Module 4: Classroom Strategies & Considerations

In this module, we will look at strategies teachers can use in their classrooms to help ESL students.

Consideration 1

Be Kind and make it on Santa's nice list.

Making accommodations for English langauge learners doesn’t require anything more than you might provide for any other student, just a little patience and some empathy.

Please know that ESL students won’t have accommodation letters because speaking a second language is not a learning disability.

Consideration 2

How long does it take to learn a language?

BICS vs. CALP

To highlight the difference between interpersonal communication and academic language, try to orally describe the following formula in whichever second second language you were exposed to most.

Articulating math problems frustrates ELLs, yet teachers commonly assume that ESL students will have little trouble with math comprehension because of the belief that math is exclusively numerical.

Looking at this problem, what’s your first reaction?

Do you feel like there’s no way you can respond?

You probably don’t read Japanese.

What strategies you can apply?

This is one problem. Tests have dozens more.

Imagine how Chinese, Korean, Arabic, etc. students feel in their first few years working in a new alphabet.

Looking at the problem above, can you identify any cognates or words that may be inferred by using the picture along with the text. Any luck?

Which type of accommodation would provide the most appropriate support?

What about now? How are you doing?

Do you need a little extra time than a native speaker of Icelandic would need?

Classroom Strategy 1 - Extra Time for tests

It doesn't seem like much, but allowing students a little extra time could make all the difference in the world. Imagine processing new content that you're trying to learn. Then imagine trying to do it quickly under a time constraint and in a second language. Those extra minutes will really help out your students.