Supporting English Language Learners in the Elementary and Secondary Classrooms: How to Get Started

Abstract

H ow to instruct and communicate with nonEnglish proficient students in the regular classroom is a common fear for teachers at all levels. Some frequent questions are, "How do I know how much English they can speak and read?" "How do I teach them the content if they don't understand what I'm saying?" "How do I know they understand the lesson objectives, if I don't understand what they are saying?" "What if I offend them?" Regular education teachers have limited time for professional development specific to educating non-English proficient students, therefore, this article develops from the experiences of regular educators and attempts to provide classroom teachers with the initial steps for accommodating English Language Learners (ELL) in their classrooms. Step 1 -Access Background Knowledge Teachers should first investigate and discover what the students already know. Before classes begin, teachers should study school records and talk with other teachers. Test scores, possible referrals to special education, information from ELL teachers, and reports from counselors found in a student's permanent record could contribute to an overall picture of the student's profile. Independent Education Plans (IEP), found in permanent records, explain how the classroom teacher can accommodate or modify instruction and learning activities for an ELL student. In the case of a student new to the school, records transfer from the former school before the student is admitted, so written information should still be available. If, though, a student has not been in school and has no record, a teacher must be more proactive; search for alternative sources and ask about the referral process for obtaining an IEP. To discover an individual's level of language development, teachers should confer with ELL instructors and study test results. Some school districts give proficiency tests to assess language Supporting English Language Learners in the Elementary and Secondary Classrooms: How to Get Started Glee Whitsett: University of Montevallo Janie Hubbard: University of Alabama Learning how to communicate and instruct non-English proficient students in a regular classroom is a challenging task, especially for novice teachers. New teachers need to overcome fear, insufficient pedagogical knowledge, and lack of teaching experience; therefore, getting started can be the most overwhelming part of the process. This article attempts to provide regular education teachers with the initial steps for accommodating English Language Learners (ELL) in their classrooms. Perspectives from both elementary and secondary classroom settings are compared, and practical advice about how to assess students' prior knowledge, select teaching strategies, and assess students' ongoing progress is included and discussed