Teaching English learners requires the incorporation of several instructing techniques that enhance content retention and improve language literacy. Education scholars advocate for teaching strategies that encourage student participation because this motivates the students to learn something which matches their interests. Teaching English in a multicultural society calls for the instructor to design content objectives that not only improve the students’ English literacy, but also serves as a basis for social interaction.
Before instructing, it is necessary for the teacher to give students a chance to brainstorm. This enables instructor to gauge the students’ knowledge of the content. The instructor can, therefore, develop instructions that build on the students’ background. After brainstorming, students can choose projects which they are interested in, and work on those projects together in groups. Group work enables students to learn from each other and determine their own projects. Apart from giving an opportunity for social interaction, group discussions also present students with an opportunity for English learning and understanding the core curriculum. The instructor has to determine the social interaction opportunities that will serve as a basis for social/affective objectives; this reflects what the instructor values in student behavior.
When creating groups, the instructor has to be sensitive to academic, language and social objectives. Research shows that heterogeneous groups present the best results. Heterogeneous groups incorporate students with varying ethnicities, academic achievement, language proficiency and gender. The groups should also have students with a mix of personality traits. This offers the students an opportunity for social and knowledge development. For example, a group composed of English learners and fluent speakers presents the learners with an opportunity to practice their English speaking while articulating their ideas. Small groups are better than large groups because they offer a low-anxiety atmosphere. It is vital to have rotational roles for each group member in order to promote positive interdependence
Apart from the use of group discussions, use of graphics such as pictures and graphs can be useful in enhancing content retention. This builds a students’ understanding because the instructor incorporates verbal explanations with graphics, gestures and direct experience. This is what is referred to as sheltered instruction or Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE). Other SDAIE techniques involve repeating essential points, speaking clearly, defining essential vocabulary and incorporating nonverbal communication (gestures, graphs, objects and pictures).
The instructor can also adjust the amount of content to be covered in order to reduce the content load on students; modifying the lessons is vital in order to support the learner’s understanding. The instructor’s major aim should be to make every student to participate and perform well. The instructor should also offer the students’ choices to broaden their horizons and allow them to be involved in the learning thus spark interest and involvement.
Proving assistance to students is based on the idea of scaffolding. The idea is that with assistance today, the student can undertake the same task independently. Scaffolding prepares the student to tackle complex processes. Repetition and routines are vital in this stage because it lights up the child’s unassisted capacity. Lastly, assessment is vital tool for the instructor to gauge a student’s knowledge, skill or competence in a given area. Formal assessment can include the use of standard tests while informal assessments can include the use of work examples. Both formal informal assessments can be integrated together in a perfomance assessment. It is vital to identify students in need of bilingual English language development through oral or written proficiency tests that determine the student’s English language proficiency. However, sometimes the standard language proficiency test may lead to inappropriate program placement.
Works Cited
Peregoy, Suzanne F. and Owen F. Boyle. Reading, Learning and Writing in ESL . 4th ed. Boston : Allyn & Bacon , 2004. Print.
Tharp, Ronald and Ronald Gallimore. From Rousing Minds to Life: Teaching, Learning and Schooling in Social Context . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Print.
