TESOL Standard 1: Language

Reflection

1. Second Language Acquisition

Growing up bilingual has taught me to be mindful of what English language learners must overcome to acquire content, develop skills in a second language, and gain success in education and beyond. Second language acquisition can take several years or longer. English language learners often struggle to learn English due to a lack of formal education in their first language, inadequate home language support, or difficulty interpreting cultural cues that are essential for cross-cultural communication skills. Overcoming these and other challenges helps position them to reap the benefits of learning English and acclimating to the cultural environment.

2. Literacy

Teaching literacy is crucial for language acquisition and development. Researchers assert that literacy encompasses oral communication skills as well as reading and writing skills. I promote literacy through the use of basic interpersonal communicative skills and cognitive language proficiency. The use of academic content areas as a basis for the language of the lesson achieves literacy. In addition, I integrate visual and tactile aids into the instruction to focus attention on higher-order thinking skills such as analyzing, synthesizing or predicting. I provide students with the appropriate language labels and conventions necessary to facilitate class work.

3. Access to First or Home Language

A teacher’s role is to provide students with access to additional language forms. Teachers should strive to approach new concepts within contexts students can understand. To address the language needs of English language learners, teachers must be creative in constructing lessons by considering and applying the students' first or home language as a tool to keep every student interested and included. English language learners make use of their first or home language to make connections or find relationships between what they learn and what they already know.

4. Multiple Modalities

Language is the motivation and the means for English language learners to interact with one another and to express themselves in various modalities. Teachers must differentiate between the language and content of each discipline to achieve academic equity. Being aware of the language of mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies is one step forward. Identifying key uses and dimensions of academic language is another. Incorporating each student into instruction and assessment practices moves classrooms and schools in the direction of greater linguistic equity. It is important for teachers to educate students on how to learn and express themselves in a variety of modalities (multiliteracies). Their oral language proficiency in English, literacy experiences in their home language and exposure to explicit literacy instruction should determine the pace of the instruction.