Sunday, February 23, 2014
Supporting English Language Learners
This blog fulfills a course requirement for EDM 510 at the University of South Alabama
Please view the following video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09PrmLppQ1A.
This video describes six strategies for teaching English language learners. Even though its focus is on preschool age children, these strategies are helpful for students of all ages. In addition, when these strategies are used in the classroom they benefit all learners, not just ELLs. Please pick at least one strategy that you feel would be most relevant to you in your field and write a paragraph (about 5 sentences) describing the strategy and how you could use it to enhance student learning.
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Although there were a variety of strategies that could help to improve student learning, the strategy that was most relevant to me in my field would be the "Total Physical Response" or TPR technique. For this strategy, teachers and students would use their bodies and do actions along with talking. TPR builds on the relationship between language and movement. This is also a more natural way to teach children, much like how parents model language to their children as they learn how to carry out specific tasks when they are little. I think this strategy can be especially useful for students at the primary level but could help to improve the learning for all. Other techniques that were mentioned in the video were having rich conversations with students and asking questions to extend talk, imbedding playful interactions between teachers and students, and pointing out the similarities between the student's native language and the English language. This video was very useful, thank you for showing us.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tiffany! I agree that TPR is particularly useful for students in the primary grades. They love to move their bodies and aren't as self conscious as older students. It's a fun, natural way for them to learn.
ReplyDeleteThere were a variety of different strategies explained in this video. One great point is that to help the students who are ELLs, teachers do not have to speak their native language. I think one strategy that I would find useful is "Self Talk"-narrating exactly what you, the teacher, is doing as you are doing it. I have actually used this strategy in my classroom with ESL/ELL students that I have had. I enjoyed learning some new terms such as "total physical response". It is amazing to think that as parents we do this to our own children teaching them HOW to speak, and as teachers we can do this helping students who are ESL/ELL; but like you and Tiffany, I agree that it works better with students in the lower grades. Thank you for sharing this video. I found it very helpful for my own classroom.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you liked the video, Tabitha. It's great that you've used self talk with your ESL/ELL students! Teaching ESL/ELL students is so rewarding because you watch them learn the language--so amazing to watch them grow and make progress.
ReplyDeleteI also found this video educational. I am planning to teach high school. The most interesting of the techniques is the "total physical response". We forget sometimes how much of our communication, in any language, is guided by physical cues. I hope to be able to use this in my future classroom.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great point! It's especially important with ELLs. Communication in person is the most effective with the families I tutor because of nonverbal cues. When I can't talk in person, texting or email work well. The hardest way to communicate is by phone. When you are learning a new language, communicating by phone is incredibly hard.
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