English language learners are faced with the challenge of learning a second language while also learning new skills and concepts in multiple content areas. One of the first and most important steps an educator can take to engage ELL students is to develop strong relationships with them by being sensitive to their culture. “Freire and Macedo (1987) admonish that teachers must value the experience and language of their students” (Cobb and Kallus, 2011, p.232). Stephen Krashen’s affective filter theory suggests that students learn a second language more effectively if they feel comfortable and safe. If teachers build rapport with their students and show them they care, ELL students are willing to take risks and push themselves to speak, read, and write in English at a greater capacity.

Educators can provide many meaningful opportunities to engage ELL learners in acquiring English language skills by intentional and thoughtful planning. Here are some strategies promoted by educational experts:

• Collaboration among students, slower speech and clear enunciation, using visuals and demonstrations, targeted vocabulary development, connections to students experiences and using supplementary materials (Short and Echevarria, 2005)
• Cooperative learning, instructional conversations, multi-sensory instruction, and guided reading strategies for listening and discussing content (Cobb and Kallus, 2011)
• Print-rich environments, planning for multi-sensory input, vocabulary, role playing, and allowing time for reading and writing for curiosity and authentic purposes (Smith, 2004)
• Choral reading, shared reading, paired reading, books with tapes, multi-cultural literature, language-experience approach, total physical response, narrow reading, reading aloud, and interactive writing with texts that support cultural awareness (Drucker, 2003)
• Visuals, charts, graphs, time lines, Venn diagrams, and collaborative learning activities (DeCapua, Smathers, and Tang, 2007)
• Building schemata, using a jigsaw strategy (students work with a group to become experts on one topic, then divide up and teach it to a different group), scaffolding by using teacher modeling, then group or partner work prior to independent work, and sheltered reading (provide a synopsis for students to read prior to the actual reading assignment)

Involving families of ELL learners is another meaningful step teachers can take to engage their students in the classroom. Educators should build good rapport with ELL students’ families through frequent communication and conferences. They should also be given opportunities to participate in and volunteer for school events. One way to develop a positive relationship with families is to take advantage of students’ funds of knowledge, which refers to “historically accumulated and culturally developed bodies of knowledge and skills essential for household or individual functioning and well-being” (Greenberg, 1989; Tapia, 1991; Velez-Ibanez, 1988). Students learn life skills from their immediate and extended family members through their home life experiences. For example, a student might help an aunt when he goes to work with her at a nail salon on a school holiday, spend time with an uncle on the weekends who is a mechanic and teaches him about car repairs, or learn about finances from his father when he pays bills in the evenings.

Educators can encourage family involvement by encouraging parents and extended family members of ELL students to participate in community or school-sponsored literacy events. The aunt who works at a nail salon can share how she uses reading and writing skills in her job. The student can assist her by providing translation or giving his perspective and explaining what he’s learned through his experiences helping her. Other parents or family members can do the same with their life experiences—connect with their child’s classmates and people from the community by sharing the ways they use literacy in their daily lives. Bringing in volunteers with a variety of cultural and language experiences demonstrates to the students and community that educators value their knowledge and skills. Furthermore, individuals from the community and families of other students can relate to and connect with the volunteers in meaningful ways that they might not be able to with school staff members due to their cultural differences.

In addition to providing an effective learning environment with research-based strategies and involving families of ELL learners, teachers also need to be positive and encouraging. Second language acquisition can be daunting for students and they need to know their teachers are in their corner. Giving verbal praise and reassurance to students on the difficult days shows ELL learners that teachers care and want to help.

References:

Cobb & Kallus (2011). Historical, Theoretical, and Sociological Foundations of Reading in the United

States. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston, MA.