Top 10 List of Considerations for
Educators regarding ESL (in no particular order)
1. Professional Development – In “Myths and Delusions: English Language Instruction in Canadian Schools”, Mary Meyers mentions about the myth that “all teachers are ESL teachers.” Although teachers may have ELLs in their classrooms, not all teachers have had the professional development to effectively program for them. There are Additional Qualifications and workshops available for teachers to attend, but finding the time and/or money to do so when there are other competing areas of professional development can be daunting. In the ESL/ELD workshops that I have attended at my school board, I have noticed that there is a large turnout of ESL/ELD teachers while classroom teachers are in much smaller numbers, if any. It seemed that teachers were thinking that if the workshop had ESL/ELD in its title, it must only be for ESL/ELD teachers when in fact it would be beneficial for classroom teachers as well. I think that the idea from Henry Monroe Middle School of using OFIP to create release time for teachers to meet as a team to address the needs of ELLs is one way to address professional development. Another idea is to have “Lunch and Learn” mini-workshops.
2. Parent Communication – Communication between the school and the parents of our ELLs is very important. The partnership between them can affect the education of our ELLs. I found it interesting in the video about Henry Monroe Middle School that they had a translator available at parent workshops, an interim report card in mid-October, and a school bus that was hired to bring parents to interviews. These are just some of the ways that teachers can maintain a connection with parents. Every school will be different but identifying what is needed to communicate with the parents of our community and then addressing them goes a long way. Other ideas can include: monthly newsletters, using translators at school events such as Open House (Curriculum Night), Welcome to Kindergarten and student/parent/teacher conferences.
3. Dual language resources – Having such material allows ELLs to feel more comfortable about using both L1 and L2 in the classroom. It also makes them feel valued since their L1 is represented.
4. Appropriate teaching strategies – I found that when I was teaching at the junior level much of the available reading material for subjects such as science and social studies was heavy in language with some or few visuals. It was important that I used visuals, real-life examples, connections to the cultures of my ELLs and other teaching strategies to support their learning in academic language.
5. Cultural Aspects – In “The ESL Kids in My Class”, there is an appendix on Cultural Considerations. I think it is important for educators to keep this is mind as what we expect in Canada in terms of behaviour and education can be different from what our ELLs have experienced. The differences can clash, but with teacher guidance and understanding, ELLs can bridge between the different cultures.
6. Support for Kindergarten ELLs – In “Myths and Delusions: The State of ESL in Large Canadian School Boards”, Mary Meyers states that “Non-English speaking Kindergarten students don't receive specific support to build the foundations of language.” I think that, as teachers, we should be demanding support for ELLs at any age, not just from grade one and upwards. There is currently a document called “Supporting English Language Learners in Kindergarten: A practical guide for Ontario educators”, but I do not think that is enough when schools have not been allocated the support needed for Kindergarten ELLs.
7. Team teaching - In “The ESL Kids in My Class”, there is an appendix on Classroom Success. For a classroom teacher to implement all the supports, it can be overwhelming. I think that team teaching can help with this. Working with other grade team teachers, the teacher librarian and the ESL/ELD teacher is an effective use of time and resources to implement activities for ELLs.
8. ELLs who have learning difficulties – It is important that teachers think about their assessments and data collection when considering the idea that an ELL may have a learning difficulty. For some students, time and appropriate strategies is what they need. For others, it may be a learning difficulty. Every possibility should be explored and information gathered before jumping to the conclusion that an ELL has a learning difficulty.
9. BICS and CALP - “Conversational competency does not equal academic success.” (The ESL Kids in My Class) – Teachers need to consider that although ELLs may develop excellent Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and appear to know English well, it does not mean that they have acquired the academic language needed for success. It is at this point that teacher support is needed for CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiencies).
10. Teacher Talk – The list provided on page 17 of “The ESL Kids In My Class” is something that all teachers should be aware of when speaking with ELLs. With the time that we have to teach the curriculum, teachers can feel rushed in trying to cover the important curriculum aspects. We need to remember that our teacher talk can impact on how much ELLs will understand.