ESOL Students

By: Nafisa Khan and Mariam Sharif

What is ESOL?

Sharing your personal experiences with others is beneficial in many ways. It can be relieving since you are getting the chance to pass on your wisdom to others. Some students in Howard Area Community Center’s ESL 5 class were part of a transformative collaboration between HACC and the Community Writing Project. Learners shared personal stories in English with their peers which brought them together as one.

English Language Learner, abbreviated as ELL is someone who is not proficient in speaking English and needs support developing language skills in English. According to research in the 2012-2013 school year, the schools in Pennsylvania is home to at least 52,000 ELLs. This is a 69% increase compared to the 2002-2003 school year (Migration Policy Institute, 2015). Based on another research in 2016, students in Philadelphia spoke 107 languages, and 52% of ELLs spoke Spanish. About 16,000 English Language Learners attend public schools in Philadelphia, a significant increase from just seven years ago at 12,000.

Below are some Challenges Encountered by ESOL Students:

The teachers are unqualified and have difficulty translating from the learner’s native language into English. Also, the learner views the teacher as someone who is always explaining it correctly.
There are limited learning environments. Usually, students speak English properly in a learning environment, such as schools. However, outside of school, people are more likely to use slang, or speak improper English, like at home with friends and family. This makes it harder for an ELL to take in and understand what other people are talking about.
In most cases, ELLs do not put effort in learning English. Instead, these students just review English when they are in schools and around teachers. When they go home, they go back to speaking their native language with their family, and do not attempt to speak English with others fluent in it. A lot of ELLs speak English only when the teacher is looking and supervising them. When they are communicating with friends, they talk in their native language.

ESOL at HSES

At Carver High School of Engineering and Science, Mr. Mandell is the ESOL teacher. There are 20 students who are ELLs that attend here. The students can get help by a variety of ways. There is a sheltered 8th period class for ESOL students. So, some students who need more intensive instruction go to Mr. Mandell during 8th period. However, most students just go to their regularly scheduled 8th period class, where they can get help either from their English teacher, and/or get help from Mr. Mandell on the side. The ESOL students in our school can also go to homework zone, or go to peer tutoring from the National Honor Society. About 30% of those 20 seek out help during the year from time to time. Because we are a Magnet school, many of the ELLs typically do not struggle that much. They come with pretty strong skills, but there are exceptions. “I think the biggest challenge is getting used to the American culture. When they come from a different culture, they come from a different culture from their family and their parents. We call that Americanization. So, becoming Americanized at foods, language, just the way we talk, the way we act, things like that.” said Mr. Mandell. Americanization is basically the influence American culture has on other cultures. Students are typically determined as an English Language Learner in middle school. So, the middle school will identify them and send high school the child’s records and test scores. Mr. Mandell tries to do things that are high in interest such as current events, and things in the news. His main goal is to keep his classes friendly, relaxed, and interesting.

ESOL at Northeast High School

Northeast High School is the most diverse school in the city of Philadelphia. There, Mrs. Salandy is in her 4th year of being in charge of a Small Learning Community; she is a former English teacher. There are about 830 students who are ELLs who attend NEHS. Some students are partnered with organizations that the school has working community relationships with. HIAS is a nonprofit community program which helps students who have an official refugee status; students attend the program after school and on Saturdays for assistance. Since many high school students work, they are not able to make time to do extra things. In school, students can get help from NHS tutoring which is held three days a week during advisory in the library. Aside from tutoring, there are 11-12 bilingual counselors who speak the primary languages. There are more than 40 different languages spoken at Northeast High School. If students have a problem with their classes, the staff are available anytime for assistance. If the student needs mental support, or if they are pregnant, or have a child, they can have meetings with psychologists and special education teachers. All in all, it depends on the child and what his or her concern is. On a daily basis if the ELL does not speak English at all, then it is a little difficult for them because they do not understand things automatically. However, if the ELL attend school regularly, try hard, work with peers, and use Google Translate, then they will improve. The teachers at NEHS are experienced with working with students, so they use a lot of pictures and graphs to show what is being taught. If someone is from another country and they do not speak English, then they are determined as an ELL. When one has been in the United States for years and speak some English, but their skills are not quite yet proficient, meaning that they can be in a regular classroom, then they will still be a part of the ESOL program. The regular classes may be a little too fast-paced for them. The WIDA Screener is an initial test for immigrants which provides the teachers with one’s skills. Annually in January, the ELL takes the Access Test to show their growth. Based on the information the school gets back from the tests, teachers know what class to put them in and how it would be best to work with them. Some students may struggle with English, but their academic understandings (reading and writing) is not quite matching up to their speaking and listening abilities (or vice versa). As a result, they may have to be placed in a lower English class. When Mrs. Salandy was interviewed, she said “I would say that I was firm but flexible and understanding. You have to have a lot of patience when working with ESOL students because they don’t always get things the first or second time. You have to keep showing them things over and over in a different way. You have to keep trying different things until the student understands. You have to also be available for they students.” Many of the teachers at NEHS have been a part of QTEL, a program that focuses on different strategies to use when teaching ESOL students such as scaffolding, or giving them support. “The main thing when it comes to working with any student, especially an ESOL student is to experience and be willing to listen to other teachers in terms of what works and what doesn’t. Being patient and understanding goes a long way. If the student sees that you are there for them and interested in helping them learn the material, then they will be willing to work with you.”

What Actions Really Need to be Taken in the Future

It is New Year's resolution season! Yes, as we all know resolutions are not easy to keep and can often be unrealistic. Experts say that you are more likely to accomplish your goal if it is specific and measurable. For example, instead of saying, "I want to save more money" you should say, "I want to save enough money each month so that I can buy a new computer in November." I will suggest 3 specific actions schools can do to assist ELLs in the classroom. I recommend teachers pick one item and stick to it for half of the year to increase the possibility of success. It is better to do one thing continually and do it well than to try to do all 3 and possibly lose motivation and focus.

Schools should train all educators on how to work with ELLs. At NEHS, the teachers are trained how to work with students. They
Schools and educators should use group work to encourage students to interact with one another. Interacting with peers can play a huge role in a student's language development. Try some of the strategies listed in this article, including the "think-pair-share" and "circle chats."
They can also create and use graphics for core classes to help English learners build their vocabulary. schools should provide ESOL students with computers or tablets translated from their native language to English. This will make it easier for students to understand what they are reading, writing and listening to.