom is labeled with different Spanish words to help us comprehend the words more.
ReplyDeleteWhen I observed in an ESL classroom last year, the teacher was working with a Korean student who felt more confident about any verbal or written assignments when there were pictures on the worksheet. Later in the worksheet there were no pictures and the boy felt slightly uncomfortable. But if the child receives plenty of support from the teacher, he will be able to work through the worksheet.
Personal experiences can also help ESL students improve on the language. He may just need to practice with the language. Maybe see if the teacher can incorporate some creative writing, or even some personal writing or discussion into the classroom.
They also say that teaching another language at a young age helps them comprehend the language more. Second grade is still a good age for the boy to broaden his English... it is not too late!
It is indeed a difficult situation as a teacher to deal with. I have expierenced this quite often coming from a district where there are a lot of ESL students. Often, as teachers, we find it a bit fustrating to get everyone on the same learning level basis because we only want what is best for our students, but realistically, not everyone in our classroom will be on the same level.
ReplyDeleteI agree a lot with having visualizations. I expiernce this in my observation field at my school. There is a young boy who has trouble understanding direction, but once it is modeled and there are clear pictures in front for him, he then understands what is being asked of him.
A lot of verbal communication with the student is important as well. You want the student to participate in daily activities within lessons involving groups. The more the child has a good relationship and good communication skills with other students will boost his self esteem. You must also remember, although the student may not speak or understand much English, you do not know yet of his capabilities in the classroom. He may be on the same level as other students, his language is his only barrier.
The teacher can incorporate fun activities that cater to his needs as well as the other students to get him to participate more.
Again, there is so much that can be done with an ESL learner, it is just a matter of getting the student and the whole class to be interested and learn, both from their peers and the community around them !
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ReplyDeleteMy main suggestion is to be patient with the ESL or ELL student. This is the only way to find out if he or she is truly able to speak and understand English. For example, do not call on the student to speak in front of his or her classmates if the student is not raising his or her hand. If the question that needs to be answered is even slightly above the ESL or ELL student’s ability level, being forced to answer the question can be very embarrassing and scarring for the student. The student will also likely lose trust in the teacher for putting him or her in the uncomfortable situation, and then the openness between the student and educator is in jeopardy of being destroyed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if I had an ELL or ESL student in my classroom, I would work towards raising this student’s self-esteem by having him or her teach the rest of the class a native poem or story. Hopefully, the ELL or ESL student will notice that his or her peers also struggle with learning foreign stories and words. The student might be less ashamed and self-conscious about not readily understanding all of the English words that his or her peers easily understand, after realizing that the peers also struggle with a language that is not native to their own country.
Another thing I would be sure to do upon finding out that there would be an ELL or ESL in my class, is research the particular native traditions regarding child-adult interactions in that student’s native country. In some countries, it is a sign of disrespect for a child to look an adult in the eye. Also, it is a sign of disrespect to offer an answer to an adult without directly being addressed; raising a hand and readily offering a thought or opinion is shame-worthy. In America, adults tend to think that students are not paying attention if they are not looking the teacher or speaker in the eyes. Also in America, praise is given to students who raise their hands and answer questions. Teachers of students who are ELLs and ESLs should be very cautious of mistaking a new student’s lack of eye contact or unwillingness to speak to an adult without being spoken to a sign of disrespect or unintelligence, when in actuality it is simply a part of the culture of that student’s native country.
I would also match an ELL or ESL student with a trustworthy, kind peer mentor. Being in a new country and trying to become comfortable with new customs AND understand a second language is very overwhelming for a child. On top of that, there are many classroom norms, school norms, and unspoken customs and rules that exist within public schools across America. A peer mentor could help to make the ELL or ESL student feel more comfortable by disclosing classroom expectations and helping the student find his or her way from class to class. Positive peer interactions might lead an ELL or ESL to feel comfortable in his or her new setting, and therefore more open to communicating in class and engaging in the course material.
The fact that this veteran teacher has never had an ESL student in her 17 years of teaching is pretty surprising in today’s society with all the diversity we are exposed to. I feel that the fact that he is able to read English, decode, retell facts from a story, and show comprehension is a solid foundation to build on. I wonder what makes the ESL teacher think that he is able to understand given directions and even speak the English language fluently. I feel that by either teacher reaching out to this young man’s parents/family member to inquire if they have any input on the matter could benefit the situation. What I would suggest is making the student a visual schedule to be posted on his desk so that he may refer to it throughout the day to establish some expectations. I would assign a class member to be a peer mentor to model what is expected as well. As a teacher I would also model what it is I am expecting the student to do whenever possible. I would also use gestural prompts when necessary as I feel verbal prompts would be more invasive and confusing for this ESL student. Using positive reinforcement whenever he follows rules and directions would most likely increase the targeted responses as well. -Morgan Abrams
ReplyDeleteI feel that teachers need to be extremely patient with ESL and ELL children (although at times it may be different). If the student seems to be able to read English with no problems, maybe the teacher can give him written instructions and then gradually ease him into verbal instructions. I think that the teacher could work with parents/guardians at the student's home to see what would work best for him. Maybe this child could benefit from a communication board until he feels comfortable. I think that the teacher could just try to observe the student when he is not in an academic setting and watch how he interacts with his peers (that way the teacher can see if he is using English to communicate with his classmates).
ReplyDeleteHaving an ESL student in a classroom requires extra modifications in lesson plans and a proactive methodology by the teacher. I agree with that it is a tough situation for both student and teacher but both can learn and grow from the experience. I really like Amelia’s suggestion of having the student write in his own language and then translate it (the teacher or ESL teacher would have to assist). The student could read texts written in English and write his thoughts and responses in his native language. After the translation, the teacher would share the English version and compare it to the Arabic. This may make the student see correlations between the two languages as well as teach him English syntax.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I would also have vocabulary cards with common objects listed in the classroom. These cards would be labeled and identified in both English and Arabic. This would enhance English vocabulary for the ESL student but would also enhance Arabic language for the rest of the class. As mentioned earlier, this is a learning experience for all. I think Jennifer’s idea of the teacher holding up the cards when giving verbal instructions is excellent. The ESL student may not be able to understand her orally but can understand the picture and follow the directions. Having picture cards can also help the student visualize the relationship between objects and words.
During one of my observations, a few semesters ago, I was in a third grade classroom that had an ESL student. She had just moved from Peru and knew very little English. The teacher went out of his way to make her feel comfortable and included Spanish into every lesson. For example, during science, he was explaining the basic principles of a solid, liquid, and gas and made double sided picture cards. He said the word in English, displaying the English side of the card, before flipping it and saying the Spanish translation. He would say the word in Spanish again before having the entire class repeat it back to him. The students absolutely loved the opportunity to learn a new Spanish word. I thought the teacher did a fabulous job of blending and incorporating the two languages. Today’s society is becoming very diverse and it is not uncommon to have ESL students in classrooms.
This is a very difficult situation but with time and patience I think the student will come out of his shell. He may just feel uncomfortable to speak English. I agree with Jennifer's idea that using matching cards with pictures on them to direct the student, especially since the teacher believes him to be able understand some directions. He will eventually be able to put the picture and English word together.
ReplyDeleteLast semester I observed in a second grade classroom with a student who was extremely shy and would whisper when called on by the teacher. Throughout my time there she started to talk more with her peers in a normal tone of voice. Something that made her feel good about herself and able to speak in a normal tone in front of the class was when the teacher did a unit of Chinese New Year. This really hit home for her. She was able to speak some Chinese since her parents speaks the language fluently. The teacher asked the student questions that she would know the answers to and this made her feel special. She brought in different items she had at her house related to the Chinese New Year. She even spoke in front of the class and was able to tell the class how to say different terms in Chinese. This is not totally the same situation since she was able to speak English just a very shy student but this goes to show that with comfort and support the student will be ok. It would be a good idea to have him share something from his own language. The other students would be very curious and excited to learn something new, especially from their own peer!
Christina Calvitto