English-language learner: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 12:06, 4 July 2011

Revision as of 12:13, 4 July 2011

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=== Culture ===

Culture is the third issue that may not always be recognized in a mainstream classroom. Many teachers overlook culture and try to jump right into English and content knowledge without knowing their students backgrounds. Teachers need to be open to learning new cultures and having their student embrace all cultures in the classroom. By taking great strives to learn about each other’s values and beliefs the teacher and student would not only maximize the effectiveness of ESL but make it a successful learning experience for all involved. A student who is shy or reluctant to answer questions may be more outspoken when talking about their own values that tie in with their home life. An ESL teacher, in a study called Losing Strangeness to Mediate ESL Teaching, “connects culture to religious celebrations and holidays and the fusion invites students to share their knowledge” (Rowsell, Sztainbok, & Blaney, 2007, p.147).<ref name="Rowsell2007">{{cite doi|10.2167/lcc331.0}} p147.<!-- Rowsell, J., Sztainbok, V., & Blaney, J. (2008). Losing strangeness: using culture to mediate esl teaching. --></ref> This will encourage students to open up and talk about their cultural backgrounds and traditions within their family. “Teachers who encourage CLD students to maintain their cultural or ethnic ties promote their personal and academic success”.<ref name="Herrera2007p90">{{Cite book | last = Herrera | first = Socorro | last2 = Murry | first2 = Kevin | last3 = Cabral | first3 | Robin | title = Assessment Accommodations for Classroom Teachers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students | publisher = Pearson/Allyn and Bacon | ___location = Boston | year = 2007 | isbn = 9780205492718 | page = 90 }}</ref> Students should not lose their identity but gain knowledge from their culture and the world around them. Therefore it is beneficial to bring culture into the ESL classroom in order for the students to feel a sense of worth in school and in their lives.

=== Teacher attitude ===

The fourth critical issue is the attitudes of the teachers which plays a major role in the ESL classroom. Some teachers may have a negative, unwelcoming attitude. Research shows that teachers negative attitudes may stem from “chronic lack of time to address ELLs’ unique classroom needs (Youngs, 1999), intensification of teachers workloads when ELLs are enrolled in mainstream classes (Gitlin, Buenda, Crosland & Doumbia, 2003), and feels of profession inadequacy to work with ELLS (Verplaetse, 1998)”.<ref name="Reeves2006p136">{{cite journal | url=http://people.uncw.edu/caropresoe/EDN523/Secondary_MSAttitudes_QE%2BCS.pdf | accessdate = July 4, 2011 | title=Secondary Teacher Attitudes toward including English-Language Learners in Mainstream Classrooms | author=Reeves, Jenelle R. | journal=Journal of Educational Research | year=2006 | volume=99 | pages=131-142 | issn=ISSN-0022-0671}} p136.</ref> Also, the lack of training will have a huge impact on their teaching practices and professional development. The teachers will then be stressed and nervous to go about a lesson. Their anxiety will roll over into the classroom and have a negative impact on the ESL students’ performances. “Teachers’ language-acquisition misconceptions may color their attitudes towards ELLs and ELL inclusion, leading educators to misdiagnose learning difficulties or misattribute student failure to lack of intelligence or effort”.<ref name="Reeves2006p136Reeves2006p139">{{cite journal | url=http://people.uncw.edu/caropresoe/EDN523/Secondary_MSAttitudes_QE%2BCS.pdf | accessdate = July 4, 2011 | title=Secondary Teacher Attitudes toward including English-Language Learners in Mainstream Classrooms | author=Reeves, Jenelle R. | journal=Journal of Educational Research | year=2006 | volume=99 | pages=131-142 | issn=ISSN-0022-0671}} p139.</ref> By providing a good learning environment, it will have a positive effect on the students overall success in terms of linguistic, social, cognitive, and academic developments.

Systematic Integration of Culture, Literature and other Disciplines

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In order to have an environment that is beneficial for the teacher and the student culture, literature, and other disciplines should be integrated systematically into the instruction. “Postponing content-area instruction until CLD students gain academic language skills widens the achievement gap between the learners and their native-English speaking peers” (Herrara, Murry & Cabral, 2007, p. 173). Relating to culture, teachers need to integrate it into the lesson, in order for the students to feel a sense of appreciation and a feeling of self worth. One teacher noticed that her student, Enrique does not like to embrace the fact that he is Spanish or even speak it. She took the initiative to call the parents to address the issue that he believes English is the only way. She decided to incorporate the Spanish word, facile into her lesson which means easy but can be used for both languages. She ended up making a Double Value word wall which will not only be beneficial for Enrique but also for all the learners in the classroom (Herrara, Murry & Cabral, 2007, p.87). The teacher was able to integrate the Spanish culture into her lesson which enriched all the learners and helped address the issue that it is okay to speak in the students’ native language.

By integrating literature into the instruction students will benefit substantially. “Reading texts that match learner interests and English proficiency provide learners with comprehensible language input--a chance to learn new vocabulary in context and to see the syntax of the language” (Rabideau, 1993, p.3).<ref name="Rabideau1993">{{cite web | last = Rabideau | first = Dan | date = March 1993 | title = Integrating Reading and Writing into Adult ESL Instruction | work = ERIC Identifier: ED358749 | publisher = ERIC Digests | url = http://www.ericdigests.org/1993/instruction.htm | accessdate = June 30, 2011}}</ref> Students will be motivated and will make learning more enjoyable. Lastly, by integrating other disciplines into the lesson it will make the content more significant to the learners and will create higher order thinking skills across the areas. By integrating language into other contents, it focuses not only on learning a second language, but using that language as a medium to learn mathematics, science, social studies, or other academic subjects” (Reilly, 1988, p. 2).When language and content areas are integrated ESL students become aware “that English is not just an object of academic interest nor merely a key to passing an examination; instead, English becomes a real means of interaction and sharing among people”.<ref name="Oxford2001p5">{{Cite web | last = Oxford | first = Rebecca | date = September 2001 | title = Integrated Skills in the ESL/EFL Classroom | url = http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/0105oxford.html | accessdate = June 30, 2011 | publisher = Center for Applied Linguistics | work = ERIC Digest. 6(1)1-7 | page = 5}}</ref> Therefore, students will be able to communicate across the curriculum, acquire higher level skills, and be successful in their daily lives.

== References ==