In recent years data has shown that English Language Learners are the biggest student population in the country. In the 2020-2021 school year there were 145,723 ELL’s, citywide in NYC public schools. In comparison to the 2019-2020 school year, there were 142,096 ELL’s enrolled citywide. Over 61% of these kids are Spanish speakers followed by Chinese, Arabic, Bengali and 6 other languages (2019-2020 ELL Demographics, n.d.). But how exactly do these children get classified as English Language Learners? Well, when kids are enrolled for the first time in a NYC school their parents complete a survey that lets school staff know which language the child speaks at home. If the parents’ response indicates that the child speaks a language other than English at home, the school may or may not perform the identification test for ELLs. Depending on what they score, that will show if the child needs a special program and services in supporting them learning English. Then that’s when the child will be identified as an English Language Learner.
When growing up, I was an English Language Learner myself. My parents moved from Mexico to the United States. I’m the first child of my family and the first to have ever attended a NYC public school. Everything was extremely hard for me and my parents. They didn’t know how to speak English, so it was hard for them to communicate to the school what my needs were. I remember I was 5 when I stepped into a school for the very first time. I didn’t know what or why I was there but all I can remember is crying for a whole month straight because I didn’t want to go to school. At the time I didn’t speak anything other than Spanish since that’s what I had learned and been accustomed to at home. I vividly remember getting homework and not being able to do it because it was in English. Neither I nor my mom were able to understand it. My kindergarten teacher was Hispanic. But even then, she didn’t talk to me in Spanish unless she really had to. When she would talk to me, I remember feeling scared because I didn’t know what she was saying. It was me and about 5 other students that only spoke Spanish. I would realize that they started to catch on and they would say at least a few words in English. However, I could barely even say “My name is Guadalupe.” Turns out I was in an ESL class all along.
ESL stands for English as a Second Language. It’s a special program that helps children become accustomed to the understanding of reading, writing, listening and speaking of the English language. This type of program pushes children to bridge the language spoken at home with the one they are learning in school. The beginning of my elementary school experience was difficult. But I eventually didn’t need to be in an ESL class anymore because I had become fluent in English by the second grade. It was through the support that my teacher put and invested into us. She would have these laminated sheets around the room that would be labeled what that item was called in English and below it what it was called in Spanish. For example, the toys section would have a sheet on top that said toys and below, it would be translated into Spanish. Now looking back, I know it was the little things that made me feel comfortable in the space I was learning in that also helped me learn English quicker. Overall, the connections that my teacher built with us, and our families, was amazing. They always made sure they were up to date with what we were doing and found any chance to have our parents come in and see us learning.
If we look at approaches that schools and teachers would take to support ELLs during the years I was in elementary school, chances are they are way different than what schools are doing now. I had the opportunity to interview a 3rd grade teacher, Vanessa C., and ask her how her experience being an English Language Learner was and what she is doing now in her own class to help support her students for whom English isn’t their first language. “Learning English was hard for me; it took me all of kindergarten all the way to second grade to be able to say full sentences that had meaning and sounded somewhat fluent.” Vanessa spoke about how her parents would always be on top of her schoolwork, always making sure she learned something new each week whether it was a word or a simple letter. “I remember my teacher would try and put me with someone who spoke more English than me when we did partner readings or simple worksheets.” She described how she would feel embarrassed because she felt like she was annoying her partner/s every time she would try to read because she would read slowly trying to pronounce every letter in a word. She felt as if most of the work and material she was learning was through her classmates rather than her teacher. In fact, she didn’t feel much support from her teacher, every time she would ask for help, she didn’t get what she asked for. Now as an educator herself she can see why it may have been challenging for her teachers growing up to be able to give her the help she would hope for. “Now as I have a classroom of my own and 28 students I am preparing for the next grade, it has been quite difficult making sure every child’s needs are supported.” “I model a dual language class, which basically means that I am teaching in both Spanish and English.” She expressed to me that it is easier said than done. She follows the same curriculum as she normally would; however, she uses different techniques to make sure her students are getting as much use of the language they are spending for that time. Most of what she teaches is done through visuals and props. She wants to make sure her students can see what she is trying to teach visually and make room for them to hold conversations in both languages without feeling like they’re doing something wrong. Vanessa emphasizes that the techniques she uses in her classroom to connect both languages in her lessons can easily be used by teachers who may or may not have ELL’s in their classrooms. One being pairing more advanced English speakers with ones who are still having a hard time learning it. Or reading books as a class related to a specific language and its culture. And doing follow up activities where her kids can talk to each other and do hands on work. It’s important for her to make sure that her students are getting the education they need. She also knows how hard parents work with their children at home as well to give her that extra hand when they are not with her in school. Her first year becoming an educator, she knew that she still had more to learn, different strategies and approaches she could incorporate in her classroom to support her students. Now as she wraps up her 3rd year of teaching, she knows why she chose this as her career. She wants to give kids the opportunity to learn and encourage them to believe in themselves even when they feel like they can’t do it anymore.
Having said all of that, it’s important that educators and future ones are able to take approaches and set an environment that will help English Language Learners through their journey. But how can we do this? In a handbook for beginning teachers, they talk about what educators can do to support ELLs in their classrooms. “Get to know as much of the students’ cultures as possible through reading about their culture, speaking with the ESL specialist or parents, and from observation of the students themselves” (Key, 2004). Although representing and learning about students’ cultures can be seen in many ways, it’s important that we are able to appreciate the diversity within our classrooms. This also comes hand in hand with the environment we are setting for these children. Getting to know the student and making them feel included is also something that can create that student and teacher connection. Before even teaching anything, getting to know their strengths and interests is the foundation of it all. Knowing where they are coming from, how exactly they got into your class all ties to getting to know the students. Also taking into consideration the rest of the students because we also care about them and their needs. But specifically for ELLs, seating the student near the front of the classroom or even near the teacher’s desk. That way they feel like they know what’s going on and can easily ask questions if need be. There are many ways in which teachers can include and get to know the student better. The goal here is to motivate our learners to participate whether it’s in their native language or in English.
Another approach we can take to ensure that we are helping English Language Learners is by providing opportunities for them to practice speaking English. Speaking in front of the whole class can be quite nerve wracking, especially when you don’t know what is going on most of the time. Pairing kids who aren’t as fluent in English with those who are advanced English speakers can give them the opportunity to practice it. For example, if a child is a native Spanish speaker and they are starting to learn English, pairing them with another Spanish speaker who has more experience with speaking English can be beneficial. Some students tend to work and perform better when they are in small groups rather than one whole large group. There is always room to do Think, Pair, Share. Having that interaction between students doesn’t only help English Language Learners, but everyone else in that class. They are practicing good communication skills as well as listening skills.
Lastly, we need to be mindful of the way we are communicating to the English learners. There are different ways in which we can communicate to these students and make sure they understand what we say. Don’t speak too quickly or too slowly. Talk at a moderate pace so the student can hear every sound that is coming out of your mouth. Also not talking to them in a way where it seems like the teacher has “dumbed it down.” There’s a difference between simplifying the language and dumbing it down. Another big one is educators should have good control of their body language(Robertson, 2021). The way we approach things using gestures, tone, the way we move around the classroom says a lot about a teacher. Students tend to read body language before anything, if they see that your body language is welcoming, they will approach you for help. “Teachers being human, we have our ups and downs too. We have our stressful days. The kids clue into that… being honest with yourself is important” (Luu, 2018). At the end of the day, we are all human, and it is normal for teachers to not be on it 100% every single day. But if the teacher starts to realize a difference in the child’s behavior or learning that is negative, then that’s when the teacher has to question themselves. “Could it be that this child is having a hard time understanding a certain topic because of the way that I’ve been explaining it.” Or “is this child scared to approach me because of how serious my tone of voice is?” The way an educator uses themselves in a classroom and communicates to their kids is key. When a teacher models both of those aspects in their classroom in a positive way, that impacts the quality of learning that the kids are receiving.
Supporting ELLs doesn’t only happen in the classroom between a student and a teacher. It can also be done with their parents. Looking for ways to build relationships with ELL families is key to supporting them in their journey as well. This doesn’t only depend on the teacher, but the school administration can cater to this. Creating opportunities to get to know the families preferred ways of communication, whether it’s through phone call or text. That way they are also up to date with anything related to their child’s education. Creating conversations that can help school staff see families’ perspectives on schooling based on the experiences within their culture (Breiseth, 2021).
Being inclusive and intentional is important when supporting English Language Learners. The key here is to believe in the child and believe in the educator. Through so many different approaches, ELL’s can be supported. Whether it’s through the classroom environment, their seat in the classroom or simple but purposeful conversations with peers and school staff. Encouraging these learners that it’s okay to make mistakes, with time their confidence will grow. And as for educators, if one strategy doesn’t work, there’s always more to choose from, just as long as we try one new thing at a time.
References:
Breiseth, L. (2021, August). Communicating with ell families: 10 strategies for schools. NEA. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/communicating-ell-families-10-strategies
Luu, A.M.. (2018). Why positive body language matters when working with ELLs. YouTube. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PHNb60Ibw8&t=1s.
Key, E. (2014, June 12). Professional Development School > Penn State College of Education. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://old.ed.psu.edu/pds/elementary/intern-resources/esl-handbook/supporting-ells
Robertson, K. (2021, September 1). Supporting ells in the mainstream classroom: 12 strategies for language instruction. Colorín Colorado. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/supporting-ells-mainstream-classroom-12-strategies-language-instruction
2019-2020 ell demographics: At-a-glance – infohub.nyced.org. (n.d.). Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://infohub.nyced.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/sy-2019-20-ell-demographics-at-a-glance.pdf