A few years back, I was observing a student teacher in a high school US History classroom. She was at the front of the class giving directions for an activity that was quite interactive, but she was just talking at this point. She didn’t refer to instructions on the whiteboard or projector, nor did she have any visuals. I noticed a student at the back of the classroom with their head on the desk. Later, when we were discussing the class session, I asked her about the student in the back of the room.
She said:
I know. I feel bad but the teacher said, “That’s an English Learner…just ignore them.”
That stuck with me. The teacher’s response was totally unacceptable, but to be fair, they probably hadn’t studied strategies for working with MLs. They didn’t want to embarrass them to put them on the spot.
We can do better!
Here are 5 tips for encouraging participation in your classroom!
Create a Supportive Environment:
Foster a welcoming and inclusive classroom atmosphere with words from their language on the walls, pictures of people that look like them, and vocabulary walls with often-used words. See the post What’s on your walls?
With student input, provide clear expectations for respectful communication.
Establish a sense of community where students know each other’s names and a bit about their background so they feel comfortable expressing themselves.
Allow them to answer the question in their dominant language and have someone translate it, if possible.
Choose content that is interesting and relevant to the students' lives.
When students are invested in the topic, they are more likely to engage in discussions.
Use Visual Aids ALL THE TIME:
Incorporate visual aids, charts, graphs, and real-life objects related to the content.
Visuals can help MLs understand and discuss topics even if they are not yet proficient in the language, but really, all students benefit.
Pair and Group Activities:
Implement pair or small group activities that promote collaboration. Make sure the pairs/groups are intentional with clear tasks of what they should do.
Working with peers can provide a supportive environment for MLs to practice language skills in a less intimidating space.
Language Frames:
Offer sentence frames or starters that students can use as a basis for their responses.
Frames help scaffold their language use and provide a model for expressing ideas so that they can participate.
Model Communication:
Model effective communication by demonstrating how to express ideas clearly and respectfully. I sometimes use a fish bowl with students to model this.
Do think-alouds with visuals to show the process of thinking through and articulating thoughts in the target language.
Remember that building language proficiency takes time, and creating a supportive and encouraging environment is foundational. Also, MLs may be in the silent stage of language development. If that is the case, encourage, but don’t push. With time, you’ll see that your students-both dominant English speakers and speakers new to the English language will embrace each other.
What as worked for you?
Share with colleagues!