Inside the Art Classroom by Elyse Jordan

Although some may think art would be the easiest content area for the ELL student, this is not the case.  Art is a universal language, but it can be deeply steeped in the culture of the host country.  An example of this is the art of Diego Rivera and Rita Kahlo.  Also there is still a language barrier with art instruction.  As with any subject matter there is specific content matter and technique to be mastered, and one has to overcome the language barrier to be successful with this.

Teaching art to the ELL student is a double-sided coin.  ELL students can see the artwork, and analyze it.  A picture of a chair is still a chair in any language.  These students however may have difficulty explaining what they see, and using the technical terminology becomes another obstacle.  Students are required to have preconceived ideas of the culture and the symbolism that may be associated with the host country in order to analyze works of art.  In this way, art may be a great teaching tool for the ELL student.

Art can be taught collaboratively with another subject matter.  Art can be used to greatly increase the understanding of the subject matter as well as the language.  Having students draw pictures of the concepts you are talking about helps aid in this.  If you are teaching an art class on figure drawing, it would be beneficial to collaborate with the English Language Arts teacher to come up with subject matter for said students.  For example, they could be assigned more specifically to draw a scene out of whatever the literature was they were reading in class at the time.  To collaborate with science, they could be asked to create a collage of a cell or other applicable structure.  Scaffolding activities in this way could greatly help break down language barriers.

Art can be used as a great assessment tool as well.  One might not think the student is learning anything, but we cannot be absolutely sure this is the case.  Language may be the barrier that is keeping the student from doing work, or doing it correctly.  Students that do poorly in the way of written assignments or reading assignments may shy away from completing them because of the difficulty.  If we as art teachers collaborate with other content area teachers, or encourage our colleagues, we might find more assignments getting done.  We also may find the students have a much better understanding of the content than we originally thought.  We as art teachers could and should be advocates for our ELL students.  They have a lot they could bring to our classroom.

In the same sense, we want to nurture the native culture of the student.  Art can be a great vehicle for this learning as well.  Art is very much about cultural awareness and understanding.  A lesson plan could be created to assign different countries to different students.  You could have students create a work of art to represent that culture.  Students could learn a lot and we could nurture the culture of the ELL student in this way. 

Resources:

 Goldberg, Merryl, “Using the Arts to Support English Language Learners” http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/how-to/supporting-individual-needs/supporting-ell-with-the-arts.aspx

Inside the Math Classroom by Amber Peek

Much like many other classroom settings, the math classroom can be a source of a lot of stress for English Language Learners(ELLs).  Often, the vocabulary is difficult and the context is reduced.  Also, teachers must consider that many ELLs have developed math skills in their native language; however, English acts as a barrier in their current environment.

In a math classroom, there are many things to consider.  For example, the vocabulary includes terms which can have double meanings.  Word problems could be confusing and difficult for an ELL to understand.  Also, the math teacher may also use technology and material that are unfamiliar to the ELLs.  

In order to overcome these challenges, teachers should teach academic vocabulary that is necessary for students to be successful in their course.  Sometimes, this could be as simple as offering a bilingual dictionary to students to assist them in their academic language acquisition.  Also, the teacher would need to explain that many words have multiple meanings and that it is helpful to look at other words around the vocabulary word in order to help increase understanding.  The teacher can also provide visual aids, graphic organizers, realia or pictures to further demonstrate the meaning of a group of words.

Another challenge that must be addressed is building background. Students should be assessed in their native language in order to determine their previous exposure and understanding of math content.  It should not be assumed that students do not know information simply because they are not English proficient.  The translators needed to complete this assessment can be found through the school district or sometimes community members can be helpful.  

Lastly, it would be helpful to provide students with language partners, who are more proficient in English.  This will help bring down the affective filter.  This will also bring down many cultural walls where many cultures frown upon addressing teachers with questions or concerns.  


Resource:Robertson, Kristina.  "Math Instruction for English Language Learners.
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/30570/

Inside the Science Classroom by Brittany Bankston

Being that the field of science has its own complicated language in and of itself, it is important for educators in this field to take into account the added level of difficulty a student may have when approaching this subject in what could possibly be their second or third language. Teachers must remember that science is not a subject that is reading or writing only. There are skills that students must develop in order to master it successfully. Therefore, when teaching these skills to group of students teachers need to do so in a way that is comprehensible to all the types of students that may be in the classroom. As previously stated, science is not a field that is reading and writing alone. There are several areas in which science teachers must develop their skills in a way that best benefits all students.  

First, in the areas of listening and visualization, teachers must remember to speak slowly and distinctly. Key terms must always be written so that the students can hear as well as see it. Teachers may highlight the importance of cognates or root words if the students’ native language has enough in common with English. Teachers may also keep a word wall in the classroom with key terms. Also, whenever possible, teachers should use visuals whether they are pictures, graphic organizers, charts, graphs, or figures when trying to explain or demonstrate material. Furthermore, if videos are used in class there should be closed captioning and manual control. This is so that again students may see the words as they are hearing them and also to be able to pause or bookmark important parts of the video.

Next, teachers should do what they can to help develop strong interpersonal skills. To develop these skills teachers can employ cooperative learning strategies. In many cultures, the idea of a student expressing his opinion to a teacher is frowned upon. This will help those students express their ideas in a comfortable environment. Also, due to this cultural difference, educators must encourage participation. The “Think/Pair/Share” strategy also gives students the opportunity to think of their answers and share them with a partner (another bilingual students would be helpful) before presenting to a group. Teachers are also encouraged to use lots of hands-on activities and demonstrations as well as pictorial guided to aid no only ESL’s but all students.

Although the aforementioned strategies are extremely important when teaching in a science classroom, the most important strategy for a teacher to have in the classroom is structure. The classroom should run on a consistent routine. Students should be provided with an outline or agenda of that day’s activities. Also, teachers should take every opportunity to relate what is going on in the classroom to what students already know. Employing all of these strategies in the classroom may seem like a daunting task to many. But the fact is that these strategies should not only exist for ESL teaching. These strategies are all apart of good teaching and will benefit all students.

Bibliography

Herr, N. P. (2007). Strategies for Teaching Science to English Language Learners. Retrieved from The Sourcebook for Teaching Science: http://www.csun.edu/science/ref/language/teaching-ell.html

Inside the English Language Arts Classroom by Kathleen Gonzalez

 An English class can pose problems for the ELL student, as they are asked to read and comprehend novels, write in depth term papers, memorize complex vocabulary words, and etcetera. These students are currently learning the English language and we are asking them to master it as well. To relieve student stress, teachers can utilize several strategies and techniques to aid ELL students in their learning. 

 Interactive story telling can be used to practice both listening and speaking skills. The activity works in the following way: the teacher divides the students into pairs. The teacher begins reading a work of literature. At certain points in the story the teacher pauses and asks students to discuss specific aspects the work with their partner. After the students have had time to discuss, the teacher calls on students and asks them to tell the class their answer. Beyond listening and speaking, this exercise gauges the students’ comprehension of the material and allows students to build interpersonal skills.

In order to help students’ master grammar, for writing, teachers can use grammar games. Grammar games are fun for both learners and teachers. Games teach and reinforce critical grammar points by engaging students. Teachers can use pursuit, turn-taking games, card games, board games or TPR-based games to get maximum involvement from students.

           

Teachers can also use movie clips as aids for grammar. Movie clips are another fun way to engage students, by connecting them to popular culture, while reinforcing grammar. Movie clips should be no longer than three to seven minutes. Instruct students to write down what grammar forms they hear. After the movie clips, lead a class discussion about their findings- “Does everyone agree? No? What are the different forms they come up with? What's correct?”

These three techniques are fun ways to cater towards ELL students, while keeping all students engaged. There are many other techniques, which can be used as well. Teachers should research and collect techniques for their students. In today’s community ELL students are one of the fastest growing groups in schools and should not be “left behind”.

           

Swift, Sue, “Interactive Story Telling” http://www.eslbase.com/articles/story-telling

Lynch, Larry, “Three Fun Ideas for Teaching Grammar” http://www.eslbase.com/articles/grammar-ideas

Inside the Foreign Language Classroom and the Social Studies Classroom by Kenan Le Parc

                  Most ELL students in Alabama just like anywhere else in the country, are probably going through culture shock. (Brown p. 194)

In order to understand how our ELL students feel, every teacher in the state should go through shock language lesson. (Samway & McKeon p. 16-19) Can you imagine yourself in a classroom where you are being taught a subject in a language other than your native tongue? Someone going through this probably gets frustrated pretty easily. We have to understand that our English Language Learners might be frustrated when they do not understand what we are teaching them.

In my certification area (French) it might be easier as every student in class will start with the same knowledge of French. In a foreign language classroom, the teacher should use a lot of images and a lot of motion to make the students’ task of learning the target language easier. By making motions with our arms (i.e. going from close together to having your arms spread apart and extended can show that it means big), the students might understand words of the targeted language through our motion. This technique could be used in other content areas when dealing with ESL.

For example in a History classroom, a teacher could have videos and pictures along with the readings for the students. The images will speak for themselves and the students who might not get all of the information from reading the textbook might grasp the message through watching the video and knowing the context. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. This might be beneficial to non-ESL students as well as some of them might be visual learners.

Another technique that can be used is to pair ESL together if they have the same native language. One might understand more than the other and they can help each other out in their native tongue. Being able to use their native language in class will allow them to put meaning on new words in English. (Samway & McKeon p. 16-19)

References

Brown, H. Douglas. 2007. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

Samway, Katharine D., & McKeon Denis. 2007. Myths and Realities, Best Practices for English Language Learners. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Why Talk about ESL?

We are a group of Master's students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  We are currently in a secondary education methods class and we are learning about the importance of making information and content accessible to all learners in the classroom setting.  Therefore, with a growing diverse population, it is necessary to talk about English Language learners.  In the past, most teachers could rely on the fact that they would most likely not have to teach a student of a different ethnic heritage.  However, it is now almost a sure bet that teachers will have at least one English language learner in their classes, especially in urban areas where the diversity is extensive.  Therefore, we want to be prepared as future educators to meet the needs of all of our students.  
We each have different concentrations.  I (Amber) have a dual concentration in Foreign Language (Spanish) education and ESL education.  Susie also is concentrating in ESL education.  Kenan and Brittany are studying Foreign Language education (French and Spanish, respectively).  Kathleen and Elyse are concentrating in art education.  
We hope that this information will be useful to others as we share what we have learned about making the content classroom comprehensible for language learners.

Basic Philosophy of ESL Instruction by Susie Dubois

ESL instruction is comprised of many components, including a recognition and celebration of multiculturalism. In the ESL classroom, culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students, or English language learners (ELLs), are viewed as assets rather than liabilities to the classroom because they bring with them multilingualism, familiarity with different cultures and ethnicities, and many other unique gifts and experiences. According to Herrera & Murry (2005), when these “differences are appropriately accommodated and classroom instruction is purposefully differentiated for diversity, these students not only match the academic performance of their native-English-speaking peers, but also their academic gains may actually exceed those of their grade-level contemporaries” (p. 11).

There are four interdependent developmental components considered to be crucial for second language acquisition in the school setting: sociocultural, academic, cognitive, and linguistic. They must all be focused upon and nurtured for CLD students to succeed academically, and “it is crucial that educators provide a socioculturally supportive school environment that allows natural language, academic, and cognitive development to flourish in both L1 [first language] and L2 [second language]” (Ovando, Combs, & Collier, 2006, p. 126). CLD students not only face challenges in the area of language learning, they are also often adjusting to cultural differences and acculturation as well as psychosocial factors such as developing self-esteem and forming a cultural identity. These students deal with many of the same issues that native English speaking students do, but are also trying to balance a difference in languages and cultures between home and school while trying to succeed academically and fit in with their peers. It is crucial for ESL instructors to talk with their students, inform themselves about their native cultures, and if possible to form a rapport with parents and/or other family members in order to provide a supportive environment that fosters learning and communication.

According to Brown (2007), two distinct and vital aspects of second language acquisition that should always be considered in ESL instruction are communicative and linguistic competence (p. 219). Many students have basic interpersonal communication skills, or BICS, which refer to a student’s ability to participate in a normal, everyday conversation. Proficiency in these skills can be deceiving to instructors and peers because the ELL may come across as being quite fluent in English. However, there is also cognitive academic language proficiency, or CALP, to consider. Basically, this refers to a student’s ability to comprehend the more difficult academic language that is encountered in the classroom (vocabulary terms, etcetera). CALP requires more comprehensive, sometimes explicit, instruction and takes years longer to develop than BICS.

English language learners need to be involved in active, inquiry-based learning experiences that provide ample opportunities for cooperative learning. According to Ovando, Combs, & Collier (2006), in this type of learning environment, “students learn content, develop conceptual knowledge, and acquire language through a discovery-oriented approach to learning… additionally, integration of the student’s home, community, and culture are key elements of the active learning approach”  (p. 93). Research has shown that cooperative learning in the ESL classroom “increase[s] the frequency and variety of second language practice through different types of interaction [and] provide[s] opportunities to integrate language with content instruction” (p. 97).  It is also important that this classroom connects to and activates students’ prior knowledge: “learning in a diverse classroom incorporates the rich linguistic and cultural life experiences that each students brings to the classroom” (p. 96).  Classroom environments such as these provide ample opportunity for students to engage in authentic learning activities that are meaningful to them while fostering development in both BICS and CALP.