Finding Universal Strategies (Online Reflection #4)

It never fails to impress me when somebody knows more than one language. I tried in vain for years to learn Spanish, and for some reason, it just never clicked. This is why when I look at the English Language Learners (ELL) in my classroom, I know that they are capable of so much. Randy Bomer points out that not everyone believes this is the case: “Unfortunately, educators too often tend to see students who speak languages other than English as their first language as deprived rather than rich, as problems to fix rather than resources to draw upon” (41). I never want to look at any of my students as “problems,” and this is why I think learning how best to assist ELL students is so important.

During the last month as I have been preparing my KPTP, I have had many questions regarding ELL students in my classroom. My Mentor Teacher introduced me to an ELL teacher in the building, and she is an English language learner herself, hailing from Hungary.

She answering many of my lingering questions, but of everything she told me, the main idea that stuck with me was that the methods we use to teach ELL students are methods that are beneficial to all of our students, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to always be utilizing strategies that will improve ELL reading and writing. I also realized that talking to other teachers is your building will only ever benefit you, and she was happy to help, so remember to not feel like a burden!

In their overview of language acquisition, Kristina Robertson and Karen Ford offer many instructional strategies that will benefit ELL students that I think will benefit all of my students. They do caution that “teachers often get frustrated when ELL students appear to be fluent because they have strong social English skills, but then they do not participate well in academic projects and discussions” (Robertson and Ford). I have noticed when reading essays that my students have written, the writing level seems much lower than the speaking skills displayed in class. I think it will be important for me as I move forward in my teaching profession to understand that this is common and to follow some of Robertson and Ford’s strategies to best serve all of my students.

When students are at higher stages of learning a language, which all of my senior students are at, it is important to know that you can correct some errors. Correcting all errors, for ELL students and students who speak English as their first language, is oftentimes nothing but a confidence drainer. Robertson and Ford note, “Error correction should be done very intentionally and appropriately according to student language ability.” It’s good to know that some error correction may be helpful, but I do wonder if error correction should only be done on student writing, because correction of speech in front of others may be seem as embarrassing to students. I never want to embarrass anyone or make it seem like I’m only focusing on the negatives of their language skills. Finding a balance between correcting and letting some mistakes go will be important so I can always best assist ELL students and never leave them feeling defeated.

Other areas to focus on for ELL students are offering “visual support, building on background knowledge, pre-teaching vocabulary and making connections between content areas” (Robertson and Ford). This is where the advice from the ELL teacher in my building really comes into play, because doing all of these things will help ALL of my students be successful, with the added benefit of making sure ELL students are receiving all the support they need.

So far in my placement I have done a lot of work with vocabulary, but I hope to explore better methods to teach in the future. Last semester when the students were talking the vocabulary test I made, many of the students who failed were ELL. My mentor teacher noted this and I went to speak with all of them, but three of them said they just didn’t study. I still don’t know if they had trouble with the test because they were ELL or because they didn’t study, but I think it may be a bit of both. This is why I hope to explore different teaching methods and types of tests so I can feel confident that my ELL students are never at a disadvantage.

Moving forward, I want to focus on building up a repertoire of strategies that go beyond basic correction, and I want to build on the different languages and cultures my students have to offer.

Bomer, Randy. Building Adolescent Literacy in Today’s English Classrooms.

            Heinemann, 2011.

Robertson, Kristina and Karen Ford. “Language Acquisition: an Overview.” Colorin

Colorado, http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-

overview#h-stages-of-language-acquisition.