General Considerations
All students come to us with different backgrounds and experiences. When we program for ELL students, it is helpful to know as much about the new student as possible. It puts us in a better position to anticipate needs, watch for possible behaviours that might develop as time passes, set learning goals and plan for language supports at their proficiency level.
WhAT brought the child here and what might impact their learning and motivation?
Push/Pull Factors that Impact Students & Families:
Pull Factors – what pulls people toward a new place:
opportunity, freedom, family unification, educational opportunities, health care availability, housing, etc.
Push Factors – what pushes people to leave their homes:
poverty, oppression, persecution, lack of needed health care
*ELLs citizenship documents as well as conversations with parents will help gather this information.*
What are the Acculturation Phases that students typically go through?
There are four phases that immigrants and English Language Learners go through while getting used to a new language and adapting to the mainstream culture:
Honeymoon Phase – exhilaration, hopefulness
Culture Shock Phase – confusion, discouragement
Adjustment Phase – understanding of new culture, acceptance of differences; balancing and blending native and new
Acceptance Phase – identification with new culture
In addition to the possible culture shock they may experience, there are five stages of second language acquisition:
The Silent Period
The Early Production Period
The Speech Emergence Period
The Intermediate Production Period
The Advanced Production Period
Source of Table: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview
STAGES OF ACQUISITION
Zooming in on the Silent Period
ELLs who arrive with little to no English will quite likely be silent for an extended period. This is an expected phase in the process; it ranges from 6 weeks to 6 months or longer depending on the amount of ongoing exposure to the new language. At this initial stage, the learner is able to understand much more than he/she can produce. This can be a challenging period for teachers and students alike. It is important to be patient and allow students to stay at this phase for a sufficient amount of time until they feel prepared to take risks and attempt speaking in English. Be careful of correcting students too soon or putting pressure on them and making them withdraw.
How long until English Language learners become fluent?
The general consensus is that it takes between five to seven years for an individual to achieve advanced fluency. If the ELL does not come with fully developed first language and literacy skills, it may take seven to ten years to reach advanced fluency.
What Language Strands need to be developed?
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/language_strands.html
Consider which language strands/skills to be supported initially.
My ELL is struggling with learning-considerations & tips.pdf