How to Support English Language Learners in NON-ELD/ESL Classes:)

ELL Teacher Pros                                               September, 2016

Contributions of ELLs to Society                  Mawi Asgedom (T.E.D.)

Too often of late we hear that immigrants are a drain on society, a dangerous threat, predators, terrorists, etc.  As an educator who has spent her entire life working to support immigrants’ efforts to learn the language, graduate from high school, and go on to college, I can say that immigrants are one of America’s greatest strengths.  Mawi Asgedom is living proof of this.

Here is a man who came to the United States as a refugee from Ethopia with no English.  One can only imagine what went through his mind as all he heard, saw, and experienced was new and, in a way, alien.  The ELLs who come into our classes are often a bit overwhelmed.  Such students have so much to share, but are hampered by their lack of familiarity with this culture.  The one vehicle to ease the stress and assist such students in being fully integrated into our school culture (and society at large) is via the typical ESL/ELD classroom (or being with teachers trained in supporting such students in their mixed classrooms).  Dr. Asgedom was fortunate to have support from caring educators who never gave up on him and that led him to Harvard where he earned his doctorate.  With such experience, he has made it his mission to support immigrant youth through his travels around the states addressing educators at every level. 

So what can individual teachers do to support immigrant students in their classrooms?  Here is a short list (feel free to add to it):

1.     For mainstream teachers with ELLs in their classrooms, here are 12 ways to accommodate them.

2.     Build a family-like atmosphere in the classroom where are openly encouraged to help their classmates.  When small group work is called for, be sure that each small group allows the ELL to contribute with the help of the group.  Using this approach, not only does the student acquire English via content activities, but also the native speaker learns about different cultures in a personal way.

3.     Adjust assignments in ways that allow the ELL to show understanding of the content without getting bottled down in language.  Language will evolve over time through both direct (ESL/ELD teachers can assist here) and indirect instruction (content classes). 

4.     Build a classroom full of cultural contributions of all the groups (and then some) present in the classroom.  Be sensitive to cultural holidays that may not be part of their culture.  If a teacher wants to do Christmas, that teacher should also recognize the special holidays of other religious groups/cultures.  Such sensitivity teaches students to be culturally more receptive to different experiences and not fear them.

5.     Make an effort to learn to pronounce the names of ELLs correctly.  For some languages it may take some effort, but students will love and respect a teacher for trying.

6.     Keep ELLs relatively close to the front if the classroom is set up the traditional way.  This way it is easier to monitor them.  Place them next to students who love to socialize.  Socializers LOVE to talk so when small group work is called for, this group jumps at the opportunity to actively engage the quieter ones in the group’s discussion.  Sometimes, believe it or not, kids are better at getting a message across than teachersJ

7.     Discuss student’s progress with other teachers who have him/her in their classes.  It will offer insight into different ways to reach the student.

8.     Encourage parents to text/call you if they have concerns.

I have worked with immigrants for over 35 years and have truly enjoyed every moment of it. 

Hope September has gone well.  Only 8 more weeks until Thanksgiving (humor intended).

Denise (denise@ellteacherpros.com)

Marnie (marnie@ellteacherpros.com)

Cheryl (cheryl@ellteacherpros.com)

P.S.  Don’t forget to follow us on the following sites:

Pinterest (pinner dmcyberteacher---almost 8,000 followers and growing)

Twitter (@ell_teacherpros---4,400 followers)

Facebook (ELL Teacher Pros 180 followers)

Teaching Successes With ELLs (blog)-102,000+ page views

Top Suggestions to Keeping Sanity Through the Next Three Months:)

It is hard to believe that March is already here!  The end of the school year is just around the corner.  I guess when teachers enjoy what they do, they lose track of time--I know I do:)

So how can teachers make it to June without burning out?  Let me first share with you what continues to work for me with great success. 

1.  Find time to meet with colleagues.  Friendly chat lowers stress.  Also, a little laughter over the ups and downs of teaching this time of the year is good for the soul (it also lowers blood pressure I am told).  This could be a time to discuss issues which drive you crazy or praise colleagues for successful teaching strategies that they have tried in their classes.  Talk about plans for the spring or summer break.  Make lunch dates with other teachers to get you out of your room:)

2.  Start cleaning out your room.  Throw out the activities that didn't work (and that you found unsuccessful).  Brainstorm some new approaches to lessons that have become a bit too routine (i.e.  boring for you and students).  Challenge yourself to try something new with the next few months being the trial phase (I did that with EDMODO).  This way with the new year, you will be ready to go!

3.  Involve students a bit more in the decision process for a project or two to take them to May.  When students know that their voice has meaning and their decisions valued, they are more enthusiastic about the project!  I am starting such a project tomorrow for my ELLs.  They will pick the topic and have a variety of options to complete the task.  They will also create a scoring rubric with me by which their projects will be scored.

4.  Don't be hard on yourself for plans that fell awry.  It happens to EVERYONE at some time in one's teaching career.  Time to lick one's wounds and move one:)

Here some additional ideas with  3 more months to go:)

Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS
TWITTER @ell_teacherpros (2,085 followers to date)
Pinterest--dmcyberteacher - Denise Stewart - dmcyberteacher@gmail.com
FACEBOOK-ELL TEACHER PROS

Classroom Time Management--A MUST for Common Core Lessons!

For teachers already actively engaged in common core lessons as well as those new to implementing them, they all must grapple with time management:)  How does a teacher release students to project based learning activities built on the lesson concepts without total mayhem setting in?  After all, no learning can take place if students are not trained on how to use their time wisely. 

Spending the first 3-4 weeks of a new school year familiarizing students with class rules and repercussions for breaking them is time well spent.  Once students know the limits, they learn to respect them. That in place, the class is ready to undertake the exciting tasks awaiting them in common core based lessons.

So, setting limits to speech noise levels, time to complete academic tasks, think-pair-share activities, cooperative learning projects, etc. can easily be accomplished by using a timer.  When students hear the timer go off, they know that they have 30 seconds to complete their conversation.  Once the timer has gone off and the class is quiet, the teacher can do random call-ons to see how well the groups tackled the task.

Holding every student accountable to produce work is crucial if they are to do well on final projects.  Calling on volunteers is not effective since those students already know the answers.  It is necessary to take the pulse of entire class learning by calling on those students who don't raise their hands.  If they understand, the lesson is effective.  However, if after calling on 4 or more students who don't know the answer, the teacher knows to re-present the material in a different way to make sure that every student grasps key concepts.

This video on classroom time management  does an excellent job in showing the before and after of a lesson by a new teacher.  Though the teacher being filmed is new, what she learns here with support from her department chair and instructional coach could help any teacher regardless of the number of years spent in the classroom. 

As teachers watch this clip, they can either congratulate themselves for already doing such activities, or contemplate adjusting instructional activities to create a more effective learning environment for students.

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Please FRIEND us on Facebook (ELL TEACHER PROS) and follow us on TWITTER @ell_teacherpros.

Great Classroom Management + Accessible Quality Instruction = Academic Success for ELLs

With the demands of delivering quality instruction based on the new Common Core Standards, teachers might need to hone their classroom management skills to fully engage all students in an orderly productive fashion to master the content material.  A willingness to try new approaches in this area has the potential of motivating all to want to succeed.  Self-confidence soars in a setting where every student has multiple opportunities to interact with the content.

So how might classroom management look like in this 21st century classroom with Common Core Standards?  It is one where students have multiple opportunities to share with partners their understanding of the key points of the lesson.  These interactions are very short and the teacher maintains control throughout.  Is the classroom a little noisier than usual?  Yes, but the noise is evidence of students trying to process the content in a low stress setting.

SEE THE POWER OF SOLID CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY INSTRUCTION--This 6 minute clip is just one example of how highly effective classroom management permits a teacher to deliver lessons.  The teacher use of all three learning styles in her lesson leaves no one out of the instructional process.  Her unique tools fully prep students for the focus of the lesson which is how to solve algebraic equations. 

Weave in some fun approaches in the class routines and see the grades improve:)

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS

Sharp EL377TB 10 Digit Basic Calculator (Google Affiliate Ad)
Texas Instruments TI-1795-SV Desktop Calculator TI-1795SV (Google Affiliate Ad)

Creative Ways to Fully Engage ALL Students in Learning Process!

How does a teacher infuse instruction with enough creative student engagement activities to hold and maintain student attention for the length of the lesson?  It is an issue most teachers grapple with every day since it is their goal to motivate students to want to learn and enjoy the experience every step of the way.  Productive student engagement with regular monitoring on the part of the teacher holds all students accountable to learn.  This approach leaves no student behind.  English language learners especially need this type of active instruction and monitoring.  It is the only way they will acquire both content and English proficiency.

In this video, a national board certified English language arts teacher leads his class through some lessons on  To Kill a Mockingbird.  Though the video is about 26 minutes, it is well worth the view.  Teacher evaluators and coaches are viewing David Preto's English language arts class to see if he has generated a lesson that is more active in its delivery--more directed student engagement.  In this video, evaluators observe the lesson on site as well as on video to see if he is following up on suggestions.  See his skills grow over the full length of the video.  Does he achieve the perfect lesson?  No, but through his willingness to keep honing his skills, it is evident that he will do it.

GREAT STUDENT INVOLVEMENT IN LEARNING PROCESS

As teachers, such self-reflection should be an on-going process for all.  Lesson delivery should be adjusted regularly.  Why?  This is a must because student populations change from year to year.  Also, with the number of English language learners growing from year to year, lessons that worked well 10 years ago with English speaking populations might not run as effectively with this new population. 

In less than 2 weeks, it will be the start of 2013.  A new semester will be here.  Why not shake things up a bit in class by reaching outside the comfort zone and try some new approaches:)

Enjoy your well deserved winter break!

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS


Boardwalk Butcher Paper, 15 x 900', White (Google Affiliate Ad)

Crayola Original Markers - Broad Line, Classic Colors, 10 ct. (Google Affiliate Ad)

Watch Scientist Inspire Diverse Middle Schoolers to Think About Pursuing Careers in the Sciences:)

It is never too early to start inspiring students of all ages and backgrounds to think about their future careers.  Though students know that school is there to assist them in planning for their lives beyond high school, they often times fail to make connections between courses and career options.  Including guest speakers on a monthly basis, for example, is one very effective way to tap student interest in the subject matter and link career options to it. 

With an upcoming shortage of scientists in many parts of the world, why not start bringing in professionals from various science fields to ignite sparks of interest in the minds of students.  Many of the presenters are trained on how to work with diverse student bodies including ELLs.  Some may have a background in education while others are just naturally talented in assisting kids on making those connections from the classroom to the lab for example. Further, since diversity in the workforce is increasingly more common than in the past, it would be possible to have female/male speaker representatives from all the ethnic groups.  This would be quite empowering for minorities especially.

BEST PRACTICES FOR SCIENTISTS VISITING CLASSROOMS

Notice how Daniele Bergeron, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, delivers a presentation on careers in science and in doing so, employs many tried and true instructional techniques to capture and then maintain student interest.  In fact, this would be a wonderful video to share with teachers in general since Daniele uses many checks-for-understanding, has excellent classroom management skills, employs short videos to spark interest, validates all answers without passing judgement, relates academic concepts to student background knowledge, addresses academic vocabulary by relating it to what they know, has a great sense of humor, etc. 

Share this with colleagues who rarely try new approaches.  It might motivate them to do something different:)

Denise
ELL TEACHER PROS

Epson VS210 SVGA 3LCD Projector V11H433020 (Google Affiliate Ad)
Acer A200 Iconia Tablet, 16 GB, Titanium Gray XE.H8QPN.001 (Google Affiliate Ad)