Many of us have probably experienced the following scenario: sometime in the middle of the year, a new English learner is placed in your class. In addition to all the challenges that come with a new student in the middle of the year, this student speaks little to no English. You have no idea what they know and you can’t communicate with them to ask questions, explain assignments, or even tell them where to sit. You feel helpless.
I know that this is incredibly challenging. In a perfect world, every school would have a separate program specific for newcomer students with teachers that speak their native language, sheltered classes, and lots of time devoted to learning English. However, due to numbers of students, available staff, and funding, that’s simply not a possibility, so we have to do the best we can. Fortunately, the majority of these students are well-behaved, motivated, and quick learners, so that makes it easier!
The first thing I’d like to mention is that students shouldn’t fail classes simply because they don’t speak English. As long as they are doing what they can reasonably be expected to do (taking notes, copying down answers off the board, etc.), they should at least get a passing grade. As they learn more and their English improves, your expectations can consequently go up. We don't have an official board-and-administrator approved grading policy yet, but here is what we have for now. (You can also access it by clicking "EL Grading Policy" at the top of this page.)
All that being said, here are some quick tips for working with newcomer ELs with low English proficiency:
· Remember that your new EL is just as intelligent as any other students. They have knowledge; they just can’t convey it because they don’t speak English!
· Don’t give them a seat at the very back of the room, if possible.
· Be friendly! Personal connections are important. Even if you can’t talk much with them, say simple words and phrases with a smile.
· Use Google Translate when needed. It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s better than nothing. Use simple, straightforward words and phrases. It also helps accuracy if you use capitalization, punctuation, and complete sentences. Google Translate can even translate photos with text using your phone’s camera!
· If you really need to convey something, try to get someone to translate: myself, another student, anyone who speaks the language. Contact me if you really need to get a message across and I’ll do my best to make it happen.
· If possible, allow them time to use English learning software on the computers. They have accounts through my classes and can learn basic English through System 44, DuoLingo, or Rosetta Stone.
· Provide access to materials in their home language if possible. Earlier this year I sent out a huge list of sites where you can access content in various languages. Let me know if you need it!
· “Level” readings by simplifying them. Again, I sent out a detailed email with how to do this earlier this year.
· Provide a bilingual dictionary in their home language. If you want one, contact me!
· Prioritize: choose just two or three concepts from a unit and focus on teaching those, instead of every detail.
· If possible, seat newcomer ELs next to students who speak their language, other ELs, or simply friendly, nice students who would be willing to help.
· When showing videos, turn on the subtitles. Almost all YouTube videos have captions now, and even if they’re not 100% correct, they’re better than nothing!
· Model what students are supposed to do instead of just explaining. Provide both written and oral directions.
I hope this gives you some ideas of how to manage the type of situation I described. I know it’s incredibly challenging, as well as daunting to think about all the things you could be doing for them along with all your other responsibilities, so don’t overwhelm yourself. Doing anything is better than doing nothing, so just do what you can and I know it’ll be great! And as always, I’m here for support, ideas, materials, and anything else you need.