Accelerating English Language Learning: Classroom Tools and Techniques

A research paper submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Teaching Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of TorontoEnglish language learning for foreign and international students is a facet of Canadian schools that has become the norm for all educators in the field. The task that faces English learners is an immense one: to learn a foreign language, in a foreign environment, with little understanding of the culture surrounding them, leads to many difficulties for these students both in the social and academic realm. This study aims to query the field of English language learning and uncover techniques and tools with which educators can accelerate the English language learning of their foreign and international students, thereby allowing these students to more quickly adapt to the new environments around them. A qualitative study, interviewing two teachers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), revealed some of the classroom techniques that educators use to promote the language learning of their students, and some of the issues English language learners (ELLs) continue to face. These observations were supported by the literature in this field, which pointed to a number of key factors that can be employed that are proven to improve the language learning of students. The discussion will explore how these many factors, including the influence of a student’s first language, cultural effects, vocabulary acquisition, computer technology, and repetition, interact with another within the average English language learning classroom, and will explore how they can be utilized to accelerate the learning of English language learners