English Language LearningAn Instructional Crises

Anne Heath

AcronymsELL English Language Learner (Term used in Connecticut)

LEP Limited English Proficient (Term used by federal government)

ESL English as a Second Language (Term used to describe programs)

ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages (Term is

synonymous with ESL)

(RESC, 2009)

U.S. schools have experienced a dramatic change in the demographic makeup of student population in the past decade

(National Center for Education Statistics, 2013)

Limited English Proficient Population is on the Rise

Reading Scale Scores show Achievement Gap

(National Center for Education Statistics, 2011)

What can the classroom teacher do?

• Learn about your students’ cultures• Know level and proficiency expectations• Use the available accommodations• Don’t assume: ELLs may appear to understand• Display a positive attitude

(Herrell & Jordan, 2004)

Instructional Strategies

• Use simple sentences • Establish a standard set of directions.• Speak at a normal rate; lengthen pauses• Consider skills when grouping students• Check frequently for comprehension

– listen to and observe verbal & nonverbal cues

Strategies for classroom teachers• Create vocabulary banks• Use manipulatives• Pace explanations and directions• Implement wait time• Prompt with nonverbal responses• Use sentence frames• Use questioning prompts• Ask for choral responses from students(Herrell & Jordan, 2004)

Teacher Prompts

CT RESC Alliance, 2009

Citations

Connecticut RESC Alliance. (2009). How to create high quality programs for ELLS. Retrieved from http://ctlearning.net/ell/.

Herrell, A. L., & Jordan, M. (2004). Fifty strategies for teaching English language learners. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

National Center for Education Statistics,(2008). Fast Facts. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98

National Center for Education Statistics, (2012). The nation's report card Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Education, Institute of Education Science.